Bo Bassett is turning up the heat, with Jason Nolf endorsing his bold and controversial style of play. Touted as the next big thing in U.S. wrestling, the Young Guns Wrestling Club athlete is showcasing his magic on the mat. Expected to be a hot prospect once the NCAA season begins, Bassett is making sure his top ranking stays intact as the new season approaches. In the latest highlight of his impressive career, Bassett faced Daniel Zepeda in a rematch during FloWrestling’s “Who’s #1” tournament, eager to avenge his loss from the previous year.

As a matter of fact, when the duo clashed previously, it was Zepeda who walked out with the crown. But since the loss, Bassett has been on a rampage. He did not lose a single match and notched up wins in several tournaments like the Ironman, Powerade, PIAAs, the U20 Pan American Championship, and the US Open. Crushing Zepeda with a 12-6 lead, Bassett once again became the prince of wrestling. Unfortunately, despite his heroic performances, Bo Bassett is facing some brutal trolling for his approach. 

Bo Bassett gets an able ally in Jason Nolf

Bo Bassett and Daniel Zepeda once again crossed paths recently in the finals of the Super 32 144 lbs category. While Zepeda was looking to make things even, Bassett was too much to handle. Celebrating his victory, Bassett cemented his position as the most sought-after recruit for the NCAA. But there’s a catch to all his success. Bassett is often seen playing around with his opponents rather than directly going for a pin. Such a strategy did not sit well with the fans. They immediately took to social media and started lashing out at Bassett. 

Critics accused Bo Bassett of “insulting” his opponents on the mat, claiming that as an already elite wrestler, he didn’t need to chase extra points or humiliate his rivals when he could simply pin them. These accusations, while seeming reasonable to some, reflect just one perspective. On the other side of the story, legendary wrestler Jason Nolf stepped in to defend Bassett. Nolf’s support highlights that wrestling styles can differ, and pushing for points is a legitimate strategy. His endorsement suggests that Bassett’s aggressive approach is part of what makes him a standout talent.

Siding with his technique, Nolf wrote on his X account, “Wrestling is fun and an opportunity to be creative. Taking someone down and pinning them right away is taking time away from doing something you love to do. Scoring points is fun.” Moreover, there is also an argument going around that pinning wrestler right away will insult the athlete even more. 

Instead, Bassett was giving each of his opponents a fair chance to fight and bounce back in the game. Commenting on the matter, other than Jason Nolf, there were many other wrestling fans. Surprisingly, many of them supported Bo Bassett’s approach of not going for the kill right away. 

Wrestling fans team up to have Bo Bassett’s back

Bo Bassett is surely deserving of choosing his own college. Beginning with a list that started with 80 top colleges in the US, has now been trimmed down to just 15. And amidst his college visits, Bassett is also making his presence felt on the mats. Thus, it is quite natural for his fans to come out in full support and defend their favorite athlete against the trolls. 

One of the fans explained how a quick end to matches can be a disheartening experience for both the athletes. While the better one would miss out on honing his skills further, the other one would remain deprived of a grinding experience against a quality opponent. This would help the latter mature as a wrestler in the long run. The person wrote, “When a match only lasts 20 seconds neither wrestler learned anything. The better wrestlers missed a chance to work on new moves, and the other wrestler missed a chance to practice defense.“

Another fan echoed similar sentiment to point out that an inexperienced wrestler being pinned right at the start calls for more humiliation. Rather, it was a great gesture from Bassett to play around and go for points, allowing his opponents to hit back at him if they wanted. The comment read, “I’d also add pinning a kid in 12 seconds allows the kid getting pinned to learn nothing except feeling embarrassed. Getting taken down, turned, etc allows for kids to get full match experience and learn.”

Now, it is no secret that Bo Bassett has dreams of transitioning into mixed martial arts. And aiming for the top position in the Dana White-led promotion will require a lot more than sound technique. In order to survive the high-paced 15-minute championship action, Bassett needs to put in his cardio A-game every time. This was exactly what a fan mentioned while dissecting Bassett’s approach to wrestling. Stressing on the importance of improving his cardio, the comment read, “Quick pins don’t help the cardio either. If you wanna be elite, it’s always good to wrestle as many minutes as possible.”

Amid the wave of support for Bo Bassett, one fan pushed back, suggesting that Jason Nolf was wrong. The fan argued that while scoring more points might thrill Nolf, Bassett should show more consideration toward his opponents. This viewpoint, however, sparked a debate. Others quickly countered, noting that Super 32 is not an amateur tournament, but a highly competitive event where elite wrestlers have the freedom to determine their own path to victory. In such a high-stakes environment, wrestlers are justified in using any legal strategy to secure the win, including piling on points.

Reflecting the emotion, one of the fans commented, “If we were talking about a random HS tournament. Yes, save the kid some embarrassment. But, at Super32, nope. Win how you want/can.” while another said, “This isn’t a novice tournament. This is Super 32. Id say the responsibility falls on the kid that signed up (and parents paid a lot of money) to attend to be able to compete.” 

Thus, with the hype around Bo Bassett getting strong, the upcoming days will surely be interesting to watch. On one hand, there will be Bassett’s wrestling skills on full display. On the other hand, there lies Bassett’s unique approach to choose his own college in the upcoming year. With some of the big names, including that of David Taylor in contention of hot pursuit of signing Bassett, NCAA wrestling is back to the thrilling ride of adrenaline that it was in the good old days.