2023 Final X - Newark

Kyle Dake Is Competing At Final X Wrestling 2023: What You Should Know

Kyle Dake Is Competing At Final X Wrestling 2023: What You Should Know

Kyle Dake qualified for Final X Wrestling 2023 as the 74kg gold medalist at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. What to know.

Jun 1, 2023 by Matt Cannizzaro

Kyle Dake’s win in Serbia was his fourth consecutive world title and second straight at 74kg. In the finals, a rematch of the 2021 title tilt, Dake defeated Tajmuraz Salkazanov of Slovakia 3-2 to claim the gold medal. 

His Final X opponent will be Jason Nolf, who was the 74kg champion at the 2023 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in April.

Subscribe to FloWrestling and the FloSports app to watch Final X Wrestling 

Gable Steveson Could Join The Most Exclusive Club In Wrestling

2023 Final X Wrestling Matchups

Dake and Nolf met twice in 2021, with Dake winning both encounters. They met again at Final X 2022, where Dake swept Nolf in the best-of-three series to earn his fifth berth on the national team. 

This year’s edition of Final X presented by Tezos will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 10. The event will feature the top two wrestlers at every weight class in a best-of-three series, with the winners making the 2023 United States World Team. 

The world team will travel to Belgrade, Serbia, to compete at the 2023 Senior World Championships from Sept. 16-24. 

Check below for the current matchups for Final X and a brief explanation of how each wrestler qualified for the 2023 event.

Here’s what to know about Kyle Dake:

Kyle Dake Won Olympic Bronze

Injuries nearly ended Dake’s wrestling career, but he persevered and made his way to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, where he claimed the bronze medal at 74kg.

He’d already found continued success at the in non-Olympic 79kg classification, winning world championships in 2018 and 2019, but dropped weight and topped past Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs to earn the spot in Tokyo.

Kyle Dake Was Dominant At Cornell Wrestling

While at Cornell, Dake collected four NCAA titles, each in a different weight class. He was the first wrestler in NCAA history to accomplish the feat. He won titles from 2010-2013 at 141, 149, 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. 

He was 137-4 across his collegiate career, graduating in 2013. 

He ended his time at Cornell with a 77-match winning streak and the 2013 Hodge Award as the national wrestler of the year. He was named the 2013 Sports Illustrated Male College Athlete of the Year.

A Wrestling Background For Kyle Dake

Dake’s grandfather was a wrestling coach in the 1960s, and his father was an All-American in 1985. 

Originally from Ithaca, New York, Dake began wrestling as a child and went on to find success in high school, winning two state titles and the 2007 New York State Male Athlete of the Year Award. 

Kyle Dake Wrestling Ranking 

In the most recent Domestic Men’s Freestyle rankings on FloWrestling, Dake ranked first in the 74kg weight class. 

Here are the top 5: 

  1. Kyle Dake
  2. Jason Nolf
  3. Keegan O’Toole
  4. Vincenzo Joseph
  5. Josh Shields

Here are the complete rankings. 

How Wrestlers Qualify For Final X Wrestling 2023

A wrestler can qualify for Final X in one of three ways.

First, all 2022 senior world medalists automatically qualified for Final X. There were seven wrestlers in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and zero in Greco-Roman who met this criterion.

Next, all champions from the 2023 US Open (held April 26-30) automatically qualified for Final X.

Finally, for the weights that didn’t have a returning world medalist, the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament (May 20-21) champion will earn a spot in Final X. 

Men’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

  • 57 kg: *Thomas Gilman vs Zane Richards
  • 61 kg: Vito Arujau vs Nahshon Garrett
  • 65 kg: *Yianni Diakomihalis vs Nick Lee
  • 70 kg: *Zain Retherford vs Tyler Berger
  • 74 kg: *Kyle Dake vs Jason Nolf
  • 79 kg: *Jordan Burroughs vs Chance Marsteller
  • 86 kg: *David Taylor vs Aaron Brooks
  • 92 kg: Michael Macchiavello vs Zahid Valencia
  • 97kg: *Kyle Snyder vs J’den Cox
  • 125 kg: Gable Steveson vs Mason Parris

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Women’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

  • 50 kg: *Sarah Hildebrandt vs Audrey Jimenez
  • 53 kg: *Dominique Parrish vs Katie Gomez
  • 55 kg: Alisha Howk vs Jacarra Winchester
  • 57 kg: *Helen Maroulis vs Xochitl Mota-Pettis 
  • 59 kg: Michaela Beck vs Jennifer Page
  • 62 kg: *Kayla Miracle vs Adaugo Nwachukwu
  • 65 kg: Mallory Velte vs Macey Kilty
  • 68 kg: Forrest Molinari vs Emma Bruntil
  • 72 kg: *Amit Elor vs Joye Levendusky
  • 76 kg: Kennedy Blades vs Adeline Gray

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Men’s Greco-Roman Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

  • 55 kg: Brady Koontz vs Dalton Duffield
  • 60 kg: Dalton Roberts vs Ildar Hafizov
  • 63 kg: Hayden Tuma vs Xavier Johnson
  • 67 kg: Robert Perez III vs Alejandro Sancho
  • 72 kg: Justus Scott vs Patrick Smith
  • 77 kg: Kamal Bey vs Aliaksandr Kikiniou
  • 82 kg: Spencer Woods vs Ryan Epps
  • 87 kg: Alan Vera vs Zachary Braunagel
  • 97 kg: Josef Rau vs Christian Dulaney
  • 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz vs Adam Coon

How To Watch Final X Wrestling 2023 

Final X will stream live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app. 

FloWresting will also serve as home of match archives and provide the latest news from Final X.