Zain Retherford Has So Many Ways Of Finishing The Single Leg - Here’s Some Finishes At 2022 Worlds
- Thread starter NittanyLion84
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While I may have shown some occasional originality, it's almost impossible to match the iconic nature of some of the posts by Spyker!
It's such a pleasure to watch the mastery that was Zain in Folkstyle. We were spoiled, and to have Zain, Jason and Bo all on the same team at the same time chalking up career bonus rates with our best of all time was an amazing time.
No knock on Carter and Aaron, but despite being our most likely shot at our first 4 times, the prior generation showed a level of pure dominance that was second to none.
Here's to Levi and Mesinbrink giving us that same level of dominance once again in the near future. I think they just might.
No knock on Carter and Aaron, but despite being our most likely shot at our first 4 times, the prior generation showed a level of pure dominance that was second to none.
Here's to Levi and Mesinbrink giving us that same level of dominance once again in the near future. I think they just might.
I can't think of any wrestlers I liked to watch more in folkstyle than Zain. His combination of pace, pressure, turning ability and sheer doggedness/toughness was an awesome sight to behold. I also can't think of a wrestler I would least like to wrestle : ) I believe it was the Tsirtsis match where the Northwestern student announcers were just shocked at the beating Zain put on him.
Even though Zain had beaten Stieber two years prior, the Tsirtsis match was the first time in Zain's second season that he was expected to be tested. Zain was fairly dominant true freshman season (his only losses were to Stieber twice and Mitchell Port, all in March) but his redshirt sophomore season he was a buzz saw. By the time January rolled around he'd pinned or tech'd most of the guys he faced, but none were tests. And he'd even had a close call against Rider's Bryant Clagon, winning on 2-1.
So coming into the Tsirtsis match there was still some questions as to just how elite Zain was. Tsirtsis already had a few losses that year but they were at an early season open. He was still a returning national champ and Zain a 5th place two years prior. Zain was still the favorite but might have been the last time anyone had picked against him during his D1 tenure.
It was evident in the match that Tsirtsis gassed early on and unprepared for Zain. But Zain can only do his part, and he put the world on notice that day by destroying him, taking Tsirtsis down at will, each takedown easier than the last. Tsirtsis was never the same and Zain never lost again.
Zain is a great wrestler, but if you've ever met him in person you would be just as impressed with his character. A point in his career that I'll never forget is when he walked over and handed his headgear to a little boy right after winning his first NCAA title. I had a chance to talk with him for a while at the US Men's Open in Las Vegas a few years ago. While we were chatting another young guy walked up to us with his cell phone and gave us an imploring look indicating he wanted to get his picture taken with Zain. Zain didn't hesitate for a second, so I took the photo with the little guy's cell phone. You can be sure that made his day.
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