WATCHING LIVE MATTERS

Watching wrestling at the Olympics is important, but watching it live is more important. Circumstances might dictate how you watch, but, if you can, tuning in live offers a different perspective and shows a higher level of commitment.

It feels like wrestling is together when we watch it live together. There was a similar feeling when wrestling was nearly kicked out of the Olympics in 2013. It felt like all of wrestling was in one room when they announced that the sport was back. 

Staying up late and waking up early was the only option if you wanted to experience the wrestling competition the right way. We may have nodded off a few times, but there’s nothing like being sleep-deprived to show your love of wrestling. 

KING JOHN AND KING JORDAN

Having John Smith and Jordan Burroughs together as commentators was like being a kid in a candy store. Having arguably the two greatest wrestlers in American history calling the action seems unfathomable. No other sport has had a cross-generational pairing like that — ever. 

Imagine these commentary combos.

Boxing: Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard

Basketball: Michael Jordan and Lebron James

Football: Jerry Rice and Tom Brady

Golf: Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods

Gymnastics: Mary Lou Retton and Simone Biles

Hockey: Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe

There’s no need to imagine in wrestling. The John Smith-Jordan Burroughs pairing was a reality at the 2020 Olympics. 

One of the best moments came when Burroughs spent a minute discussing Smith’s legacy and how he revolutionized the sport with his low-level attacks. 

“Thank you, Jordan,” Smith replied with genuine appreciation.

Smith also articulated what we all think but don’t have the credentials or the platform to say. He was frustrated with the unnecessary stoppages and the pointless challenges that chew up time and take away from authentic moments of joy at the end of matches. 

“Why did they blow the whistle and stop the action?” Smith would often ask. “I don’t understand what’s happening here.” 

None of us understood, John. Thanks for being our voice of reason.

REPECHAGE, AN OLYMPIC QUIRK

Losing in the first round of the NCAA Championships and wrestling back to place has become a badge of honor in wrestling. Boise State’s Larry Quisel lost a pigtail match at the 1999 NCAA Championships and won eight matches on the backside to finish third.

That's not possible at the Olympics.

Because there are only 16 wrestlers in each bracket and because of the current repechage system, a first-round loser only has to wrestle two more matches to earn a bronze medal. 

A first-round loser will wrestle three matches to get a bronze medal.

A quarterfinal or a semifinal loser will wrestle four matches to get a bronze medal.

The only way a wrestler can wrestle back for a medal is to lose to a finalist. That means that half the bracket will be in medal contention. 

TEAM USA's PERFORMANCE IN CONTEXT

The men’s freestyle team deserves all kinds of praise for their 2020 Olympic performance. They sent five of a possible six wrestlers to the competition — and all five medalled.

David Taylor (86 kg) and Gable Steveson (125 kg) won gold, Kyle Snyder (97 kg) bagged a silver, and Kyle Dake (74 kg) and Thomas Gilman (57 kg) came back for bronze. 

That’s a five-for-five medal performance that should be celebrated. The United States men’s freestyle won nine out of 10 medals in 1984 when the eastern bloc countries boycotted and all the medals in 1904 when we were the only country that participated in the wrestling competition. 

Many want to compare it to other Olympic years where we had 10 weight classes and went 7-for-10 not 10-for-10. Well, that’s not fair. 

A few things to consider:

— This was the first time in American history we didn’t have a full men’s freestyle line-up.

— Bronze medals were earned the hard way when there were 10 weight classes since they only awarded one — not two. Dake and Gilman, for example, would have wrestled an additional match to get a medal at the 1992 Olympics. That adds one more match and another layer of uncertainty. There’s a good chance both would have won, but there are no guarantees.

— Every bracket at the 2020 Olympics featured 16 wrestlers. Kenny Monday had 30 wrestlers in his bracket at the 1988 Olympics and won eight matches to get gold. It takes four matches to win gold in 2020. 

— Fewer weights push the best wrestlers into the best possible position to win. There’s a good chance we would have gone five-for-five at the 1992 Olympics if we sent our best five wrestlers. Here’s a breakdown of what our five-member Olympic team might have looked like in 1992. 

62 kg: John Smith (GOLD)

74 kg: Kenny Monday (SILVER)

82 kg: Kevin Jackson (GOLD)

90 kg: Chris Campbell (TRUE BRONZE)

130 kg: Bruce Baumgartner (GOLD)

The 2020 team deserves to be considered our greatest team ever — as long as proper historical context is used to make your determination.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

Two friends — both of whom are uninformed and casual wrestling fans — sent me messages about women’s wrestling at the Olympics. Both agreed that it is a superior product that’s just as entertaining as, if not better than, the men’s product.

Here is what one texted: “I’ve watched a lot of women’s wrestling this week and have been impressed. In particular, I watched Vanesa Kaladzinskaya at 53 kg and she’s freakin’ good. The Americans have several that are great as well.

“American Helen Maroulis got jobbed in her match with eventual gold medal winner Kawai Risako at 57 kg, imho. That being said, Maroulis’ attitude toward it all is to be commended as she always seems genuinely happy.”

The other said that women’s wrestling is one of the few sports that he will now tune into. High praise from two people who only watch wrestling on the biggest stage. 

The American women also deserve high praise for their performance at the Olympics. They sent a full squad to the Olympics, bagged four medals (one gold, one silver, and two bronze), and five were in a medal match. 

GABLE, GAGNE, GOLDEN GOPHERS, AND GOLD

Gable Steveson is officially the greatest heavyweight wrestler the University of Minnesota has produced. That’s strong work given the school's deep tradition. 

Leonard Levy, Verne Gagne, Billy Pierce Shelton Benjamin, Brock Lesnar, Garrett Lowney, Cole Konrad, and Tony Nelson have created a tradition of heavyweight excellence for the Golden Gophers. 

A few have gone on to professional wrestling. None have been more important to Steveson’s possible success in the profession than Gagne. The Robbinsdale, Minnesota, native was an NCAA champion for Minnesota in 1948 and 1949. He also formed the American Wrestling Association — a professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis that ran from 1960-1991. 

Not only did Gagne “wrestle” for the company, but he also produced some of the biggest names in the industry, including Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, Iron Shiek, Sergeant Slaughter, and Diamond Dallas Page. 

Chris Taylor — a 1972 Olympic bronze medalist who weighed over 400 pounds — was in the AWA until his untimely passing in 1979 at the age of 29. The promotion was eventually purchased by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but Gagne’s legacy is still being felt. 

Gable’s dramatic finish was entertainment gold, which will serve him well in the next phase of his career. Winning his gold medal match with a takedown in the final second was better for his career than a dominant 10-0 technical superiority. 

A professional wrestling promoter sent me this: “The Gable Steveson match was the stuff of legend. I jumped out of my chair and I was yelling at the television. It was great!!”

Will Gable will come back for the World Championships or another season at Minnesota? Only he knows. Regardless, he has a flair for the dramatic and a backflip that will be the envy of professional wrestling soon enough.