Terry Brands v. Kendall Cross 1995 World Team Trials, Match 1

Wow. That tilt at the end is two point and counting in every international match I have ever seen.

I'd have to say that kendall is such a boring wrestler to watch. Go Brands!

WOW, are you kidding? Was that when he lost a heated best of three to Nate Carr at 149? That doesn't surprise me, Metzger didnt shake hands and was screaming at Carr something but I am sure they weren't wishes of good luck. Man, it is one thing to be ultra competitive but another to lose control and be labeled a poor sportsman. I really believe this stuff festers itself at a young age, kids are not disciplined properly and taught how to be a good sport, win or lose, and it just gets worse as they get older.

tjx, the country'sabsolute worst sportsman when he lost was Andre Metzger.
Threw his second place award across the arena at the trials in Pensacola in 88. Lost a lot of respect for a talented individual there.

Brands was sooo much bigger than prescott in that match. Reminds me of the Smith v. Belaglozov freestyle match.

First let me first preface this by saying that I was and am a HUGE Terry Brands fan, HUGE! To this day, one of my favorite matches to watch of all time is the thrashing Brands delivering one cold evening in Carver Hawkeye Arena to defending NCAA Champion and MVP of the big show Jeff Prescott who had moved up that night. Incredible! With that being said, how could anybody feel "bad" for Brands??? This guy was the sport's MOST GRACIOUS WINNER yet the absolute WORST MOST UNSPORTSMANLIKE LOSER this country has ever seen. When he lost his bid for the Olympics, he brushes off Cross and crawls off the mat on his knees. At least from the video footage, I will go ahead assume that he never returned to the center like a true sportsman, shook hands, and left the mat with his head high. He pulled similar antics when he lost to Jason Kelber, crying his eyes out then running off the mat, not shaking hands, etc. And please save the "THAT IS THE ATTITUDE THAT MADE THEM GREAT TJ X!!!" That is nonsense, go watch Saitiev lose to Slay, go watch all of Dave Schultz's losses, go watch John Smith's very few losses. Those guys were every bit the competitor as these Branding Irons but none, that I ever saw, pulled the antics following losses that these guys did. AND I LOVE THE BRANDS, that is what hurts so much to write this.

please post mtach 2 - we , the public, crave it!

I felt very bad for Brands having only seen the last of the 3 matches.

I don't anymore after this match. I DO NOT LIKE how Cross scores the majority of his freestyle points off action someone else created.
I do like how he has shown a generation of American wrestlers that we can beat the Europeans and Asians at their own game.
He also won that match. I LOVE what Iowa does for US wrestling, but the only reason that wasn't 2 on that high gut was because of who was being turned. Or who was in his corner.
It all came out in the wash with Cross going on to win the Gold medal. Correct outcome and the US won the Gold. Seems like the system worked despite the bad call on the tilt.

yeah i'll post at some point.

You happen to have any Brands/Fisher trials?

I only have some of the second match. I tried to move to another spot to film and missed most of the match unfortunately.

DO you have the rest of this series? You should post it

Brands Vs. Cross '96 trials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb8odmR5CvM

I've watched most every Brands/Cross match there is on Youtube. Cross just has a style and natural flexability that Brands had trouble with.

The 3rd match in the '96 trials is the best to watch.

Godd counters at 0:50 and 1:30.

I don't think anyone feels comfortable in a gut-wrench position on Kendall Cross.

The Guru thinks the turn at the the end was questionable, but the fleeing the mat call was total BS, especially since Brands was blocking with his head and hand prior to pushing Cross out of bounds.

there was no turn at the end in my opinon. it seemed like cross was waiting to hit something big the whole match but never did. brands takedown defence was to good. it seemed like cross didnt wrestle well against brands style of wrestling

Great match. Those counters Kendall tried in the 1st period were ridiculous.

I didn't like the fleeing the mat call either. I though Kendall scored on that last second tilt, but it's hard to tell from the video angle.
For a world champ Brands doesn't seem very comfortable in a gut-wrench position on top.

yo tell me metcalf doesnt wrestle like brands

The high gut at the end was close can't argue either way. The fleeing the mat call against Cross I though was absolutely bogus.

it seems that brands' back may have been exposed during cross' hip-over out of the first takedown attempt by terry, in the first round.

Terry got this on....but in 96'

Brands was the aggressor the entire match. Great match.

Interesting diving shots by Kendall...

so wait why didn't cross get the turn point, brands back was clearly exposed.

That definitely looked like a turn for Cross near the end of regulation.

close but couldn't argue either way

What is the overall series between Terry and Kendall?

but that looked like a two point turn to me.

Welcome to this week's installment of my own Match of the Week.

This week I am choosing Match 1 at the 1995 World Team Trials between 1993 & 1995 World Champion Terry Brands and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kendall Cross.
Why I chose this match:
I am excited about this one. Who can pass up a Brands/Cross match???
Again we see a contrast in styles as Brands is the ultimate bruiser and Cross is the funk master. Brands is such an amazing competitor. A master hand fighter who rarely gets out of position with an humongous gas tank. Cross is flexible and extremely difficult to score on and is not afraid of putting himself in risky positions to score. Whenever these guys get together there's a lot of action, a flurry, and one or two big moves resulting in points on the board.
Not too much I can say about this bout except sit back and enjoy. Let me know what you guys think about the officiating/scoring.