THE ILLINI WRESTLING BLOG AND FORUM

  This sounds like a big winner!  The first dual of the season will be at State Farm Center on November 2nd against SIU-E. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit IKWF. This was just announced at FightingILLINI.com , and it is shaping up to be a real nice treat.      "Illini for the Kids" vs. SIUE When Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. CT Where State Farm Center  // Champaign, Ill. Ticket Pricing $10 - Adults // $5 - Students // UI Students - Free with ICard Purchase Tickets FightingIllini.com Social Media Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Facebook  |  YouTube Besides donations to a great nonprofit in the IKWF, this is our favorite part of the announcement: " The dual will be hosted in State Farm Center's theater-style configuration, showcasing the matches on a stage with spotlights and other lighting features." Showmanship! Excitement!  Here is what Coach Poeta had to say: " The IKWF holds a special place in my heart. W...

The first and still the best wrestling web- comic is “ The Adventures of Jombo ™ .” For months now, this strip has entertained dozens of people across the country. And the new issue is out! Oh, what will  Jombo ™ do next? Today we deal with the latest twist and turn in the Ferrari case: A continuance of his trial until October. You know what wrestlers call it when a lawyer continues a case until a later date, don’t you?

We think so. Introducing Amazing Stories ! This wrestling web-comic will deal with any wrestling team that makes headlines for the wrong reasons or is sufficiently interesting for another reason. Issue #1 deals with Penn State and Professor Carl Sanderson. This post and the comic herein is a reminder that we hate all of you. It’s not just Iowa that we hate. If you’re not a fan of the ILLINI, we hate you. Just remember, though, it is a measured, professional hatred. Nothing personal. Business.

  That is a tough schedule in conference. You know that Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Minnesota will have stellar squads. What happens if the Hawkeye dual comes down to heavyweight like last year, but this year, at Huff Hall, Luke Luffman is toeing that line? The ILLINI have a recent upset of Ohio State, and, coincidentally, that involved a Luke Luffman upset of an All American.  Note that two of the home duals, Northwestern and Iowa, will be at Huff Hall. The other two will be at State Farm Center. Make plans!  And to make sure you have everything in your pocket organizer, here again is the nonconference schedule: Add Pitt and Missouri to the "tough dual" pile. Wrestlestat.com has the ILLINI beating UNC in a close one 17-15, so they aren't popsicles. UPDATE :  Since we put up a post about the ILLINI schedule, it is our responsibility to post any changes to it. This is  especially  true when the changes involve away duals that might include significant t...

THE NEW JOMBO™ Fans of Jombo McFeedstore ™ rejoice! The new strip is out! Moreover, on account of a recent downturn in the NFT marketplace we've marked down the price  to only one million dollars (US).  That's right!  For less than the amount that Jeff Bezos makes in 20 minutes of work* during his so-called workday, you can have this treasured family heirloom in digital form. Pass it on to the next generation and watch it grow in value.  Get your very own Jombo ™  Today!  THE STORY BEHIND THE STRIP Although we usually don't like to put our strips into context as that takes away from the joke, we would be remiss in this instance. That's because in this instance there's an actual story involved and not simply the usual Jombo ™ hijinks. Apparently, there were six Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers who placed bets with an online gambling service. This is forbidden by the NCAA because of policy reasons such as the potential for point-shaving, the throwing of games or matche...

  Of course he did! But if you don't believe me, believe him : The first thing that we at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond thought was, "Imagine that team." Then, our minds drifted to AAs, National Championships and World Teams. Imagine what could be. Here are his original photographs embiggened: We used a little AI magic on that last one: With new facilities coming on line soon, a coaching staff that is up there with the best, the State Farm Center now available for duals, as well as the IRTC becoming an ever-increasing player in determining World Team members and World Championships, ILLINOIS is going to become the preferred destination for ILLINOIS wrestlers.  Coaches Poeta, Medlin, Hunter, IMAR and O'Connor want to make this area the new Dagestan of wrestling.  Why not?  There's coaching talent in the high schools and private academies and centers. BTS is making noise in Chicago, and ILLINOIS wrestlers are winning team and individual championship...

SCHEDULE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 -- KAMAL BEY WRESTLES Time: 3:30 am (Central) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 -- JOE "THE RAUSTLER" RAU WRESTLES Time: 3:30 am (Central) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 -- ZAC BRAUNAGEL WRESTLES Time: 3:30 am (Central) TV/STREAMING FloWrestling (subscription service) The 2023 Senior World Championships broadcast starts on Sep 16, 2023 and runs until Sep 24, 2023. Stream or cast from your desktop, mobile or TV. Now available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV. Don’t forget to download the FloSports app on iOS or Android! If you can’t watch live, catch up with the replays! Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription. UWW+ (subscription service) United World Wrestling has just started their own subscription service for world-level wrestling and grappling events. There's more information  here . It is likely that a VPN alone won't work to watch W...