Jumbling Weight Classes
I absolutely love this idea. It makes Doubling Up not just exciting, but doubly exciting, interesting, and strategic.
Here’s how it works:
We’d still start a dual meet with the traditional coin flip. The winning coach picks the first weight class to send out on the mat. But after that, Jumbling Weight Classes kicks in.
From that point on, the coaches alternate choosing any weight class they want to send out next. There’s no set order, no required progression—and here’s the kicker: the coach doesn’t have to tell the other side which weight he’s choosing until he sends his athlete out on the mat.
And so it goes, back and forth, until all ten matches are wrestled.
As a result, every dual meet would be different.
The Strategy Game
Do you see where this could go? It’s pure strategy—like military tactics. Where and when do you attack? How do you exploit real or perceived weaknesses? Which of your assets do you commit to the battle next?
Pair this concept with Doubling Up, and we’d have two rule changes so exciting and impactful that they’re practically screaming: “Let’s do it!”
The Mystery Factor
Imagine the suspense. No one knows who’s wrestling next except the coach making the call—and his athlete.
How thrilling would that be for spectators? Fans would be buzzing, speculating, and armchair quarterbacking each coach’s decision.
“Who’s going out next?”
“Should he put in his star now or save him for later?”
The tactical possibilities are endless:
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Does a coach deploy his best wrestler to halt the opposing team’s momentum, or hold him back for a bigger threat later in the meet?
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After Hamiti wins a nail-biter, does the opposing coach jump ahead a couple of weight classes to avoid a second encounter in case Dean’s going to double up? Or does he roll the dice and send out his top 133-pounder?
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Maybe a coach should leap all the way to 197 pounds, hoping to catch the opponent’s wrestler cold—still sitting on the bench without warming up.
These strategic scenarios are exactly what fans crave. It’s the stuff debates and heated arguments in the stands are made of.
Why Fans Will Love It
All of this matters deeply when it comes to attracting—and keeping—fans. The more strategic layers we build into wrestling, the more we engage the people sitting in the stands.
Spectators want the chance to outthink the coaches. They want to believe they could out-coach the experts whose decisions shape the evening’s outcome.
Armchair quarterbacking isn’t just part of sports—it’s one of the best parts, and one of the reasons why spectators pay to attend.
Addressing the Naysayers
Of course, some critics will claim it’s unfair for wrestlers not to know exactly when they’ll compete. To that, I ask: Why is it unfair?
If a rule change applies to everyone equally, then by definition, it’s fair.
Yes, alternating weight classes is a big departure from what we’re used to. But that doesn’t make it unreasonable.
Consider other sports:
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A basketball player doesn’t know exactly when the coach will call, “White, get in there for Bruno.”
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In baseball, it’s “Miller, take first base. You’re pinch-running for Darby.”
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In football, it’s “Jones, Winburg’s hurt. Grab your helmet—you’re in.”
In most sports, athletes enter without advance notice. Only in wrestling do we cling to the notion that our athletes are so fragile they need to be forewarned.
Physiologically, there’s no valid reason to oppose this rule. Just because we’ve never done it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
A Challenge to Tradition
So here’s the real question: If we don’t give this a shot, are we admitting that athletes in other sports are tougher or more resilient than wrestlers?
We’re already losing ground by doing things the way we’ve always done them. So what do we have to lose? Certainly not the fans we’re not attracting now.
At the end of the day, everything hinges on one critical factor: the number of people in the stands. Solve that problem, and we solve most of wrestling’s woes.
A Thought from Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs once said:
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazies, I see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
A Point Earned is a Point Scored—Jumbling Weight Classes—and Doubling Up—might sound crazy. But maybe that’s exactly what wrestling needs to change the game—and bring the fans roaring back.
