How do you get to Final X Presented by Tezos? 

Practice!

Ah yes, good one. Classic even. But no, seriously folks, the road to Final X has a fair share of twists and turns. In this blog, we will explain how a wrestler gets there. But first…

What Is Final X?

Final X is the best-two-out-of-three series between two American wrestlers that determines Team USA's representatives in the three styles (Greco-Roman, men’s freestyle, and women’s freestyle) at the UWW Senior World Championships. 

It is the final segment of USA Wrestling’s world team trials process; the last wrestle-off before America's world teams are determined.  

Okay, Now For Real, How Does One Get To Final X?

To elucidate the degree of difficulty this task entails, I made this very topical Lord of the Rings meme:

Another classic. 

The actual explanation, though, is a bit complicated, hence this explainer. There are three very similar yet slightly different sets of procedures for each different style, which USA Wrestling helpfully makes available online: Greco-Roman, men’s freestyle, and women’s freestyle. 

But you didn’t come here for links (or gifs), so let me break it down in as brief a summary as I can manage. 

Returning World/Olympic Medalists → Final X ← Challenge Tournament Winner

Winner makes the world team!

How About A Few More Details?

Sure, click on the links for results from the 2021 Worlds and Tokyo Olympics. Alternatively, click here for a rundown of all the Americans who won a world or Olympic medal in 2021 and has the option of skipping right to Final X.

If there are no returning World or Olympic medalists from 2021 at a weight class, or if the medalists declines their Final X bid (as we expect Gable Steveson to do), then the two finalists at the Challenge Tournament will make Final X. So there will be no best-2-of-3 finals at the Challenge Tournament at those weights, it will instead happen at Final X.

The Challenge Tournament replaced the World Team Trials, last held in 2017, and is used to determine the final competitor or two competitors who will wrestle in Final X for the world team spot. 

There will be a wrestle-off for true-second in weight classes where a returning medalist is sitting in Final X AND the runnerup at the Challenge Tournament never wrestled the third-placer at the Challenge Tourney. 

There are more rules for what happens if a returning medalist changes weights or requires a delay for medical reasons, which you can read ore about here. We're keeping it brief though, the link is all you get for those questions!

There are two Final X's this year, which split up the weights thusly:

Final X Stillwater, presented by Tezos

Men’s freestyle: 57 kg, 61 kg, 70 kg, 92 kg, 97 kg

Women’s freestyle: 55 kg, 59 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg

Greco-Roman: 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 130 kg

Final X NYC, presented by Tezos

Men’s freestyle: 65 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg, 125 kg

Women’s freestyle:50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 72 kg

Greco-Roman: 60 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg

So If You're Not A Returning Medalist, Making Sure You Qualify For the Challenge Tournament Is Pretty Important, Huh?

That's exactly right. It's your only path to get to Final X and make the world team. So yeah, pretty important.

The qualification criteria vary depending on the style but generally, you need to medal at an important tournament that took place since the last World Championship or place top seven at the upcoming US Open. 

After the Open there is only one more opportunity to qualify for the Challenge Tourney, at the appropriately named the Last Chance Qualifier, which you will need to win, or else your road to Final X will be officially over. 

Here’s a list of everyone who’s qualified for the Challenge Tournament so far. 

Don't You Also Get The #1 Seed At The Challenge Tournament If You Win The Open?

Yes, you do. Excellent reminder, thank you. Which provides even more incentive to win on top of the sweet ‘stop signs’ all the winners receive. 

At least that's for the men's and women's freestyles. Greco guys will have to win a medal at both the Pan-Am Championships and place at the Bill Farrell Invitational to guarantee the number one seed at the Challenge Tournament.

Also for Greco, the top 6 placers at the Open at both Greco and men's freestyle qualify for the Challenge Tournament. 

The rest of the seeds at the Challenge Tournament are determined by committee based on results starting from 2020's Senior Nationals. More information on seeding can be found here. 

Break It Down One More Time, Please?

I will do it, and thank you for asking politely. 

2021 world or Olympic medalists get byes to Final X (list here). 

Everyone else has to qualify for, and then win, the Challenge Tournament (list here). 

If you haven't qualified for the Challenge Tournament yet, your only options now are to place top 7 at the US Open or win the Last Chance Qualifier. Also, Open champs get the top seed at the Challenge Tourney (Greco procedures are a little bit different). 

Win the Challenge Tournament and you're in Final X. Win Final X and you're going to Belgrade, Serbia for the World Championships!

Important Dates:

US Open: April 27 thru May 1

Last Chance Qualifier: May 13

Challenge Tournament: May 21-22

Final X Stillwater: June 3

Final X NYC: June 8 

World Championships: September 10-18

Mark your calendars!

Party Time, Excellent

Agreed!