My non-favorite national title winners:
125 - Arujau
Not sure if this counts, but Suriano is the presumptive favorite.
133 - McGee
He's looked so good on top, and on his feet, remnants of Nahshon
141 - Seabass
Lee looks great on top, but I've got Seabass pulling it out.
149 - Gomez
Always one throw away from shocking the nation.
157 - Deakin
He finally gets over his NCAA yips and wins the dang thing
165 - Marinelli
The Bull
174 - KemDawg
Guts out 1 point victories all the way to a title
184 - Keckeisen
Runs the gauntlet
197 - Jacob Warner
Tom figures out how to recover these guys and Warner looks like he's interested in scoring points
285 - Cass
Gable breaks his ankle in the first period, tries to wrestle on it and gets pinned.
125- Drake Ayala
Hits the Treigning Lab, gets rid of shoulder wrap and goes Spencer Lee beast mode on the Field from the 13 seed.
133 - Austin DeSanto
Perfects double leg in extra practice sessions in Dan Gable's basement and rights some wrongs taking out Fix and RBY. Cael's head explodes in the process.
141 - Jaydin Eireman
Cradles his way thru the field after playing possum all year. Takes off "fake" leg wrap and throws it to Cael as a souvenir.
149 - Max Murin
Wins first 4 matches with escape and riding time point, then goes upper body with Austin Gomez in the Finals and body locks him to his back for the Pinfall!
157 - Kaleb Young
Suddenly remembers he's Tom Brands Son-In-Law, and morphs into Brands mode and techs the rest of the field other than Brady Berge, who gets DQ'd for stalling in their match. Cael wishing he had Eireman's leg wrap already to wipe away the tears.
165 - Alex Marinelli
Wants to toss everybody on their head going in, but ribs are good and he decides 3-1 wins after the quarters are close enough.
174 - Michael Kemerer
Fills out AARP forms prior to the tournament to get his mind cleared, hits the Treigning Lab with Ayala and subsequently wreaks havoc on those who thought he was done.
184 - Abe Assad
Figures if that little shit Jesse Whitmer can do this, why can't I? And off he goes as the 2nd "strongest man in the world"!
197 - Jacob Warner
Happy that he knows how to drive a car better than A.J. Ferrari, and borrows A.J.'s mirror before the tourney for some flexing opportunities. Proceeds to march thru the bracket with some breathtaking 3-2 wins.
HWT. - Tony Cassioppi
Big Cass methodically makes his way to the Finals, where he is to meet Olympic Champion Gable Steveson. But Gable's Agent calls Saturday morning saying there's been a mixup and he needs to hop on a plane immediately to face Brock Lesnar in a cage match in Bismarck, ND. Tony slowly but surely saunters to the center of the mat and gets his hand raised.
Cael is spotted at a nearby Perkins wearing a wig and mumbling to himself while trying to get thru a pile of pancakes wondering what could have went so horribly wrong. Calls Spencer Lee to see what his plans are for 2023, then heads off to Bismarck to see if Gable might have one more year in him.
Hawks Roll!
