Brock Lesnar was a relative unknown when he competed at the 1999 NWCA National Duals in Iowa City. Lesnar had finished fifth and first for Bismarck State at the junior college national championships before Minnesota found him at an open tournament. 

This was long before social media, so Lesnar was far from the transcendent superstar he would become. His physical appearance was so impressive that Iowa Public Television commentator Tim Johnson compared him to the fictional Ivan Drago of Rocky IV fame during Minnesota’s semifinal dual against Iowa.

The Golden Gophers’ newest heavyweight went viral through water cooler conversations and landline phone calls the following day. Brock Lesnar had arrived — and the National Duals made him a star. 

“Brock came in as our heavyweight, and it was his first tournament with us,” said former Minnesota assistant Marty Morgan. “He came from nowhere at the time because you didn’t have access to who people were. We had him in the background, and he came out with flying colors that weekend and had four pins, including his pin over Wes Hand in the National Duals semifinals, to help us beat Iowa in 1999.

“I remember the first time he came on the mat. We were at Carver-Hawkeye, and we actually drew (Division III) Augsburg in the first round, which was a cross-town college for us. Brock came out and I remember the buzz throughout the arena because this was the first time anyone had seen him on the college scene.”

Brock Lesnar became a household name after the 1999 National Duals

Minnesota made dramatic National Duals moments its calling card. Minnesota’s Shelton Benjamin pinned Hand in the 1998 National Duals finals when his team was down by five. Benjamin used a lateral drop he learned earlier in the week, lifting the Golden Gophers to an 18-17 win in the finals over the Hawkeyes in Carver. 

“It still gives me chills,” Benjamin said. 

In 2006, Minnesota had another big heavyweight win. Cole Konrad, who had lost to Oklahoma State’s Steve Mocco in the 2005 NCAA finals, had to secure a win for his team to emerge victorious. The Golden Gophers led 15-14, so the winner of the Mocco-Konrad showdown determined the outcome.

The match was close until Konrad bodylocked Mocco for a fall, sending the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, into a frenzy. The partisan Iowa crowd felt betrayed by Mocco, who transferred from Iowa to Oklahoma State following his 2004 Olympic redshirt. 

The National Duals Gets A Reboot

The two-day, 16-team NWCA National Duals format began in 1989, and it disbanded in 2011. There were a few iterations in the subsequent years, including a football bowl-type format, but it fizzled after the 2017 season. 

Now, thanks to a financial commitment from Paycom, where teams get paid, the National Duals have new life. Although the event — for now — is being held in November instead of January, the result and the expectations are the same: many of the best teams will compete in a dual-tournament format for bragging rights. 

And the volatility of this tournament lends itself to excitement. 

"Fans like competitive things." - Dan Gable

Wrestling duals are among the strangest contests in sports. The best wrestler on a team can score zero team points, and the worst wrestler can score the most team points. It’s a strange dichotomy that differentiates it from tournament scoring. 

Gamesmanship is also at play. Coaches can maneuver their line-up, moving wrestlers to different weights. The flip of a coin determines which team sends out a wrestler first, giving each team a split second to analyze which wrestlers to use. 

Tiger-style Gamesmanship

Missouri coach Brian Smith pulled out all the stops when his team faced Minnesota during the 2007 National Duals finals. He was down two high-caliber starters, including Raymond Jordan at 184 and Mark Ellis at 285.

Nick Marable (165), Matt Pell (174), and Ben Askren (184) moved up a weight, and all three won their matches. Freshman Max Askren notched an 11-5 win at 197 for a 16-14 lead, but Cole Konrad was too much for Missouri backup Tyler Perry. Konrad’s fall catapulted Minnesota to a 20-16 win.

“It would have been the greatest story if we had pulled it off,” Smith said. “Everyone thought we would lose all these matches because we bumped them up to good people. All three of them pulled it off. Max won, and we had a chance. It came down to the last match with Cole Konrad.

“It’s funny, when our teams get back together, a lot of their fondest memories are the times we competed and did well at the National Duals. I don’t mean this in a negative way, but when you’re at the NCAA Championships, you’re back with your five or six or 10 qualifiers, and everybody isn’t together. This was neat because everybody was on that bus and together and celebrating. It was really cool.”

Dan Gable has a statue outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, thanks in large part to winning 15 NCAA titles in 21 seasons and 21 consecutive Big Ten titles from 1977 to 1997. Had he been judged solely on his National Duals record, the University of Iowa powers-that-be would have a tough decision about a permanent fixture of Gable’s likeness.

Gable “only” won three National Duals titles in eight attempts; impressive, but hardly legendary compared to his national tournament record. 

Dan Gable's National Duals Record

“You hit me with a surprise,” Gable said. “I never thought I would have gone three out of eight at the National Duals. That’s never come up before in my life. Maybe that’s why I’m not pissed off. I’m mad now — a little bit — but I didn’t even know it. I’m mad because I don’t like losing, but if you look at the end, we won most of them. 

“I’m pretty sure in 1993 when we lost to Nebraska, the quote from the fans was, ‘That was a great match.’ They hadn’t had that much excitement for a long time. The fans were a little bored with winning. Sometimes you’re not at your best, and they get excited. It’s more competitive — and they like competitive things.” 

Key National Duals Moments

Highlights from the National Duals under the two-day, 16-team format. 

1989: Oklahoma State won the inaugural National Duals with a 22-13 win over Arizona State in the finals. Iowa did not participate. 

1990: Oklahoma State repeated as National Duals champions with a 21-15 semifinal victory over Iowa and a 24-19 win over Arizona State in the finals.

1991: Penn State’s 19-19 criteria upset over Iowa in the semifinals fueled its run to a 21-18 win over Oklahoma State in the finals. 

1992: Iowa wins its first National Duals title with a 32-13 win over Iowa State in the finals. Oklahoma State did not participate due to sanctions against the program.

1993: Nebraska’s Rulon Gardner defeated Iowa’s John Oostendorp, 12-5, leading the Huskers to a 24-20 semifinal upset over Iowa. Penn State notched a 20-13 victory over Nebraska in the finals. Oklahoma State did not participate for the second straight year due to sanctions against the program. 

1994: Oklahoma State had a ‘super team’ after missing the 1993 season. The Cowboys defeated the Hawkeyes in the finals, 17-15, when winless heavyweight Norman Williams kept his match to a decision and didn’t get pinned.

1995: Iowa obliterated everyone, including a 31-3 win over Oklahoma State in the finals.

1996: Iowa won its final National Duals title under Dan Gable with a 20-15 win over Nebraska in the finals.

1997: Oklahoma State defeated Iowa, 21-13, in the finals during Dan Gable’s final season as head coach.

1998: In the finals, Minnesota was down 17-12 entering heavyweight when Shelton Benjamin hit Wes Hand with a lateral drop, securing a fall and an 18-17 victory for the Golden Gophers. At 190, Lee Fullhart (Iowa) defeated Tim Hartung (Minnesota), 7-6, for the first and only college win against his interstate rival. 

1999: Minnesota’s Brock Lesnar became a household name when he pinned Iowa’s Wes Hand in the semifinals, lifting his team to a 21-14 victory. The Golden Gophers fell to Oklahoma State, 20-17, in the finals.

2000: Iowa State defeated Minnesota, 17-16, in the finals thanks to major decisions from Cody and Cael Sanderson.

2001: Damion Hahn’s 4-3 win over Daniel Cormier at 184 pounds fueled Minnesota’s 20-12 finals win over Oklahoma State.

2002: Ohio State became the first team to defeat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the same day, and it was the first time the Buckeyes beat the Cowboys in a dual. Minnesota defeated Ohio State, 26-8, in the finals. 

2003: Oklahoma State was at the top of its game, dismantling Oklahoma, 27-6, in the finals. 

2004: Unseeded Pennsylvania upset #3 Iowa State, 26-15, in the opening round. Top-seeded Oklahoma State defeated second-seeded Missouri, 24-12, in the finals.

2005: OSU defeated Illinois, 22-15, in the finals for its third National Duals title in a row. 

2006: Minnesota heavyweight Cole Konrad stunned the college wrestling world when he pinned Oklahoma State’s two-time NCAA champion Steve Mocco, lifting his team to a 21-14 victory at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Fifth-seeded Iowa finished sixth, falling to unseeded Nebraska in the first round, 24-13.

2007: Missouri’s 174-pounder Ben Askren bumped up to take on returning national finalist Roger Kish at 184 pounds in the finals. Askren won, 5-4, but Minnesota tamed the Tigers, 20-16. Iowa’s Mark Perry threw his shoes in the garbage after falling to Oklahoma State’s Johny Hendricks in the quarterfinals. Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito attended the National Duals. 

2008: Unseeded Nebraska downed top-seeded Penn State, 19-13, in the quarterfinals. Iowa defeated Nebraska, 24-6, in the finals. Brent Metcalf defeated Jordan Burroughs, 6-2, at 149 pounds. 

2009: Iowa upended Cornell, 23-13, in the finals after the Big Red knocked off Iowa State, 23-13, in the semis.

2010: Iowa won its third straight National Duals title with a master class performance. The Hawkeyes were down five eventual postseason starters, but defeated Iowa State 19-12 in the finals, winning six of 10 matches. 

2011: Cornell toppled Virginia Tech, 25-10, in the finals during the last year under the two-day, 16-team National Duals format. It went through several iterations until disbanding after the 2017 season. 

National Duals Champions (1989-2011) under the two-day, 16-team format

1989: Oklahoma State
1990: Oklahoma State
1991: Penn State
1992: Iowa
1993: Penn State
1994: Oklahoma State
1995: Iowa
1996: Iowa
1997: Oklahoma State
1998: Minnesota
1999: Oklahoma State
2000: Iowa State
2001: Minnesota
2002: Minnesota
2003: Oklahoma State
2004: Oklahoma State
2005: Oklahoma State
2006: Minnesota
2007: Minnesota
2008: Iowa
2009: Iowa
2010: Iowa
2011: Cornell

National Duals Titles By Program (two-day, 16-team format)

Oklahoma State: 8
Iowa: 6
Minnesota: 5
Penn State: 2
Iowa State: 1
Cornell: 1