boconnell

Great interview.

This is really what you're asking.

Yep. Messenbrink did nothing the whole match then got fake tough at the end. JB then got fake tough in retaliation. The ref awarded a penalty point. End of story.

It absolutely wouldn't have happened if it wasn't a PSU wrestler and it wasn't JB. But who cares that it happened. It's completely okay to root for one wrestler over another. If PSU fans booed JB in the olympics while he represented the USA, then I'd raise an eyebrow. But this? This is nothing. PSU fans cheered for their guy and against the opponent. That makes them like all other fans.

All-time stupid post to call JB a perpetual runner-up after a tournament where he wasn't even the runner-up.

Yep. The seeding was an issue. But the heavier half of the team went up in weight when Weigel got hurt. When Weigel came back in January there were no good decisions. He could have not allowed Weigel to come back, not let Nolan Boyd drop, not let Jacobe Smith drop, not let Joe Smith drop, or let them all go the weight they want and have a wrestle off. I think the decision that got made resulted in fewer points for the team, but I don't think it was even slightly unfair. I think the best lineup for the team probably squeezes out Boyd which would have been even more brutal.

If you are going to talk number of weight classes while comparing men's and women's wrestling, then you're not being serious. The number of weight classes argument has to do with number of competitors and countries being squeezed into smaller groupings. The number of competitors and countries in women's wrestling is far lower even if the men split into 20 weights instead of 10. It's an absurd argument you just tried to make.

That paddle is a serious weapon.

BJJ>Wrestling is not a given. BJJ doesn't work nearly as well when you're on cement, when the other guy can headbutt you from your guard, when you can get kicked and kneed while you're on the ground, and a number of other things. The BJJ practiced in competition has less direct application to a real fight than wrestling does, because the advantage of being on top in a real fight is much bigger than the advantage of being on top in a grappling competition. BJJ also loses some effectiveness if you don't walk around in real life wearing a Gi.

It's common knowledge that most of these guys have a hard cut that affects them. But it's not the reason he went up.

Since when is the cut why he was at 79KG? He lost to Dake and immediately went up. Did he grow right after that loss?

If duals don't matter than why were you yapping about how he wouldn't have won 10 duals? You can't bring something up and then whine about how it doesn't matter after you're wrong.

Nice dodge. They went 14-1 this year. There is zero chance Smith wouldn't have won 10 duals. You taking shots at him in retirement says a lot more about you than him.

Want to bet on whether they win 10 next year?

Same for me. it's interesting to think what Smith would have done in an era of more financial support, but it's crazy to see what Burroughs actually did. Especially with some of the USA talent he had to beat just to be there most years.