Some of the best U.S. wrestlers had brilliant but short competitive careers. Here are 10 (listed alphabetically) we didn’t get enough of. 

Ben Askren

Career Highlight: 2008 Olympic Team

Askren pivoted quickly to mixed martial arts after making the 2008 Olympic Team at 74 kg. He dabbled in wrestling — including the 2010 World Team Trials and a few one-off wrestling events — but didn't compete consistently. The Hartland, Wisconsin, native changed wrestling with his funky style and colorful personality, winning NCAA titles for Missouri in 2006 and 2007. His 91 career college pins are a reflection of his dynamic and entertaining style. 

Henry Cejudo

Career Highlight: 2008 Olympic gold medalist

Cejudo went 0-1 at the 2007 World Championships before winning 55 kg men’s freestyle gold at the 2008 Olympics. The 21-year-old was the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic title (Kyle Snyder and Amit Elor have since surpassed him) before a three-year absence from the sport. He competed in 2011 before falling to Nick Simmons 0–3, 9–5, 2–5 in the 2012 Olympic Trials semifinals. 

Cejudo lost to Tony Ramos during a 2015 Agon event, but found success in the UFC, winning Flyweight and Bantamweight titles. 

Dan Gable

Career Highlight: 1972 Olympic gold medalist

Many wonder why Gable didn’t wrestle much past the 1972 Munich Olympics, where he won six matches without surrendering a point. There was nothing left to accomplish on the mat after becoming the first American to win a World title and an Olympic gold medal in consecutive years. The strict amateur rules at the time made it impossible for Gable to make a living, so he pivoted to coaching at the University of Iowa as an assistant under Gary Kurdelmeier. 

The Waterloo, Iowa, native wrestled a few times after 1972, including a memorable 7-6 loss to Lee Kemp in the 1975 Northern Open. 

Mark Ironside

Career Highlight: 1997-98 NCAA champion

Mark Ironside won NCAA titles for the University of Iowa in 1997 and 1998 at 134 pounds before dropping to 58 kg (127.75 pounds) for the 2000 Olympic Trials. He finished third behind his mentor and coach, Terry Brands, who won a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics. 

Ironside disappeared from active competition until a surprise return at the 2007 Northern Plains Regional in Waterloo, Iowa. He was pinned by high schooler Corey Jantzen in the 60 kg semifinals before wrestling back to take third. 

Toccara Montgomery

Career Highlight: 2001 and 2003 World silver medalist

Montogomery was 18 when she won a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships and 20 when she won another in 2003. Her dramatic pin in the final match against Japan at the 2003 World Cup (in Japan, no less) sparked one of the biggest team wins in U.S. history. She was 21 when she made the 2004 Olympic Team, but finished seventh in the inaugural women’s freestyle event. Injuries derailed her future in the sport. 

This fall by Toccara Montgomery over Japan at the 2003 World Cup produced one of the most dramatic moments in U.S. history.

Stephen Neal

Career Highlight: 1999 World champion

Neal took the fast track to success in 1999, winning his second NCAA title with a 3-2 win over Brock Lesnar in the finals before Pan-Am and World gold. The San Diego, California, native fell to Kerry McCoy in the 2000 Olympic Trials finals, then embarked on a 10-year career with the New England Patriots without playing a down of college football. He won three Super Bowl rings with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady at the helm. 

Aaron Pico

Career Highlight: 2016 Olympic Trials finalist

Pico won medals at the 2014 and 2015 Junior (U20) World Championships, and was 19 when he reached the 2016 best-of-three 65 kg Olympic Trials finals, knocking off Jayson Ness (20-9), Jordan Oliver (11-9), and Reece Humphrey (12-1) before falling to Frank Molinaro two matches to one. It was Pico's last competitive wrestling match before a full-time career in Mixed Martial Arts. 

Ed Ruth

Career Highlight: 2014 Senior World Team

Ruth won NCAA titles for Penn State from 2012-14, made the 2014 men’s freestyle U.S. World Team at 86 kg, competed through 2015, and then fought for Bellator. His punishing cradles and precise technique made him a fan favorite. He compiled an 8-3 MMA record and hasn’t fought since 2020. 

Cael Sanderson

Career Highlight: 2004 Olympic gold medalist

Timing didn’t shine bright on Sanderson’s competitive career. He made the 2001 World Team, entering his senior year of college at Iowa State, but 9/11 postponed the World Championships in New York City. The Heber City, Utah, native chose not to compete, and his replacement — Brandon Eggum — won a silver medal.

Sanderson qualified for the 2002 World Championships in Iran, but the United States cancelled after a credible threat against the team. The World Championships returned to New York City in 2003, where Sanderson won a silver medal, and then he struck gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. 

After a seven-year layoff, Sanderson made the 2011 World Team, where he finished fifth. 

Tatiana Suarez

Career Highlight: 2008 and 2010 World bronze medalist

Suarez was on track to become one of the best wrestlers in U.S. history. She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Senior World Championships as a 17-year-old and another bronze at the 2010 World Championships at 19. Her final wrestling competition was the 2011 World Cup in France. She has a 10-1 MMA record and is among the UFC’s brightest stars.