Who won the Kyle Snyder vs J den Cox?

The J’Den Cox and Kyle Snyder rivalry has gone through a variety of changes, forcing wrestling fans to continually ask, "Cox or Snyder? Snyder or Cox?" It appeared the two would be at odds for the entirety of their careers considering their similar sizes.

In high school, the two were nearly indistinguishable against one another, though Cox had the most recent win in a freestyle match in Fargo at 220 pounds. As the years progressed, they continued to split in Greco-Roman and freestyle.

2012 Fargo Greco-Roman:

2012 Fargo Freestyle:

Later, Snyder enjoyed more freestyle success, and won Junior Worlds after his junior year in high school. Cox was the last loss of Snyder's high school career.

During Snyder's senior year, Cox won a NCAA title as a true freshman:

After Cox's NCAA title, Snyder wanted that rematch even more:

That summer, Snyder gave up his senior year of high school to train at the Olympic Training Center, and went on to win bronze at Junior Worlds.

The question as to who would win the rematch once the two hit college was popular among wrestling fans nationwide. Everyone eagerly anticipated the match when Missouri headed to Ohio State for a dual.

But when it was time for the 197-pound match-up, it wasn’t Cox who stood across from Snyder, but John Eblen. Missouri's coach, Brian Smith, elected to bump Cox up to 285 pounds—a tactic that paid off and earned the Tigers a 20-19 victory. But the question lingered: Cox or Snyder?

A few months later, the two had cruised to the NCAA semifinals at 197 pounds. It was going to happen: Kyle Snyder vs. J’den Cox. In an incredibly tight bout, Snyder hit a beautiful ankle pick that turned out to be the only offensive points of the match.

Snyder got his revenge and punched his ticket to the NCAA finals. Neither went home with a title—Snyder lost in finals, and J’den settled for fifth place.

Later that spring, Snyder and Cox collided once more. This time, in freestyle at the U.S. Open. Cox scored the opening points, but Snyder wound up taking the bout 4-3. Later that tournament, Snyder unseated Olympic champion Jake Varner. Snyder went on to make the world team and won a world title at 19 years old.

On New Years Day, Ohio State announced Snyder would forgo his Olympic redshirt to compete for Ohio State. This would have likely put Cox and Snyder on yet another collision course, but Snyder didn't go down to 197 again—he went up to 285 pounds.

Both Cox and Snyder stood on top of the podium in Madison Square Garden; Cox at 197, and Snyder at 285.

Cox’s NCAA victory enabled him to enter the the Olympic Trials just three weeks later to potentially set up another Snyder/Cox showdown. But Cox shocked many when he announced he’d compete at 86kg (189.5 pounds) instead of 97kg (213 pounds), where he competed previously.

Snyder made the Olympic Team with two victories over 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner. Meanwhile, Cox stormed through the bracket of proven contenders at 86kg: Clayton Foster, Jake Herbert and eventually Kyle Dake in the Trials finals.

The two officially became Olympic teammates when Cox went to Mongolia and won the 86kg Olympic Games Qualifier.

Now, when Team USA fans are pressed to answer “Cox or Snyder?” they can thankfully say “both.”

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THE BIGGEST EVENT IN WRESTLING

Detroit, MI–  Snyder vs. Cox. “This is a matchup that wrestling fans have been waiting to see for a long time” says Olympic and World Champ, Jordan Burroughs. Since the 2021 Olympic Trials, J’den Cox has been preparing to take on Kyle Snyder at 97 KG. This time, at the Super Match, the two rivals will meet again to decide who will reign supreme at 97 KG.  Happening on March 16, in Detroit Michigan, Super Match is the most anticipated event of the year.

JORDAN BURROUGHS ON THE SUPER MATCH AND THE SNYDER VS. COX MATCHUP

Jordan Burroughs, 2012 Olympic Champion, 5x World Champion, and 2x NCAA Champion, will serve as a play-by-play commentator at Super Match. He shares his thoughts on the Snyder vs. Cox Match up.

“Everything about the Super Match is Super. This is a match up that all wrestling fans, not only here domestically, but around the world have been waiting to see for a long time. We were robbed of it at the Olympic trials, and now we’ve been waiting for such a long period to finally get this match. I’ve seen it, personally. In a lot of training camps that Kyle and J’den have been at. But I think the world needs to see it, because these guys are such dynamic wrestlers. They both accomplished so much. Snyder has a Olympic Gold, Olympic Silver. J’den’s a Olympic Bronze, multiple time world champion, and it just presents such a clash of styles. J’den with his elusiveness and his flexibility. Kyle with his straight forward, aggressive pressure, and his strength and resiliency. I think that it’s water against a ship. These two guys are both tremendous wrestlers, and this is going to be a treat for all wrestling fans around the world.”

Follow Jordan Burroughs for more Super Match news.

HISTORY OF THE SNYDER VS. COX RIVALRY

The Kyle Snyder and J’den Cox rivalry has a long history. Since 2012, the two wrestlers have been competing against each other. Both bound on a journey to greatness, the two will certainly cross paths again. For years, many have speculated what would happen if the two titans faced off at the senior level. IT’S TIME TO SETTLE THE DEBATE. Super Match is going down Live on March 16th, in Detroit, MI. Purchase your tickets now or Subscribe to RUDIS+now to watch Live on March 16th.

In 2012, Snyder and Cox split matches in Fargo. Snyder winning in freestyle and Cox winning in Greco. 

After high school, Snyder and Cox battled again in the NCAA Semifinals in 2015. Snyder walked away with the victory, scoring 3-2. Later in that spring, the two rematched in Freestyle at the U.S. Open where Kyle won again at 4-3.

Fast forward to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kyle Snyder and J’den Cox both won medals. J’den dropped down to 86 KG and Kyle stayed at 97 KG. In Rio, J’den won Bronze in his weight class and Kyle took home gold.

After the 2016 Olympics, both men won more medals at various tournaments. From 2017-19, J’den defeated David Taylor at the 2017 World Team Trials. In 2018, Cox moved up to 92 KG and won his first World Championship. Cox also claimed victory at the Pan Am Continental Championship. During the same time period, Kyle won Gold in the 2017 World Championship, 2017 Pan Am Championships, Yasar Dogu, and Dan Kolov Grand Prix.

Fast Forward to the 2020 Olympics, J’den Cox moved up to 97KG to challenge Kyle Snyder. However, in an unusual turn of events, J’den missed weight on the day of competition. Fans all over the world were disappointed at the missed opportunity. J’den expressed his disappointment to NBC.

Now, at the most anticipated event of the year, Super Match, Kyle and J’den will have a rematch. It’s time to decide who will reign supreme at 97 KG. Purchase Super Match tickets to watch live in person on Ticketmaster, or subscribe to RUDIS+ to stream in the comfort of your own home.

KYLE SNYDER ON J’DEN COX

As Kyle Snyder prepares to face off J’den Cox, he expresses his opinions on his J’den Cox.

“A match with J’den means more to me, because of the history and because he’s coming up to 97 Kilo. Obviously that’s the weight class I’ve been wrestling for 7 years now. In that aspect, it’s like this is a more competitive environment and it’s going to be more intense because of what’s on the line.

For me, there is no friendly exhibition. It doesn’t matter who I wrestle. Not because it’s J’den, or whatever, it’s like, doesn’t matter who I wrestle, it’s just what it is. Sometimes you see these cards go on, and you can see the guys aren’t prepared the way they should be. You know they’re just not taking it that seriously. It’s like every match that I wrestle in, is very serious to me. It’s life or death, that’s the way it is in my mind. So it’s nothing personal. I just want to make it clear that this means more than just an exhibition on some card. It means more than that.”

Follow Kyle Snyderfor the latest updates.

J’DEN COX ON KYLE SNYDER

Challenging Kyle Snyder at 97 KG is J’den Cox. Sharing a similar vision as Kyle, J’den is a force to be reckoned with.

 “I think Snyderman and myself have wrestled a few times in the past. We’ve gotten to wrestle at each level, getting a little better. I think we’ve come to the point in our careers where our paths are undeniably gonna be crossing pretty often. So I think that the Super Match is a great way for us to segway into our long awaited rivalry that we’re supposed to have probably when we were younger. 

And also I think as far as the match itself, for people, it’s the biggest match of the year. For some of them in their thoughts, it’s the biggest match in the history of the sport. I think Kyle would respond the same way: it’s just another match for us, you know. We wouldn’t care who showed up on the mat. We want to win. We’re competitive. This is just another way for us to get out there. So I think the cool thing too is the two out of three. I think that’s different. I’m actually excited for that. And so, to have the opportunity to go out there and wrestle somebody twice in the same time, I think that’s something that hasn’t been done other than for Olympic or World Trials. So, to have that opportunity on a card is really cool and I’m excited to experience that for sure. “

Follow J’den Cox on Instagram for more Super Match content.

HOW TO WATCH SUPER MATCH

There are two ways to watch the Super Match this year. Fans can attend Super Match LIVE by purchasing the Super Match ticket on Ticketmaster> The event will take place in the Sound Board theater of the MotorCity Casino Hotel. Don’t wait to reserve your seat at the venue. Seats are selling out fast.

If you can’t be in Detroit on March 16th, there’s another way to watch the match. Subscribe to RUDIS+ and stream Super Match LIVE on the app. RUDIS+ Subscribers will be able to stream matchups from the comfort of their home. For $60/year, Subscribers will also gain access to exclusive Techniques, Inside the Fight Match commentary, Strength & Conditioning lessons, original Feature Films, and more. Become a Subscriber today and take advantage of all that RUDIS+ has to offer. You can subscribe to RUDIS+ here. 

WATCH SUPER MATCH LIVE ON RUDIS+

Subscribe to RUDIS+ and watch the Super Match as part of your RUDIS+ Subscription. For $60/year, you unlock access to the exclusive Technique Library, Inside the Fight Match Commentary, original RUDIS+ Feature Films, Strength & Conditioning lessons and more. 

Post Super Match, you can replay the matchups at your own leisure. Relive your favorite Super Match moments at your own pace. Subscribe to RUDIS+ here. 

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