2019 Final X Wrestle-Off: Yianni vs Zain

Tech Notes: Yianni/Zain, The Defensive Scores

Mike Mal takes an in-depth look at all of the defensive scores in the previous four matches in the Yianni Zain series.

Aug 27, 2019 by Michael Malinconico

Tech Notes: Yianni/Zain, The Defensive Scores

Zain Retherford is set to wrestle Yianni Diakomihalis again on September 2 at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA. This time we’ll start off by re-wrestling match No. 2 from Final X, Rutgers. If Zain wins that match he’ll be the rep in Kazakhstan. If Yianni wins the first match on Labor Day we’ll go to a deciding match No. 3 later that day.

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Over the last few months, the Yianni/Zain saga has become my absolute favorite rivalry in our sport. I went through the four matches that Diakomihalis and Retherford have wrestled so far this year with a fine-tooth comb to see what we can learn from the series so far, and maybe more importantly, what we can expect to see on Sept. 2 in Wilkes-Barre.

What To Do

Admittedly I got a bit obsessed this weekend and started down the Yianni/Zain rabbit hole and I haven’t looked back, so instead of one big tech notes article like I do for most monster matchups, I'm going to roll out four tech notes article this week giving rundowns in each of the most influential positions to these (and most) wrestling matches. Neutral offense, neutral defense, par terre, and scrambling/non-controlled exposure.

Where To Start

As a jumping-off point, here is every score in the four-match series as it was scored on the day of the event. I realize that Final X match 2 is supposed to be stricken from the record books, but the information that is gathered in that match is vital to painting the full picture of the series.

EVENT	TECHNIQUE	POINTS	SCORE (Y-Z)
US Open	Yianni Elbow Control R single	2	2-0
US Open	Zain Double Leg Crack back	2	2-2
US Open	Zain Split Leg Turn	2	2-4
US Open	Yianni Scores off Zains attack by sitting the corner when Zain changed from double to single	2	4-4
US Open	Yianni defends another L single and sits the corner---> winds up on top	2	6-4	Final 6-4, Yianni
Final X M1	Yianni misdirection (R-->L) single, comes out the back door, Zain bails instead of exposing	2	2-0
Final X M1	Zain exposes Yianni's back in a far ankle scramble	2	2-2
Final X M1	Zain Low Double	2	2-4
Final X M1	Zain Front side lace	2	2-6
Final X M1	Misdirection (R--> L) head outside single	2	4-6
Final X M1	Zain defends misdirection single (R-->L), down blocks, chases tail	2	4-8
Final X M1	Zain defends a desperation head pinch	2	4-10	Final 10-4, Zain
Final X M2	Zain Sneaky double off the whistle	4	0-4
Final X M2	Yianni Non controlled exposure, roll through off Zain's Double	2	2-4
Final X M2	Yianni Non controlled exposure, hip tip off same double (meh)	2	4-4
Final X M2	Misdirection (L-->R) ARM DRAG!!	2	6-4
Final X M2	Controversial flurry started with a L single by Zain that was scored 2 for non-controlled exposure from a crack back	2	6-6	Final 6-6, Zain
Yasar Dogu	Zain goes short drag to a single off Yianni's shot, finishes backside double by setting the table	2	0-2
Yasar Dogu	Yianni goes L single, out the back, shelves the leg----Out of bounds in quad-pod	1	1-2
Yasar Dogu	Yianni takes a L single, out the back, Zain bails to not expose	2	3-2
Yasar Dogu	Zain shoots, Yianni down blocks, re-attacks a low double	2	5-2
Yasar Dogu	Yianni times the step perfectly, picks up a single, walk to the edge and rolls with Zain on his back	4	9-2
Yasar Dogu	Zain winds up on top of the last exchange	1	9-3
Yasar Dogu	Zain --> Short offense--->> go behind	2	9-5	Final 9-5, Yianni

Defensive Scores

For the sake of clarity, I want to point out exactly what I’m talking about here. The category of Defensive Scores is not going to include non-controlled exposure in scrambles; that will be a category all by itself. This is when one wrestler takes an offensive attack and the other winds up on top as a direct result.

This was another category that may go against conventional thought. Most people think of Yianni as the superior defensive wrestler, but the numbers say that Zain is the one who scores more from Yianni’s attacks. To further emphasize the point, one thing that the spreadsheet doesn’t show is just how high Yianni’s rate of attack is and just how many times Zain has stuffed those attacks with solid baseline defense. Zain's head/hands defense has been outstanding throughout the series.

Take a look at all of the defensive scores.

Event	Yianni Attack	Score	Event	Zain Attack	Score
US OPEN	Yianni Scores off Zains attack by sitting the corner when Zain changed from double to single	2	Final X M1	Yianni goes misdirection single (R-->L), Zain down blocks and chases tail	2
US OPEN	Zain takes another L single and Yianni sits the corner---> winds up on top	2	Final X M2	Yianni goes head pinch in desperation and Zain holds him in exposure	2
Yasar Dogu	Zain shoots, Yianni down blocks, re-attacks a low double	2	Yasar Dogu	Yianni shoots, Zain goes short drag to a single, finishes backside double by setting the table	2
			Yasar Dogu	Zain winds up on top of an exchange where Yianni threw him for 4	1
	Total	6		Total	7

Yianni’s incredible when you grab one of his legs and he’s able to sit the corner and either crotch lock or chest wrap. Zain learned that very quickly in the series. The only time that Zain has deliberately transitioned from a double to a single in this series Yianni sat the corner and wound up scoring a takedown.

What’s It All Mean?

Despite our preconceived notions, Zain is actually the one who has proven to score more points off of the Yianni’s attacks (albeit just one more point). But the true story of the defense has been Zain’s ability to stymie Yianni’s attacks with his head and hands.

While I think Yianni’s single leg defense is out of this world, he hasn’t been able to score off of Zain’s shots by sitting the corner since their first match at the U.S. Open, and that is through no real fault of his own. Zain has learned to be a bit more patient in the hand fight and wait for double as opposed to dropping in on the first single leg opportunity that presents itself. He’s also learned to NEVER, under any circumstances, change from a double to a single against Yianni.