Each dual at the RTC Cup has just six matches, so one upset could change the whole outcome. Check out six guys who just might be poised to knock someone off in Cincinnati. 

Watch the 2020 RTC Cup Pres. by TMWC LIVE on FloWrestling

Friday, Dec 4 - Saturday, Dec 5

Mason Parris

Michigan big man Mason Parris could have two monster opportunities to pull a big upset if he takes on Nick Gwiazdowski and Gable Steveson, the top two heavyweights on the US Olympic ladder on Friday. Gwiazdowski and Parris have yet to compete, and Steveson has beaten Parris every time they've wrestled. Still, there's more than enough reason to believe that Parris has upset potential.

Parris' improvement since he set foot on campus at Michigan has been pronounced. He went from a round-of-twelver in 2019 to the #2 seed at the NCAA Championships this year. In between, he won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships that included an impressive win over Amir Zare, a guy who has teched Gwiazdowski. If Parris can beat one or both of the top two domestic heavyweights, he'll make a strong case for himself as a contender for the 2021 Olympic Team.

Mason Parris Wins a Junior World Title over Amir Zare of Iran

Anthony Echemendia

Expectations about Anthony Echemendia's potential to shake up 65kg in the US have waned a bit since he fell to Evan Henderson at the FloWrestling: Burroughs vs Zahid event. He's likely to see two more incredible opponents on Friday at the RTC Cup, and a win over either will put him right back in the conversation.

Echemendia could see James Green fresh off the scale in the opening dual of the day followed by Yianni Diakomihalis in the second dual. Green, a two time World medalist, presents a serious challenge for Echemendia, but Anthony just might have the power to match Green who will be competing two kilos lower than his typical weight class.

Yianni and Echemendia offer a fascinating clash of styles, but Echemendia's regular workouts with a scramble master like Sammy Sasso might help prepare him for some of Yianni's funk. Since these will only be Echemendia's second and third senior level matches in the US, so we're still learning a lot about him.

Drew Foster

Like Parris and Echemendia, Foster will be the underdog in his day one matches against Sammy Brooks and Nate Jackson, but he's improved dramatically since switching his focus to freestyle last year.

He'll see Sammy Brooks and Nate Jackson on Friday. He took two losses to Brooks in 2019 and lost to Jackson in October at Senior Nationals. His two matches with Brooks help to illustrate his improvement. He was teched the first time the two met and jumped out to an 8-2 lead the second time. Brooks poured it on to win 19-11, but Foster may have discovered the template to win the next time.

Foster's match with Jackson was a tight 7-4 bout in the Senior Nationals semis. He scored the first two of the match and trailed by just a point at the break, so he's clearly close. Don't count him out of either of these matches.

Nate Jackson Beats Drew Foster at 2020 Senior Nationals

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Darian Cruz

The field at 57kg is stacked and includes four NCAA finalists, three of whom were champions. According to JD Rader's rankings of competitors in this field, Cruz is the 6th ranked man at 57kg out of the nine who could compete. This is due in part to his Senior Nationals performance where he took a loss to the surging Dylan Ragusin.

Cruz's attacks are surgical which means he's in every match he wrestles. His biggest tests will be Seth Gross and potentially Nahshon Garrett if Wolfpack WC and NJRTC/SERTC hit on day 2. Cruz lost to Nahshon last year at the Bill Farrell, but he beat him in 2017 at the World Team Trials. His most memorable upset came in the 2017 NCAA semis against Thomas Gilman. This guy is dangerous, and he could remind everyone why this weekend.

Darian Cruz Beats Nahshon Garrett at the 2017 World Team Trials

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Ty Walz 

Walz has been a factor at 97kg since he won a U23 World bronze medal in 2017. Since that time, he hasn't risen through the ranks at the weight like some people thought he would. He's currently #8 in our Domestic Men's Freestyle Rankings, and four of the guys ahead of him are also in this weekend's field.

Since 2018, Walz has lost to Dudley, Moore, Zillmer, and Macchiavello. So why is he on the upset watch list? He has been so close with all of these guys, and he feels like he could break through. Walz's losses to both Dudley and Moore were by criteria, and he's been within a point of Zillmer. His Macchiavello loss was by a 4 point margin, so he's in striking distance every time. Everyone at 97kg will have their hands full with Walz.

Carson Kharchla

The Buckeye freshman made his senior level debut last year at Senior Nationals, but he only wrestled one match. He was injured in a loss to Tyler Berger, so we've only seen a glimpse into Kharchla's potential in an event like this.

As a lifelong freestyler, it is likely only a matter of time before Kharchla starts to see high levels of senior level success in his primary discipline. He'll have many opportunities this weekend with guys like Logan Massa, Mekhi Lewis, Evan Wick, Tommy Gantt, Hayden Hidlay, and Jevon Balfour in the mix.