Ranking the best five U.S. men’s freestyle World Championship teams is nearly impossible. Every era has a unique set of circumstances that sets it apart.

The United States never won a World team title before the collapse of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991. U.S. teams began participating in the World Championships in 1961, and Soviet teams won 22 titles over 24 years, including 19 consecutive from 1967 through 1991. 

After the split, and while the new Russian federation was in disarray, the United States won titles in 1993 and 1995 — both competitions were held in North America. Russia (or the Russian Federation) eventually found its stride, winning 15 of the next 19 fully contested titles (Russia didn’t count in the team standings in 2022 and 2023). 

The 2007 team is worth mentioning. Russia won six gold medals and one bronze out of seven contested weights, dropping only one match the entire World Championships. It was a new level of domination that could only be surpassed by winning one more match. 

In 2005, United World Wrestling (formerly FILA) began awarding two bronze medals instead of one, increasing medal totals by 25 percent. 

That means Zeke Jones and Kevin Jackson — fourth-place finishers at the 1993 World Championships — would have been in line to receive bronze medals had the bracketing systems been comparable. 

It also means that J’den Cox and Nick Gwiazdowski — bronze medal winners at the 2017 World Championships — may have missed out before 2005. 

United World Wrestling was established after a potential Olympic elimination in 2013, yielding major improvements and increased transparency. 

Bracketing was different, too (remember the black mark system?), as were rules, weigh-in procedures, weights, and politics. Imagine the United States finding a 48 kg (105.5 pounds) wrestler today. 

Ranking the five best teams lends itself to criticism, but who cares? This is less about ending the conversation and more about starting one.

The United States won team titles in 2022 and 2023 but is not included in the top five (they are listed in the honorable mentions) since Russia — the best wrestling country in the world — did not factor into team scoring. 

It’s the same reason the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team was not in the top five consideration during last year’s best U.S. Olympic Team rankings. It’s difficult to rank teams that didn’t face the best wrestlers in the world, or, if they did, tabulate them into team scoring.

Below is a list of the five best U.S. men’s freestyle World Teams — in order — based on historical significance, results, and quality of competition.

5. 1969 World Team

Team finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 60
Gold medal percentage: 20

48 kg: Dale Kestel, 5th
52 kg: Rick Sanders, Gold
57 kg: Don Behm, Silver
62 kg: Michael Young, 5th
68 kg: Bobby Douglas, 4th
74 kg: Wayne Wells, Silver
82 kg: Fred Fozzard, Gold
90 kg: Henk Schenk, Bronze
100 kg: Larry Kristoff, Silver
UNL: Rocky Rasley, 5th

This team ranks high historically. The United States hadn’t won an individual World title until Oregon natives Rick Sanders and Fred Fozzard won golds in 1969. Breaking barriers often gets overlooked during historical comparisons, which is why this team made the list. 

The United States didn’t win a gold medal at the 1964 or 1968 Olympics, and this World Championship team opened the door for a 1972 U.S. Olympic team that was our most influential to date. The 1972 men’s freestyle team won three gold medals, two silver, and a bronze in front of a national audience, influencing every future World and Olympic team.

4. 1991 World Team

Team finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 60
Gold medal percentage: 30

48 kg: Tim Vanni, 11th
52 kg: Zeke Jones, Gold
57 kg: Brad Penrith, Silver
62 kg: John Smith, Gold
68 kg: Townsend Saunders, 15th
74 kg: Kenny Monday, 163, Silver
82 kg: Kevin Jackson, Gold
90 kg: Chris Campbell, 5th
100 kg: Mark Coleman, Silver
130 kg: Bruce Baumgartner, 7th

This was the last World Championships before the Soviet collapse. The United States had six wrestlers reach the finals, winning three gold and three silver. The competition was held in Varna, Bulgaria, and Jones defeated four-time World champion Valentin Jordanov in his backyard. 

Smith had his best World Championship performance, winning seven matches and outscoring his opponents by a 78-12 count when takedowns were worth one point. Jackson won his first of three World and Olympic titles. 

Baumgartner, already a World and Olympic champion and an eight-time medalist, had his worst performance since not placing at the 1982 Worlds. Campbell finished fifth despite defeating the eventual World champion, Makharbek Khadartsev of the Soviet Union, in pool competition. 

Nine of the 10 were a World/Olympic silver medalist or better by the end of their careers. 

3. 1987 World Team

Team finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 80
Gold medal percentage: 20

48 kg: Tim Vanni, 5th
52 kg: Greg Robbins, 12th
57 kg: Barry Davis, 2nd
62 kg: John Smith, 1st
68 kg: Andre Metzger, 3rd
74 kg: Dave Schultz, 2nd
82 kg: Mark Schultz, 1st
90 kg: Jim Scherr, 2nd
100 kg: Bill Scherr, 3rd
130 kg: Bruce Baumgartner, 3rd

The United States had a balanced performance led by gold medalists John Smith and Mark Schultz. The Soviet Union had a monster team, with Sergei Beloglazov, Arsen Fadzaev, and four other World champions as the driving force. The Americans couldn’t keep pace with the gold medal tally, but won medals in eight of 10 weights and were the only team remotely close to the Soviet Union. 

2. 1995 World Team

Team finish: 1st
Medal percentage: 60
Gold medal percentage: 40

48 kg: Rob Eiter, 7th
52 kg: Zeke Jones, Bronze
57 kg: Terry Brands, Gold
62 kg: Tom Brands, 9th
68 kg: Townsend Saunders, 8th
74 kg: Dave Schultz, 5th
82 kg: Kevin Jackson, Gold
90 kg: Melvin Douglas, Bronze
100 kg: Kurt Angle, Gold
130 kg: Bruce Baumgartner, Gold

This was the last great U.S. World team before a championship drought that didn’t end until 2017. It was 20 years before the United States won multiple gold medals at the World Championships, and they only won six total during that span (Jordan Burroughs won two of those). 

In 1995, they won four: Terry Brands, Kevin Jackson, Kurt Angle, and Bruce Baumgartner bagged gold medals in Atlanta, and Zeke Jones and Melvin Douglas secured true bronze. This was also Dave Schultz’s final competition before his senseless murder on Jan. 26, 1996. 

It was the last time 10 weights were contested at the Worlds until 2018. The United States took advantage with a team relevant today. 

1. 2017 World Team

Team finish: 1st
Medal percentage: 75
Gold medal percentage: 25

57 kg: Thomas Gilman - Silver
61 kg: Logan Stieber - 12th
65 kg: Zain Retherford - 11th
70 kg: James Green - Silver
74 kg: Jordan Burroughs, Gold
86 kg: J'den Cox, 189, Bronze
97 kg: Kyle Snyder, 213, Gold
125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski, 275, Bronze

There’s never been a team like this one. The United States rebounded in a big way after a subpar 2016 Olympics. Many thought four-time World/Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs was washed up when he entered the 2017 World Championships after going 1-2 in Rio, falling 11-1 to Bekzod Abdurakhmonov in repechage. 

Burroughs stormed back in a big way, downing Abdurakhmonov 6-5 in the semis and Russia’s Khetag Tsabolov 9-6 in the finals. His win set up the most dramatic conclusion in World Championships history. 

American Kyle Snyder, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist at 97 kg, and Russian Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist at 86 kg, squared off in the 97-kg final, which happened to be the last match of the tournament. The winner earned gold for himself and his country. Snyder was down 5-4 with 25 seconds left when he scored a go-behind for a 6-5 win.

The United States defeated Russia, 54-53. 

Russia didn’t win a gold medal against a U.S. team that won six medals. Six of the eight Americans on the team have a gold medal on their resume, and all eight won medals. 

This U.S. team ushered in the greatest era of men's freestyle wrestling to date. 

Honorable Mentions

1979 World Team
Team Finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 60
Gold medal percentage: 10

48 kg: Bobby Weaver, Silver
52 kg: Jim Haines, Silver
57 kg: Joe Corso, Bronze
62 kg: Andre Metzger, Bronze
68 kg: Chuck Yagla, dnp
74 kg: Lee Kemp, Gold
82 kg: John Peterson, Silver
90 kg: Laurent Soucie, 6th
100 kg: Russ Hellickson, Silver
UNL: David Klemm, dnp

1986 World Team
Team Finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 70
Gold medal percentage: 10

48 kg: Tim Vanni, 6th
52 kg: Mike Erb, 9th
57 kg: Barry Davis, Bronze
62 kg: Joe McFarland, Silver
68 kg: Andre Metzger, Silver
74 kg: Dave Schultz, Bronze
82 kg: Mark Schultz, 7th
90 kg: Jim Scherr, Bronze
100 kg: Bill Scherr, 220, Silver
130 kg: Bruce Baumgartner, Gold

1993 World Team
Team Finish: 1st
Medal percentage: 50
Gold medal percentage: 40

48 kg: Rob Eiter, 9th
52 kg: Zeke Jones, 4th
57 kg: Terry Brands, Gold
62 kg: Tom Brands, Gold
68 kg: Townsend Saunders, 4th
74 kg: Dave Schultz, Silver
82 kg: Kevin Jackson, 4th
90 kg: Melvin Douglas, Gold
100 kg: Mark Kerr, 7th
130 kg: Bruce Baumgartner, Gold

2018 World Team
Team Finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 70
Gold medal percentage: 30

57 kg: Thomas Gilman, 5th
61 kg: Joe Colon, Bronze
65 kg: Logan Stieber, 19th
70 kg: James Green, 13th
74 kg: Jordan Burroughs, Bronze
79 kg: Kyle Dake, Gold
86 kg: David Taylor, Gold
92 kg: J'den Cox, Gold
97 kg: Kyle Snyder, Silver
125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski, 275, Bronze

2021 World Team
Team Finish: 2nd
Medal percentage: 70
Gold medal percentage: 30

57 kg: Thomas Gilman, Gold
61 kg: Daton Fix, Silver
65 kg: Yianni Diakomihalis, 12th
70 kg: James Green, 7th
74 kg: Kyle Dake, Gold
79 kg: Jordan Burroughs, Gold
86 kg: David Taylor, Silver
92 kg: J'den Cox, Bronze
97 kg: Kyle Snyder, Silver
125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski, 5th

2022 World Team
Team Finish: 1st
Medal percentage: 80
Gold medal percentage: 40

57 kg: Thomas Gilman, 125.5, Silver
61 kg: Seth Gross, 134, 5th
65 kg: Yianni Diakomihalis, 143, Silver
70 kg: Zain Retherford, 154, Silver
74 kg: Kyle Dake, 163, Gold
79 kg: Jordan Burroughs, 174, Gold
86 kg: David Taylor, 189, Gold
92 kg: J'den Cox, 202, Silver
97 kg: Kyle Snyder, 213, Gold
125 kg: Hayden Zillmer, 275, 7th

2023 World Team
Team Finish: 1st
Medal Percentage: 70
Gold medal percentage: 30

57 kg: Zane Richards, 20th
61 kg: Vitali Arujau, Gold
65 kg: Nick Lee, 7th
70 kg: Zain Retherford, Gold
74 kg: Kyle Dake, Silver
79 kg: Chance Marsteller, dnp
86 kg: David Taylor, Gold
92 kg: Zahid Valencia, Bronze
97 kg: Kyle Snyder, Bronze
125 kg: Mason Parris, Bronze