How do you shake the foundation of a sport built on dominance? Wyatt Hendrickson found a way. For 73 straight matches, Gable Steveson had been untouchable, a force of nature on the mat, a champion at every level, from NCAA to the Olympics. The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia wasn’t just hosting another wrestling tournament; it was supposed to be the stage for his coronation, a triumphant return to the sport after a detour through the NFL. But then, with just 20 seconds left in the 285-pound final, everything changed: one takedown. It was the only Steveson had surrendered all season. The crowd erupted, the unthinkable unfolded, and Steveson’s reign ended in a way no one saw coming. Thus, understandably, it became the talk of the town for days and will probably continue to do so! Now, Bo Nickal has offered his perspective…

Bo Nickal does know a thing or two about big moments. A three-time NCAA champ, a Penn State legend, and now a rising UFC fighter, he’s been in the spotlight before. But even he was stunned by what went down at the NCAA Championships. Nickal wasn’t inside the Wells Fargo Center on March 22 when it happened, but he felt it. “We were in the locker room watching on the iPad  (in the Penn State locker room),” Nickal said on the Home of Fight Podcast a day ago on YouTube when asked about his perspective on the match.

“They [Stream] were it was a little delayed so it would seemed like when that takedown happened the arena kind of just started shaking and I was like ‘Oh my gosh.’ Like before, I saw it, I knew what happened. That arena Shaked after Wyatt Hendrickson shocked Gable Steveson with a last-second takedown to win 5-4. It ended Steveson’s undefeated streak and his last bid for a third NCAA title.

Gable Steveson was 14-0 on the season, the No. 1 seed at 285 pounds, and fresh off a dominant Big Ten title where he made Greg Kerkvliet look outclassed. He’d been winning decisively, and no one had managed to take him down. The last time he and Wyatt Hendrickson met, Steveson ran through him 18-2. Then, in the final seconds of the NCAA title match, Hendrickson did what no one thought possible! “..Anytime you have an upset like that, it’s just like, you know, I mean, you don’t really don’t get upsets like that, right like, there’s maybe been, that’s probably if not the number one you know a top three upset in NCAA wrestling history.”

There’s an eerie similarity to history. Steveson was named after wrestling legend Dan Gable, who entered his final NCAA match at 118-0, only to lose in one of college wrestling’s greatest upsets when he lost to Washington sophomore Larry Owings 13-11, back in the 1970s.

Bo Nickal offers perspective on Wrestling Champions’ Burden

Bo Nickal knows just how tough it is to be on top. After Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion Gable Steveson suffered a shocking loss to Wyatt Hendricks, Nickal weighed in on the pressure that comes with being the favorite. “I just feel for Gable a little bit in that situation because, you know, everybody wants to always root for the underdog, but it’s really tough to be in that position where all the pressure is on you, the weight of the world’s on your shoulders, and everybody wants to see you lose, so, you know, I feel for him,” Nickal said.

And he’s right! Steveson hadn’t lost a match in college wrestling since freshman year. He won Olympic gold in Tokyo, dominated the NCAA circuit, and was expected to breeze through. But wrestling is unpredictable, and Hendrickson pulled off the upset. Still, Nickal made one thing clear—Steveson’s legacy isn’t up for debate. “Hats off to Wyatt, it’s an amazing win. But Gable’s bigger than winning and losing. There’s only going to be one Gable Steveson ever,” he said.

That’s the beauty of wrestling, right? Anything can happen. The highs, the lows, the drama—it’s all part of the sport. “It’s why we wrestle. It’s why we compete. And it’s a fun part of the sport!” Nickal added.