Yianni Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford at Final X Rutgers in 2019 (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Tonight, the crew at Stalemates presents their third edition of Street League. Once again, proving to be a force in the industry, Zach and the gang continue to evolve in an industry that can be a tough nut to crack. The previous shows have brought a ton of energy, great fans, and most importantly, great matches. My good buddy and Mikey England superfan, Ed Gallo of The Fight Site, went ballistic when The Maniac won in overtime against Gerald Harris before chugging a beer in his shoe. When you're eliciting that kind of reaction from fans with folkstyle matches with absolutely no stakes or affiliation, you know you're doing something right. I can only anticipate more cards in the future with more crazy matches. Here's a few dream matches I'd like to see go down in Stalemates Arena.
Zain-Yianni
The two best upper-lightweights of the past half-decade have met plenty of times in freestyle but never in a folk match. Six title-winning seasons and counting. One loss combined in those six seasons. I realize this is shooting for the stars but a man can dream.
Kyle Dake-Kamal Bey
Fight expert and resident Maryland Terps fan Richard Mann is dying to see this take place in Greco and I happen to agree with him. Put some extra padding around the mat and let's see who the best thrower in America really is. Speaking of Richard, he will be previewing the entire Street League 3 card with picks, if you care to make some friendly wagers. By the way, whatever happened to Wrestling Bookie?
Vincenzo Joseph-Alex Marinelli
The Bull owes us a match here and who better than everyone's favorite wrestler, the great Cenzo, to step up to the plate. After four battles between these two, we were robbed of one more potential battle with the loss of the 2020 tournament. Imagine what these two might do where they can just let it fly with no consequences.
Tom Brands-Terry Brands
Why the hell not? Tell me this can't happen. There's no doubt in my mind that these two can still go for the duration of one match. It's the Holy Grail of dream matches! It belongs in Iowa for Iowa fans. Slip into those denim and gold chain Street league singlets and let's do this already.
Ok, by now you're probably finishing up your morning bathroom business so let's get to the questions.
With all the upsets at FInal X, are we sending our best team? @pbr54321
Well, Mr. 54321, (also my luggage combination in reverse) I get what you're saying. And mostly this pertains to Seth Gross and Daton Fix. Look, the best-of-three format is there to prevent flukes and make sure the right person wins. Gross won the matches. He earned the spot. In my eyes, he's the best guy this year. Seth doesn't have that certain sex appeal that others do, because he doesn't always dominate and will drop the random matches. But what he does do is consistently improve his game and find success. So while he doesn't portray that dominant and elite persona that others do, he's reaching his freestyle prime and I wouldn't put it past him to come back with a medal. The man is crazy out there and the world is about to find out.
I was just looking at the Intermat rankings that just dropped, Max Murin still has eligibility? Can you explain that to me? It feels like he graduated in the 1980's. @jkos11
Believe it or not, he's on the proper grade trajectory if you add in the free year. He redshirted in 2018, then wrestled the next four years. Consider this the bonus year and you have a proper 21st-century college career. The problem is that you're combining him with Vince Turk and thinking of them as one guy. With Turk's freshman year in 2016, it can seem like it's been a while.
If there was a legit college wrestling video game, and you could play as any character in history, who would you pick and why? Also, why did you not pick Kellen Russell? @RichardAMann
If someone makes a legit good game, I'll pick up Kellen, drive to you, get beers, huff Bogey's, lose our ladies, and live our dream of being King Sandoval pinning our way to an NCAA title.
Was Courtney Love responsible for Kurt Cobain's death? Baby Grajales
Two fun facts: I roped a single to right field for my first hit in high school baseball the day Kurt left us and spent the night writing this mailbag while listening to Lithium Deep Cuts on SXM. That's really all I can offer to the investigation.
Can Rutgers finish third in the Big Ten this year? @Mopeman
That's asking a lot. But that's no reason to mope, man. Take a look at the roster and there's something you won't find much of and that's seniors. This team is young and talented while building up the depth that has been a problem in recent years. I like where this team is going. Also, still undefeated with Jagger in the arena so time to get to some more duals.
Where does Iowa end and Hell begin? ILLINI Wrestling Blog
Well, that would clearly be Kansas City. Go Raiders!
What's the best seafood to leave in your car and how do you feel about the influx of Italian-American transfers competing internationally? @SethPetar
First off, all seafood is best left in the ocean. Gross. The Italians? I love it! New Jersey probably leads the league in Italian-American wrestlers and there's only so many world team spots. Keep an eye out for Jersey stud Alex Nini competing for Italy at Cadet Worlds. Now here's a question for you, Mr. Petarra. When are you going to lace 'em up for the old country? Move to Venice, your stank fish car will fit right in but you may not find any roads.
Before we go I'd like to make an amendment to last week's question on entrance music. I'll totally rock the entirety of Uptown Funk on my way down the aisle. See ya next week!
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now