OTT Finals Thread

[Truzzcat]

57 minutes ago, SocraTease said:

I half thought Taylor would leave the shoes on the mat but maybe that is not his style.  

He's said repeatedly that when he loses the fire, he will hang them up.

The flame was kind of low these past two matches and in leading up to it. 

Was the last time he competed at Worlds?   Brooks, on the other hand, was coming off a long season

I'm wondering if guys in the position of DT and JB just did not even have in their frame of thought the idea of them losing so they had no plans on what to do in the moment and then did not want to do anything rash when that came to reality. In JB's case I think it was more of the crowd and potentially him wanting to give 79 another crack.

[wrestle87]

Coon has some very fresh cauliflower ear going on.

[Pipewrench]

6 minutes ago, SocraTease said:

130KG is freestyle's version of Sumo wrestling.  And, yes, this  image is disturbingly pornographic

Sumo f'n rules.  Do yourself the favor and investigate it for yourself.  Hakkeyoi!

[Truzzcat]

Im really shocked that DT was able to get his hands locked a few times but Aaron just buried him with his hips. Not because I did not think Aaron had good hips but because Zahid was able to get past them twice and mirasola to an extent but iirc it was more of a throw by and then running the corner.

[wrestle87]

Just now, Pipewrench said:

Sumo f'n rules.  Do yourself the favor and investigate it for yourself.  Hakkeyoi!

Sumo is very badass. Those dudes are animals.

[wrestle87]

Coon getting an olympic trip might be my favorite moment of this trials.

[Threadkilla]

2 minutes ago, wrestle87 said:

Sumo is very badass. Those dudes are animals.

Hakuho the goat approves this message.

[Pipewrench]

4 minutes ago, Threadkilla said:

Hakuho the goat approves this message.

He is the GOAT!  RIP Akebono!

[Threadkilla]

1 minute ago, Pipewrench said:

He is the GOAT!  RIP Akebono!

Thats a bummer,  didn't know he passed.  The first American Yokozuna.

[wrestle87]

13 minutes ago, Truzzcat said:

Im really shocked that DT was able to get his hands locked a few times but Aaron just buried him with his hips. Not because I did not think Aaron had good hips but because Zahid was able to get past them twice and mirasola to an extent but iirc it was more of a throw by and then running the corner.

I'd liked to say otherwise, but I think this DT finishes 5th/6th if he isn't given protection from the entire process.  If taylor cared, I think he could very easily have taken this series from Brooks, but he looked like a dude who legit didn't give a crap.  

JB still had the fire at least, Taylor looked like he was more towards the Mark Hall end of the spectrum, ready to be done with the process.

Edited April 21 by wrestle87

[Threadkilla]

Bekzod Addurakmanov won Asians and qualified for the Olympics for UZB.   Is he still training in State College?

[Le duke]

Bekzod Addurakmanov won Asians and qualified for the Olympics for UZB.   Is he still training in State College?

It would be pretty funny to see Starocci as his training partner again.


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[peanut]

22 hours ago, peanut said:

My predictions:

• 57- Lee over Gilman
• 65- Zain over Lee
• 74- Nolf over Dake
• 86- Brooks over DT
• 97- Snyder over Trumble
• 125- Parris over Zillmer

Looks I was five for six. Did anybody go six for six?

[alliseeisgold]

2 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

I'd liked to say otherwise, but I think this DT finishes 5th/6th if he isn't given protection from the entire process.  If taylor cared, I think he could very easily have taken this series from Brooks, but he looked like a dude who legit didn't give a crap.  

JB still had the fire at least, Taylor looked like he was more towards the Mark Hall end of the spectrum, ready to be done with the process.

Hard disagree.....Taylor looked flat and ready to retire against dake and jden cox back in the day.....it's just how he looks when he faces a wrestler who is elite defensively 

That is Taylor's crypnonite and why he isn't the goat. Some stylistic matchups just make his offense go cold.

Taylor is still our best rep for Olympics ( he performs better internationally) and is still at top of his game. ........

Does anyone think brooks went to cael and asked him the secrets to stop Taylor ? And would cael give them away ?

[lu_alum]

2 hours ago, peanut said:

Looks I was five for six. Did anybody go six for six?

Not me.  I missed Brooks over DT.  Had all the others.

[wrestle87]

13 minutes ago, lu_alum said:

Not me.  I missed Brooks over DT.  Had all the others.

I smelled it in March but didn’t call it, I didn‘t think DT would show up this untrained/under motivated.

He looked like one of those old fighters the UFC drags out for old times’ sake to throw homie a paycheck and eat an ‘L’

This is not to be critical, we all have stages of life, and it is very hard to transition from something as all-consuming as wrestling.  He looked like he made that transition mentally at some point since worlds.

[dragit]

Finally got through my tape of the matches, few random thoughts.

Great to see Spencer Lee having persevered to look like Spencer Lee again.

The announcers on the main broadcast weren't good or knowledgeable, but honestly I liked them better than BTN or ESPN simply because they were quiet and didn't get in the way of the wrestling.  

Snyder is just a wrestler's wrestler.  All he does is get in great position and do basic wrestling incredibly well.  

Taylor did look a little flat, but Brooks is a beast.  I remember watching him stop Amine, an Olympic medalist, when he was in as deep as humanly possible on a shot a couple of years ago.  And now he's just even stronger and better. Flat or not, that was David Taylor who couldn't finish against him.

Best wishes to Kyle Dake, an extraordinary technical wrestler who showed a true human side today.

I'm generally only interested in MFS, but I have to say the women are improving at lightning speed. You can see why it's such a growing sport.  Maybe Jimenez could be our Caitlin Clark in a few years.

[jackwebster]

7 hours ago, SocraTease said:

130KG is freestyle's version of Sumo wrestling.  And, yes, this  image is disturbingly pornographic

You say "disturbingly pornographic," I say "provocatively Rubenesque."

Edited April 21 by jackwebster

[JimmyCinnabon]

18 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

I also learned that Shane sparks can actually do a real play by play rather than just being a man powered entirely by coffee grinders and nose beers.

I forgot it was him speaking for most of the broadcast because he actually said good things and wasn't trying to be a warner brothers cartoon character.

I love Shane and your description of him killed me. I’m still laughing. Very nice job. 

[PNWfan]

18 hours ago, Ched64 said:

exactly…especially when the up and comer has wrestled with the vet time and again…It will be interesting to see how he makes out against the rest at the olys…familiarity wIth his opponent played in how much in this one?  aaron is definitely tough but has he wrestled the other contenders before? tape only helps so much.

Prediction: Brooks gets gold. 86kg not the deepest international weight and the combo of his stingy defense combined with ability to score when needed should serve him well in Paris. 

[BarSeries]

Jesse Mendez is a dog. Love watching him wrestle. 

Blaze, Forrest, Lilledahl are so good. Bright futures for these young guys. 

Greco. No thank you.

The women's team has some great wrestlers. 

What is Mesenbrink's problem? He has such a likeable style and could go on an absolutely incredible NCAA run but he is incredibly petty and chippy.

The guy I feel most gutted for is Suriano. Not that I feel like he could of won the trials but would have been awesome if he could have went further. Took out Blaze which was great but then ran into Fix. #HandsomeTuesday

[lu_alum]

Jesse Mendez is a dog. Love watching him wrestle. 
Blaze, Forrest, Lilledahl are so good. Bright futures for these young guys. 
Greco. No thank you.
The women's team has some great wrestlers. 
What is Mesenbrink's problem? He has such a likeable style and could go on an absolutely incredible NCAA run but he is incredibly petty and chippy.
The guy I feel most gutted for is Suriano. Not that I feel like he could of won the trials but would have been awesome if he could have went further. Took out Blaze which was great but then ran into Fix. #HandsomeTuesday

Askren mentioned on FRL today that this is character flaw for MM. MM is a known instigator who likes to pick fights. Askren said the he has to MM in his place from time to time as a reset.


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[Gantry]

I agree re: MM although like most fans I love his style.  It's funny and cute at first, but he can wrestle the same way without the antics that are disrespectful to his opponents.  Given how many people he's competed against have an issue with it he needs to realize as much and cut some of that out. 

Just because you smile while doing it and don't retaliate when someone gets chippy with you doesn't mean you aren't an instigator.  When the whistle blows take your foot off the gas my friend...

Edited April 22 by Gantry

[BarSeries]

16 hours ago, Gantry said:

I agree re: MM although like most fans I love his style.  It's funny and cute at first, but he can wrestle the same way without the antics that are disrespectful to his opponents.  Given how many people he's competed against have an issue with it he needs to realize as much and cut some of that out. 

Just because you smile while doing it and don't retaliate when someone gets chippy with you doesn't mean you aren't an instigator.  When the whistle blows take your foot off the gas my friend...

MM seems like a genuine and likeable person when he gives his interviews and always seems to be having fun out there and he's got the whole 'gratitude' thing down. His style is really fun to watch and he will build a massive fan base if he sticks to all of the above but his pettiness and prick moves on the mat is so off-putting.........it blows my mind.

[Wrestleknownothing]

12 hours ago, BarSeries said:

MM seems like a genuine and likeable person when he gives his interviews and always seems to be having fun out there and he's got the whole 'gratitude' thing down. His style is really fun to watch and he will build a massive fan base if he sticks to all of the above but his pettiness and prick moves on the mat is so off-putting.........it blows my mind.

He really needs to stop the wrestling after the whistle. But I love, love, love when he hustles to the middle and sets up on the near side, forcing his opponent to go around him. Burroughs, in particular, took real exception to this. But if you buy socks without elastic, you can't expect to also get dibs after working them hose for a bit.