Men’s Freestyle
The amount of high schoolers and young wrestlers in this tournament is crazy to me and I love watching the amount of sheer talent we have, not just old, but also upcoming. This is what keeps the sport interesting for the audience in the long term, having young talent carry on the legacy. I can also see any of these matches going the opposite of what I’ve predicted because these match ups are something to behold. Such great wrestlers and I can’t wait to watch these matches and see the outcomes.
57 kg – Spencer Lee vs. Luke Lilledahl
I’m thinking that Spencer has higher level experiece in freestyle than Luke having competing in Olympics, etc. and while Luke is doing insanely amazing at his age, Spencer has been a dominant wrestler throughout his career.
61 kg – Vito Arujau vs. Jax Forrest
Honestly, I feel like I haven’t watched Vito wrestle in a minute for some reason and I’m excited to watch this match because while Jax is young, he’s a great wrestler as well, getting him to where he is now. I think Vito is going to win this one, but I can also see this match having an upset too because I think they match each other well.
65 kg – Joey McKenna vs. Real Woods
Personally, I believe that Real Woods has somehow visibly improved in the past few months since NCAAs. His performance at World Trials was something to watch, from his buzzer beater take down to his first win against Jesse to his upset against Hardy. So I’m excited to see how he does this time around at Final X. I have Real Woods winning this match, but I can see McKenna taking it too.
70 kg – Yianni Diakomihalis vs. PJ Duke
This is the match that I’m most excited to watch at this year’s Final X tournament. I feel like Yianni and PJ have such different styles of wresting and that is going to make this match unfold interestingly. I think that PJ outmuscles Yianni, but with Yianni’s technique and experience, I think that’s what’s going to let him win. Having watched PJ at World Trial’s though, I realized he’s quicker than I intiially gave him credit for and this could be a major upset waiting to happen.
74 kg – Mitchell Mesenbrink vs David Carr
I love David Carr, but I see this one going to Mesenbrink. David is great, but I think he just needs to unlock a little bit of something in himself that will make him exceptional. I feel like he’s lacking a tiny detail that once he unlocks, it will set him apart and make him better. Mesenbrink on the other hand, there was something about his style that I didn’t like the first few times I watched him, but since then I’ve become more accustomed to it. I like that how he wrestles feels reliable and that his technique is precise. I feel like that is what sets him apart and secures his wins.
79 kg – Evan Wick vs Levi Haines
Love Levi Haines. Love how he wrestles. Love how he wins.
86 kg – Zahid Valencia vs Kyle Dake
I’ve never seen Valencia in person, but I saw Dake at World Trials and in my imagination, Valencia looks way bigger to me than Dake. The match at World Trials could’ve gone to Starocci if there was just a few more seconds to the match, but fortunately for Dake, there weren’t. I feel like Valencia ourmuscles his opponents a lot, but I also acknowledge that he’s quick with his attacks as well and I see this one going to him.
92 kg – Trent Hidlay vs Josh Barr
I feel like this is Josh Barr’s emergence. I think he’s been pretty lowkey these past couple years at Penn State, but this is where he’s starting to take the limelight. He had a good match at trials and I think he’s been improving a lot as well.
97 kg – Kyle Snyder vs Hayden Zillmer
125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson vs Trent Hillger
I can see Wyatt winning this one if he’s still rolling with the same steam he was at NCAA Championships. He’s got to come out with that same intensity and focus though, otherwise it will be harder for him to get the win.
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