Adjustments and adaptations. You’ve got to be able to employ both to beat a top-tier opponent, and that’s exactly what Gavin Teasdale did in his 126lb rematch with Pat Glory at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic this past weekend.

Teasdale previously lost to Glory at Who's #1 in October, a bout that repeatedly saw Teasdale get to a low single before Glory tied him or they scrambled to a stalemate.

But when they met in the final match of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Sunday, each wrestler's growth since the beginning of the season was on full display as Teasdale earned a 5-4 decision.

Watch the full Teasdale vs. Glory match below:

Scoring Off Own Attacks

At Who’s #1, there were zero points scored of their own attacks. The lone takedown came because of Glory’s ability to scramble as he turned Teasdale’s shot into the winning points. But what changed this time? Let’s take a look.

Glory: In their bout at WNO, it was Teasdale who was the aggressor, with Glory showing off his scramble ability to score the winning takedown. And while Teasdale did a great deal of the shooting again, this time Glory scored off his own attack. Glory went with a head inside single and then led with a right-handed knee-pull single action before immediately switching hands and popping his head to the outside. This allowed him to turn the corner as Teasdale dove over the top in an attempt to pass a leg. 

Glory responded by using his defense as his offense to counter Teasdale's attempt to pass a leg and ultimately collect the takedown after some scrambling. 

Teasdale: Let’s start with the first takedown by the four-time Pennsylvania state champ. His first shot came just three seconds into the match and it was identical to every shot he took against Glory at WNO—low single with a backdoor finish just like he does against anybody else. But that’s exactly where Glory wants him to go so that he can dive over the top and tie him up.

When Teasdale converted to score the first points of the match, he stopped Glory’s ability to scramble by getting height with his head and putting it on Glory’s hip, forcing the crackdown position and making Glory fight off the shot with an unsuccessful chest wrap and not his normal leg pass.

This adjustment is what led to Teasdale being able to convert this shot into points.

The Match Winner

It was a low double by Teasdale in the middle of the mat with short time left. Why is this significant other than the fact that it won him the match? 

Because all his other shots were low singles that allowed Glory to jump to a leg and activate scramble mode, with the acceptation of the aforementioned single that scored Teasdale this first points of the match, which had a different finish.

But here is why the low double was so much more effective. Glory needs one leg free in order to get to his normal go-to defense. So even though Teasdale still went with the backdoor finish, the fact that he had both of Glory’s legs elevated killed the scramble even though Glory had a hold of his feet.