Former NCAA Heavyweight Champion Wyatt Hendrickson has called out the NFL Pro Bowl Offensive Lineman Tristan Wirfs for a freestyle wrestling bout during a Real American Freestyle event.
During the seventh flagship event of the RAF, Hendrickson successfully defended his heavyweight title by defeating Trent Hillger, scoring a 6-2 victory. Hendrickson was seen celebrating the victory with the title hanging from his shoulder.
During the post-fight interview, Hendrickson spoke of his desire to get on the mat with some football players before calling out the NFL star, Tristan Wirfs, for an exhibition.
“I wanna see some of the football players come out here, Tristan’s a big boy, but I wanna challange him here at RAF baby, where you at boy?” he said.
Wirfs then took to the stage, and while shaking hands with Hendrickson, he mentioned the Gable Steveson upset that Hendrickson caused. He also highlighted how Hendrickson never wrestled at 340 lbs and vowed to beat him.
Before football, Wirfs himself was a decorated wrestler in high school and won the Class 2A heavyweight state championship.
Hendrickson further said that bouts like this would give the fans the real taste of what true wrestling is. He went on to showcase his excitement about the fantasy bout and added that he would be open to a fight.
Wyatt Hendrickson’s Historic Upset Over Gable Steveson
During the NCAA D1 championships finals back in 2025, Hendrickson created the biggest wrestling upset when he beat Minnesota’s favorite, Gable Steveson, with a double-leg takedown during the final seconds. Steveson, who came in as an Olympic gold medalist, was taken by surprise, as was everyone in the arena.
While speaking to the press, Hendrickson thanked his faith in the almighty and spoke about how important it was to put his mindset in the right direction to win, citing an example of the David and Goliath fable.
“I wanna thank the lord and my family for believing in me, and along with my doctor, we were thinking of how David had a vision of victory before he stepped on the mat and I kinda carried that with me and he had the mindset of a champion, and I knew my head had to be the right place,” he said (1:06).
Hendrickson is currently on a sabbatical from his five-year Air Force service commitment until 2028, as he plans to head over to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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