Best wrestlers of the 2000s

[phillywrestler]

gripsnhips said:

No Cole or Mocco?

Pound for pound, I do not think Mocco and Cole are in the top ten. I have never seen any offense from Mocco other than a foot sweep. Cole has a slightly bigger armanentarium, but he relies heavily on his size and a bearhug / trip move from his feet.

I should have put Abbas in instead of Ware or Hazewinkle.

[odh]

Jake Herbert may not have graduated yet, but deserves mention in the top ten of the 2000s

[illinoisfan]

odh said:

Jake Herbert may not have graduated yet, but deserves mention in the top ten of the 2000s

You beat me to it.

[JensenS]

Lists please? That or tell me who you think should be bumped out of my top 10 in favor of him.

[ugly]

I like the Larkin pick at 20.

[johnnythompsonnum1]

My head isn't going to explode, although I'm not so sure I'd mind it if it did.

Anyway, yes I do believe Johnny Thompson should be included in the best of the 2000's. 2-1-1-3, is one heck of an accomplishment. Along with 4 Big 12 titles and a very impressive record.

I'm not sure what it is about not making the finals one year that limits your credibility, but I know that's why some don't include him on the list.

Eric Jurgens, Chad Erickson and Josh Moore were the only people that I know of that owned victories over Johnny Thompson but never saw defeat from him. That's a rareity. Four years in Division I wrestling and only 3 wrestlers that ever beat you that you never beat. Very impressive.

[johnnythompsonnum1]

There are many other wrestlers I feel should be on the list as well, but bad NCAA performances of one year or two are keeping them off the list.

LeRoy Vega in my opinion is the 2nd greatest 2000's 125 pounder there is. He had a horrible senior year tournament, but it's hard to deny the man's talent. He beat Jason Powell 10-4 easily. If he woulda taken 2nd or 3rd that year like he should have, then my case would stand up more. Damn those bad tournaments.

[Flop the Nuts]

johnnythompsonnum1 said:

My head isn't going to explode, although I'm not so sure I'd mind it if it did.

Anyway, yes I do believe Johnny Thompson should be included in the best of the 2000's. 2-1-1-3, is one heck of an accomplishment. Along with 4 Big 12 titles and a very impressive record.

I'm not sure what it is about not making the finals one year that limits your credibility, but I know that's why some don't include him on the list.

Eric Jurgens, Chad Erickson and Josh Moore were the only people that I know of that owned victories over Johnny Thompson but never saw defeat from him. That's a rareity. Four years in Division I wrestling and only 3 wrestlers that ever beat you that you never beat. Very impressive.

I agree that it just feels like Thompson should be in the Top 10, I'm just not sure who I'd kick out of Shane's list.

Good job taking all of the ribbing about your nugget.

[gripsnhips]

abas was a 3 time champ right?

Olympic silver medalist too although that doesn't count.

[homerdindon]

Any list without Abas in the top 10 should be null and void.

[odh]

admin said:

Lists please? That or tell me who you think should be bumped out of my top 10 in favor of him.

Here is my list. I tried to rank them by who I thought were the greatest wrestlers, not just who had the most accomplishments or best overall career, so I also factored in other accomplishments.
Living on the East coast also limited the amount of actual wrestling I saw for most of the decade, so some of my judgments are based on only seeing a few matches.
My list:

1. Cael Sanderson. No one compares

2.Stephen Abase. 3X champ, slick as hell. Olympic silver and his total dismantling of Henson makes him #2.

3. Ben Askren. 4th(?) all-time in pins, two-time Hodge winner. Two NCAA champs changed weight classes to avoid him. Aoslid win in the finals was deemed disappointing because we were so used to his domination.

4. Greg Jones. One lousy tournament away from becoming the third member of the 4X champions club. So much better than anyone else his Senior year.

5. Chris Pendleton. Obviously he has two titles and multiple victories over Askren, but was never as dominant as the top 4.

6. Cole Konrad. Ended up better than Mocco. Only one of this years champs who no one would be surprised to see win this year's US Nationals.

7. Steve Mocco. Not only did he have two championships and two runner-ups but was one of the few guys who was close to the top of the National rankings while he was still in college.

8. Jake Herbert. Best is yet to come.

9. Tommy Rowlands. If other Heavies are penalized for wrestling like heavyweights, he gets extra credit from me for wrestling like a lightweight and has international accomplishments as well.

10. Travis Lee. Judgment call, one of my favorites

I never saaw much of Juergens so I left him off and Rosholt did not have the regular season dominance to match his NCAA wins.
Top Four were easy for me. Pendleton is tough where to place. I had to the Heavies in there becasue they were amoong the best in the country (and the world) while they were in college.

[matclone]

My picks:

1. Cael Sanderson (1,1,1,1)
2. Stephen Abas (1,1,1,4)
3. Ben Askren (1,1,2,2)
4. Greg Jones (1,1,1)
5. Steve Mocco (2,1,1,2)
6. Jake Rosholt (1,1,3,1)
7. Cole Konrad (1,1,2,4)
8. TJ Williams (1,3,1)
9. Johnny Thompson (3,1,1,2)
10. Damion Hahn (1,1,5,5)

Reasoning: 3 x winners and 4 time finalists are in, and make up the first six placers. Close to finishing, and dominance during career make up the rest. No one wanted to wrestle Konrad the last two years. (Almost) no one could beat Williams, who lost only one match in his Div I career if I'm not mistaken. A lot of wrestlers could have been #10. I guess I picked Hahn in part cause I remember him beating Cormier when he was at his best.

[billytickets]

Great insight on Greg Jones who is"sometimes forgotten"