Tristan Wirfs was a dominant figure in several sports before he made his way to the Bucs in 2020 out of Iowa. He was, of course, a big presence in the game of football during his time in the Big Ten, but he was also impressive in the sport of wrestling before he made it into the world of college football.
That background served as a flashback for Wirfs as he was in attendance at RAF 7 in Tampa Bay on Saturday night. The freestyle wrestling event saw several gold medalists and national champions compete, one of whom had some choice words for the All-Pro NFL offensive tackle after a win.
Former Oklahoma State Cowboy and National Champion Wyatt Hendrickson defeated Trent Hillger via decision by a score of 6-2. After that win, while being interviewed by former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen, the former Cowboy spoke out about who he wanted to face next on the mat.
“I want to see some of the football players get up here. I want to challenge Tristan Wirfs up here in the RAF, baby.”
Wirfs would get up on stage, and they would square off. In an alternate reality, Wirfs returning to wrestling would be fun to watch, but in the world we live in, where the Bucs do not want to see their star offensive lineman take unnecessary risks, there is no way this happens.
Wirfs was a state champion wrestler, but time has passed, and things are a bit different. While I personally believe he could hold his own, there is no world in which the Bucs allow this to happen, but it made for a fun moment regardless.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs OL challenged by former national champion wrestler to a match
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
