The U23 World Team Trials in Akron, Ohio, are going to be an absolute riot. Approximately 688 wrestlers are registered for the men's freestyle tournament as of this Thursday evening. Six-hundred and eighty-eight!

Of that bevy of belligerents, 75 have signed up for 61kg. A 64-man bracket with 11 pigtails is absolutely monstrous, especially when you consider the level of talent making its way to the Rubber City.

WATCH U23 WORLD TEAM TRIALS LIVE ON FLO

Where: Akron, Ohio | When: June 2-3

Let's start with Vitali Arujau. The Long Island native has a Cadet silver medal in his trophy case from 2016. The year, he came within four points of making the Junior world team. This year, Arujau was upset in the semifinals of the Junior U.S. Open by Jordan Decatur, only to then avenge that loss in the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament finals in Rochester, MN. 

It was Austin Gomez, however, the 2018 U.S. Open junior 61kg men's freestyle champion, who prevailed in the best two-out-of-three finals to make the Junior team. But Vito wasn't done with freestyle season, and the internationally credentialed Cornell commit will be one of the favorites to make the U23 team.  

One of the main obstacles in his path will be Tariq Wilson. The NC State Wolfpack revelation went from unseeded to third place at the 2018 NCAA Championships in Cleveland, just down the road from Wilson's hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Wilson is raw freestyle prospect, but his ability to get to his opponents' legs seemingly at will in folkstyle should translate well to the international style.

Arujau and Wilson have wrestled each other in freestyle before, with Arujau using his experience and superior technique to make short work of Wilson. However, it would not be wise to count Wilson out in a potential rematch, as coach Pat Popolizio has proven his ability to shape champions from talented clay such as Wilson. 

Watch Arjau and Wilson's match from the 2017 Open:

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If Wilson can find a way to stay out of Arujau's finishing combos in par terre and keep as much of the match in neutral as possible, he'll be in good shape to reverse the result of the last time the two wrestled. If he can't, we may see Arujau end things quickly, perhaps in a recreation of one of my favorite improvisation sequences of all time, seen below: 

Let's check out Vito Arujau's sweet finish of Tariq Wilson at the 2017 US Open again. pic.twitter.com/Gl9feFOq6U

— Jaroslav Hasek (@SpeyWrestle) May 31, 2018

But there is far more to this bracket than those two. For instance, how about a pair of NCAA fourth-place finishers in Luke Pletcher and Nick Piccininni? 

What's interesting about those two is Pich is coming up from 125 pounds, where he's wrestled for the past two years for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and Pletch is coming down from 141, where he wrestled two years ago at Ohio State. 

Considering Piccinnini probably stands a few inches taller than Pletcher, their convergence at 61kg is not at all surprising. It also hints a possible move of Piccininni up to 133 pounds in the Cowboys lineup, as Daton Fix comes off redshirt next season and Kaid Brock, Oklahoma State's 133-pounder for the last two years, has entered the U23 tournament at 65kg.

Watch Pletcher make the semifinals of the 2018 NCAAs by beating Lehigh's two-time All-American Scott Parker:

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But what else? 

Roman Bravo-Young has registered. The future of Penn State's lightweight battery made the same 2016 Cadet freestyle world team as Arujau, only at 54kg where he DNP'd. RBY has never attempted to make a Junior world team, so this will be a rare glimpse at the young man's freestyle chops before he begins matriculating in State College, PA.

But wait there's more! Sean Fausz, Wilson's Wolfpack teammate at 125 pounds—at least he was at 125—is registered for the same bracket. Although the Kentucky native has yet to make the podium in three consecutive trips to Nationals, he has bee seeded as high as fifth and will be a threat to medal in Akron. 

Check out Fausz's and potential U23 opponent Nick Piccininni wrestle in last season's historic dual meet in Naples, Italy:

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How about some more names to watch? Sure, let's do it!

Cornell's Chaz Tucker is registered. He looks to be Arujau's chief competition for the starting gig at 133 pounds in Ithica, NY, this fall. 

Dalton Macri spent two years at Cornell before transferring to North Carolina. The former blue-chip recruit is also scheduled to mix things up in Akron. 

More guys? Like Arizona State's likely 133-pounder Josh Kramer? He's registered. Pitt's Micky Phillippi? Yup. Wisconsin's Paul Konrath and his teammate Jens Lantz? Uh-huh, that's right, both of them. Brown's Hunter Kosco? You know it! Are we missing plenty other DI starters? Undoubtedly! Check out FloArena and let us know who else to keep an eye on. 

Then tune in this weekend as we bring you top-to-bottom coverage of America's best 23-and-under male freestylers. See you then!