Transcript
Cokeley Brothers: Welcome back, folks. We are back. We're back with another episode of The Barn Session. It's Reese and I. We're here, ready to talk about some Final X, which goes down tomorrow, which means I'm going to get this up early in the morning for you folks who want to get a little bit of a last-second preview, see what we think about these matchups and and all that.
Reese: Is it 2
Cokeley Brothers: Reese, go ahead.
Reese: p.m. Eastern or Central tomorrow?
Cokeley Brothers: Final X starts tomorrow, June 19th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. And it goes down. There's not a time on this article.
Cokeley Brothers: Cause like, why would we why would we be blessed?
Reese: They don't that don't like making it easy.
Cokeley Brothers: There it is, the schedule. All times are in Eastern. 12.30 is the true third matches, and then 2 p.m. is best of series... Best of three series round one. 5 p.m. is best of so three series round two and three if necessary.
Cokeley Brothers: So if you're going up to the dirty dodge, you're going to want to do that probably before all of this.
Reese: Okay.
Reese: I can't.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. That settles it.
Reese: Can't do it.
Cokeley Brothers: All right.
Reese: Yeah. Okay.
Cokeley Brothers: Well, Reese, I told you before this, like, I haven't really... I haven't really dug into these matchups too much in terms of understanding a deeper sense of the background ah or like researching prior matchups of these guys, but I think I know a decent amount. And so I am still looking forward to these matchups, but I want to hear some of your thoughts. feel like I haven't heard much from you just in our texts. So I want to hear what you're thinking about for this year's final X matchups.
Reese: um Well, I've been listening to a lot of the other podcasts out there their thoughts. um That was a few days ago, so I'm little removed from their thoughts, but it made me think a lot about what I think about the matchups, and I guess starting at 57, I feel like it's Spencer in two matches, like just...
Reese: cut and dry. i don't think Lilladol, I think like Lilladol losing, um or I mean, Spencer losing in the open was like the perfect, was it the open?
Reese: Yeah, it was the open.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: It was, that was the perfect thing for, to happen to Spencer Lee for him to, you know, bounce back and be motivated. And now he's got nothing to lose or he shouldn't feel like he has anything to lose. He should be more motivated than ever to go out there and get a takedown.
Reese: That should be the most like that that's like the most important thing, I think, for him in these matches is to get on top. If he can get on top, there's no way he shouldn't win both of the matches. If he if he can get on top in both of those matches. Because he'll turn them if he gets on top.
Cokeley Brothers: yeah i think at 57 kilos i don't know i don't know if it was like just another day in the office for spencer going into that that finals match at uh the u.s open i think i don't think it's fair to say that spencer lee doesn't expect uh like anything but the best from his opponents. I think he's understood pretty clearly at this point that he is regarded as like a ah high value win, right?
Cokeley Brothers: And so everybody's always going to give him his best look, their best look. And so I am interested to see like what adjustments he's able to make from his experience wrestling Luke, because I'm sure there was a game plan developed by the Penn State coaches and Luke Lillard all to be able to neutralize Spencer Lee's offense is his shots his leg attacks so that he doesn't get a takedown and end up on top.
Cokeley Brothers: So I want to see what the response is. I want to see ah how Spencer can find a way to get to those those leg attacks and get to those takedowns and what that'll look like because I think
Reese: Yeah, hopefully he's healthy too. That's the other thing, I guess.
Cokeley Brothers: his elbow. Yeah.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, i think his... i think his i don't think the weight is going to be an issue. um And we've seen Luke. Luke is more than happy to let a match.
Cokeley Brothers: go the distance with, with little to no action. ah He's more than happy to let that happen. ah So I want to I do wonder is Spencer going to try and push the subject early and, and, and put points on the board um before getting into that second period or that fifth and sixth minute, or is he going to sort of reserve himself a little bit and, so and kind of strike when the timing's a little bit more, you think it's just right out the gate?
Reese: No way. When has he ever done that? When has Spencer ever reserved?
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Yeah.
Reese: that That's just not his thing. He's going to go out there and try to score immediately.
Cokeley Brothers: Right. Yeah. I just didn't know if he was looking for something different. If he was going to come in with a different type of game plan that would throw off his opponent.
Reese: i feel like at this point, man, we we know exactly what we're going to get with him when it comes to that first period.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. I mean, we've seen it. We've seen it as long as we've seen Spencer Lee wrestle. It's ah a fire that burns bright and burns pretty fast.
Reese: No.
Cokeley Brothers: So yeah, that's going to be a good match. I do... I think it's either Spencer to in two matches or he doesn't. I don't think he wins a three-match series.
Reese: Really?
Cokeley Brothers: I...
Reese: Think he'll just take the loss too hard?
Cokeley Brothers: I think... Yeah, like I think he really beats himself up on losses. and And a shorter way of saying that is that his mental is his weakest game or weakest part of his game.
Reese: No.
Cokeley Brothers: But that's like... It's not as if he... I think he's just really hard on himself when he loses. And so... you know, I think,
Reese: I think his mental, like his, he, his emotions spiral for sure. Like in the Hartunian match, he spiraled.
Cokeley Brothers: yeah. Yeah. And so I, I think, uh, I think he gets this done in two. Um, And yeah, well honestly, i'd be I'd be happy.
Cokeley Brothers: Like, I think both of these guys can go to Worlds and and finish on the podium. But I want to see it for Spencer. You know, fellow class of 2017 guy, you know, and just an overall treat to watch.
Reese: Yeah. Luke will have his turn.
Cokeley Brothers: So, yeah, I think it might come sooner than than we're expecting it to even. So we will see.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: But yeah, that's 57 kilos. Any other thoughts?
Reese: No. um Not really. if Spencer, has I think, like, Spencer wasn't able to get his, like, his head outside, single or his high C or whatever. So if he can get to his high C, I think That's important.
Reese: Or the fireman's even.
Cokeley Brothers: and
Reese: I doubt you can, I don't see him fire him and I don't see him dumping Luladol, but the fire, the high, the high C that's yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: No, nothing.
Reese: you gotta get to that.
Cokeley Brothers: yeah
Reese: Cause Luladol is too, too crafty otherwise.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. honest we've we've seen we've seen Luke work on it literally the entire year in just like how he is neutralizing everybody he tries to wrestle.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: And so can Spencer Lee get through that? that it's I think that is the question. That is the answer to look for. So that's what I'll be looking for.
Reese: No more. That's one more thing. No more trying to like, I'm sure.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: i I mean, I'd like to think that he learned his lesson, but man, you got to stop trying to will and brute force dudes up like that.
Cokeley Brothers: Just drive someone out.
Reese: Like there's no point. Like you're gassing yourself out and you injured yourself. I mean, that's like been a long time thing with him. Like where he just puts himself in these not good situations, but man, you don't need to like,
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: You don't need to double unders and like try to like hike a dude up. And like, well, I mean, you don't need to do that. Little dolls.
Cokeley Brothers: Well, so what would you do? What would you do?
Reese: I'd say don't dig both. I mean, if you are going to dig both of them under, like maybe drive your feet or something. or i don't know. Like you don't have to like plant your feet and like put all of your effort into like trying to bring a dude up and like running them out of bounds.
Reese: Or I don't, don't even think he was, he was his butt was to the out of bounds, right? When he did it, when he hurt his elbow, I can't remember.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh, I, I, no, so like he, he drove real hard and I think when he came down, that's when, uh, Luke cranked and turned.
Reese: That's right. Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: Yeah. I just don't, don't put yourself in that position to where like, I mean, if you slip one out, I think slip one of one of those arms out and then circle in or circle, just circle towards,
Cokeley Brothers: Um,
Reese: one side, you know, the the side, the same side that you have the underhook, obviously, and then work work from there.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, and the adjustment the adjustment that you can make with the new rule set is you don't have to get him up to his feet. Like if you drive him out of bounds on his knees, as long as his... the the what is How do they describe it? Basically, his pinning points go out of bounds. That's a step out, right?
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: So you don't have to think about driving him up. Honestly, lock up a a front headlock. like
Reese: Yeah. yeah
Cokeley Brothers: and then And then if he pressures back into you, not wanting to go out of bounds, head pinch. Just hit a head pinch. Because guess what, America?
Reese: I don't know.
Cokeley Brothers: That's an option. That's an option in the sport is you can hit a head pinch.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: we None of us do it.
Reese: You think he can head pinch the local at all though? I don't think.
Cokeley Brothers: he yeah Luke does have a pinhead, so maybe not. Pinhead Luke. I don't know. I would like to see it.
Reese: You want to see more head pinches.
Cokeley Brothers: Why not, right? I want to see Patrick McKee and Mitch McKee. The head pinch died whenever they stopped wrestling.
Reese: Yeah. mitch Mitch had like <unk>t know his his I don't remember where I saw it, but he like I saw like a video of him showing how he does his head pinch.
Reese: That's the only way I... like Whenever I show someone a head pinch, that's the only way I show it now because it makes sense.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. And dude, he was so good at it that he would pin people in folk style with it.
Reese: Yeah, that was crazy.
Cokeley Brothers: I mean,
Reese: I miss i miss watching watching that dude.
Cokeley Brothers: yeah.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, man. And it worked for a reason because it works. Anyway, 61 kilograms. The two youngins, Marcus Blaze, Jax Forrest. The match that we've been looking for since 2021, right? That was the last time they wrestled.
Reese: 2024 Olympic trials.
Cokeley Brothers: When did
Reese: They wrestled.
Cokeley Brothers: I'm thinking Tokyo. I'm thinking in Tokyo. I'm thinking Tokyo. Yeah, I'm thinking Tokyo. I bet. 2024 at Olympic trials.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: um Yeah. Anyway, even still, um what what to think about this, right? We've got Marcus Blaze.
Reese: I remember that match.
Cokeley Brothers: Go ahead.
Reese: I remember that match being like really close and like being like two to one, but somehow it's eight. It was eight to one. I don't remember how it ended up being eight to one, but I definitely remember it being like, it was like, nobody did anything the entire match.
Reese: I don't remember how, I don't know how Marcus scored eight points. Cause I don't remember scoring eight points, but I, if it, if it's going to be like, if if it's anything like that match, um, don't know.
Cokeley Brothers: let let me Let me pull it up. Because I bet you the...
Reese: would give boys the edge for sure. And I think Blaze looked pretty freaking good at the open.
Cokeley Brothers: the heck?
Cokeley Brothers: What is this?
Reese: that that brat those like I feel like that tournament is hard to find, the results are.
Cokeley Brothers: Wait.
Cokeley Brothers: What tournament is this?
Reese: What?
Cokeley Brothers: Dude, I did it again. Why am I looking for 2021? Oh my God, dude.
Reese: Oh my goodness.
Cokeley Brothers: um So I'm looking up the track wrestling. I'm not looking up the matches because the matches are locked behind a vault. The video is locked behind a vault. For...
Reese: Is there really a vault or did they just destroy him?
Cokeley Brothers: ah for It's like, it's it's it's the, like, is it NBC that has that has the broadcasting rights for the Olympics? Yeah, they they say they don't let you look at any of their stuff.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: So I'm looking at the track wrestling bracket because they should have the scoring record in the match.
Reese: It's crazy.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, so it was one to zero. Jax Forrest going into the second period and then admitted it into it, Marcus Blaze hits a two and two.
Cokeley Brothers: i don't know if that take down a turn or what. And then there was a plus four after that without a time, time stamp on it. so I'm guessing that was like a four point move at the end of the match.
Cokeley Brothers: Probably Jack's trying something and Marcus countering it.
Reese: I wonder how I did that. yeah
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. I would love to see how that actually, how that played out.
Reese: I think like one of them beat Liladol earlier. think Blaze beat Liladol.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh, yes, Marcus, Marcus beat Luke two to two or five to one.
Reese: Of
Cokeley Brothers: Um,
Reese: course Liladol would... outgrow 57 and then we could see him at 61. That'd be awesome.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, I don't think it's ever going to happen. I think he's a 50s.
Reese: I'm kind of shocked that he ended up staying so small.
Cokeley Brothers: He's a lifer.
Cokeley Brothers: i mean, he's just not like... He's not... He still looks like... Dude, he still looks like he could be a high schooler.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: I don't think that's ever going change.
Reese: What's that hair?
Cokeley Brothers: Huh?
Reese: Nothing.
Cokeley Brothers: What?
Reese: I said minus that hair. Have you seen his hair?
Cokeley Brothers: Oh, yeah. What is it? Is it going away? Are we losing it?
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: That's okay.
Reese: It's all right.
Cokeley Brothers: That happens. um Okay. added Added context to this, Marcus Blaze finished fourth at Nationals this year at NCAAs. Jax Forrest wins that bracket, um beating both of the guys that Marcus lost to in Ben DeVino and Aaron Seidel. Then fast flash forward a month after that, we've got Ben DeVino, Jax Forrest, and Marcus Blaze at the U.S. Open. Ben DeVino hands a pretty shocking upset to Jax Forrest in the semis of the U.S. Open and then loses to Marcus Blaze.
Cokeley Brothers: And afterwards, it is revealed to us that Marcus Blaze had the flu at NCAAs.
Reese: please.
Cokeley Brothers: He had the flu. So um
Cokeley Brothers: now we've got the matchup actually happening at Final X, and it's going to be a series. We're going to get multiple iterations of it. What I want to know is we've got a big clash in style here where Marcus Blaze is this. He's a vault. It is hard to crack him open. And so what can Jax Forrest throw at this match to so to put points on the board?
Cokeley Brothers: And how is Marcus Blaze going to handle that erratic style? So yeah, that's what i'm thinking about.
Reese: What think is going to happen? I think Blaze is – I think he's going to remain uncrackable vault, and freestyle is perfect for him, and I just don't see how – unless Jax figures something else out, I just – I don't know how he's going to do it.
Reese: Like the Jax – when Jax wrestled Seidel at NCAAs, he definitely like looked like he figured something else out with Seidel where had adjusted
Cokeley Brothers: Right, right.
Reese: like when Seidel, like, like you remember what I'm talking about, where like Seidel would like drop down, and but he would like time it and then drop down even lower and snag an ankle.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: So maybe if he figures something else, like something like that out, I just don't, I don't see how he beats plays.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: I mean,
Cokeley Brothers: honestly, what David Taylor and company should have done from the last chance qualifier until now, they should have had Jack's training with Seth Gross.
Cokeley Brothers: I think that would have been, that have been the answer, right? Cause Seth Gross has some sort of, some sort of,
Reese: Didn't he, there but you beat he smoked Seth at the open.
Cokeley Brothers: ah
Cokeley Brothers: did they wrestle?
Reese: I'm pretty sure they wrestled.
Cokeley Brothers: Oh no, don't tell me.
Reese: In fact, they definitely wrestled.
Cokeley Brothers: They did?
Reese: He's, think he's, yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: i didn't even know Seth was there.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Shit. Rhys.
Cokeley Brothers: You're destroying my whole worldview right now.
Reese: Yeah, i think I think those days overall Seth – I mean, Seth beat him one time.
Cokeley Brothers: I know. And lost to him right before then. Not right before, but the year before then.
Reese: Yeah. I mean, he should have beat him in that time, you know.
Cokeley Brothers: Um...
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Yeah. Senior men's freestyle, 61 kilograms. Taken forever. I need a Jamie. We need to get good enough at this for Jamie. Yeah, beat him six to one. Shoot.
Reese: Yeah, and it was not clarified.
Cokeley Brothers: No, the one point that Seth Gross scored was at the end of the match for a caution. Step out, take down. One point for passivity, another take down. My goodness. Okay. All right.
Cokeley Brothers: um so maybe maybe they shouldn't have done that maybe they didn't i don't know but there there is something to there's two things that you can do you can either play the game you can play the shot clock point game with marcus blaze do a better job of holding center and showing that you're taking more risks without overextending yourself and try and win that two one shot clock match um which sucks and is kind of risky it's more of just like turning the match into a coin flip or you can go out there and try and and sort of catch marcus on his heels or get him off balance in some way so so somehow get to sort of an angle to get to a leg attack or just open create some sort of opening um
Reese: You think like he'd benefit from Jackson benefit from him, like creating as many flurries as possible. You think that would be good for Jack's?
Cokeley Brothers: I think i think the yeah the more scoring opportunity the more scoring positions, the more positions where like raw wrestling acumen comes into play benefits Jax more than it benefits Marcus.
Cokeley Brothers: But Marcus isn't necessarily lost in those positions. I think he is still very capable of navigating them. I just don't think he's quite as good as Jax is. That's what I think.
Cokeley Brothers: So with that,
Cokeley Brothers: Give me Jackson three.
Cokeley Brothers: like and um Like a like a a ah best of three series to to rival Frank Molinaro or Aaron Pico in 2016. Really? They're
Reese: That's not happening, but I will.
Cokeley Brothers: good. yeah
Reese: Yeah. Have you watched those matches?
Cokeley Brothers: really they're good
Reese: Yeah, those are is this wrestling has just changed so much since then that those types of matches are so rare now. I mean, maybe Woods and Bassett, that's more likely to be one.
Cokeley Brothers: I know.
Reese: It's the same way.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: They're, they're more like open. Less de defensive.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Yeah. yeah i I think, ah yeah, that's a good point is that it's not going to be as much of a just knock down drag out slugfest.
Reese: Nobody's getting, read nobody's getting double egged and bombed. Like that's not happening.
Cokeley Brothers: Dude, that was such... What a treat, man. What a treat that that was.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: That whole bracket. I think...
Reese: um That was the greatest bracket of all time, in my opinion.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, i i I went back and and watched some Aaron Pico wrestling because he was he wrestled at RAF. And I was just like, just just take me down memory lane a little bit. Let me let me relive some of these some of these moments.
Cokeley Brothers: um
Reese: He was amazing.
Cokeley Brothers: And yeah. Yeah. um Who do you got? Jacks Forrest, Marcus Blaze.
Reese: I got Blaze. I'll do Blaze in three about that. i was gonna I was thinking more Blaze in two, but I'll do Blaze in three.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. All right.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay.
Reese: um I've been pretty like historically pro Blaze when it comes to picks on this podcast.
Cokeley Brothers: All right.
Reese: So...
Cokeley Brothers: Dude, ahll I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. i might I don't know if ill if I'll put myself down as a Marcus Blaze fan, but I will be a Joey Blaze fan. Because if you want to talk about people that I've interviewed that have like like have won me over with their personality and their like perspective on the sport, Joey Blaze, awesome.
Cokeley Brothers: Very awesome guy. um Sucks that he wrestles for Purdue, but I'll i'll get i'll get past that. I'll figure out a way around that.
Reese: You can separate the person from the, from the yard.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: it's yeah Yeah, I love listening to Kanye.
Reese: Exactly. Exactly.
Cokeley Brothers: maybe not new age Kanye, but graduation. Do you want to do 65 kilograms or weight?
Reese: Yes. as Well, I mean, are we going to, are we going to, are we going to do a podcast?
Cokeley Brothers: Okay.
Cokeley Brothers: No, I don't, I wouldn't, I wouldn't, the prediction markets aren't looking good on doing another one before then.
Reese: No.
Reese: Yeah, no.
Cokeley Brothers: Um, so Bowen to,
Cokeley Brothers: Bowen too.
Reese: That's it? That's all you got?
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, I definitely think... I mean, ah the the all of the not all of the talk, I don't think. I think the those the smart people are definitely saying that Real Woods has a chance and and very much should be like considered as a tough matchup for Bo Bassett.
Cokeley Brothers: ah But I think with this delay, the injury to Real's knee, and...
Reese: you think the what do you think Who do you think the delay benefits more? Real or Bo? Because I know what I think.
Cokeley Brothers: um
Reese: and I think it's real.
Cokeley Brothers: You think it's real? I mean, i think it would be, it definitely benefits real in the fact that if he tried to wrestle tomorrow, I don't think he'd be able to walk if he's got a...
Reese: No. I think this screws up. Bo did not see this coming, and this completely screws up his schedule and his his whole like practice
Cokeley Brothers: Like peaking.
Reese: his ability to peak when he wanted to peak and his future schedule. Like, you know, there was things he wanted to do after this, after five likes that he probably, we don't know what, what he's going to, when he's going to do it or if he's goingnna be able to do it or, or what, know?
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Right.
Cokeley Brothers: Right. I think, um, I think you're right. I also think Bo Bassett is the personality type that yes, this does like, maybe he did have some, some real American freestyle matches lined up to, to do between now and then, and or some, some international events that he was going to go to, or like,
Cokeley Brothers: maybe some college related stuff that he was getting, getting set up for with Virginia tech. But, uh, I think in terms of the actual matchup, I think Bo Bassett is sort of the personality type and the wrestling style that doesn't get faced by this.
Cokeley Brothers: It's that machine gun mindset. You're still just gonna be pulling the trigger all the time anyway. So, and this just gives you more time to get even better.
Reese: No.
Cokeley Brothers: So I, uh, yeah, I, I,
Reese: above you think Technically, how do you think the match goes? Like, what do you think? Like, it's going to lopsided or what?
Cokeley Brothers: i think I think the first... I'll say the first match is is touch and go. I think Real Woods is going to find a way to so to slow things down. And that is going to I think that's going to be evident in Bo's ability to consistently put up points, especially going into that second period. ah But I think...
Cokeley Brothers: Bo is still going to find a way. I think it's going to look, honestly, it might look very much like the Jack's forest real, uh, Vito Rougeau series last year, where i was like, this is a dodgy first match.
Cokeley Brothers: And then the second one, things are just going to, the floodgates are going to break open. And, and this is it. Um, especially if like, this is like a significant issue with reals knee and he's going to be out for a little bit, even after final X, um,
Cokeley Brothers: um and It's going to be hard for him to gear to to get things into peak ability.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: ah
Reese: Right.
Cokeley Brothers: So, yeah, I think Bowen too.
Reese: I guess I'll, I guess you kind of like have made me, I was going to say Bowen 3. Fuck fuck I'll say Bowen 3. Bowen 3 matches, Real gets one somehow, one way or the other.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. Yeah.
Reese: I kind of, I want Real to win personally, just because, you know, want I want the the older dude get another shot or whatever and
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, I, I,
Reese: you know i like I like seeing guys like, you know when someone like Bo or, you know and this has been the case with any young dude, especially like when they're 19 or 20, they'll get on a crazy heater.
Reese: and people you know when when the When the popular opinion is like, this dude is going to go on to be the next you know insert legend, like my natural instinct is to be like,
Reese: whoa, pump the brakes not so fast.
Cokeley Brothers: Pump the brakes. Pump the brakes.
Reese: Usually, right too when it comes to those that those. Those don't pan out very often. um Bo, I think obviously Bo is going be great, but I do think like he's going to take his lumps.
Reese: He's not gonna he not going to make a a world team every single year at 65. He said he said that said himself, like, um he he has no plans of like getting, like moving up any weight.
Reese: class He's like 65. This is the weight for me. Like, i'm not going to try and get bigger and go 74 or whatever. Like 65 is where I want to be. And so I think like nobody holds 65 for very long, typically.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: That, that would be like, if he were able to, let's say he makes this world team and next year's and the Olympic team, and then does it for an entire additional cycle after that, that would be a way to cement yourself in like legacy in the U S yeah.
Reese: Yeah. Nobody's done that.
Cokeley Brothers: and I'm not even talking about like performance at worlds. I would assume in in in that many trips, you're going to get at least one world medal.
Reese: Just, just holding the spot down.
Cokeley Brothers: um If not several, maybe even a world title.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: God, man, imagine, it dude, ah because like I'm excited by the idea of like a Bo Bassett versus Amuzad or a Bo Bassett versus versus a Kotaro Kiyuka.
Reese: Yeah, for sure.
Cokeley Brothers: I'm excited by those types of matches just because I was like, man, what... what like when you mix these two ingredients together, what kind of, what do you get? but What, what, what pops out?
Reese: I agree.
Cokeley Brothers: Um, so that's exciting to me, but like, you're right.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: 65 kilograms is just as just absolute meat grinder, buzz sob away class that has chewed up and spit out some, it's incredible wrestlers. And it is, it is, it is, you know, been ruthless.
Reese: There's going to be guys at 61 and 65 now like Mendez, Marcus Blaze, et cetera, that are going to be wrestling for a spot on the World Olympic team.
Cokeley Brothers: So
Reese: at 65 and so I just don't i don't think there's any way you can anybody's gonna hold down the spot for more than two or three years.
Cokeley Brothers: No,
Cokeley Brothers: no, man, we're going to do 2020 is going to be a freaking treat. Goodness gracious. Oh man. Oh man. Oh man. Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Reese: Not that far away.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh, yeah. Well, maybe we'll be to episode one 10 by then we're on. I think this is one Oh four. So, um,
Cokeley Brothers: uh, yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: ah definitely I I'm not going to be sad if Real Woods wins. I think i'm because I am a little bit... I'm i'm at that point. i'm I'm on the other side of the fence now where it's like I like it when the older guy wins. I like to see i like to see the older generation get And...
Cokeley Brothers: and I think, uh, I think real woods deserves an opportunity to show that his world bronze medal last year. Wasn't like fluky or wasn't, you know, something that just happened for, from luck or whatever.
Cokeley Brothers: So I would like for that opportunity to be given to him, but it's probably gonna be a bow and two probably going to put that down. So, um, I should write these down actually, but anyway, 70 kilograms,
Reese: I don't know, man. i want i want to see like a an exciting match. Actually, I think like Ridge is going to surprise a lot of people. um and i think like zane if zayn's gonna wrestle if Zane at a similar level that he wrestled at the Open like and doesn't finish his shots efficiently, then we're going to have some It's going to be some, you know, 7 to 10 type scores, I feel like, or, you know, 10 to 8 or, i don't know. There are going to be multiple takedown, multiple exposure type matches for sure because, you know, if Zane takes a shot and gets exposed and may be turned, then he's going to have to come after Ridge and,
Reese: And I'm sure Zayn is going to adjust and get some takedowns of his own. Then Ridge will have to adjust. And, you know, ideally that would be the match that we would get.
Reese: Otherwise, it's probably going to be Zayn just cold calculated two to zero, two to one, you know, that kind of match. Nobody gets a takedown period, which Ridge has been known to also shut down too.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, how much...
Reese: So,
Cokeley Brothers: How much rust do you think Zayn still has to knock off? Because this feels...
Reese: Probably not that much anymore.
Cokeley Brothers: I mean, dude, this... I don't know. This just feels like such a... Like, Zayn woke up one day, took a look at the entries, and was like, let me go make a world team.
Reese: It was like...
Cokeley Brothers: Let me hang on, everybody.
Reese: That's what he did.
Cokeley Brothers: Let me pause my life. Let me put my life on pause. Let's go make ah let's go make a freaking world team. ah And it just...
Reese: Yeah. Now he's had like two months, right? to train and get back into...
Cokeley Brothers: Huh?
Reese: It's been like how many months? It's been like a month and a half, two months since the Open.
Cokeley Brothers: Is that really? oh since, since, ah last chance.
Reese: Since the open.
Cokeley Brothers: Um, no, he wrestled at the last chance.
Reese: or is that when Okay, either way, whenever he decided, it's been months since then, so he's had time to knock the rest off.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. I do. I mean, there There's ah there is ah an extra element to it where getting your your matches in, and I guess you're you're going to get that in the Penn State room, so it's probably not going to be probably not going to matter as much.
Cokeley Brothers: so Okay. With that, you think... Zane Rutherford, he'll be, he'll be ready to like compete to the best of his ability, um, for what kind of wrestler he is these days.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh, and so I guess it just begs the question of like, what, what version of Zane Rutherford do we see? Do we see this guy who just kind of locks things down as, as much as possible to remove the variants of these wrestling positions that maybe Ridge Lovett has an advantage in,
Cokeley Brothers: And then like I say, maybe because Zane is still not necessarily crafty, but he will have, he will find a way to like have his way in wrestling positions and make it difficult to counter, uh, and expose him in those positions.
Cokeley Brothers: I think this is a Zane in two situation. I don't think Ridge Lovett is, is ready for this caliber.
Reese: okay you so You think he kind of shuts it down.
Cokeley Brothers: Um,
Reese: He kind of locks locks it down.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, i think I think it is i think it is a a youth versus experience situation where where Ridge is like rid will show some promise, but it's you know give it another year or two.
Reese: That's kind of where I'm at.
Cokeley Brothers: um And then Ridge, fill into 74 kilograms and let it rip there. Love to see that.
Reese: You say Rachel Shotson promised what is he? He's 25. He's kind already...
Cokeley Brothers: ah Yeah, I think he's 25.
Reese: he's kind of already Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: But what, this is his first full season internationally.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Because I don't think he didn't really do any freestyle when he was in college.
Reese: Yeah, I mean, but also, yeah, he did. He made junior teams and U23 teams and whatnot.
Cokeley Brothers: Did?
Cokeley Brothers: He did?
Reese: He made a U23 team for sure. I'm pretty sure he at least wrestled at junior world or like the junior trials or whatever. I'm i'm almost certain.
Reese: I know he wrestled.
Cokeley Brothers: Oh, it looks like it yet it looks like he might have wrestled. No?
Cokeley Brothers: ah
Cokeley Brothers: Nebraska's Ridge Leavitt had the kind of breakout performance that took the 2022 NCAA tournament back in March that he'd been waiting to have, blah, blah, blah, blah. The Cornhusker star is back and ready to replicate that type of performance on the freestyle stage at the U23 World Team Trials.
Cokeley Brothers: I don't think he made the team, though. think he lost took to Cole Matthews. He did. He lost Cole Matthews. Reese, he lost to Cole Matthews.
Reese: Okay, but he also is like a six-time Fargo champ. Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Oh, yeah, yeah. No, like, freestyle is not a new thing for him. I just think, like, you you take, I don't know. i Maybe you're right. Maybe you're right. Yeah, did wasn't it a,
Cokeley Brothers: Or no, it wasn't him. There was somebody who had like taken every single place at Fargo except for like seventh or something like that. i don't think it was him, though. I think he was the one who was like a seven-time champ or something.
Cokeley Brothers: OK. Well,
Cokeley Brothers: um' so I'm really trying to figure out like what I think is going to happen in this match or like what the result is going to be. I think it's Zayn in two.
Reese: Yeah, me too. I'm i'm i'm definitely like more inclined to think that Zane shuts it down. and And Ridge plays right into that sometimes where he like just doesn't get his office offense going.
Reese: like I mean, I just don't see how... i have a hard time seeing Ridge breaking through headhands. And i'm like yeah, I really only see him scoring a lot. like Maybe he can get one or two like like one or two situations where he breaks through and like gets to like a boot scoot to a leg or or something like that.
Reese: um Other than that, it's just going to, he's going to have to score off of like Zane's own attacks. Like that's, that's the only way I see it happening and I just don't see it happening.
Reese: So,
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, i think I think this is going to be a game plan gap. I think Zane and the Penn State, the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club coaches are going to come up with a game plan for this.
Cokeley Brothers: And Zane's going to have some answers. um Yeah, that's my read on this situation. So give me Zane in two.
Reese: Same
Cokeley Brothers: Give me Zane in and sprinkle in just a little bit of controversy.
Reese: Yeah something something
Cokeley Brothers: Just a little bit of controversy. Okay. 74 kilograms. James Green, David Carr. Man.
Cokeley Brothers: What to think about this. James Green finally doing what he should have done literally 10 years ago and wrestling up a weight class, filling into his into his frame and and embracing like what I think his wrestling style is better for, which is a bigger, stronger weight class.
Cokeley Brothers: ah But he's he is older. He's up there in age. And he's got David Carr, who, if this was last year, I would say pretty handedly this goes to David Carr. It just does not seem like David Carr is the same David Carr in the year 2026 as he was in 2025.
Cokeley Brothers: So i I'm apprehensive. I mean, man, Jaden James damn near beat David Carr. It was close.
Cokeley Brothers: What do you think?
Reese: Yeah, people are like way, I feel like, man, I'm shocked by how, like, what's the word I'm looking for here? I've had such a, I've been like brain farting on words so much lately, and I don't know why.
Reese: um People are not disregarding, but like, they just don't, they're not considering, what's it?
Cokeley Brothers: Discounting? Discounting? Yeah.
Reese: No, something like that, though. They just are not giving James Green the credit he deserves. They're just like not even considering him like as a possibility to to make this team.
Reese: like I don't know, man. yeah after it's but i mean Especially after what he did at the Open, I'm shocked that people aren't... And like how David Carr has looked. like what What makes people think that Carr is just going to kind of work...
Reese: I mean, he there's there's just no way that he, like, handedly beats James Green. That doesn't happen. Like, nobody does that to James Green.
Cokeley Brothers: not this way or not, not this or so I mean, seven, yeah, not even 70 kilograms. Like he lost to Yanni in a close match.
Reese: Definitely not at 70. No.
Cokeley Brothers: So
Reese: i just don't I just don't get it.
Cokeley Brothers: dude, I think, I think this is a gritty matchup. I think this is a matchup that is going to come down to some late match heroics. And I,
Cokeley Brothers: i here's Here's my expectation for why I think people are giving David Carr sort of the next topic treatment ah and not and and they're not considering James Green for this matchup.
Cokeley Brothers: I think it's because of the perceived potential at Worlds. i don't I think they most people would would say that David Carr has a much higher chance of meddling at Worlds than James Green does. Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: which I don't know if I necessarily agree ah for, for many reasons. One, I think one of them has been to worlds and has meddled and one of them has been to worlds and hasn't meddled. um Now I do. Yes. You've got to consider the timelines, but even still, David Carr does not look like what he looked like last year.
Cokeley Brothers: And I don't know if that's a peaking situation.
Reese: And I don't know if that's what we're doing to the exam.
Cokeley Brothers: I don't, I don't know what's coming at what's playing into all of that.
Reese: Certainly, it's right, but it's just trying to say,
Cokeley Brothers: That's just what I see.
Cokeley Brothers: um man this is a three match series for me but i don't know who to give you give it to i'll say i'll do david karen three i'll do david karen three
Reese: Yeah, it's hard to pick against David Carr.
Cokeley Brothers: i and i here i would I would love for James Green to prove me wrong. I love nothing more than like ah this because this it was just sort of be like ah like a a comeback story a bit. And so I would love for that to happen.
Cokeley Brothers: I think that's a great, that'd be awesome for the sport. But you give David Carr a month and a half to prepare for one opponent. that dude is going to find every advantage he can get.
Cokeley Brothers: He is a masterful game planner. And I think that's one of the, like, it it very much benefits him um to be able to have that skill. Because a lot of people talk about just being able to beat somebody with their wrestling, regardless of what their opponent's style is. I just want to go out there and be the better wrestler.
Cokeley Brothers: David Carr will use whatever advantage he can find against you in these matchups. and And he will utilize that. And so... Yeah, I think he gets it done.
Cokeley Brothers: But I think it takes three matches.
Reese: Man, yeah. Yeah, this one's just too hard pick, man. Too hard for me call. I'm just going – I'll go David in – I'll do David in three also.
Reese: i think that's probably what's going happen. That feels right because dave based on the way David's wrestling, he's like – he's just going to play it as close as possible.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay.
Reese: And James Green does the exact same thing. And David does it a little bit better than James does, I think.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: where he's able to pull those there.
Cokeley Brothers: I don't know why they do that, but they do do that.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. Dude, I'll tell you what. There's like one more match in here to pick that to like easily pick. The rest of these are nail biters in my mind.
Cokeley Brothers: 79 kilos. Chance Marsteller Levi Haynes.
Reese: Yeah, that one, but I kind of know I want to pick there. I got a good idea who of who I want to pick there. And I feel like pretty confident in that pick. And it's not just bias. It's confidence too.
Reese: I can see it.
Cokeley Brothers: Can I talk to me? Talk to me.
Reese: It's Chance Marsteller. That's who I'm picking because how, and I've heard other people talk about this. what How is Levi, how does he score?
Reese: I mean, maybe he, Maybe he gets to a couple of takedowns, based like on his on his high sea But, bro, he's not going to get a whole lot of opportunities. And Chance is going to get to his attacks one way or the other.
Reese: Like, Levi is not impenetrable. Like, he can – he does give up, you know. He does give up his legs. And he's never wrestled anybody like Chance either.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, he... yeah ah Yeah. I think the closest... This is just from a body-shaped perspective. The closest reference that is that that Levi Haynes has competed against is the Russian that he wrestled last year. Usmanov.
Cokeley Brothers: Just a stout, blocky, strong, hard-to-get-by, hard-to-get-around MF-er.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: That's, are you just, I feel like you're just saying that cause he's, cause he's a redhead too.
Cokeley Brothers: Now he did win that match.
Cokeley Brothers: I actually didn't even think about that fact.
Reese: He is redhead, right? I'm pretty sure he is.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, I think so. Or maybe it's Strawberry Blonde. I guess they both are.
Reese: It's, it's something.
Cokeley Brothers: um I don't know. I think, but I do agree with your assessment that Chance Marceller is going to find a way to Levi's legs.
Cokeley Brothers: But what gives Levi the advantage is you're talking about how's going to get to that high crotch? I don't know if he necessarily needs to because Penn State's also very good at go-behinds.
Cokeley Brothers: and I don't know if that's really going to work on Chance Marsteller.
Cokeley Brothers: I don't know. this is a tough This is a tough thing to, like, I don't even, it's not even necessarily, like because this could be a two-match series. Like, one of them could win it very win it very handedly. um It's just just a, it's a clash.
Cokeley Brothers: Not necessarily, a like, super different styles, just they are very much themselves in their own ways, and I don't know who is going to win over the other one.
Reese: what?
Cokeley Brothers: It's very tough.
Cokeley Brothers: give give me Give me... Yeah, give me Chance Marcella in three. Give me Chance Marcella in three. Because I also think about...
Reese: you know what
Cokeley Brothers: Go ahead. Okay.
Reese: Same, same chance, Marcelin three.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. I think about... like Chance Marcella has some some wins under his belt.
Reese: Yeah. Especially like domestically.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh...
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, that's what I was thinking about more so than his international wins. And
Cokeley Brothers: i think he i i think he does a very good job of being ready for his opponent. um and we'll we'll And we'll see that. We'll see that here. um he and He and David Carr were training with each other.
Cokeley Brothers: I'm sure JB was in the room wherever they were. Yeah. Yeah. That's going to be exciting. Also, speaking of that sidebar, Jordan Burroughs is back.
Cokeley Brothers: Jordan Burroughs is back.
Cokeley Brothers: Dude, Jordan Burroughs and Ben Askren wrestling. What is this? ah Beat the streets in 2018 or whatever, 2017, whenever it was. When was that? When did they wrestle each other?
Reese: Oh
Cokeley Brothers: Ben Askren and Jordan Burroughs. Madison Square Garden beat the streets. It was 2019.
Reese: I think it's 2019 because that was, this that's the same year that Ben got need. Pretty sure.
Cokeley Brothers: Really?
Reese: Is either 2019 or 2018, but I'm pretty sure it was 2019.
Cokeley Brothers: I thought Ben Askren got in need when I was in high school.
Reese: Really? That might make more sense actually, because I was up.
Cokeley Brothers: No, that was 2019.
Reese: I was.
Cokeley Brothers: Oh my goodness. Yeah. I could have sworn I was at like junior duels camp when that happened. Wow.
Reese: we were at a Farrio camp in Baker.
Cokeley Brothers: Wow.
Reese: That's where I was.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: Oh shit, that was 2017.
Cokeley Brothers: I wasn't there though.
Reese: No, that was 2019.
Reese: You weren't there?
Cokeley Brothers: No, wait.
Reese: Well, I was...
Cokeley Brothers: I think I was cause I was having my back issues.
Reese: I didn't really went...
Cokeley Brothers: I was, i was, I was, was, was, I was, I was.
Reese: Yeah. You were coaching?
Cokeley Brothers: Wow.
Reese: We were all coaching. Oh yeah, all three of us coached that year.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. We were all coaching. We were all coaching.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Crazy stuff. Crazy stuff, man. Okay.
Reese: Yeah, cause because Ben Askren was at Fargo.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh,
Reese: Remember that? And you could see it in his eyes.
Cokeley Brothers: He was?
Reese: You could see, i've not just remember seeing him. Cause that was like, yeah, like, well, like a week after. And he like, i could see in this, his eyes, like he looked like he was still back, back in that ring.
Cokeley Brothers: right, yeah.
Reese: Crazy.
Cokeley Brothers: what a story that guy has. There's going a documentary about him out one day. like a
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Not like a flow doc, like ah like a documentary. um That'll be great. Anyway.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, Jordan Burroughs is back. Wrestling in Real American Freestyle, I think, on their one-year anniversary, whenever that is. Is that in July or August? August, maybe? Or maybe September?
Cokeley Brothers: i don't know.
Reese: Well, well done.
Cokeley Brothers: Real American Freestyle. They're going back to Cleveland for their one-year anniversary, I'm pretty sure. But anyway, 86 kilograms. Zahid Valencia.
Cokeley Brothers: Kyle Dake.
Cokeley Brothers: We've seen these two wrestle each other before. um Now, it's kind of a... ah Sort of a a rendition of 74 kilos where... so he Valencia does not look like the same guy that that that he was last year.
Cokeley Brothers: Now, that can that can be That can look different. I think he can be closer to that version, that world champ version for this matchup than he has looked at the ranking series and against Parker Keck eyes in a real American freestyle.
Cokeley Brothers: um Cause like when he wrestled Aiden Sinclair, he looked, he looked sharper for sure. ah
Cokeley Brothers: Kyle Dake getting older, took that loss to Kadeev, but I don't know. I just can't, I can't rule the guy out.
Cokeley Brothers: I can't give me this is, this is another three match series. I think this is the year of the three match series. And that's probably just my like uncertainty. And, and it's, it's probably more so a situation where like the, the winner will be decided from the first matchup and the second one will just be a formality.
Cokeley Brothers: ah
Cokeley Brothers: But I don't know. This is gonna be scrappy, I think. I'm not talking about just this specific matchup. I think the whole card is going to be scrappy.
Reese: Jimmy, I need you to stop for a second. And i've this whole time, if I seem like I've been a little distracted, that's because I've been trying to figure out Ridge Lovett's freestyle tournaments.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: And he did, he competed in 2020 at UWW juniors and he won He beat Cole Matthews, but at all this, I don't know, chat GBT, chat GBT is also saying that he lost to Cole Matthews in U 23s.
Cokeley Brothers: You did?
Cokeley Brothers: So I know he, I know Cole Matthews won you 23s because that was at 65 kilos and he was like,
Reese: So yeah, so he beat Cole at in 60 at 61 kilos too. That's crazy.
Cokeley Brothers: but that was in 2020 for juniors for you 20s.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. Okay.
Reese: Yeah, but i don't, I, so I guess they must've, that was in like November, 2020 when they wrestled that tournament. I don't even remember. Like, what was that even for?
Cokeley Brothers: What? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This was,
Cokeley Brothers: don't, I don't remember, man. I don't remember at all. Yeah. I remember where this was. This was, um, this was, this might've been in at Nebraska, uh, they, they held a national tournament. They just held like, I think you 23 and you 20 nationals or something like that in 2020, but it wasn't for a world championships. It was just to like have a tournament.
Cokeley Brothers: This was in November, um, because college wasn't doing any of their stuff in 2020 until, uh, until the second semester when they just did duels.
Reese: Wow.
Reese: That makes sense.
Cokeley Brothers: Um, yeah. Yes.
Reese: Wow.
Cokeley Brothers: Yes.
Reese: So he did win that. That much is true. And be cool, Matthews, evidently, which is weird. So he lost Cole Matthews.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, the 2022 The reason I remember that is because that was the year that Yanni also made one of his world teams at 65 kilograms. And initially, Yanni was like, I'm going to go wrestle you twenty three worlds as well. And so Cole Matthews was like, oh, okay, shoot, that sucks. And then eventually, Yanni was like, never mind.
Cokeley Brothers: So then Cole Matthews went as our rep. um Yeah, anyway, 86 kilograms, Reese, now that you're back back with us.
Reese: Yeah, I just knew I actually remember that Ridge had won something. And I was like, yeah I gotta figure out what it was. Anyway.
Cokeley Brothers: Yep.
Reese: Yeah. um What is it a six?
Cokeley Brothers: So he'd Valencia, Kyle Dake.
Reese: Now we're at?
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. We just did chance and the other guy, Levi.
Reese: Well, what you think? What you thinking?
Cokeley Brothers: I'm thinking ah
Cokeley Brothers: Kyle Dake in three.
Reese: Totally unbiased.
Cokeley Brothers: What, that Nittany Lion, you think I'm cheering him on?
Reese: Nittany Lyon?
Cokeley Brothers: I mean, that's the wrestling club he's a part of.
Reese: Zane? mean, Zahid?
Cokeley Brothers: No, I said Kyle Dakin 3.
Reese: Oh, oh, oh, oh. I thought you were... Okay. yeah you're Yeah, you're rooting for him. Yeah. You're rooting for Kyle Dake. You always have, for whatever reason... and Because you guys were in the same practice room for a little while.
Reese: Could be that.
Cokeley Brothers: Just a little while.
Reese: Probably that.
Cokeley Brothers: Just a little while. Yeah. Maybe.
Reese: That's probably what it is. but I get it. I get what you're... I mean, if your thought process is anything like mine, I'm thinking Dake's had a whole 365 more days to get to to acclimate to the kilos. And you know i think he's probably like better than he was last year for sure. And I think this matches, it's been a long time since he's had to, or since Zahid's had to wrestle him. I think Zahid's a little less prepared than he was a year ago, I'm assuming. And so I think it'll probably be closer for sure than it was last year.
Reese: Dake's probably not going to get tired like he did last year. Zahid's probably, based on the way he's been wrestling, i'm mean, I'm sure Zahid will be ready. He'll be – he's always the type of guy who's, you know, who shows up when it matters.
Reese: But he still gets tired and those in those times, you know. Like he'll still get tired, you know, in the in the major events. I don't know. Yeah, it's tough. it's I'm also kind of like leaning maybe towards Dake.
Cokeley Brothers: One thing that that has been a conversation point with Kyle Dake is, dude, we get it.
Reese: But will I pick him?
Cokeley Brothers: You have world-class defense, but we miss your ah we miss your offense. We miss your ability to attack the legs. And sort of an...
Reese: This is not the guy that you want him to make resurgence.
Cokeley Brothers: Huh.
Reese: you know so He is not the guy who he's going to start bringing the offense back to.
Cokeley Brothers: Dude, so you know what's interesting? ah this i'll give This is going to be a little bit of a sneak peek into the Aiden Sinclair interview that I did. Aiden told me, because he's like, I did a... He said that he like dove deep in the breakdown of Zahid Valencia's shot defense and like how Zahid works.
Cokeley Brothers: And his offensive output is so high and his positional movement is so...
Cokeley Brothers: diverse that it is very difficult to get to his legs. But once you get to his legs, things are a lot simpler. And right.
Reese: least now. That's not what it was like when he was in high school.
Cokeley Brothers: I know in high school, well, it's been a while. It's been a long time. It's been, it's been 10 years or more than 10 years. Um, or just 10 years, whatever.
Reese: Yeah.
Reese: I mean, he was good. He was good in college when people got when guys got in on his legs, too.
Cokeley Brothers: I know. But I think what Kyle Dake needs to do, his key to victory, is have some leg attack that you can use to score. You might only need it once, but you need it at at least once in each match.
Cokeley Brothers: um If you rely just on your defense, I don't think it's going to work against Zahid.
Cokeley Brothers: That's what I think.
Reese: I think Zahid in two.
Cokeley Brothers: Yep, that's what i think.
Reese: That's what I'm going to go with. I don't think he can win in three.
Cokeley Brothers: You're going Zahidin too?
Reese: i think if it was going to go three matches, it's going to go Kyle Dake because Kyle Dake going to be very excited. And he's going to do the Kyle Dake thing that he likes to do. He's going Kyle Dake all over the place.
Reese: And Zahid, yeah, I definitely i can't imagine if I were Zahid going into a third match, especially if I just lost the second match. and i there's just I just don't see it for Zahid. I don't see how he's gonna how he would pull that third match out. So I'll go Zahid in two.
Reese: Just purely off of things the he's probably like I think like shown it this past year, but I think Zahid's like really, really good. and he He obviously, you know He can blank the world when he when he really needs to. He can tech everybody in the world.
Reese: um So I think
Reese: think I'm just going to go Zahid because that makes sense to me. He's won a lot. Kyle Diggs won a lot. Zahid's won a lot. Give me Zahid. I guess probably mostly because you picked Diggs.
Reese: That's probably the main reason. And also because i was kind of already feeling Zahid. I picked Zahid last year. i feel like why why there's nothing really that makes me like feel like I should flip to Dake other than the things I said earlier you know with Dake having a whole extra year to adjust the weight and also Zahid not looking very good in a lot of matches.
Reese: But yeah, I'm going Zahid. going Zahid.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: I think Zahid's going to be similar to like their US Open match, you know, a year ago. think the two matches will be similar like similar to those matches.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay.
Cokeley Brothers: Okay. I'm not going to debate you on any of that. I think it's very possible.
Cokeley Brothers: Let's bump on up to 97 kilograms. 92 was already wrestled. Trent Heidly won it in two over Mike Machiavelli, fellow Wolfpack. Wrestler and UNC State. And ah yeah, so that spot has already been decided.
Cokeley Brothers: um 65 kilograms is on delay. And then I think two delays in women's freestyle and one match has already been decided due to injury. So 97 kilograms.
Cokeley Brothers: ah Kyle Snyder versus Stephen Buchanan. There has been a lot of buzz about Stephen Buchanan, but I think it has been snuffed by his performance at Pan Am's. So
Reese: Kyle Snyder's looked really, really good too.
Cokeley Brothers: Kyle Snyder in two, dude, Kyle Snyder in two.
Reese: No, I said he's looked really, really good is what I said.
Cokeley Brothers: I know.
Reese: Oh, okay.
Cokeley Brothers: And I'm, I'm concurring that by saying Kyle Snyder in two.
Reese: nothing Yeah, yeah. Yeah, i't I don't know what else to say.
Cokeley Brothers: The dude is a dog.
Reese: i think like when I picture the match in my head and I picture like the Kyle Snyder that we saw like against maybe like someone like Isaac Trumbull, like their match wasn't really that lopsided.
Reese: And like Snyder, like when he would get in on Isaac's legs, there'd be some weird exchanges.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Reese: So if I picture something like that, Steven's kind of big, like he's a big dude. He's definitely bigger than Kyle. If I, if I pictured like them getting in like wrestling situations that Steven could maybe like capitalize on, i just don't really know what those would be.
Reese: Cause he's not like Trumbull. He's not like super comfortable with guys in on his legs. um and I just don't know how i just don't know what where Buchanan could put Snyder like positionally. I don't know where he could put Snyder like to like get in a real advantage.
Cokeley Brothers: yeah i just i just don't yeah like buchanan when he wrestled yazdani yeah like the things that worked for buchanan against yazdani he was bigger than him or at least he was ah more of a true 97 than yazdani was uh
Reese: madam no
Reese: You don't wear him out, too.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Now Buchanan was able to wrestle through being super tired, but I just don't see him getting through the wall, the iron wall. That is Kyle Snyder.
Cokeley Brothers: You got to be able to do so much to Kyle Snyder or make a position. It's so difficult for Kyle Snyder. um Like, for example, one of the things that Tezudinov is really good with against Kyle Snyder is Snyder will get to that snatch single and start to drive it up, but Tezudinov will bend his leg at the knee and then make that lock so heavy that Kyle Snyder has no choice but to put the leg down.
Cokeley Brothers: I don't think Stephen Buchanan can do that. i don't think he's got the size for it. um I just... I don't think he has many, if any, answers to Kyle Snyder's defense and offense.
Cokeley Brothers: um Will that change within you know the next year or two?
Reese: years.
Cokeley Brothers: well I'm thinking of a shorter time frame than that, but...
Reese: Well, that's how that's, that's what that's what it's gonna have to take. Cause I don't think anything's changed with Snyder's plan to continue wrestling. think he's gonna keep wrestling till he's literally 40,
Cokeley Brothers: Not older than that, maybe. um
Reese: maybe you're older.
Cokeley Brothers: No, you're right.
Reese: He looks so old out there. God, he already looks old.
Cokeley Brothers: don't look that old.
Reese: He's looked the same for like the last five or six years, but yeah. Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. um
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, dude. It's Snyder and 2. And this is probably the most... Like... airtight, cut and dry, lock it down.
Cokeley Brothers: Same rep that we've had for the last 11 years match. Like just put Kyle Snyder back in and let's move on. Now, if Stephen Buchanan wants to surprise us all, I'm not mad about it, but I am very surprised.
Cokeley Brothers: I may be a little mad about it because what the heck, man, there's so many people have tried for so long and you just come in and do that.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: I think
Reese: I don't think this is the year. i don't think this is the year. Maybe when Brooks comes back.
Cokeley Brothers: this is the year.
Reese: But until then. Snyder and Tito.
Cokeley Brothers: I haven't seen that dude in forever. I didn't see Carter Starachi forever until earlier today when I saw that he was training with Bo Bassett and Melvin Miller and Keegan Bassett.
Reese: He was at the White House too, apparently.
Cokeley Brothers: He was?
Reese: That's what I heard.
Cokeley Brothers: Is he making the transition? Is he getting back? Is he getting in the ring?
Reese: they Yeah, I don't know. Maybe.
Cokeley Brothers: He must be.
Reese: But Bo Nickel was also there, so.
Cokeley Brothers: Bonico fought.
Reese: Yeah. So maybe he was there to support Bo.
Cokeley Brothers: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense too. um Okay.
Cokeley Brothers: probably Maybe the matchup that I'm the most excited for. 125 kilograms, Wyatt Hendrickson versus Mason Paris.
Reese: That's the match what you're most excited for? Is that what you said
Cokeley Brothers: I might be, dude. I mean, i think this is i think it's definitely going to be the most fun series to watch.
Reese: said?
Cokeley Brothers: These two dudes just go out there and, i don't know, do absolutely insane shit when they wrestle each other. And so I think that's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be nerve-wracking because I want to see Wyatt Hendrickson win, but... they two have they've They've wrestled each other this year and they've split matches, right? It was a tech and a tech, right?
Cokeley Brothers: I mean, man, what more could you ask for?
Reese: three more.
Cokeley Brothers: Give me three more matches. So give me Wyatt Hendrickson in three.
Reese: That's what I want.
Cokeley Brothers: All right.
Reese: think that's what everybody wants.
Cokeley Brothers: think everybody just wants, hey, hey, even if the series is decided after two, just go put it on the line for a third just for shits and giggles.
Reese: Everyone.
Cokeley Brothers: You know, just just give us just give us a good time.
Reese: For fun.
Reese: We'll get a good time one way or the other.
Cokeley Brothers: One way or the other. We'll get our good time.
Reese: Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh, what was that? What's the bit from sunny when they're at the thing they're at the, like the business expo or whatever, you know what I'm talking about?
Reese: You'll get off?
Cokeley Brothers: Dennis. Oh yeah. That is what it is.
Reese: Trying get off?
Cokeley Brothers: That's too crass. Nevermind. um
Reese: Sometimes it's only the guy who gets off.
Reese: Some women just don't know how.
Cokeley Brothers: All right, man. Closing thoughts.
Reese: Um... I don't really have any closing thoughts other than, uh, this probably, I mean, man, the, the bummer with the the real woods thing really sucks because i still kind of feel this way regardless, but this is, I mean, this with real woods, it would have been like far and away the best final X and it's still probably just going to be the best final X.
Reese: This is like easily the most toss ups we've ever had. I would say, I mean, I would have, you'd
Cokeley Brothers: That's what it feels like for sure.
Reese: it's been like what, what eight years now? This is like the eighth year or ninth year for final X. Um, so you'd have to go back a ways to, to know for sure, but this feels like the best year for sure.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. The year with. i Burrows I'm are. And fix and Gilman.
Reese: Yeah, that was 2019.
Cokeley Brothers: and code Okay, so that that wasn't the same year as like Cologne and Garrett.
Reese: think twenty eighteen
Cokeley Brothers: I don't know. The 18 and 19 final Xs were also fire.
Reese: I think those are the first ones, yeah. Like the 2018, 2018, I know Fix, that was the first time and Fix lost to Gilman in two.
Reese: And then the next year, Fix beat him in two or three or whatever.
Cokeley Brothers: I think it was three.
Reese: And I don't even, I can't really remember what the rest the card was like, but I'm sure it was great.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, 2019. Patrick Downey won by injury default.
Reese: Yeah, that's not great.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, but it's still very, it's still like, man, the Lizard King made a world team. We, that was was 2018?
Reese: That was 2018.
Cokeley Brothers: Was it 2018?
Reese: Really?
Cokeley Brothers: twenty eighteen was it twenty eighteen
Reese: I think it was 2018.
Reese: No, no, no. I'm wrong. Because 2018 was the first year David won it, right? Yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cause 2017 he crashed out losing to Jaden Cox.
Reese: He had valid. valid Valid. The most valid crash out ever, dude.
Cokeley Brothers: Ballad crash out.
Reese: Man, dude, the people I was with watching that, they were, I couldn't, Nick Flynn was pissed.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, man. It was, uh, yeah.
Reese: Tommy Williams was like, what the he They cannot allow this.
Cokeley Brothers: And then,
Cokeley Brothers: And then the tweets, the David Taylor tweets while it worlds.
Reese: i would That was, oh my God, dude. fact That was back when like Twitter was crazy. Twitter still was crazy, but it was really crazy back then. And Flo had comments on the website.
Cokeley Brothers: On there.
Reese: Flo was so good back then.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah.
Reese: Oh my God. I miss that so much.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah, man.
Reese: It was crazy, crazy times.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Crazy times.
Reese: Miss Jaden Cox.
Cokeley Brothers: It was, it was. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. um I had one thing. Oh, yes. ah True third matches will also be going down. you got Austin DeSanto versus Ben DeVino. Joey McKenna, Bo Bartlett. Landon Rabideau will be taking the win over Caleb Henson via injury default or medical forfeit, whatever whatever the term is. You got Evan Wick, Patrick Kennedy, Parker Keckisen, Aiden Sinclair. I've got that one penciled down. And Dustin Plott, Seth Shoemate.
Cokeley Brothers: So, yeah. Um...
Cokeley Brothers: and that's that and women's wrestling will be happening also so we just you don't want to you don't want to have us give our thoughts because we just don't have that many yeah we are not subject matter experts and you know what for that i'll i'll apologize i'll give my uh yeah
Reese: That would be insulting to the women for us to...
Reese: Me too. I apologize. But you know what? it's ah hard the right you know it's hardness It's hard.
Cokeley Brothers: dude
Reese: When you get older, you get the older get, the harder it is to stay stay in the know and it like care as much about it as you did 10 years ago when all the guys wrestling were people that you kind of grew up around.
Cokeley Brothers: Right.
Reese: you're We're aging out and it's tough, but we'll, we'll do it for the people. We'll continue to care. Just, you know, it'll mostly be men.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. Like, I don't even know who Elena Evaldi is when I'm sorry about that. I should know she's going for, she's wrestling Cristel Rodriguez for a world team. I don't even know who that. I don't know she who who will she is.
Cokeley Brothers: Shame on me.
Reese: Shame on you.
Cokeley Brothers: Amanda Martinez.
Reese: Martina Martinez.
Cokeley Brothers: Uh, yeah, man, I gotta be better about that, but, um, man, maybe, maybe Helen Marulis will make her twenty second world team or however many freaking world teams she's made.
Cokeley Brothers: Um, maybe anyway, thank you for watching. We're going to wrap it up here and, uh, I gotta going have to get this out. I'm going to have maybe I'll just schedule it to what?
Reese: Do it after the...
Reese: but What were you going to say?
Cokeley Brothers: I was going to say work on it tonight and then schedule it to upload early tomorrow morning. That's probably what I'm going to do
Reese: That's a good idea.
Cokeley Brothers: Or I'll just upload it like a week from now and then people will get our thoughts.
Reese: and and it's like, yeah.
Cokeley Brothers: No, I'll do that. I'll be a could a good little podcaster.
Reese: Poked it everywhere. Eight times.
Cokeley Brothers: Yeah. All right. Thank you everybody for tuning in for you're and you're in the hour and 12th minute of a stream of consciousness from from two ah two idiots.
Cokeley Brothers: so
Reese: Die hard fans.
Cokeley Brothers: Thank you. Die hard. Despite the fact that I said I don't have much to really run off of research wise for these matchups. That's okay.
Reese: That's okay.
Cokeley Brothers: Hope you have enjoyed and I hope you have a good one. And goodbye.
