CLAW Wrestling

the Leopards will be forever known as the first CLAW Super Dual champion

Too bad there isn’t a pro league with a draft so we can keep watching all the talented graduating seniors. Oh wait, there is 😀😀 😀wrestleclaw.com

@ShaneSparksBTN Stoppages and Stalling are huge problems if trying to grow the sport. The refs just hate to call stalling unless someone goes out of bounds. Just have pushouts without grounding AND enforce stalling at all other times. The rules clearly define it but the refs won’t enforce

It was an amazing tournament no doubt. With that said, no more official matside reviews and coaches get one challenge per tournament. If they are correct they get the brick back until they lose a challenge. The stoppages were out of control.

CLAW co-founder Eric Brugel having a great time in Cleveland!

Incredible how NCAA refs so often refuse to call blatant stalling.

@MrPatMineo It was fairly early in the match, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t have been gassed yet. Seemed like a Legit injury and someone called for stretcher just in case

A stretcher was brought out for Hepner of UNC during his match vs Mesenbrink, scary situation… After 5 minutes he gets up and continues the match. Confused?

Best day of the year in all sports!

@BasicSportsGuy5 @TheReattack He’s awesome. That’s why he was our first and only choice for CLAW Season One. Honored to have him and Mike call our duals.

Can we stop acting like Shane Sparks is good at his job…..

Congrats to CLAW vets who were first round winners at the NCAA Championships today. Keep it going! 125 Jett Strickenberger 133 Markel Baker 174 Logan Messer 285 Taye Ghadiali Good luck to other CLAW vets in consy rounds

And finally, we wish the best this weekend to Rocky Elam, the younger brotber of the Leopards All-Pro heavyweight @ELAMinator88 . Rocky is the 2 seed at 197 lbs for @CycloneWR. Both brothers formerly wrestled at @MizzouWrestling

@WrestleMATNESS @TheCoachSentes @adamtirapelle @CPyles8 @wrestlingnomad @BegWrestling @JustinJBasch @MatScouts1 @wrestlingbypir8 @NCAAWrestling @nwcawrestling We are happy to get sponsors for our mat outside of the square. Send sponsors our way! 😀

Should wrestling mats be used as a marketing tool across our sport? 🤔🧐 I see them as giant billboards, seems like advertising on them is a decent option. Of course, outside of the circle. At the very least, the styling of these mats could be better. Take the NDI mats at the BOK Center for example, they include the Paycom logo but unfortunately look like a hospital room. #justspitballing #grOWwrestling

@ShaneSparksBTN @NCAAWrestling Absolutely, especially when they truly expected to be the champion and dreams were crushed. But they get back up and keep going.

One of my favorite things about the @NCAAWrestling Championships is seeing how guys come back after losses. Character and grit show itself in this tournament. I have always appreciated guys who take third place.

Best wishes to Mitchell Mesenbrink at the NCAA Championships. He won the CLAW Most Exciting Wrestler hammer at the 2025 U.S. Open. This week, he is the top seed at 165 lbs for @pennstateWREST

Best wishes to GM of the Year ANGELO FERRARI of the Leopards. Due to an injury, he is the 7th seed at 184 pounds for @Hawks_Wrestling but is definitely a contender for the NCAA title this weekend. We wish Angelo the best in Cleveland!

Best wishes to @D1Taye of @umichwrestling at the NCAA Championships this week. He is the 3rd seed at 285 lbs and is competing for a NCAA title. Taye was on the Enforcers at our 2024 CLAW Invitational. Great person and inspiring life story!

Best wishes to 2 @GMUWrestling stars who competed in early CLAW events. They are representing the Patriots in the NCAA Championships next week. 174 pounder Logan Messer was the star of the 2024 CLAW Invitational with a dual-changing pin in the finals. Malachi Duvall (184 lbs) competed in the first ever public CLAW event back in 2023 at the CLAW Open Duals. Cheer them on in Cleveland next week!

Four 2026 NCAA qualifiers at lighter weights competed in our 2023 duals, the first ever public demonstration of CLAW. We wish them success next week in Cleveland! Cooper Flynn (@UTCWrestling) 125 lbs, 26th seed Markel Baker (@NIUWrestling) 133 lbs, 8th seed Tom Crook (@HokiesWrestling) 141 lbs, 25th seed Michael Gioffre (@IlliniWrestling) 149 lbs, 25th seed

The 2026 @B1GWrestling Championships averaged 246,000 viewers on @BigTenNetwork - the most-watched tournament since 2020-21. 🤼 Saturday’s semifinals delivered 311,000 viewers, the most-watched semifinals round in BTN history 🤼 BTN’s coverage of the 2025-26 season averaged 132,000 viewers, up +38% year-over-year, good for the second most-watched season in network history

Best wishes to two @WVUWrestling stars in the NCAA tourney next week. Ian Bush won the 2024 CLAW Invitational and is seeded 17th at 184 pounds. Jett Strickenberger was a finalist in the 2024 CLAW Invitational and is also seeded 17th at 125 lbs. Be sure to support these guys and cheer them on in Cleveland!

@tuckerjr01 Maybe super young, but it only takes a match or two. Plus we have simplified the rules for youth

@CLAW_WRESTLING You don’t think the kids, especially the younger ones, will have trouble adapting to a different rule set?

1st ever CLAW-STYLE youth tournament will be held on March 22 in North Dakota (6U, 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U). Thanks to the SWA Huskies for hosting this historic event. We hear the kids are pumped up!

@tuckerjr01 We will! Not confusing though 😀

@CLAW_WRESTLING Now this sounds fun and confusing. A recipe for some great highlights Please post some of the matches for us not able to attend!