Zain Retherford made his way to the gold-medal match in Serbia but lost to Japan's Taishi Narikuni.

The 28-year-old Retherford has competed at three World Championships (2017, 2019 and 2022) and is seeking a fourth appearance on the national team. 

He also is just back from an individual gold-medal performance and a team title at the 2023 Pan American Wrestling Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

His Final X opponent will be Tyler Berger, who was the 70kg champion at the 2023 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in April.

Retherford won Final X 2019 at 65kg.

This year’s edition of Final X 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. 

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

Yianni Diakomihalis vs Nick Lee - Final X Preview & Prediction

2023 Final X Wrestling Matchups

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 Zain Retherford:

There’s An Argument For Zain Retherford As The Best PSU Wrestler

Retherford is one of the most decorated and celebrated products of the Penn State wrestling program.

He is a three-time NCAA champion at 149 pounds (2016, 2017, 2018) and twice earned the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top wrestler (2017, 2018). 

Also a three-time Big Ten champion (2016, 2017, 2018), Retherford finished his run with the Nittany Lions as a four-time All-American. 

The “Zain Train” Got Rolling Early

Retherford, nicknamed the “Zain Train,” was the USAW Junior Freestyle champion in 2012, and he was just starting to pick up steam.

High School Had A Perfect Ending For Zain Retherford

Retherford earned two high school state titles in Pennsylvania, and his final campaign at Benton High School included a 47-0 record. He finished his career at 130-3.

Zain Retherford Wrestling Ranking 

In the most recent Domestic Men’s Freestyle rankings on FloWrestling, Retherford ranked first in the 70kg weight class. 

Here are the top 5: 

1. Zain Retherford 
2. Tyler Berger
3. Sammy Sasso
4. Alec Pantaleo
5. Hayden Hidlay

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.