The next few days are going to be both exhilarating and stressful for wrestling. But why? Well, with the Final X just around the corner, fans will be there to witness the 2025 World Team Trials. And the stakes have never been higher. A single opportunity remains. One final golden ticket to make it to the best-of-three series that determines who will represent the United States at the 2025 World Championships. For a select few, this is the last hurdle standing between them and a shot at global glory.

From the 74 kg zone to the rise of high school legends, every bracket is crackling with anticipation. At 74 kilograms, all eyes are on David Carr and Mitchell Mesenbrink. Carr, the 2024 NCAA champ who topped Mesenbrink in a thriller (9-8), has focused exclusively on freestyle for the past year. And it shows. His resume is shining with international success: a silver medal at the 2025 Zagreb Open and a dominant win over Daichi Takatani. Carr enters the Trials with one goal.

Punch his ticket to Final X and prove he belongs at the world level. But Mesenbrink, a relentless technician and fellow elite, won’t go quietly. Their rematch could be the marquee showdown of the Trials. Then there’s Parker Keckeisen, fresh off a storied college run that includes an NCAA title and five-time All-American honors. The 184-pounder is peaking at just the right time and is eyeing a Final X spot to cement his post-collegiate legacy.

After years of grinding through the NCAA gauntlet, Keckeisen now faces a new kind of challenge. Senior-level freestyle monsters with the same dream. But the buzz doesn’t stop with the college stars. Two high school phenoms, Marcus Blaze and Bo Bassett, are both chasing history before even setting foot in a college wrestling room.

Blaze, the 2023 U17 world champ and four-time Ohio state titleholder, is entering the Trials with a vengeance after being bumped from No. 1 in the national rankings following a loss at the US Open. Meanwhile, Bassett, the undefeated Bishop McCort powerhouse with national titles and NCAA-level dominance already under his belt, is a social media sensation with the wrestling credentials to back it up.

Both are young, hungry, and eyeing the impossible. Final X as teenagers. Lastly, Dustin Plott, too, will be fancying his chances in the men’s 92kg division.  In seven days, the field will narrow. Legends will rise, favorites may fall, and one last spot will be claimed in each weight class. Final X isn’t just a destination; it’s the gateway to the world stage.

And for these contenders, it’s now or never. Meanwhile, as these talents will fight for a chance to become the elites, several wrestlers have already qualified for the coveted spot automatically.

Four U.S. wrestling stars earn a fast track to the Final X showdown

The road to Zagreb begins with four familiar faces who’ve already punched their tickets. Spencer Lee, Vito Arujau, Helen Maroulis, and Macey Kilty won’t need to battle through the U.S. Open. They’ve secured automatic bids to Final X, set for June 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. These selections aren’t just honors. Rather, they’re the result of medal-winning performances on the sport’s biggest stages in 2024.

On the men’s freestyle side, Lee and Arujau earned their spots the hard way. Lee, coming off a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in the 57 kg division, now gets a straight shot at a World Team spot. He’ll await the U.S. Open champion in a best-of-three series in Newark. Arujau, who claimed bronze at the 2024 Senior World Championships at 61 kg, follows a similar path.

His Final X bid secures a front-row seat to another shot at global glory. Helen Maroulis, a name synonymous with U.S. wrestling excellence, accepted her bid after clinching bronze in Paris at 57 kg. She’ll return to Final X for yet another chapter in her decorated career. Macey Kilty rounds out the quartet, coming off a bronze at 65 kg in the World Championships.

With her bid accepted, Kilty sets her sights on making her second Senior World Team. The stage is set. These four won’t have to fight their way in. They’ll be waiting at the summit.