The matchup between Kyle Dake and Carter Starocci was the kind of showdown that doesn’t just draw eyeballs. It stops the wrestling world in its tracks. It wasn’t merely a fight for a Final X spot. A collision of generational dominance: Starocci, the unprecedented five-time NCAA champ making his elite-level push, versus Dake, the grizzled four-time world champion and Olympic medalist whose freestyle résumé speaks for itself. Teammates at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, their showdown at the American Team Trials wasn’t just about who’s next. It was about who’s still on top.

From the opening whistle, fans expected fireworks. But what they got instead was controversy, drama, and a post-match debate that refuses to die down. Starocci had the momentum, Dake had the pedigree, and the referees had a front-row seat to one of the most debated sequences in recent memory. Those infamous final six seconds stole headlines and potentially stole something bigger.

The American dream is missing from the World Championship spot for the American team. That’s where wrestling analyst Christian Pyles enters the conversation, raising a red flag over the overlooked moments that shaped this razor-thin result. Christian Pyles took to FloWrestling Radio Live to dissect the match and didn’t mince words when addressing Dake’s tactics. According to Pyles, it wasn’t just about how the match ended.

It was what Dake did throughout that raised eyebrows and how referees chose to look the other way. FloWrestling took to X to shift the narrative, posting, “Everyone is talking about the last 6 seconds, but these are the calls you SHOULD be talking about in Dake-Starocci #frl.” That viral post opened the floodgates for deeper scrutiny, and wrestling analyst Christian Pyles led the charge. 

“There’s a case for Carter in this. I don’t think it’s in this sequence,” he began, before highlighting a series of edge calls that leaned too heavily in Dake’s favor. In one pivotal moment, Starocci secured a front headlock on Dake, who, rather than defending or countering, crawled backward from the center of the mat to the edge. “If you look at the ref, he’s saying stay in bounds. He’s pointing at Dake; stay in bounds,” Pyles emphasized, highlighting the apparent hesitation to penalize the veteran.

“Dake is crawling backwards here. Yeah, this is not Carter pushing him forward… he’s crawling.” According to Pyles, that kind of disengagement should have drawn at least an “attention” warning. A non-scoring caution to deter stall behavior. But it didn’t. And that, in a match decided by the thinnest margins, was a pivotal non-call.

Pyles also flagged another sequence in the final 30 seconds where Dake again flirted with the edge. Starocci applied forward pressure, and Dake retreated into the zone before sprawling and chest-locking out of bounds. “Based on my understanding of the interpretation and also my just feelings of what should be rewarded, yes,” Pyles concluded when asked whether Dake should have been hit with a step-out point.

Yet again, no call. While the last-second takedown or non-takedown stole the spotlight, it was these earlier, subtler moments that truly tilted the outcome. Because when the final whistle blew and the scoreboard read 3-3, it was Dake who advanced by criteria, not Carter Starocci. A moment that felt like victory turned into heartbreak. Meanwhile, judgment calls earlier in the match quietly shaped the script.

Dake advances while Starocci stirs the waters after a controversial clash

Kyle Dake narrowly edged out Carter Starocci in the dying moments of their electric showdown at the 2025 Senior World Team Trials, punching his ticket to Final X in June. There, he’ll meet Zahid Valencia with a World Championship spot on the line. In a post-match conversation with USA Wrestling, Dake reflected on the clash with the NCAA standout who’s been training alongside him at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

“I know how good Carter is,” Dake said. “Just to train side by side with him, it’s just like, alright, I’ve got to get in there.” Their match was a testament to that mutual respect. Less a brute brawl and more of a calculated chess match. Dake, ever the battle-hardened veteran, praised Starocci’s relentless drive and work ethic. “He’s the kind of kid that says ‘all day work,’ and it’s true — he’s in there all the time.”

That fire showed as both wrestlers left everything on the mat in a physically grueling affair that culminated in a split-second scramble. It was a moment so close, so chaotic, even Dake admitted uncertainty as the sequence went to review. “You know, just like, hopefully they have the right camera angles… whether I fell to my hip and let go or not.” But even as Dake moved forward, the fallout from the match continued.

While Carter Starocci displayed professionalism in defeat, he didn’t shy away from stirring the pot. A cryptic post from the NCAA phenom hinted at internal friction and behind-the-scenes tensions, possibly even a coaching rift. The result may be etched in the books, but questions still swirl around how it ended and what it revealed. As Dake prepares for another high-stakes showdown, Starocci’s next move remains unknown. Yet one thing is clear: his fire hasn’t gone anywhere.