2019 Final X Wrestle-Off: Yianni vs Zain

Tech Notes: Yianni Zain, The Scramble Numbers

Mike Mal takes an in-depth look at the scrambling that has played a part in the 4-match-set between Yianni Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford

Aug 29, 2019 by Michael Malinconico

Tech Notes: Yianni Zain, The Scramble Numbers

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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Watch Yianni vs Zain Wrestle-off Live on Flo

Monday, September 2 | 3:00 PM Eastern

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 an 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 an 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

In case you don't find importance in the category of non-controlled exposure and scrambling, allow me to remind you that it’s one of the reasons that we’re in this mess to begin with. If it weren't for the last minute of match No. 2 at Final X, we would have either seen a match three on June 8 or we would have had our rep after the second match. So you’d be well-served to pay close attention to the scrambles and the points that are produced as a result.

I feel like a broken record when saying that we’re foolish for having a bias when approaching these scoring categories, but it’s hard to ignore. I’ll prove it.

Answer QUICKLY.

Who’s better at scrambling, Yianni or Zain?

Event	Yianni Attack	SCORE	Event	Zain Attack	Score
Final X M2	Non controlled exposure, roll through off Zain's Double	2	Final X M1	Zain exposes Yianni's back in a far ankle scramble	2
Final X M2	Non controlled exposure, hip tip-off same double (meh)	2	Final X M2	Controversial Exposure at the end of M2 that started from a Zain single leg.	2
	Total	4		Total	4

If you answered the same way that I did (Yianni), then you may be surprised by the results. Let’s take a look at the scores as they were put up because they may be a bit deceiving.

The first NCE score is pretty legit, not to mention it exemplifies just how intelligent Zain has been over the course of this series. In the first match in the series, Zain got eaten alive in scrambles, the majority of Zain leg attacks would up a fruitless effort or worse… points for Yianni. In this instance Zain takes a scramble that winds up in a stalemate 99 out of 100 times and simply runs his hips back into Yianni’s chest for a cheap two points.

Now, before we get too wrapped up in the numbers it has to be said there is a lot more to scrambling than just scoring exposure points. Take a look at match No. 1 and the way Yianni evades a takedown early in the match. This is some of the highest levels of scrambling that I have ever seen albeit for zero points.

The last bit of information that you will need to digest before the Labor Day showdown is the screwy bit of scoring that went down in Final X match No. 2. By now we’ve all seen the last 45 seconds of that match ad nauseam and while it was scored two for Zain it probably should have been scored two and two. Watch it one more time in HD and in SloMo and see if you agree.

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If you’re looking for an explanation as to why I think this should be called two and two it’s pretty simple. I don't think, given his choice, Zain would have rolled through in that sequence. The reason that I say that is because his legs were completely straight when he went over.

Firstly, there aren't very many offensive, athletic, motions that include straight legs. Secondly, the straight legs are indicative of someone that is trying to make their bottom half heavier so as NOT to get rolled through.

The ending sequences weren’t the only scoring snafu that went on match two of FInal X in my estimation. I’m pretty sure that if the officiating team took a second close look at the sequence below they’d probably call it four red, two blue. I just don’t think that Zain got back to a defendable position. So, why wasn’t it challenged at the time? I can only speculate as to the reasoning of the Penn State corner, but I'd venture to guess that they didn’t want to burn a challenge on a sequence that they ultimately came out on top of, even if the margin was a criteria lead.