The 2024-25 NCAA wrestling season has brought a ton of epic performances to the sight of the public. The public has witnessed a wealth of action from these young talents, leaving them spoiled. Furthermore, at the end of the year 2024, the fans expected something special from the Soldier Salute, hosted at the University of Iowa, which offered many bouts on the mat.

Indeed, the crowd witnessed a lot of action, but they were primarily interested in watching a bout between two distinct wrestlers. However, when their match never got to the mat, as one of the wrestlers had to withdraw due to a problem, the reaction of the audience on the internet wasn’t positive.

Expectations were high for this particular bout

The Soldier Salute was one of the final wrestling events in the year 2024. Therefore, the community was eagerly anticipating this event. This was the third installment of the annual event. The Iowa City Area Sports Commission made sure that it would be an event to remember, setting a high standard for the year 2025. However, which teams were invited to attend? Almost every single university is looking forward to increasing its rankings in the NCAA season.

There were plenty of Iowa wrestlers to look forward to at the event, which took place at the Xtream Arena. However, the crowd was particularly interested in Gabe Arnold and Angelo Ferrari, who were competing in the 184 lb finals. Yes, the anticipation was high to watch two Hawkeyes compete against each other. What else do the fans need? Nothing really needs to be said, but wait—there’s a plot twist.

The match between the two wrestlers never saw a conclusion. But why? It never started. Arnold’s withdrawal from Soldier Salute due to a medical forfeit immediately sparked a plethora of questions from the community. However, when Hawkeyes coach Tom Brands was asked about the whole situation, there was nothing but silence from him, indicating the reason for Arnold’s exit to be private.

Indeed, these kinds of situations make it clear that the University of Iowa’s wrestling coach clearly wants to stay away from any media attention. The NCAA season is still long, and Brands knows the potential in his wrestlers. Indeed, the match couldn’t generate a ton of attention in the community, as it already did way before it started, but there are a lot of opportunities yet to come for these wrestlers to showcase their talent out there. Despite this, the community expressed their dissatisfaction with the event’s unfolding on social media.

The wrestling community wasn’t happy with how Soldier Salute’s finale turned out

Fans always have a single thing in demand, and what’s that? It’s the action. Wrestling is a brutal sport, but it is the bouts on the mat that make it interesting. And there was a reason why the public wanted to see Gabe Arnold and Angelo Ferrari go against each other. Indeed, when things don’t turn out to be the way fans expected, there’s always dissatisfaction, as one fan stated, “So lame they didn’t wrestle.” Similarly, another fan stated, “I hate to be the wrestling naysayer but this was probably the most anticipated match of the weekend and it didn’t happen. Bummer.”

Arnold and Ferrari were about to wrestle in the 184 lb finals in Soldier Salute. For the Hawkeyes, they are one of the finest they got in their team, but watching them both wrestle against each other on the mat raised the fans’ anticipation to the sky. However, the medical problem did cause a straight win for Ferrari over his teammate. Angelo is the brother of AJ Ferrari, and even he didn’t enjoy the free points he got from the bout, as just like the fans, he also wanted some action on the mat.

When the demands of the public weren’t met, guess who was blamed? The coach, as one fan stated, “You didn’t really expect them to did you? Most coaches don’t really care about the entertainment aspect and definitely don’t give a shit about the fans. ‘Grow the sport’ my ass. Biggest match of the tournament and Brands bangs it.” Expressing disappointment, another fan wrote, “Come on man, I just wanted to see these two go down against each other on the mat.” Another fan stated, “Man this is such a poor decision to not have the fight, every single soul wanted that match to happen.”

Indeed, different fans hold varying assumptions about their opinions. But what can they do? They are fans, and they did anticipate their wrestlers getting on the mat and doing what they are best at. However, whatever the reason may be, the NCAA hasn’t ended yet. Yes, there are a lot of days to go for the league, and there will be many more actions coming up just for the wrestling fans, as they just need to have a little bit of patience in them.