Wyatt Hendrickson upsets Gable Steveson in ‘craziest moment in NCAA history’

Gable Steveson looked to conclude one of the greatest collegiate careers in history on Saturday with a third national championship. Instead, he was upset in the final by Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson. Daniel Cormier, calling the match with Jordan Burroughs on ESPN, made sure everyone watching knew how big the moment was.

Steveson, who won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (though they were contested in 2021), held a 4-2 lead on Hendrickson late in the match. But the lead changed when Hendrickson scored a three-point takedown on the Minnesota star. He held onto the lead for the remainder of the match, completing the upset.

“Wyatt Hendrickson just beat Gable Steveson,” an excited Cormier screamed. “That’s crazy. Oh, my goodness. This is the craziest moment in NCAA history. Oh, my goodness, Jordan. Oh, my goodness.”

Cormier also shared his excitement on X (formerly Twitter) after the event.

“Shut up,” he said. “That was the craziest endings in NCAA wrestling history. What a moment. I’m so lucky to say I was here.”

“And that’s why this match was the main event,” he added in a follow up. “Thank you ESPN for making that main event. Even if Gable had won both the heavyweights really laid it on the line. What a match and what a night.”

Cormier wasn’t just caught in the excitement of the moment either. Kurt Angle, himself a two-time NCAA champion, as well as a World Champion and an Olympic Gold Medalist, also commented on the significance of the upset.

“Congrats to Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State for doing the impossible…. by beating Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Stevenson of the U of Minnesota at the 2025 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia,” Angle said. “This could very well be the biggest upset since Dan Gable lost in the finals in 1970. Job well done.”

Following the match, Hendrickson, a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, saluted and was congratulated by US President Donald Trump.