Look at this photograph: 

Every time I do it's Nickal's back.

Bad Canadian rock band puns aside, the important takeaway here is that Bo Nickal is entering the U.S. Open. We haven't seen Nickal at a senior freestyle tournament since the 2017 U.S. Open where he finished fourth. 

Of course, Nickal is not the only attraction in Vegas this weekend. It's possible Nickleback is playing a concert somewhere in the area. Also, the 92kg division of the senior men's freestyle U.S. Open will feature NCAA champs, Final X competitors, and more. So let's dig in and see what else there is know about this rockin' weight class at the 2019 Open.

Watch the 2019 U.S. Open Live On Flo

April 25-28 | 12 PM ET

Historical Perspective

Like 79kg, the 92kg weight class was not in existence in recent UWW or FILA history. There was a 90kg weight class from 1969 to 1996, but there was nothing comparable before or after that period. And also like 79kg, the USA has won the so far only gold medal awarded in this weight class at the 2018 Budapest World Championships.

J'den Cox was a man on a mission in Budapest. He avenged a World Cup loss to Dato Marsagishvili of Georgia in the first round, then he put away the dangerous Nicolae Cebaen of Moldova in the quarterfinals. In the semis, it was Alireza Karimi, a supremely talented Iranian for whom J'den is kryptonite. Cox dispatched the three-time Asian champ Karimi for the third straight time before soundly defeating Ivan Yankovski of Belarus for the gold. 

Below, our historic results at worlds in the 92kg weight division.

2018: J'den Cox, gold

U.S. Open Previews: 57kg | 61kg | 65kg | 70kg | 74kg | 79kg | 86kg

Contenders

Cox's Final X opponent in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was Hayden Zillmer, who willed himself into a freestyle and Greco-Roman force of nature after a collegiate career that saw him max out at sixth place at the NCAAs while attending North Dakota State. Zillmer finished second at the 2017 Greco-Roman team trials, then switched over to freestyle in 2018 and placed second at 2018 U.S. Open at 92kg before eventually fighting his way to a Final X appearance.

Zillmer has been training with the Minnesota Storm and their RTC and has been looking as sharp as ever. He recently went 3-1 at the 2019 World Cup and helped Team USA to a bronze-medal finish. 

Watch Zillmer win the 2019 Team Trials Challenge Tournament over Deron Winn in Rochester, Minnesota:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

It's hard to find a wrestler with more impressive collegiate credentials than Bo Nickal. The Hodge Trophy-winning Nittany Lion was an NCAA runner-up in his first trip to the big dance. In his next three trips to the tournament, Bo peeled off back-to-back-to-back individual championships. Penn State also won team titles during every one of Bo's varsity seasons.

Nickal's freestyle credentials are not as lofty, but he did put on an impressive performance as a rising junior at the 2017 Open. 

Watch Bo tech Pat Downey in the consolation round of the 2017 tournament:

A young contender coming out of the Wolfpack RTC is Mike Macchiavello, an NCAA national champion for NC State. Mere months after winning a 2018 NCAA title at 197 pounds, Macch was in Akron winning a U23 title at 92 kilos. Unfortunately, Macch was also technically ineligible for U23 by a matter of days and was unable to represent Team USA overseas. 

Technicalities aside, you can watch Macchiavello win in the finals of Akron over Hunter Ritter in the video below:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Another U23 World Team member in the mix at 92kg is Kollin Moore. The Mountain of Moore won his Akron title at 97kg, and went on to claim silver at the U23 World Championships. A slimmed down Moore is a very scary proposition, given his combination of speed and power he possessed up at 97kg (which is about 213 pounds for all you non-metric types). A three-time All-American at Ohio State and preseason favorite to win the 2020 NCAA title, Kollin Moore is not to be underestimated in Vegas. 

Watch Moore win a 97kg U23 national title over Kyle Conel in the video below:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Other Notable Entries

Although he never managed to reach the top eight at NCAAs while at Wisconsin, Timmy McCall has found new life as a freestyler with the Wolfpack RTC. McCall placed third at the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, coming one placement away from making the national team. 

TJ Dudley found instant success after moving up from 86 to 92kg, winning the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial Invitational. He's a three-time All-American at Nebraska and will try and join his Husker teammates Jordan Burroughs and James Green as a fixture on the USA World Team.

Nikko Reyes (fourth at last year's WTT Challenge Tournament), Cody Walters (two-time NCAA All-American), Pat Brucki (fourth at 2019 NCAAs), Scottie Boykin (second at the 2019 Dave Schultz), and Riley Lefever (third at the 2019 Dave Shultz) all figure to make some noise at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa as well.

Spey's Spredictions:

1) Bo Nickal

2) Hayden Zillmer

3) Mike Macchiavello

4) Kollin Moore

Zillmer has certainly had more freestyle success than Nickal lately, but I'm not picking against Nickal in any match against an American not named J'den Cox until I see Nickal take a loss. Macchiavello and Moore would make for a very intriguing third-place bout, and I could see that one going either way.