The National Collegiate Athletic Association was founded Dec. 28 1905. It was initially formed with only college football in mind, not adding its second sport, track and field, until 16 years later in 1921. Wrestling was added as the third championship sport in 1928. Despite its long history and tradition, wrestling remains rather unpopular.
In the 2022-23 academic year the Iowa vs. Penn State dual, broadcast on BTN, set the current record for most streamed college wrestling event at 454,000 viewers. In comparison, a college football playoff game, the most viewed event that year, had 17 million more views.
That year alone 11 separate NCAA sports amassed more viewers than the Iowa vs Penn State dual in single events. Even a DII competition, the men’s basketball title game, had more than double the streaming views.
Regardless of wrestling’s incredibly low numbers, it’s the best entertainment product NCAA media isn’t selling. What makes for a good entertainment product? Storylines, unpredictability and drama.
“A lot of great storylines this year … there’s just so many things happening this weekend.” says Jordan Burroughs, an ESPN commentator and decorated college and international wrestler, “It is so fun, I miss it … there’s nothing like … the NCAA tournament. I’ve been to the World Championships, Olympics, Final X, Beat the Streets, Battle at the Ballpark, but there’s nothing like the NCAA tournament. Best tournament in the entire world.”
Wrestling is the most unpredictable and dramatic NCAA sport. Why? The pin. In no other sport can the entire game be overturned and etched in memory in three seconds. The bases are loaded for the quintessential grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, for both wrestlers, at all times.
The 2025 D1 men’s wrestling championship was more unforeseeable and sensational than ever, with dramatic upsets, inspiring performances and gripping storylines.
Just how unpredictable and dramatic was this year’s national tournament? Reviewing some of the biggest storylines, brackets and numbers from the championship we can see just how it compares to other NCAA events.
Every year, 10 champions are crowned, one at each weight. Seven D1 champions this year did not enter the tournament as the first seed. Three titles were won in overtime, five titles by a single point and only one was won by more than 3 points.
Keep in mind, 3 points are awarded for a takedown. So, only one match was won by more than a single takedown’s difference.
In contrast to wrestling’s seven non-favored champions, March Madness, wrestling’s biggest contender for airtime opportunities, had only one team in the elite eight that was lower than a two seed, and it was a three seed. All four teams to make the final four were top ranked in their region.
The 125 pound bracket was chaotic. No wrestler in the bracket had gone undefeated during the regular season and the returning champion came in as the fifth seed. The outcome was as unexpected as could be imagined. Number four Vince Robinson of NC State beat number seven Troy Spratley of OK State in third overtime 2-1. Richard Figueroa, the returning champion, didn’t even make the podium.
The 141 and 149 pound weight classes were just as incalculable. Similar to 125, both weights had “win triangles” amongst the top contenders.
At 141 Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, Beau Bartlett of Penn State and Jesse Mendez of Ohio State all have traded wins over each other not only this season, but throughout their college wrestling careers. Mendez, entering the tournament ranked third, won in a nail biting 12-9 decision after Hardy pulled out to an early 5-0 lead, the highest scoring match of the finals.
In the 149 weight class Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech, Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett, Shayne Van Ness of Penn State and Iowa’s Kyle Parco had a similar dynamic. Ultimately, Ridge Lovett won when it mattered most, beating the returning champion and top ranked Henson in the finals.
Even great wrestling aside, the interviews are great. Many of the wrestlers are very entertaining. For example, controversial figure and returning national champion AJ Ferrari, when asked about his semifinal loss to the future champion, told a FloWrestling reporter:
“It was not easy … 11:30 p.m. last night I was crying for 30 minutes” Ferrari said. “I was in my bathroom … in pain crying to God, why? I’m working out three times a day, I’m doing all the right things. I’m wearing organic underwear, I’m using organic bamboo toilet paper … Why is this happening to me? And the Lord told me, you can’t be vain and prideful.
“Before the match I did some psychological warfare, I walked behind Stephen Buchanan … and I said … This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. But … I said it to be vain and prideful, and it came back to bite me.”
The pinnacle of the championship matches came when Wyatt Hendrickson became the first in NCAA wrestling history to defeat a returning Olympic gold medalist. Hendrickson’s opponent, Gable Steveson of Minnesota, competed collegiately for three years, winning titles his sophomore and junior year before taking an Olympic redshirt year and winning gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After winning gold, he signed with the Buffalo Bills, played his first and only football game during the preseason. He was then released before the NFL season started and transitioned to the WWE. His pro wrestling/entertainment career did not last long as he quickly decided to return to the University of Minnesota to wrestle his fourth year.
Steveson went the entire season without giving up a single takedown. A great majority of his matches did not last all seven minutes of regulation time. Ending prematurely by pin or technical fall — a technical fall is awarded when a wrestler exceeds a 14 point advantage, ending the match immediately.
Hendrickson scored the first ever takedown on the two-time Hodge Trophy winner (wrestling’s Heisman Trophy) all season in the final 20 seconds of the title match to defeat the Olympic gold medalist 5-4. This feat proved key to winning his own Hodge Trophy a week later.
As Hendrickson ran the takedown, ESPN commentator Daniel Cormier voiced everyone’s surprise the best. “Oh my gosh, can you believe this? … The Olympic champ is about to lose … this could be it, the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA, could this be it? YES. HE. HAS. DONE. IT.”
Tyler Kasak of Penn State had a similarly compelling story, not allowing a single takedown all season until the quarterfinals of the NCAA championships. He lost to eight seed Joey Blaze of Purdue. Blaze then made it into the finals, where he lost to number three Antrell Taylor of Nebraska.
Another notable athlete to rewrite history was Carter Starocci of Penn State. Starocci won his fifth D1 title. The first to ever accomplish such a feat and probably the last. His fifth year of eligibility only possible thanks to the 2020 championships being canceled due to covid and all affected athletes were granted an additional year of competition eligibility.
Storylines and plot twists aside, the numbers are a true testament to the depth in NCAA D1 wrestling that is unmatched in other sports. Eight wrestlers make the podium at each weight and receive all-american awards. Of the 80 athletes to receive such awards this year, 25 were not favored to place and five were seeded 20 or lower.
Taking another look at March Madness, of 67 games played in this year’s D1 basketball championship, only ten resulted in an upset. Eight of those ten upsets had a seeding discrepancy of 3 places or less. All four of the final four were number one seeds. The biggest upset being 12 seed McNeese over 5 seed Clemson, compared to 29 seed Jack Gioffre beating four seed Paniro Johnson in the first round of the wrestling championships.
NCAA wrestling is the best college entertainment product not being sold. There may never be a day when wrestling receives the same attention and promotion as many other collegiate sports. But if you venture to watch, and to learn, you may just find a diamond in the rough.
