Kamal Bey (Army/WCAP) at 82 kg. Beka Melalashvili (NYAC) at 87. And Max Nowry (NYAC/IRTC) returning to active competition for the first time in nearly four years. The 2026 World Team Trials for Greco-Roman has its lead material that should compel more interest than usual for mainstream wrestling fans as the U.S. program aims to continue building towards LA 2028. 

Kamal Up In Weight

2026 is not the first time Olympian and multi-time World Team member Bey has climbed above 75/77 kg, as he had originally done so back in 2017 for the inaugural U23 Worlds as well as for Armed Forces events. But this year will be the first time Bey is checking in at 82 for a Senior World Team Trials and, as one might suspect, he is entering as the top candidate in the bracket. Past domestic rival Jesse Porter (NYAC) could present an intriguing match-up, but there are others here perhaps equally capable of testing Bey in spaces. Fritz Schierl (Minnesota Storm) is another popular choice, so, too, is Tommy Brackett (NYAC/Tiger WC), as well as Mike Altomer (NYAC/Curby 3-Style) and Aaron Dobbs (NMU/NTS). Also throw unconventional Adrian Artsisheuskiy (NYAC) into this mix. 

But a Bey who does not have to dry out quite as much for weigh-ins as he does at 77 is by no means an easier target. He is still the most explosive and efficient scorer in the country, and he has also become more difficult to crack defensively. Everyone at 82 would have already had their work cut out for them if Melelashvili were hanging around, and that certainly does not change with Bey occupying the top seed in the bracket. 

Melelashvili To 87

Georgian-born Melelashvili — who gave the U.S. its first-ever U23 World medal in ‘24 when he claimed a silver — was going up in weight for ‘28 Olympic Team selection, anyway, so his presence in this weight category is not in the least surprising. If anything, he should have made the move even sooner because 82 ceased being a suitable fit for him shortly after earning that aforementioned U23 medal. Melelashvili is a physical specimen who was walking around with a ridiculously low body fat percentage even when he was not cutting to 82. At still just 23 years of age, there is and was no reason for him to keep draining his body for a weight class that is not in the Olympic curriculum, given his status as a top contender for the LA ‘28 spot. 

And he is already a vital addition to 87 kilograms. 87 was going to be solid even without Melelashvili, thanks to Olympian/U23 World bronze Payton Jacobson (NYAC/NTS, currently the #1 upper-weight in America), ‘23 World Team member Zac Braunagel (NYAC/Navy WC), “Turbo” Ty Cunningham (NYAC/MWC), and terrific prospect Aidan Squier (NMU/NTS). But with multi-time World rep Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP) recovering from knee surgery, things at 87 didn’t look quite the same. The health and viability of 87 domestically directly affects how the U.S. will fare internationally. While that is, of course, true for each weight category, the difference here is that 87 appears closer to producing a medal for Team USA than most others, a perception fueled in large part by Jacobson’s steady progression overseas. So, whether it is Jacobson, Melelashvili, Woods, Braunagel, or some other name out of the blue, 87 has to be a shark tank-like environment in time for the next Olympiad, and that needs to start now. This is why Melelashvili bumping up to 87 is important. This year, it’s a nice peripheral story for the tournament. But for ‘27 and ‘28, it is mission-critical for possible Olympic success, regardless of who makes that Team. 

Nowry Back At 55

When Nowry walked away from competition in the fall of ‘22, he had just appeared in the second World-medal match of his career in three tries. He was also 32, had endured a few surgeries, was being railroaded off the mat personally and professionally, and so the timing seemed right for him to turn the page and move onto something else. That “something else” was coaching, which to him has provided both hope and solace in addition to reigniting a love for the sport that he had not felt in far too long. But his renewed love for wrestling (bolstered largely by his returning to Illinois) did not mean that he was coming back — though he did allow for the possibility to exist, even if only in the recesses of his mind. 

Eventually, Nowry healed, in more ways than one, and fatherhood wound up playing a role in how he viewed life as a competitor. The window was still open. It was not open wide, but wide-enough, thus leading Nowry to pursue this endeavor once more before fully focusing on family life and coaching. He has not entered into this process blindly. Nowry has tested himself, repeatedly, and his having been able to call upon Bryan Medlin as a coach might have served as the final piece to the puzzle in his decision. It was at bare minimum an extremely important one, coupled with the fact that Nowry would not have registered unless he were convinced of victory. This is not for him some “let’s see if I’ve still got it” trip down Nostalgia Lane. 

But there will be some of that in Vegas because the #1 guy in the weight class was the #2 guy the last time Nowry competed on domestic shores: Brady Koontz (TMWC/Position). In Nowry’s absence, Koontz made the World Team in ‘23, ‘24, and was poised to do so again last season until failing to make weight on Day 2 of the Trials. Unlike Nowry, Koontz has not once hit the “pause button” on his career and is just as dangerous from top par terre — if not more so — than he was previously. Koontz has remained fitfully active and had threatened Nowry in nearly all of their prior match-ups. In other words, nothing about this is even close to an automatic for Nowry. If yet another pairing involving the two materializes, it might very well be considered by most a toss-up, whereas before Nowry was heavily favored. 

‘23 U23 World Team member Billy Sullivan (Army/WCAP) and ‘25 U23 rep Kenny Crosby (NYAC/NTS) should figure into how the 55 kg division plays out. Sullivan is an experienced and versatile wrestler who seeks points. Crosby is much of the same mold but has a more darting aspect to his entries on-the-feet. Both are contenders. You also like Fabian Guitierreze to potentially have an impact. Another wrestler who could present problems is William Jakeway (Unattached). Jakeway might not be ready to win this event, but he fiercely pursues two-on-ones and understands how to use his feet when trying to generate pulling rotation on a gutwrench. In a tournament known for surprises, maybe he can be one?

Nevertheless, those with a greater-than-casual degree of concern for this weight class (and tournament in general) will affix their eyes on Nowry and Koontz, and likely in that order. What should be one the best weights in the country rarely receives a lot of attention and maybe it hasn’t deserved to. But that has changed with Nowry reasserting himself into the fold, making 55 a bracket in Las Vegas all legit fans and supporters will be watching, both for the result and how it is realized.