“Get rid of Greco, doesn’t even make sense.” These words of the freestyle wrestling phenom, Bo Nickal, have stirred a storm that doesn’t seem to settle down anytime soon. When asked about ideas to make wrestling more mainstream, the U23 World Champion came up with his unfiltered opinion. Well, his bold remark caught him in a whirlwind of comments from the wrestling community that also included Kamal Bey, the 2023 Pan-American gold medalist.

Although both wrestling legends ended their comment exchange over the viability of Greco-Roman wrestling on a positive note, wrestling fans on X were still divided. And guess what? The proponents of Greco-Roman wrestling unearthed a few names of wrestling greats who were champions of the Greco-Roman style in their early days. Let’s delve into the details and learn more about these wrestling stars!

Fans unearthed wrestling champions who were once Greco-Roman stars

Wrestling fans were hot on Bo Nickal’s jab over Greco-Roman style. While his no-nonsense stance didn’t sit well with many, the defenders of Greco-Roman style stood staunchly with the 3x Big Ten Conference champion. The wrestling community was sent into a frenzy when an X user, Reattack, dropped a knowledge bomb on the ongoing debate. Apparently, he unearthed details of three US wrestling greats who were Greco-Roman champions back in the day. He revealed that Kyle Dake, David Taylor, and Henry Cejudo had impressive Greco-Roman wrestling backgrounds.

Kyle Dake: The 4x world champion in 79 kg freestyle and Paris Olympics bronze medalist in 74 kg freestyle, Kyle Dake dabbled in Greco-Roman wrestling in his early wrestling days. Just like he aced in freestyle wrestling later in his career, he was a dab hand at Greco-Roman as well. Showing exceptional talent, Dyke made his way to the FILA US National Finalists three times, ultimately claiming the title in 2008. He eventually moved on permanently, claiming two Olympic medals, the Pan American Championships, and the US Open Championships titles.

David Taylor: David Tylor is another big name whose wrestling prowess stems from his involvement in the Greco-Roman style, Taylor, the 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in the 86 kg freestyle, has five Fargo titles to his name. The current head coach of Oklahoma State’s wrestling team, the four-time Big Ten champion, dominated freestyle wrestling throughout his career, winning titles in almost every freestyle wrestling event.

Henry Cajudo: Cajudo is a big name in Bantamweight’s decision in the UFC, having his name etched in record books for being the fourth UFC fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously. However, before he claimed the summit of success in UFC or freestyle wrestling, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in 55 kg was a Greco-Roman superstar. Three Fargo titles in Greco to his name affirm that he was once a force to be reckoned with in the sport.

Greco-Roman wrestling is digging hard to unearth evidence that it’s a popular sport, and big names in the American wrestling landscape have dabbled in it. But how did Bo Nickal find himself amidst this controversy?

How did the whole Bo Nickal controversy begin?

The whole Greco-Roman controversy surrounding Bo Nickal began when the three-time NCAA Division I national champion expressed his frustration over the unnecessary restrictions in the game. Talking to Betr, Bo Nickal exclaimed, “Can’t grab the legs? Alright. Stupid made-up rule for no reason.” His comment didn’t apparently go well with the wrestling community. But the whole incident took a dramatic turn when the 2019 US national champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, Kamal Bey, entered the foray.

Countering the rationale of the freestyle wrestling star, Bey wrote a piercing post on X. Emphasizing the ridiculousness of Bo Nickal’s stance, he replied, “Not grabbing legs makes things dumb?” Interestingly, Bo Nickal was quick to take notice that things were going wayward after the comment. Softening his response, Bob Nickel responded rather positively to Bey’s backlash. He said, “Honestly man I love watching you compete. If every Greco wrestler was like you my opinion would be different. I wrestled Greco at a high level as a kid and liked it a lot but I think it’s just not quite as exciting overall as freestyle.” Although Bo Nickal backed down from his comment, fans remained on edge. Social media was lit with fans from either side supporting their claims. Whatever transpired from this point onwards, one thing seems certain: Bo Nickal has undoubtedly stirred the pot that will have wrestling fans buzzing for a long time.