Last year wrestling fans were robbed of the Olympics. In 2021, a 6 weight Olympics and a full, 10 Weight World Championships will look to make up for last year's disappointments. 

The 2021 World Championships won't take place until October 2-10 in Oslo, Norway. That might seem early to start thinking about the 2021 World Team Trials. However, USA Wrestling has scheduled the trials less than a month after the Olympics for September 3-5, 2021. There are also unique details to this year’s world team trials. We’ll explain all you need to know and take an early look at the 2021 World Team Trials for Men’s Freestyle. 

Do The Olympians Go Straight To Worlds?

No. In all 3 styles (Greco, Freestyle, and Women’s Wrestling), the Olympic team member MUST MEDAL at the Olympics to secure his or her spot on the 2021 World Team at the same weight. If the Olympic team member wrestles for a medal but loses (places 5th at the Olympics), that wrestler will be given a bye to the semi-finals. If the Olympian doesn’t medal or wrestle for a medal, he or she will have to wrestle the full bracket like everyone else qualified. 

Also, Olympians who medal, have to declare their intent to participate in the 2021 World Championships by August 15, 2021 (less than 2 weeks after the Olympics conclude).

Who’s Qualified For 2021 World Team Trials?

For all 3 styles there are 4 Qualifiers for the 2021 World Team Trials:

1. All wrestlers who qualified for the Olympic Trials (even if they didn’t compete)

2. Top 5 finishers at 2021 Senior Nationals (See Results Here)

3. Medalists at 2021 Pan-Am Championships (May 27-30)

4. Champion at The Last Chance Qualifier (TBD in July)-Only those not yet qualified can enter here.

Find all USA Wrestling's 2021 World Team Trials Procedures Here

Early Look at the Men’s Freestyle WTT

Because there is only one spot left for qualifiers at each weight, the trials' field is essentially set. With that in mind, let's take an early look at every weight in Men’s Freestyle. 

57kg

If Gilman medals, these qualifiers will either wait a year to contend for the 2022 world team spot or move up to 61kg. Fix, Suriano, Tomasello, and Richards might adjust well to a few extra pounds but the others on this list would be undersized against the bigger 61kg competitors.

61kg

Colon, Gross, Graff and Garrett were forced to make sacrifices during the Olympic Trials year but are perfectly suited for 61kg. Once again, if Gilman medals, that would force many 57kg competitors up to this weight. In 2018 and 2019, there were only 8 and 10 competitors respectively in the World Team Trials Brackets. The combination of 57kg and 61kg in 2021 could fill the bracket with up to 24 competitors!

65kg

Because Jordan Oliver didn’t qualify for the Olympics, he will have to navigate a similar field as the Olympic Trials. It’s likely only James Green and Anthony Ashnault will move up to 70kg but Eierman, Demas, Lugo, Pletcher, and Pohlmeyer are new qualifiers from this year’s Senior Nationals. 

70kg

James Green will be back home at the weight he’s dominated over the past 6 years domestically. Green, a two-time world medalist, will again be the favorite to represent USA at Worlds. His record against Americans at 70kg is 36-4 and he has only lost once domestically since 2015 at 70kg (to Ryan Deakin at the 2019 US Open).

74kg

Kyle Dake is a favorite to medal in Tokyo. If he does bring home an Olympic medal, Dake will automatically receive the World Team spot and most of the guys qualified will either move weights or wait until 2022. David Carr is the only possible competitor to move down to 70kg (about 154lbs) considering he competes collegiately at 157. The rest of the field would be forced to move up to 79kg.

79kg

The above list are those who have either recently competed at 79kg or already declared intent to compete there. If Dake and Taylor medal at the Olympics, the number of competitors at the 79kg bracket could grow around 25 (we'll look at that below). Jordan Burroughs should be the favorite here but Imar, Dieringer, and potentially Zahid Valencia should be considered the main challengers to Burroughs for the 79kg spot. 

86kg

Like Kyle Dake, David Taylor is a front runner to medal at the Olympics. Only Valencia and Hall seem to have the capability of dropping to 79kg. The rest of this group would most likely be forced to move up to 92kg. In the unlikely event Taylor does not medal at the Olympics, Nickal and Valencia have proven to be at the top of the next tier of 86kg wrestlers in the US.

92kg

J’den Cox and Nate Jackson have already declared their intention to move to 92kg for Worlds. Cox’s descent seems to be contingent on Snyder medaling at the Olympics. Also, Gadson recently competed at 92kg at the 2021 Senior Nationals and will most likely drop for World Team Trials. Cox and Jackson seem to be the front runners for this weight but could be joined by a host of other contenders should Snyder medal (we'll look at below).

97kg

Whenever Kyle Snyder has wrestled at the Worlds/Olympics, he’s brought home a medal. Should he medal at the Tokyo Olympics, it would be his 6th straight medal in 6 attempts...and he’s only 25. Also, Snyder hasn't lost to a fellow American since April, 10 2016 (Jake Varner at the Olympic Trials).

125kg

Like the 3 previous weights, Gable Steveson is one of the favorites to medal at 125kg in Tokyo. However unlike the other weights, the remaining 12 wrestlers at 125kg don’t have the option to move weight classes. If Gable does medal and decides to wrestle at 2021 Worlds, the rest of the 125kg competitors will be forced to wait a year for the opportunity to wrestle at the World Championships.

Also, speculation abounds on Steveson's future in Freestyle Wrestling. His outspoken interest in the WWE might become a reality depending on his performance at the Olympics. 

Retired Qualifiers

All competitors who qualified for the Olympic Trials are also qualified for the 2021 World Team Trials. Molinaro, Dean, Downey, Stieber, and Kasper have all either publicly retired or are currently pursuing other competitive or professional ventures. However, seemingly every year retired wrestlers enter the trials to "give it one last go" before leaving their shoes on the mat.

If Dake, Taylor, Snyder and Gable Medal

The 2021 World Team Trials could see some of the largest brackets at 79kg and 92 kg ever. If the Olympic Medalists choose to wrestle at worlds, that will force many of the competitors at 74, 86 and 97 to either move weights or sit out an entire year. In 2018 and 2019, the largest bracket at a World Team Trials was 11. At the 2021 Trials, we could see 2 brackets with over 20 competitors!

Jordan Burroughs and J’den Cox will still be the favorites at the non-Olympic weights, but adding a large number of competitors to the field will also add matches on their quest to make the world team and increase opportunities for chaos in both brackets. Take a look at the potential 79kg and 92kg fields below.

Potential 79kg If Dake and Taylor Medal

Potential 92kg if Taylor and Snyder and Gable Medal

Again, the World Team Trials are still over 3 months away and the composition of every weight will depend on Team USA's performance at the Olympics. While the specific brackets will remain in question, the 2021 World Team Trials will unquestionably be filled with USA's best wrestlers and be one of the best tournaments of the year.