Dake's Rope-a-Dope

[NJDan 435]

Joe Russell called Dake's style in the finals a rope-a-dope and said it looked like a boxing match. It worked, but am I the only one who  thought it looked weird. I was surprised he was not penalized more. My guess is that Dake is still hurt and did not want to engage.

[headshuck 1,954]

I’ve often wondered why more guys don’t go berserk/change stance/etc. with short time to surprise their opponent.

[2td3nf 458]

I thought Dake's footwork resembled JO a little bit. Looked like it against Ringer too.

[whaletail 106]

8 hours ago, NJDan said:

Joe Russell called Dake's style in the finals a rope-a-dope and said it looked like a boxing match. It worked, but am I the only one who  thought it looked weird. I was surprised he was not penalized more. My guess is that Dake is still hurt and did not want to engage.

Given Hasanov's relatively plodding movement, but strength in ties and potentially short offense as well, it might have been purely strategic.  As it likely was against Ringer.

I'll be shocked if he wrestles Burroughs similarly, as he'd likely be very vulnerable to re-attacks.

I guess we'll see soon enough, and honestly, the Olympics themselves may end up being rather anti-climactic in the aftermath of the Trials (while obviously a bit hyperbolic, next year's Trials are going to be a generational event domestically).

[jon 133]

15 minutes ago, whaletail said:

I guess we'll see soon enough, and honestly, the Olympics themselves may end up being rather anti-climactic in the aftermath of the Trials (while obviously a bit hyperbolic, next year's Trials are going to be a generational event domestically)

Let's hope Flo yearlong lock-in (and also Flo ridiculous month-to-month pricing) goes away in time for OTT -- so that casual fans won't be turned off, making storybuilding worthwhile! Generational event ought to garner huge viewership!

[Buckxell 141]

I thought Dake's footwork resembled JO a little bit. Looked like it against Ringer too.

Agree... he definitely picked up something while training w JO.


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[Buckxell 141]

Let's hope Flo yearlong lock-in (and also Flo ridiculous month-to-month pricing) goes away in time for OTT -- so that casual fans won't be turned off, making storybuilding worthwhile! Generational event ought to garner huge viewership!

Year long lock in??? If you’re a wrestling fan, I think it’s an incredible value.


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[IronChef 566]

Dake's strategy of get an early lead then sprint backwards for four minutes is awful to watch but works for him.

 

Also, the trials will not be on Flo. NBC has the rights.

[jon 133]

16 minutes ago, IronChef said:

Also, the trials will not be on Flo. NBC has the rights.

Nice! Thank you for this info.

Edited September 23 by jon

[wrestlingnerd 2,363]

2 hours ago, IronChef said:

Dake's strategy of get an early lead then sprint backwards for four minutes is awful to watch but works for him.

 

Also, the trials will not be on Flo. NBC has the rights.

People keep saying this but it’s more a reputation-based comment than anything. Was Sadulaev’s performance scintillating in the finals? Was Cox, suddenly getting huge love here, more entertaining? I thought Dake wrestler very well in the finals. The idea (not yours, I forget who’s) that Hasanov was one move away from winning is academic. He might as well have been 9 points behind. Dake was in full control the entire match and scored with relative ease every time he took some risk, which he wisely chose to do only when necessary. 

Edited September 23 by wrestlingnerd

[whaletail 106]

9 hours ago, Buckxell said:

Year long lock in??? If you’re a wrestling fan, I think it’s an incredible value.


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As long as you pay the year upfront, it's great value.

Paying month to month, at $30 per, isn't a good deal, even if you unsub for a few months.

And now that we're starting to develop a summer freestyle season domestically, there really aren't any dead months.

[whaletail 106]

8 hours ago, jon said:

Nice! Thank you for this info.

I'm shocked no one's started a "Shane Sparks Sucks" thread, but I love the guy.

I don't care if he doesn't know the details regarding every position, his enthusiasm is infectious and you can tell he loves his job.  Makes me smile whenever he's on the mic, and I'm glad NBC used him vs. John Smith.  I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I've been a fan since listening to him cover the Cheesehead Christmas tournament for some random local Fox Sports affiliate back when Cory Clark was a senior in high school.

Cracks me up that free escapes bother him so much, and how much he loves late takedown + ride outs.

[whaletail 106]

9 hours ago, IronChef said:

Dake's strategy of get an early lead then sprint backwards for four minutes is awful to watch but works for him.

 

Also, the trials will not be on Flo. NBC has the rights.

As much as I'm a huge Dake fan, I hate when he shuts it down early, or wrestles not to lose.  He's so explosive, and his finishing rate is so high that I really think he should be teching guys like Hasanov (or at least dominating them).

That said, his performance and subsequent post match comments suggest he really is trying to expand his skill set, and that takes time to develop.  Not to mention, his international opponents seem so worried about getting thrown now, that they don't open up at all.  As he's too smart to put himself in a bad position trying to force his offense, his matches are understandably less exciting.