bluechipper

Some left out information: A draft being held to ensure the league gets the top prospects. For those not draft eligible, an open tryout would be held for two weeks by each team according to their summer schedule for a spot on the roster. This would help those who didn’t compete in college or don’t have the most impressive international resumé. Sometimes, you just need an opportunity. So, this is that moment for those to try and shine. I also thought about the league hosting a combine much like Oak Park-River Forest’s stud combine when college coaches come watch the guys work to see how they train, their effort, where they are proficient, and where they need work. This would be the time wrestlers should network and familiarize themselves with the coaches and make themselves known.

I think we have similar views on this. However, I had decided against a summer schedule because I didn’t want to eliminate or limit our international participation. That’s the time we would evaluate. On the cities, I definitely think we’d have to market the landmark locations. You hit most, but I would include Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Jersey among others. We have to make wrestling a priority in order for others to watch.

This is the whole marketing point right here. Your favorite UFC stars can only fight about three times a year, and the other “professional wrestling” isn’t real. The American people love some level of danger, but they also love finesse. A Greco-Roman highlight package was enough to get my friends into wrestling, so promoting our wrestlers’ impressive body control, strength, and unreal athletic ability would have to be a pivotal focus. As humans, we generally aren’t that receptive to change, so I thought if we keep it Folkstyle, people will respond better because it’s something they already know.

When it appeared in my head, I was actually on Twitter looking at Kyle Dake’s poll asking how would fans want to see a pro wrestling league. I don’t know, I guess as a visionary, I thought that was the wrong thing to do and you give them what they want and tell them why they want it. I was looking at it like I would the NFL or NBA in that the entire world has wrestling, but we do it best in the United States with our own Folkstyle rules. We know we can be, at the very least, moderately successful internationally, but how well can we draw at home is the question. If Penn State can constantly sell out the Bryce Jordan Center, a 17,000+ seat multi-purpose arena, and the entire NCAA as a whole can sell out Madison Square Garden, I have some hope. Obviously, we would need to test a prototype, and it may need testing many times over, which is okay. Nothing is ever perfect the first time. For eligibility, my idea is that they must be a recent college graduate (I’m big on education), or at least 22 years of age with some senior level experience (2 years). Much like football and basketball, we can see potential prospects in high school, follow them through college, and be overjoyed when they’re drafted to the APL. I also was trying to keep it simple in that it’s essentially no different than what we do already. After high school or college season, wrestlers do freestyle and Greco to get better, or NBA stars join Team USA. It’s encouraged. The point is to breed competition within our own system and make it harder to win an APL title versus that of an Olympic title.

I think just because I was trying to offer some variation. I know everything gets smaller over time, but there’s always talk of the NCAA creating new weights, so I tried to offer that here so all sizes of wrestlers could be accommodated.

I was bored on this fine Sunday, so I created a fantasy digest for a professional wrestling league. I understand that this probably wouldn't happen (at least any time soon) and it would take a near half-billion dollars to responsibly allocate resources, but with all of that aside, I just want to hear some responses on whether or not you would watch and/or invest in this league. Feel free to offer any other ideas. Just wondering what others would think about this. American Premier League (APL) “To breed competition and provide our fans and communities with the ultimate entertainment experience, and to do so in a way that is consistent with our values.” American Premier League Sport Folkstyle wrestling Founded August 20, 20xx Inaugural season 20xx Commissioner TBD No. of teams 32 Country United States Headquarters New York City Most recent champion(s) Most titles TV partner(s) CBS Fox NBC ESPN APL Access Telemundo Official website www.apl.com American Premier League (APL) is a professional wrestling organization consisting of thirty-two teams divided equally between the National Wrestling Conference (NWC) and the American Pro Conference (APC). The APL is the newest of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and is the highest professional level of Folkstyle wrestling in the world. The APL’s 17-week regular season runs from mid-October to late February, with each team wrestling 16 duals with one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the postseason begins with an individual tournament series to determine the weight class champion, which runs concurrent to the team tournament series that will conclude with the World Finals to determine the overall team champion. The APL is governed by the Universal Federation for Professional Athletes, whose focus is to ensure the safety and fairness amongst teams and wrestlers. Weight classes The Universal Federation for Professional Athletes is the organization that regulates the APL. The UFPA has set 12 main weight classes that are currently open to professional competition, ranging from 118 lbs. to heavyweight, which is set at 285 lbs. A wrestler may go up or down from a weight at the start of the postseason if he has recorded at least four weigh-ins of the new weight during the regular season. On the day of a meet, a wrestler may only go up one weight from the weight class he has weighed in at. (Ex: Wrestler normally wrestles 134 lbs., but plans to wrestle 148 for dual, must weigh in at 142 or 148 to be able to wrestle that weight.) Only two wrestlers can weigh in per weight for a team. 118 – 126 – 134 – 142 – 148 – 155 – 163 – 170 – 184 – 197 – 235 – 285 Teams The APL consists of 32 clubs divided into two conferences of 16 teams in each. Each conference is divided into two divisions of eight clubs in each. During the regular season, each team is allowed a maximum of 36 wrestlers on its roster;[43] only 24 of these may be active (eligible to wrestle) on dual days. Each team can also have a 10-man practice squad separate from its main roster, but the practice squad may only be composed of players who were not active for at least nine duals in any of their seasons in the league. A wrestler can only be on a practice squad for a maximum of three seasons. Season format The APL season format consists of a four-week preseason, a seventeen-week regular season (each team wrestles 16 duals), and an eight-team single-elimination tournament culminating in the World Finals, the league's championship dual. Preseason The APL preseason begins with an intrasquad dual meet on each team to determine what wrestler will be awarded the starting job. Since a team is only allowed a maximum of three wrestlers per weight, a round-robin will be used by each team (privately) to determine the intrasquad competitors. Once the intrasquad meets conclude, the preseason continues the next week with a team competing in an exhibition dual against another team outside of their division. The third week of preseason will then see a team compete in an exhibition dual with a team who is in their division. The APL preseason will conclude with the Who’s #1 event to determine initial weight class rankings. A tournament committee will determine seeds based upon preseason record, head-to-head competition, and credentials (e.g.: Olympic, World, or NCAA champion). Regular Season The APL regular season is conducted over 17 weeks with sixteen duals and a bye week. Each team will compete in eight conference and non-conference duals, with at least four duals coming from their own division. Postseason The APL postseason begins with the individual tournament series to determine the official champion for each of the 12 weights. Individual Tournament Series Divisional Championship The divisional championship tournament is an “all-in” format. Each wrestler from all 32 teams automatically qualify for their division tournament. The tournament has an 8-man bracket with full wrestlebacks with seeding criteria based upon having at least one match toward their record, winning percentage, actual record, at least one matches toward division record and head-to-head competition. Only the top four places will move on to the conference championship. Conference Championship The conference championship tournament takes the top four finishers from each of its divisions and places them in an 8-man bracket with full wrestlebacks. Wrestlers will be paired based upon finish in division tournament (e.g.: champion wrestles fourth place finisher, runner-up wrestles third place finisher). Only the top seven places will move on to the individual world finals. World Finals The world championship tournament takes the top seven finishers from each conference and aligns them in a 16-man bracket with full wrestlebacks, only the top four will place. The conference champions and runners-up automatically secure the top four seeds with the champions taking #1 and #2 and runners-up garnering #3 and #4. The conference champions receive an automatic first round bye and move directly into the quarterfinals. For placement, all bronze matches will be conducted at the same time across four mats in increments of four. (e.g.: 118-142, 148-170, 184-285) For championship bouts, an introduction ceremony will take place with wrestlers being brought out along with coaches. The matches will be wrestled under a spotlight and will be followed by a post-match interview, then awards. Awards - Third and fourth place finishers will be introduced first, followed by runner-up, and then champion - Third and fourth place finishers will receive bronze medals and plaque along with team flag and coaches honored - Runner-up will receive a silver medal and plaque, along with team flag and coaches honored - Champion will receive a gold medal, championship belt, plaque, bouquet, and championship ring, along with team song played and coaches honored Team Tournament Series Divisional Championship The divisional championship will be awarded to the team who holds the best record in their division. The top six teams in each division will move on to the conference championship. Conference Championship The conference championship takes the top six teams from each division and places them in a 12-man bracket with the top four seeds earning a first-round bye. The tournament is single-elimination and all semi-finalists will advance to the World Finals. Champions will toggle the #1 and #2 seeds in the world tournament. Semi-final losers will wrestle for third/fourth place to help determine match pairings. World Finals The APL team championship will take the top four teams from each conference and place them in an 8-man bracket with no wrestlebacks. The finals will be conducted under a spotlight with team and starting lineup introductions. The match will be followed by awards. Awards - The runner-up team will be introduced first, championship team will follow - Runners-up will receive silver medals, a runner-up trophy, a plaque, along with their flag to be raised and coaches honored. - Champions will receive gold medals, a championship trophy, plaque, and rings, along with their flag to be raised, coaches honored, team song played, and a speech or tribute given by coaches and wrestlers. Year-End Awards Honors - All-APL Team - All-Conference Team - All-Division Team - All-Rookie Team - Iron League (compare to NFL Pro Bowl or MLB/NBA All-Star Team) Individual Awards - APL Finals Most Valuable Wrestler (Cael Sanderson Trophy) - APL Mental Attitude Award - APL Most Valuable Wrestler (John Smith Trophy) - Citizenship Award (J’Den Cox Trophy) - Coach of the Year (Dan Gable Trophy) - Iron League Most Valuable Wrestler (Robin Reed Trophy) - Most Improved Wrestler - Rookie of the Year (Jordan Burroughs Trophy) - Sportsmanship Award - Teammate of the Year (Nittany Lion Trophy) - Lifetime Achievement Award (Dave Schultz Trophy)

I have two: 2015 and 2016. Much like the original post said, the build and electricity in the air for the Red/Lee Match was one of the coolest experiences, and also there was great wrestling all-around that year. 2015 was also just another excellent tournament. Highlighted by the shocking Lee upset over James in the semis, Oglesby’s backflip, Jordan Vaughn’s incredible run, Cash pinning J. Lee, Lydy’s overtime thriller, and Kobe Woods’ huge double leg on Morrow. That was some of the best wrestling I’d ever seen that year.

This is my favorite time of the year. So, I’m most active on the message board and I like to propose a lot of “What If” scenarios. Cathedral recently broke the IHSAA record for team points in the state tournament however they lost a dual to Perry Meridian. So, last night, a few of my fellow Cathedral wrestler friends and I proposed a dual between their best of the last ten years vs. Perry Meridian’s best of the last ten years. Here’s our lineups. Cathedral 106 Logan Bailey State 3rd 113 Skylour Turner 4x Placer 120 Brandon Wright 2x Champ 126 John Grey Runner-Up 132 Breyden Bailey State Champ 138 Zach Melloh Runner-Up 145 Jordan Slivka State Champ 152 Vinny Corsaro 3x Runner Up 160 Brian Harvey State Champ 170 Ben Harvey Runner Up 182 Blake Rypel 2x State Champ 195 Ben Stewart 2x Placer 220 Ryan Guhl 2x Placer 285 Wes Bernard State Champ Alternate: Tyler Willis at 170 Perry Meridian 106 A Cottey State Runner-Up 113 J Cottey 2x Placer 120 C. Elliott 2x Placer 126 Ngun Uk State 6th 132 J. McKinley 2x State Champ 138 B. James 4x Placer 145 C. LeCount 2x State Champ 152 B. Johnson State 3rd 160 K. Johnson 3x Placer 170 N. Warren State Champ 182 J. Masengale 2x State Runner-Up 195 T. Tonte 3x State Runner-Up 220 Logan Cooper State Runner-Up 285 Chico Adams 2x State Champ Alternates: Nick Bova, Jacob Tonte, Donte Winfield, Sam Fair, DJ Brookbank, and Riley McClurg

I remember Gelen being 6th in his weight on InterMat with Fletcher Miller and Connor Tolley not too far behind.

This match-up is very interesting. They both have a common loss in Bethel by fall. They have a common win in Warren with Brayton winning 10-6 and Joe winning 19-5. However, Brayton has consistently performed better on the national level, placing higher in the same tournaments, and beating wrestlers that Joe has lost to. If they matched up, I would expect the strength to be on Joe’s side but the technique and speed on Brayton’s side. I don’t see either being rode out, but I see B. Lee being able to fluster Joe and staying composed and winning the scramble positions. In my opinion, B. Lee does the little things a lot better which would make a big difference.

While another thread is exploding discussing Brayton Lee vs. Joe Lee, I’ve been thinking about another epic clash that will have to remain in the “What If” category. Mason Parris vs. ... Gelen Robinson? They were two of the most dominant 220 pounders in recent memory. Who would win this match-up of multiple-time titans?

I truly do not see that. Brayton is far too advanced of a wrestler to give up bonus points. They’re both great, but this is a match that would be decided on their feet, and on their feet, I’m giving B. Lee the advantage. His attacks, hand fighting, and positioning are incredible.

I have not seen anyone start it yet, so I will. How would this season's state champions fare against those from last season? 106: Brayden Curtis (2017) vs. Jacob Moran (2018) 113: Alec Viduya (2017) vs. Brayden Curtis (2018) 120: Cayden Rooks (2017) vs. Hunter Watts (2018) 126: Alec White (2017) vs. Asa Garcia (2018) 132: Breyden Bailey (2017) vs. Graham Rooks (2018) 138: Brenden Black (2017) vs. Kris Rumph (2018) 145: Brayton Lee (2017) vs. Jordan Slivka (2018) 152: Joe Lee (2017) vs. Brayton Lee (2018) 160: Brad Laughlin (2017) vs. Nicholas South (2018) 170: Eli Stock (2017) vs. Noah Warren (2018) 182: Jacob Gray (2017) vs. Conner Graber (2018) 195: Andrew Davison (2017) vs. Lucas Davison (2018) 220: Mason Parris (2017) vs. Mason Parris (2018) 285: Evan Ellis (2017) vs. Eli Pokorney (2018) Curtis 8-4 Curtis 6-0 Rooks 3-0 White 6-5 Bailey 1-0 Black 7-6 Lee MD 11-1 B. Lee 6-4 Laughlin 7-3 Warren 7-4 Gray 3-2 A. Davison 3-2 LOL Pokorney 3-1

This is what I was intending to say. I'm good friends with a number of wrestlers who have graduated or are seniors, so it was kind of weird seeing some of them end their careers this past weekend. The wrestlers made such a big impact and were pivotal in what I believe elevated Indiana to more national recognition. Not saying there wasn't any before, but I definitely think that more coaches are on the lookout for Indiana wrestlers. The trend will definitely continue with the bright stars of tomorrow. And regarding the comment of IndianaMat, I understand it existed before 2011, but my point was that Y2, Fabio, Reiser & Co. made it their mission to continue making the site better with their articles, previews, rankings, magazines, etc. They kept expanding and making the flow of information sweeter. It even won an award. In short, I'm appreciative of the IHSWCA, IndianaMat, the programs, coaches, and wrestlers for giving me lots of entertainment over the years. It's truly been a pleasure.

This state tournament marked an end to one of the finest eras in Indiana wrestling. I’ve been around this sport since 2011, have done extensive research and questioning on past eras, and closely followed the sport since my exposure to it, and I must say it has been one heck of a ride. Seven years may not seem long compared to many, but it’s long enough for an entire sport to transcend its bounds and give birth to a whole new style of itself as well. We went from predominantly solid technique and power based offense with clean finishes to funk and high-risk wrestling. We’ve seen our sport almost eliminated from the Olympic Games, and we’ve seen a resurgence. Honestly, we experienced a revolution. This revolution started thanks to websites like IndianaMat who made it their mission to grow wrestling in our state and make it easy and fun for fans to be connected to the sport. We saw one four-time state champion exit while another one entered. We saw the fireworks, the drama, the duals, and much like Kevin Whitehead said, we watched each other grow up. 2015, though, is the year I want to highlight. We saw the best mesh we’d get from arguably four great classes. Brownsburg became a name. Mason Parris became a name. We saw perennial powerhouses Cathedral, EMD, Penn, and PM slug it out for the title of the best program in the state. We saw perhaps one of the best state tournaments ever with loaded 113, 120, 132, 138, 170, 182, 220, and 285 brackets. We saw history and I will forever be grateful I got to witness it. Keep going, Indiana!

In my opinion, New Castle has always been the toughest semi-state tournament site. It has always stood out that MV/ECC had been the top-heavy semi-state, meaning they always seem to have the most #1 and #2 guys, and the EV semi-state in recent years has really come up over the years with programs like Brownsburg, Avon, and Columbus East coming to prominence. New Castle, though, always seems to have that heavy middle portion of wrestlers that make it the toughest. For example, a crazy weight I remember was 182 in 2015. It was LOADED with I believe eight or nine ranked kids and some under the radar kids. I remember it was led by Conner James, and also included Jonathan Morales, Ben Stewart, and eventual champion, Mason Parris. Stewart, who was as good as any champ in his weight all four years got put out in the ticket by Parris. That was what many of us had to look forward to at New Castle, and if you advanced, you earned it.

If we weren’t limited to mostly Indiana competition, we would see some of our best with multiple losses guaranteed. Not to mention our depth isn’t near that of our neighbors Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Those states, it’s common to see a champ with 6 or 7 losses, and they’re nationally ranked competitors.

It was one of the Perry Meridian Freestyle/Greco singlets. McClurg wore his on the opposite side in 2013 when he won.

Yes, and ironically, it was a Merrillville kid.

Davis (PM) maj. Lemley 9-0

Perry Meridian will be in the mix with a legit shot at three champs at 106, 120, and 170, and some placement points at 152, 160, and 182.

The talk of this year’s state finals is the depth of the 126 lb. weight class. We’re all expecting some wild results and it could POSSIBLY be the best weight ever, but that’s subjective. It has sparked a discussion in my friend group on what is the best weight ever in Indiana. Here are our results: 2009 103 (Note: 9 state titles & 3 runner-up finishes) 2011 112 (Note: LeCount, eventual 2x State Champ didn’t even qualify) 2012 126 (Note: Featured Nick Crume, Cody LeCount, Kyle Ayersman, and Cody Phillips) 2013 106 (Note: Five state champions in this weight in Red, Hildebrandt, Pepple, Lee, and Smith) 2013 285 (Note: Three Fargo AAs in Bernard, Streck, and Winfield, four nationally ranked wrestlers total with Hemmelgarn) 2014 106 (Note: Colton Cummings didn’t place at this weight) 2014 220 (Note: Four nationally ranked and undefeated champs from each semi-state, two of which were Fargo AAs) 2014 285 (Note: Four nationally ranked heavies in the fray with two as Fargo AAs) 2015 120 (Note: State Champs Brendan Black and Jeremiah Reitz were eliminated Friday night) 2015 285 (Note: Three nationally ranked heavies) 2016 220 (Note: Four undefeated nationally ranked semi-state champs were in the fray.)

This was terrible.

This actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm just frustrated as a former wrestler, fan, and friend to many of the guys competing and watching them be sent home when I know first-hand they can beat guys who advanced. Any attempt at making a resolution would satisfy me at this point. I just wish the IHSAA would show they care about wrestling.

It's rather annoying to see people who've never wrestled try to explain their position on why wrestle-backs shouldn't be a thing. Safe to say, they're clueless. So, if we can't have wrestle-backs, let's at least try to get a more focused effort on seeding so we can somehow get the best wrestlers advanced.