“They sting more not because of the defeat itself, but because of the effort, dedication, and dreams they carried. These losses are not mere statistics, they carve deep into the soul of the wrestler, fueling their desire for redemption.” These were the words of wisdom to come from the 2018 NCAA champion when he lost to Austin DeSanto in the semifinals of the 61 kg men’s freestyle division at the 2023 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships. This was when the man lost in the semifinals, so you can only imagine how he would be after losing the 2025 finals, because coming so close is going to sting harder. You need to imagine no more. Sadly, it has happened, and what did he say?

Seth Gross lost in the finals of the 2025 USA Wrestling US Open on April 26. Hours after the loss, the man confessed on his X account how he felt about it. He tweeted, “I hate freaking losing so bad. Burns a hole in my chest, and I refuse to ever get used to it.” The man lost to Jax Forrest, a high schooler from Bishop McCort Catholic High School – the same place where Bo Basset comes from.

A man decided to tease Gross over losing to Junior under this tweet, to which the wrestler replied, “You don’t say.” It would have been a little better if the defeat had been competitive or even had a slight chance of going both ways, but no. Jax won the bout by a 19-8 technical fall to wear the title of US Open champion at 61 kg. Initially, Gross led the bout 6-2, but Forrest quickly tied it at 6-6 with a takedown and turn.

It had been a little more than 5 minutes since the two had been on the mat when Seth Gross tried going for the legs of the junior. Wrong decision. Gross stumbled on his knee but quickly got back up. Now, both wrestlers had their shoulders locked into each other, with Jax on his knees and Gross on his feet. Now, if you are new to wrestling, you might think that this might be a good position for Gross. But…

Jax freed his hands, and before you know it, he had his grip around the national champion’s knees, and then comes the lift, and the next second, Seth Gross is on the mat, in the grip of the Bishop McCort wrestler. The signal comes from the referee, and Seth Gross has lost.

Seth Gross’ 2025 US Open Wrestling Championship campaign 

U.S. Open Wrestling Championships and Seth Gross. Getting knocked out in the semifinals in 2023.  So when the 2025 US Open Wrestling Championships came to Las Vegas, the NCAA champion entered the 61kg category with only one intention – to win. Though that dream did not come true, he did put up a fight. 

​In the 2024 World Team Trials quarterfinals, Seth Gross faced Marcus Blaze and was defeated with a score of 7–5. Come the 2025 edition of the competition, Seth Gross was out for revenge, and what revenge the man took !!! The rivals went face-to-face in the semis of the 61 kg category, and Gross secured a dominant victory by pinning Blaze and by a score of 5-3, and that too within six minutes.

Blaze was trying to pull a move on the 2025 NCAA champion when it backfired. As he rotated the wrestler, he came on top of him, and then Blaze was in the position of being pinned, and so he was. Gross turned him around and pinned him, and then with a hand in the air, he looked at the referee, and as soon as the decision came, he planted the palm on the mat and then sat there with his arms spread. Sending out the message that he had won and avenged.