Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Matt Cardona, Starcade 83, Chad Gable & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Welcome to the show. It’s the only pro wrestling Q&A that matters. You have questions, and I have answers. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m Doug, your party host, guiding light, and the man with the best mullet since Billy Ray Cyrus. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

I took a few days off, so this is a deluxe edition, as I’m playing catch-up in the countdown to 5000. Enjoy.

Matt Cardona is back in WWE and on SmackDown. Thoughts?

We all knew it was just a matter of time. I do wonder what this means for Cardona’s Juggalo Championship Wrestling Championship that he currently holds, but this isn’t Vince McMahon’s WWE anymore, and I expect Matt will be allowed to complete all Indy dates and drop the title. It took five years, but woo woo woo, you know it!

Giulia defeated Chelsea Green and is now a two-time WWE Women’s United States Champion. Thoughts?

It seems that they’re going to give Giulia another chance. This sucks for Chelsea, especially on the night her husband has returned to the company, but it won’t hurt her character at all. She’s still one-half of the AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions with Ethan Page, so she still has gold. And her upcoming complaints to Nicholas should be epic.

How would you rate Starcade 1983 on a scale of 1 to 5?

A Flare for the Gold, I remember this very well. The build was outstanding for Flair versus Harley Race, complete with injuries, bounties, and the World Championship being defended inside a cage. {lus there were two other main events with The Briscos, Jack and Jerry defending the World Tag Team titles in a cage, and Roddy Piper fighting Greg Valentine in a dog collar match. Looking back, it was a wild assortment of eight matches, some of which made little sense, but all the top stars of Jim Crockett’s NWA were present, plus there was a fight with Carlos Colon and Abdullah the Butcher for good measure. The lower card didn’t make sense, but the main events delivered big time. On the 1 to 5 scale, I’d give it a 3.75.

SmackDown is now back to three hours. How would you rate the first three-hour show?

The show moved fast, plus we got the returns of Randy Orton and Matt Cardona. Three hours is still too long, but I’d give it a solid B+.

Randy Orton is back. Thoughts?

And the first thing he does, he beats up The Mix. But seriously, it’s good to see Orton back.

Trick Williams is now part of WWE SmackDown. Thoughts?

Trick is a talented wrestler, and while I don’t think he’s ready to main event WrestleMania, he’s a solid worker who should fit in well with the mid-card scene. Welcome to the big leagues, Trick.

Rusev has announced the launch of a new Wrestling School in Tennessee. Thoughts?

How would you like Rusev and Lana as your trainers? They both know the business, and as The Dudleys, Cody, and Booker T have all proven, it’s a nice side gig to give back and help groom the next generation of talent. Congratulations to Rusev and Lana.

Chad Gable has been cleared and is expected to return at any time. But Ludwig Kaiser will keep the role of El Grande Americano. Thoughts?

Kaiser has been killing it as Americano, and he deserves to keep the mask. It’ll be good to see Gable back as well. The guy has amazing skills, and I’d love to see him and AJ Styles or him and Penta go a few rounds.

Colby Corino has left the NWA and is now a free agent. Both AEW and WWE are said to be interested. Thoughts?

Colby, the son of former NWA Champion Steve Corino, is a talented dude who can do some amazing things in the ring, plus is a good talker as well. He’s do well in TNA or NXT. Money-wise, his best bet would probably be AEW. A Corino feud with MJF would be great. Colby will do well, regardless of where he ends up.

Do you believe Vince McMahon is still secretly involved in WWE creative?

Even though some of the bookings are suspect at times, I think Vince and wrestling have made a clean split. So, that would be a no to this question.

Would you want The Rock’s final match to be in Saudi Arabia?

From what I keep hearing, there is a lot of money on the line for The Rock if he decides to take the Saudi money and do a match for Mania next year. So long as the build, story, and match are good, I don’t care where it happens. One last match for The Rock would be cool, but he has nothing left to prove to anyone.

What do you think about the possibility of WWE being sold to Saudi Arabia?

Most likely, it’ll happen within the next 7-8 years, and it will be a sad day for wrestling when it does.

Do you think Will Ospreay will eventually make the leap to WWE?

Given the health problems that he’s been facing for the past few years, I honestly doubt he’ll ever be a full-time WWE talent. It’s a shame, but I just don’t ever see it happening.

Do you want to see Vince McMahon back in WWE running things again?

Nope. Vince had a great run, but it’s time for others to run things now.

And there you go. Thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and questions are welcome and appreciated. Reach me by e-mail at Doug28352@yahoo.com or on X at @Doug28352. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap it up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects; that is all people need to know. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!