Is 285 the most overrated weight class of all time?

[peanut]

Everyone knows that heavyweight matches are the least dynamic. For one thing, moving all that weight around is pretty tough.

It's also fairly obvious that heavyweights are an extreme end of the size spectrum. So that means the talent pool at heavyweight is smaller than the talent pools at other weight classes. 

Further, heavyweight is almost certainly thinner than the other extreme of 125 because there are other good non-wrestling options for athletic big dudes -- like football or basketball -- whereas there aren't a lot of similar options for the 125 pounders. So it would make sense if heavyweight were normally the absolute thinnest weight class.

Now when you look at Hodge winners over the past few years, four out of six have been heavyweights. What is the deal there? I don't know enough to draw conclusions, so please chime in.

 

 

[wrestle87]

There is no weight class that has yielded more US olympic and international success than heavyweight.  Not overrated.

Bruce Baumgartner

Steven Neal

Kerry Mccoy

Rulon Gartner

Tervel Dlagnev

Nick Gwiazdowski

Kyle Snyder

Gable Steveson

Also, thin (lol)? Is there a spate of teams failing to recruit heavyweights? I think this does the big guys some disservice.  The physics are very different at that weight, but that doesn’t make them less sophisticated wrestlers.

Heavyweight has been home to the best technical rivalries internationally for the better part of the past decade (akgul, petriashvili, steveson, and whatever that iranian dude’s name was).

 

[okokzach]

7 hours ago, peanut said:

there are other good non-wrestling options for athletic big dudes -- like football or basketball -- whereas there aren't a lot of similar options for the 125 pounders. 

The most elite athletes in America are all heavyweights. LeBron James (250 lbs), Aaron Donald (280 lbs), Aaron Judge (282 lbs), Gable Steveson (270 lbs).

Only wrestling makes special rules to allow smaller, less athletic guys to have a chance to compete.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*yes, I'm trolling

Edited yesterday at 09:52 AM by okokzach

[lisa morales]

My favorite weight to watch is 125 lbs.  Who doesn't like watching midgets go at it? 

[IllegalFist2Back]

Where are the ratings?

[steamboat_charlie]

Seems to me a critique of the Hodge criteria would be more appropriate than nebulously labeling the 285 weight class as "overrated."

It's not truly a "best wrestler in the country" award.  

[bnwtwg]

I have long been a staunch believer that Wyatt Hendrickson is one of, if not the, best technician in the country but he was at least fourth on the ladder. That's no longer the case and he certainly stamped his way to best wrestler in the country this past season. There's still room on the bandwagon if anyone wants to hop on.

[peanut]

10 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

There is no weight class that has yielded more US olympic and international success than heavyweight.  Not overrated.

Bruce Baumgartner

Steven Neal

Kerry Mccoy

Rulon Gartner

Tervel Dlagnev

Nick Gwiazdowski

Kyle Snyder

Gable Steveson

Also, thin (lol)? Is there a spate of teams failing to recruit heavyweights? I think this does the big guys some disservice.  The physics are very different at that weight, but that doesn’t make them less sophisticated wrestlers.

Heavyweight has been home to the best technical rivalries internationally for the better part of the past decade (akgul, petriashvili, steveson, and whatever that iranian dude’s name was).

 

I guess the issue is this: Are there so many heavyweight stars because the likely thinnest weight class has impressively managed to produce many of the best overall wrestlers? Or are there so many heavyweight stars because the weight class is thin?

[nhs67]

I leaB no on this one.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

Heavyweight.  Thin.  LOL

[Boring]

On 4/29/2025 at 9:49 AM, okokzach said:

The most elite athletes in America are all heavyweights. LeBron James (250 lbs), Aaron Donald (280 lbs), Aaron Judge (282 lbs), Gable Steveson (270 lbs).

Only wrestling makes special rules to allow smaller, less athletic guys to have a chance to compete.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*yes, I'm trolling

Not to mention the super athletic Donald Trump, at 6'3" and a trim 215 pounds. The exact same dimensions as Usain Bolt! We know it's true because his previous White House physician said so.