America’s premier high school event is returning for the 14th time! On September 26, the best high school wrestlers from across the country will meet in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to decide the answer to the question that’s right there in the title of the event. It’s Who’s Number One, presented by Cliff Keen!
How Who’s Number One Began
Back in the dark ages, before Who’s Number One, before Jordan Burroughs won an Olympic gold, before Psy unleashed the K-pop juggernaut Gangnam Style onto the world (before 2012 is what I’m saying), the brain trust at FloWrestling was going about their business, trying to figure out ways to elevate the oldest and most excellent sport.
One thing wrestling didn’t have at the time was a national high school all-star event. The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic (formerly known as the Dapper Dan) had been going strong for decades, and there were (and are) other regional, often state-based high school wrestling events. So naturally, FloWrestling felt the desire, nay, the obligation, to fill the void.
The Rankings Conundrum
The format and structure of what would soon become Who’s Number One were shaped by another project the doyens of the Flo offices of yore were passionate about: high school rankings.
One of the more confounding issues with publishing the first set of national high school rankings before the fall season started was that many wrestlers would be changing weight, and there were scant historical matches between highly ranked wrestlers.
Furthermore, the higher you go in the rankings, the more important it becomes to get the rankings right. And what ranking could be more important than the top spot?
Thus, an elegant and entertaining solution to both problems emerged: a high school all-star wrestling event pitting the top two ranked wrestlers against each other at every weight class. Et voilà: Who’s Number One was born.
The Glorious and Prodigious History of WNO
Since its inception, the FloWrestling team has put their hearts and souls into making the event as hype as possible. Those efforts have paid dividends in an event that has grown bigger and better every year.
Below, we’ll flip through the archives and touch on all 13 editions of the previous Who’s Number Ones.
2013
The inaugural event is held in Lehigh’s historic Grace Hall, aka the Snakepit, where the extravaganza will take place for the next five occurrences.
Future NCAA champs Seth Gross and Jason Nolf are among the many luminaries competing in the original WNO.
2014
Nick Suriano and Daton Fix make high school wrestling history in a savage 35-minute match. Folkstyle rules with no step out and unlimited overtime are utilized to help create a bout permanently etched in wrestling lore.
Future two-time NCAA champion and world champion Zahid Valencia defeats four-time NCAA All-American and NCAA champion Myles Martin.
2015
15 year-old heavyweight prodigy Gable Steveson defeats Jordan Wood. Steveson would go on to win two Hodge trophies and an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
Though neither was victorious, Roman Bravo-Young and Yianni Diakomihalis, who would later earn 8 All-American honors and 6 NCAA titles, both made their WNO debuts.
2016
RBY and Daton Fix both return to pick up wins after starting their WNO careers with losses. Those two made six WNO appearances combined.
Future NCAA champions Nick Lee and David Carr emerge victorious after toeing the line at WNO.
2017
Who’s Number One hosts its first girls’ match. Future collegiate national champ Gracie Figueroa defeated future two-time world medalist Macey Kilty.
Future world champion Trent Hidlay pins Julian Ramirez in sudden victory and celebrates by chomping on a hoagie before getting his hand raised.
2018
There was too much talent at 138lbs, so WNO creates their first four-man bracket. JoJo Aragona defeats Gabe Tagg and Keegan O’Toole in two bouts to earn the top ranking.
Macey Kilty wrestles in back-to-back WNOs, this time notching a win over future Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades.
2019
WNO takes its talents to Iowa City as Carver-Hawkeye Arena hosts the first event outside of the Snakepit.
Another four-man group headlines the show, with Shayne Van Ness defeating Dom Serrano and Jesse Mendez to claim the #1 ranking. After missing both Super 32 and the U17 World Team Trials, Van Ness makes up for lost opportunities at Who’s Number One.
2020
Covid disrupted the normal course of events, for Who’s Number One and the rest of the world, necessitating a ‘closed set’ with no fans, held in Austin, TX.
But the challenges of a global pandemic can’t put a damper on the wrestling, as future world medalist Kylie Welker announces her presence and Jesse Mendez, Drake Ayala, and Alex Facundo close out the event with three straight overtime victories.
2021
WNO stays in the Lone Star State but moves north up Interstate 35 to Dallas. The event also programs a full slate of girls’ matches for the first time in WNO history.
Rising stars Audrey Jimenez and Katie Gomez electrify the female card with thrilling wins in the co-main and main events. The boys provided plenty of drama as well. Gabe Arnold defeats Rocco Welsh in the final of a four-man group and Nick Feldman toppled Christian Carroll 3-2 in the heavyweight headliner.
2022
Who’s Number One is back on campus with a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the Wolverines host at Cliff Keen Arena.
2026 senior World Teamers Morgan Turner and Everest Leydecker win their first WNO bouts in one of the most loaded high school girls lineups in history. It’s not too shabby on the boys' side, as Angelo Ferrari wins the 160lb four-man bracket and Jax Forrest makes his first appearance at WNO.
2023
The great high school wrestling carnival travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin and the campus of UW-Parkside.
Taina Fernandez steamrolls her way to her first undisputed number one ranking, which she has not relinquished since. Anthony Knox defeats Leo Deluca in a NJ vs NJ co-main and Aeodon Sinclair dispatches Connor Mirasola Wisco vs Wisco main event. That all followed perhaps the most incredible WNO bout in history, an 18-15 overtime win by Jax Forrest over Jordyn Raney.
2024
Who’s Number One has the privilege of helping pay homage to University of Pitt-Johnstown legend Pat Pecra in his home gym after the longtime UPJ head coach passed away.
Fernandez, Leydecker and Turner all return for wins on the girls card, while rising California star Epenesa Elison makes her WNO debut.
On the male side of the card, future true frosh NCAA champ Landon Robideau takes out future top recruit Melvin Miller, while hometown hero Bo Bassett tears the roof off with a 12-6 win over Daniel Zepeda, who beat Bassett in their 2023 WNO matchup.
2025
WNO returns to the Hawkeye State, but with a change in venue as Xtream Arena is the host in 2025.
Leydecker wins her fourth straight WNO, joining Anthony Knox as the first WNO four-timers, while Fernandez wins her third in a row. Jaclyn Bouzakis picks up WNO win number two.
Melvin Miller gets his first WNO win, while his high school teammate Bo Bassett closes out his WNO career with an unfortunate injury default over Jordyn Raney. The co-main event features future Cy-Hawk rivals, as Iowa State commit Coby Merril defeats Iowa commit Michael Mocco 4-1.
Thirteen events and more than 200 matches bring us to Year 14 on September 26 at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. Can the 2026 edition match the lofty heights reached throughout WNO’s storied history? Watch live on FloWrestling to find out!