When Wyatt Hendrickson defeated Gable Stevenson for the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship on Sunday, people were not kidding about how big of an upset it was.
“It was absolutely the greatest upset in amateur history,” WWE legend and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kurt Angle said recently to Fox News Digital.
“It definitely goes up there with the Miracle hockey team and Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, definitely.”
That is quite an honor, but Angle is not just saying that. He is well-versed in the wrestling world as an Olympic champion, world champion and NCAA champion.
Angle even quoted the great Herb Brooks when discussing the fight.
“If they wrestled 100 times, 99 times, Gable Stevenson would’ve beat him, not only beat him, but beat him handsomely,” Angle said. “This was just a freakish night. It was Wyatt Hendrickson’s night, and I give him a lot of credit. He did not stop wrestling, and that shows the kind of fortitude he has. I’m sure he got that from the Air Force.”
Hendrickson, an Air Force second lieutenant, saluted President Donald Trump following the win after he had been draped with an American flag, a moment Angle said seemed like it was out of a movie.
OKLAHOMA STATE’S WYATT HENDRICKSON TALKS TRUMP’S APPEARANCE AT NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
“He came out with the American flag on, Mr. America – I know it wasn’t, but it’s almost like it was fixed, like it was a movie. It was crazy,” Angle joked. “President Trump’s there, congratulating Wyatt after he wins. You couldn’t write a better script for a movie.”
Angle also speculated that Hendrickson simply wanted the bout more, given Stevenson’s already impressive resume.
“I think Gable was like, ‘Hey, I won the Olympics, I’ve won the NCAAs, I’m good.’ It wasn’t like he had this extra fire inside of him like Wyatt Hendrickson,” Angle said. “This was a freak thing – I’m giving Wyatt a lot of credit, he wrestled hard. But Gable’s levels above Wyatt, rightfully so. But I do give Wyatt the credit, he made it happen.”
Stevenson has tried his hand at the WWE, even appearing alongside Angle in 2022. He even signed with the Buffalo Bills last year but did not make the team. Angle said that if he tried out again this year, he would make the team, but he has another prediction for Stevenson, who he has already dubbed “one of the greatest” in wrestling history.
“I think Gable Stevenson is going to be a formidable fighter in the MMA, whether it be UFC or Bellator or whatever it is,” Angle said. “He’s gonna be an MMA fighter, and if he fights in the UFC, I think you’re going to see a new UFC champion. Gable is that athletic. The kid is amazing. For him to be in a heavyweight division and be as athletic as he is, it’s nothing short of amazing. The kid is just talented left and right, there’s no doubt about that.”
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