2018 US Open Wrestling Championships

Top 11 Jr Freestyle Matches We Need To Happen

Top 11 Jr Freestyle Matches We Need To Happen

Plenty of rivalries can be ignited this weekend in Las Vegas.

Apr 26, 2018 by Ryan Holmes
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The 2018 U.S. Open is setting the scene to ignite a number of heated rivalries this weekend in Las Vegas—both old and new.

As we look through the Junior freestyle weight classes, there are a number of rivals who can rekindle the fire that started in their previous meetings. Along with those matches are some that we would absolutely love to see for the first time.

Watch the 2018 U.S. Open LIVE

Gavin Teasdale vs. Jordan Decatur

Let’s get this one started back up again. Renewing this WNO rivalry is sure to have some fireworks. These two have already started some talk on Twitter about meeting on the mat again so I guess you can say we are halfway there.

Vito Arujau vs. Austin Gomez

This was a laser light show of matches when they met at the Junior World Team Trials last year. Lucky for us, they are back again and ready to let it fly. 

Watch their wild match below:

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Brady Berge vs. Jarod Verkleeren

Who else would like to get a peek into the Penn State wrestling room? That’s exactly what we’ll get to see if these two Nittany Lion redshirt hammers battle at the Open.

Brayton Lee vs. Jacori Teemer

Did you see the Dream Team Classic? This was a showstopper (and not because it was the last match of the night). In Lee and Teemer's match a few weeks ago, there was some controversy when it came to stalling. Well, now we’ve got step-out and passivity rules so there won’t be any running allowed.

Austin O’Connor vs. David Carr

O’Connor and Carr met in the Super 32 finals a few years back. Since then, they’ve both done a lot of growing and have a big enough arsenal of weapons to collect a victory royale. 

Watch Carr super duck his way to a win over O'Connor in S32 finals:

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Travis Wittlake vs. Aaron Brooks

We all know this story, so there's no need to repeat it. However, Brooks has jumped levels since the last time they met and Wittlake looks like he's the Cowboy Bulk Job 2.0. 

Mike Labriola vs. Trent Hidlay

A pair of high-powered hand-fighting Pennsylvania hammers. What's not to like about this matchup?

Gavin Hoffman vs. Michael Beard

We saw this match go down to the wire at Who's #1, and we can almost guarantee that the second installment will bring the same amount of heat. 

Watch their match from WNO here:

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Jacob Warner vs. John Borst

Are these two guys the future of 197? It's possible. We saw Warner start a bit of a buzz during his redshirt year while Borst was a little bit more low key. It would be good to get another glimpse of the Virginia Tech redshirt as well.

Daniel Kerkvliet vs. Zach Elam

Cadet world champ Daniel Kerkvliet is stepping up to the Junior level and what better way to prepare for a second championship run than against a Fargo champ in Zach Elam.

Brock Mauller vs. Brayton Lee

At the Junior World Team Trials, Mauller had Lee in a 9-2 hole before the Indiana bad boy put on a show with a backbreaking comeback to get the win. So please, let's run it back one more time. 

Watch Lee's comeback over Mauller:

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