By Kyle Klingman, W.I.N. Columnist

I love the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. It might be my favorite event in wrestling. But there was also an inescapable void at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this year.

            The obvious reason for this might have been Oklahoma State’s absence. The eight-time National Duals team champions and the 34-time NCAA tournament champions enhance any tournament they choose to attend.

            Cowboy coach John Smith opted to take his team to the Jan. 11-12 Virginia Duals instead of the Jan. 12-13 National Duals. After a stunning victory over Iowa in front of 14,332 partisan fans the week before, having the Cowboys in attendance would have made things interesting.

            But that was only a small part of it. The bigger reason was the lack of drama that presented itself throughout the weekend. Perhaps the ongoing writers strike has everyone feeling a bit down because the story lines at this year’s National Duals weren’t on par with the last two years.

            Where were this year’s villains? And — more importantly — where were the heroes intent on stopping the villains dead in their tracks?

            Where was Oklahoma State’s Steve Mocco, the man Hawkeye fans dubbed a traitor for switching sides? And where was big Cole Konrad, the man every non-Oklahoma State fan hoped would take Mocco down? When Konrad pinned Mocco to give Minnesota a dual meet title in 2006, it was ecstasy for many in the UNI Dome.

            Where was the swagger of Oklahoma State’s Johnny Hendricks? His battles with Mark Perry — the nephew of his Hendricks’ coach John Smith — will be remembered as classics. Most wrestling fans couldn’t wait for someone to knock Hendricks off. Scoring a major decision win over Perry at last year’s Duals and then watching Perry throw his shoes in the garbage only added to the drama of the moment in 2007.

            Where was the funky and entertaining style of Missouri’s Ben Askren? Last year, Askren was in the midst of an impressive pinning streak. When Askren bumped up a weight class to face Minnesota’s Roger Kish in the dual team finals the whole place was buzzing.

            Where was 2002 Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito. The baseball star, who had never watched a wrestling match in his life, showed up because he wanted to learn something about the mentality of the sport. His visit to the Duals received mentions in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN.com.

            And where were this year’s team rivalries? Several classic showdowns? Iowa vs. Iowa State, Iowa vs. Minnesota, Iowa State vs. Minnesota and Penn State vs. Iowa never materialized. Surely an Iowa-Iowa State rematch would have lifted everyone’s spirits.

            Perhaps this year’s National Duals tournament was a precursor to next year’s story lines.

            The University of Iowa will likely fill the role of college wrestling’s villain. After dominating the competition, Iowa positioned themselves as the team everybody loves to hate … and the team Iowa fans love to love. “It really is Iowa against the world,” said Brands earlier this season.

            Watching the Hawkeyes roll through the competition was exactly what the large contingent of Iowa fans wanted. Behind the bench of every Iowa meet was an entourage of Hawkeye loyalists the size of a small country. It appeared old school Iowa wrestling was back in session.

            Ah, but the vocal Iowa fans were tested during Iowa’s semifinal match against Michigan. When Mark Perry asked for an injury timeout during his match against Eric Tannenbaum, the partisan Hawkeye crowd went silent. Had it been the other way around, a chorus of boos would have permeated throughout the UNI Dome.

            True to form, Brands didn’t budge as the trainer tended to Perry’s knee. Because you know Brands understands the value of entertaining the fans and we all know that Mark Perry could be the most entertaining college wrestler in the nation.

            Following dominant dual meet wins over Cornell College and Northern Iowa earlier this season, Brands told Andy Hamilton of the Iowa City Press Citizen that “we need to do a better job of (adding) pizzazz, walking the walk (and having) a mentality where a guy, when he steps on the mat, should be offended if somebody’s walking up those stairs to get an ice cream cone (and thinking), ‘How dare you? You missed it. You missed the show I put on.”

            One wrestler who put on a good show was Iowa’s 149-pound Brent Metcalf. His intense, attacking style was a highlight of the weekend. Nobody was making a run to the concession stand when Metcalf was on deck.

            Another suggestion: let the anticipation build between dual meets. In the NFL, there are two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. At the National Duals, there are two hours between the semifinals and finals. Give fans a chance to savor the potential match-ups.

            But this college wrestling season seems stranger than most. Three top-ranked teams lost dual meets at home and there is a chance that an undefeated wrestler won’t be left by season’s end.

            At the National Duals, the craziness continued. Penn State was seeded first and placed sixth. Nebraska — a team that matches up well against everyone — became only the second unseeded team to reach the finals. Defending champion Minnesota placed fourth without NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter in the line-up. Third-seeded Iowa State placed seventh. The Cyclones lost to Hofstra in the first round and Hofstra didn’t place.

            Adding to the bizarre occurrences was the fire alarm that went off at the UNI Dome during the event on Jan. 13. Don’t be surprised if stranger things happen in March.

            (Kyle Klingman is the associate director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, located in Waterloo, Iowa. He can be reached via email, kyle.klingman@yahoo.com.)

(You can read this and other articles by subscribing to W.I.N. Magazine. Either contact our office at 1-888-305-0606 or subscribe through this website by selecting the “Subscribe” section on our front page.)