Last month, we saw Wyatt Hendrickson pull off one of the biggest upsets in wrestling history. He dethroned ‘The’ Gable Steveson, giving wrestling fans a reality check they never thought they would get. But, there’s been so much backstory to the man. He didn’t always have the moniker of ‘Captain America.’ He earned it! Yet, there was still a phase when he felt that giving it all up made more sense than pulling along. Had he done that, we would have been devoid of this historic moment forever. So what stopped him? Or should we say, what pushed him to that edge in the first place?

You won’t believe it, but Wyatt Hendrickson’s wrestling career started by tossing the Air Force Academy letter into the trash can. He just didn’t want to go. Until his father made him come around. Wyatt enlisted in the Air Force and committed to the wrestling team in 2020. Well, the rest is history. Today, he is the heavyweight NCAA champion. But that wasn’t the only turmoil he went through in his career.

Speaking to Oklahoma State Athletics, Wyatt Hendricks confessed in a YouTube video aired on April 4, “There were sometimes in my wrestling career where I was getting a little bit tough, you know maybe.” He continued, “I wasn’t doing so good, and I wanted to give up, and my dad just always motivated me to keep pushing through it, and so you know it’s, in the end, it was all worth it.” Yes, even the one named after a fictional superhero and a real-life Air Force Lieutenant went through some real battles in life.

At the Air Force Academy, he found his freshman year particularly tough. Just occasional 10-minute phone calls, but his father made sure even in those brief discourses, to sense his complexity in balancing cadet life, academics, and life as a D1 wrestling student. Still, Wyatt Hendrickson somehow made it through. Going on to become a four-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships and a two-time All-American.

But it wasn’t over yet. Hendrickson’s four-year collegiate career at the Air Force Academy ended after the 2023-24 season. But given the fact that Hendrickson kicked off his college career during the 2020-21 year, he got an extra season of eligibility due to COVID. But, he decided he was going to Oklahoma State.

It was a tough decision. But he had his father with him at all times. Speaking to Oklahoma Athletics, he also said in the same video that he had to make significant sacrifices even as a kid. Missing birthdays or something, because of wrestling tournaments. But, he said, “My dad told me from day one he’s like son I know it’s it’s hard right now but someday you know you’ll understand.”

And referring to when he defeated Gable Steveson 5-4, Wyatt Hendrickson said, “I remember giving my dad the biggest hug and just bursting into tears because we didn’t even need to say anything to each other we just both knew that all that hard work for the past 19 years you know it’s for moments like that that you kind of realize like I you know none of that time was wasted.” So what’s next for the man now? Onwards and upwards? Well yes!

Wyatt Hendrickson has his eyes on LA 2028

Well, if you think Wyatt Hendricks is going to stop with the NCAA heavyweight champion title, you’re wrong. There’s so much he hasn’t conquered yet. One of those is his Olympic dream. The man in the Oklahoma Athletics video said, “And this is also you know I’m not done yet we still got a big path ahead that I’m looking to you know obviously ending up in La 2028 so you know this was a really big event but it’s not over yet.”

Hendrickson was previously a candidate for the Air Force’s World Class Athlete Program. This allows members of the Air Force to train for the Olympics by delaying their active-duty requirements. But instead of this, Wyatt Hendrickson opted to go to OSU over this. But only for the right reasons. And now, here comes his second shot at the Olympics, and that is LA 2028. Do you think he will succeed? Let us know below!