The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 97 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 97 KG (approximately 214 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Kollin Moore
Moore probably isn't ready for the senior level, since he wasn't ready for the NCAA Tournament this year where he got blitzed by Kyle Conel, an unknown out of Kent State, twice. But nobody wants to wrestle 97 KG for the USA right now, because they know there ain't no way in hell they're going to win it. I had to put someone here.

4. Nathan Burak
Burak did beat the number one guy at this weight back in college in one of the weirder matches I can remember, but he ain't ever beating that guy again. As a former Hawkeye, I wish him nothing but the best, but his best would be a second place finish at this weight.

3. Ty Walz
Ty Walz was a college heavyweight who has trimmed down to try his luck at 97 KG. He's definitely tough, and he is a contender to make the Finals at this weight, but he's not winning it.

2. Kyven Gadson
Gadson is the second best option at 97 KG, and he did get a huge win over the number one guy in college. But things have greatly changed since then as even though Gadson has gotten better. The number one guy on this list has turned into the greatest wrestler in the world, possibly at any weight class.

1. Kyle Snyder
Yeah, ain't nobody stopping Kyle Snyder from representing the United States at this weight. Not only that, but he'll go in as the overwhelming favorite to win the World Championships at 97 KG this year. That doesn't mean he is completely unbeatable, but he's as close to unbeatable as we're going to see at any weight class in the world. Here's the thing, it's not like Snyder is going to go through and tech fall everybody and dominate; that's not his game. Snyder doesn't blast doubles like Burroughs, and he can give up takedowns on occasion. But Snyder is absolutely relentless. Nobody at his size can put on the pace that he generates for six minutes, and he just eventually wears guys out. He's not Freddy Krueger with flashy slashing kills; he is Jason Voorhees, stalking his prey and overwhelming them when they finally wear out. It's incredible, and you should seek out any opportunity to watch him as he is on the path to becoming the greatest American wrestler ever.

Previous Entries:

57 KG

61 KG

65 KG

70 KG

74 KG

79 KG

86 KG

92 KG