This seemed to stir some interest a while back, so I am going to try my hand at it. My State Champ Dual would have the 1996 Champs vs the 2013 Champs. So here are the match ups.

103/106 Chris Valentine WC vs Jorge Vega Fern Cr

112/113 Shaun Smith ChCo vs Nathan Boston WC

119/120 Jason Talbott OC vs Trae Blackwell UC

125/126 Jeremy Rhodes ShCl vs Brock Ervin UC

130/132 Scott Rhodes ShCl vs Sean Fausz CC

135/138 Kevin Case HaCo vs Paul Hamilton CC

The weight classes get kind of weird after this but still great match ups.

140/145 Joe Carr WC vs Justin Lampe St X

145/152 Ian Horn WC vs Kevin Cooper SK

152/160 Tony Stewart Sc High vs Gabe French St X

160/170 David Moore HC vs Lane Jones WV

171/182 Tendai Charasika St X vs Hiero Chamblee SK

189/195 Miguel Merritt Hoptown vsThomas Noe Southern

215/220 Livingston Merritt Hoptown vs ATM CC

275/285 Ryan Putoff Conner vs Bobby Bryant Trinity

This in my opinion would be a good one. At 103/106 I'll take Valentine over Vega (pin.) 112/113 Boston over Smith (maj dec.) 119/120 Talbott over Blackwell (dec.) 125/126 Ervin over Rhodes (dec.) 130/132 Fausz over S Rhodes (dec.) 135/138 Case over Hamilton (dec.) 140/145 Carr over Lampe (maj dec.) 145/152 Horn over Cooper (maj dec.) 152/160 French over Stewart (dec.) 160/170 Moore over Jones (dec.) 171/182 Charasika over Chamblee (pin) 189/195 Merritt over Noe (pin) 215/220 Match of the night. Finishes in the parking lot leaving 12 men, 8 women, 3 kids, and 2 dogs injured in the process. Seriously, this would be a nasty war. Gonna go with ATM over Merritt (dec) and lastly 275/285 Bryant over Putoff (pin) Final score = 1996 wins 35-22

IWIN, I agree with '96 champs (A BUNCH OF MEN) winning the dual and most of your picks individually but that Boston and Smith match would be a close decision. Smith was very strong, extremely quick and probably the best off his feet between the two groups. I'll be the first to say Boston is an AMAZING wrestler and will go on to ISU and do great things but I feel this match-up could go either way. Ask yourself this...would the score of a Smith/Gus Adams match been 2-1... Oh yeah, you're definitely right about the Myers/Merritt match being matching of the night but like I said that '96 class where a bunch of MEN. I'll take Merritt; just a freak of nature and to powerful in the end. Being around KY wrestling all of my life, I'd go as far to say some of the runner ups, 3rd and 4th place finishers were better than some of the '13 champs. For example, take the '96 top four state placers at 119: Talbott, Delk, Dunn and Peterson. Between the four was 7 state titles ( Talbott 2x, Peterson 2x beating Talbott in '95, Dunn 3x & Delk runner-up upset Peterson in semi '96), which one of those wouldn't have beaten Blackwell (tough wrestler). Now im not taking anything away from todays' kids, they have made great strides for KY wrestling and I am proud of their HARD WORK but that '96 class was pretty stout. This is a great post and I love the Old vs New matchups.

Glad you liked it UnderDogg. Your right, those guys in 96 were men. I'm still going to have to disagree with you on the Boston Smitjh match up. Boston is 151-1 in his high school career not to mention pretty legit on the National scene as well, being ranked #1 and all. Can't judge him on the Gus Adams match, we all have those days. In my opinion, I think it stays with 3 until the 3rd period. Smith gets a little tired, and Nathan opens up. That's the cool thing about these threads, everyone can probably provide good arguements for a match to go either way. Fun stuff. P.S. Christian Co was pumping out some monsters in the 90s. Shaun Smith, Grady Peterson, Anthony Smith, Rodney Hawkins, Damian Leavell, Chris Perry etc.

More powerful than ATM !!!! ?????

More knowledgable than ATM !!!!!????

More skilled than ATM !!!!!???????

Been around a while so have some of my friends who are amongst the strongest Men on the Planet Earth , never saw Merritt , but he did not have anywhere near the strength / Power of ATM , and as for wrestling I would feel confident in saying Austin knows as much as any last wrestler in ky history about the sport its technique and moves , as for defense NO one has his and anyone doubting his heart and nerve need only go back to his fresh yr in his match with the Indiana state champ Robinson down by a point because of a bogus fleeing call after going of the Mat with 14 seconds left ATM goes to work without hesitation sets up an inside trip and wins the match , Galen Robinson himself would have overpowered Merritt with ease , just saying and I could go on and on records wins and weights speak for themselves ,

And I see no one from 96 who could beat Boston get real he's a top ranked kid in his class same for ATM lol have fun living in the old glory days people I doubt Ky has or ever will have two kids make the impact that Boston and Austin has and will , same for Brock and there's a couple more I could name but because of a point loss I won't lol , no Hvy or 215 or 195 from the past in ky could have bêaten ATM , but I guess that will become a bit clearer here over the next few weeks ,

Kind of sad people even daring to say anyone from the 90s could beat a Boston or ATM , sad and dumb

mpire, a little advice before you speak... read first and if you don't understand what you're reading then read it again. It was never stated that Boston would have lost to Smith, it was stated that the match would have been close. Furthermore, for you to have never seen Merritt is enough said and if you never seen Merritt then that probably means you know very little about the '96 class. So I have no words for you buddy, done talking; end of discussion ;-)...

Austin, stay humble and hungry, skies the limit for "YOU". Keep your eyes and ears open to what's going on around you and don't let ones' ego define who you are or what you stand for. I respect you as a talented young man, a wrestler and how hard you work at your craft. Keep up the hard work, I think you're an awesome wrestler!

Enclosing,

A fan of ONLY the Myers brothers

Lol a fan who says some 215 from the 90s could take out ATM , sorry but you trying the switch and bait on me won't work with either my son or any fan person who knows us , of course I would take up for my son ---- goes without saying but for your information I may have neve seen Merritt wrestle but plenty have told me he was no ATM I have talked to past state champs from ky from yrs oast they do not even know half the moves Austin does lol , as for your comment TOO Powerful in the end not likely , more like to Powerful from the handshake your talking about a kid who blew up the National DL and bench press records get real , many many college hvys not 220 or 215 or 197/5 would be easily overpowered by Austin right now and he hasn't wrestled his first match of his jr yr , take a poke at me so what say a talented but way outdated champ from the 90s could beat a two time HS nat champ who has been a nat champ at every level and who will be KYs first ever four timer anywhere near his weight ,seriously werher you were baiting me or your that uneducated about te sport doesn't matter , your comments trying to knock me and praise my son in an attempt to cover your self is laughable ,

Your boy would have faired about as well as anyone else in ky or any ither state has and will and as for your comment about ky losing all its best kids next yr The best is here and yet to come .

And ole Mpire doesn't need any advice from you or few others hahaha I think I have done well enough at creating Champions without following advice from haters detractors fakes and buffoons all of wich you fall into the category of .

Didn't one of the Merritt's play D1 linebacker at Alabama?  

Miguel Merritt was the one who played at Alabama

It's hard to argue ATM's national credentials, L Merritt  was a 3x champ, 2 @ 215 and 1 @ heavy.  I don't want to speculate on a winner though.  

Just my 2 cents, but Merritt played linebacker at Alabama. You don't get there without being a beast, even in the 90's. I watched him myself, and just physically he looked much stronger, but honestly who cares.

Again, read first and if you don't understand then read it again... It was clearly stated by me that "KY wrestling will be losing some very exciting/outstanding wrestlers after this season. I can't wait to cheer these guys on at the college level. Congrats to all!!!"... As for the comment "Out dated champ from the 90s", you're showing your TRUE love for KY because Merritt represented KY wrestling very well with his outdated self, as did a lot of other "OUT DATED" wrestlers smh lol. Oh yeah, why every time someone disagree with you, you say... ugh well you're just uneducated about the sport bahahaha. I know, I know... you're the infamous mpire and you're always RIGHT. Sir, yes sir!! I could talk to you all day but I rather pick my nose. Boy, you keep me laughing (in my eddie murphy voice).

Coachteater, you're so right. We could go on all day about who would win what match-up but who really cares. With that, I am done. Thanks coachteater.

Really I do not , either i know who the Better wrestler is and so do most people with knowledge of the sport ,

As for Alabama that's awesome he must have been a great ball player but....... That's not wrestling and just for kicks does anyone think any current Alabama football players could beat Austin in a Match , one of my best friends played for the Canes back in the day a beast with a national championship ring defensive end who terrorized the best in the country 1st round draft pick played for the colts --- Austin would have pinned him in seconds --- an irrelevant comparison ,

Guys guys guys! The whole idea of this thread was meant to stir conversation, but not get heated over. It's all in good fun. Fun to think about those guys years and years ago. Kentucky wrestling has grown leaps and bounds, but that doesn't mean that some of the past champs couldn't have best some of the guys today and vice versa. I do like these kind of topics though. Just remember, these matches will NEVER happen, it just makes for good conversation.

Outdated has nothing to do with knocking ky and in no way implies any thing negative towards ky ,

You try to gain support by making people think a statement means something other than what it clearly states outdated means outdated a wrestler like Austin or Boston who has spent hrs upon hrs in rooms being coached by multiple time national champs from the 2000s and after and who have wrestled in the current age of the sport would obliterate most wrestlers from the past had someone said a wrestler from Ohio in the 90s would beat Austin I would have came back with the same reply they are outdated and in Austin's case as well as Boston's waaaaaay out coached , of course someone's past accomplishments current accomplishments or the superior coaching and training they have received amount to nothing compared to some rednecks idea that well billy bob played for bama so he must be better lol that's funny that's the fact you my friend are uneducated about the sport not because some obsessive dad says so but because you fail to understand the very nature of this and every sport it has advanced , regardless of wether anyone likes me how or why I say the things I do or even care for my son , facts are facts .

And yes the redneck comment was a stereotype aimed at Kentuckians one that someone who would say anything like well he played for bama so he must be a great wrestler helps perpetuate ,

Anyway I win you lose ATM gets four and could do so with his hands behind his back --- literally ask anyone who has ever seen him do it

How do I lose? I had ATM beating Merritt. Oh wait "I win" not Iwin. I get it now! Lol

Lol didn't mean you Iwin its all good ,just a bit hard to believe what some kids have to do to earn respect evidently some can do everything and still not get it , and its obvious that people still see ATM as an outsider but its cool he was born in Ky all my family was and my love for Ky was always shown when I made it clear this Ky boy would handle all his comp from OH back when I did what I did , and by my comments taking up for this state from day one I guess I said outdated 90s and it was somehow misconstrued as a knock on MY And now ATMs state yes Win refers to him as the "Kentuckian "cool as stuff ,

Anyway I admire someone's passion for the champions of the past t but 15 yrs from now if some four time state champ and multiple time nat champ who hasn't losta folk style match in over four yrs fan says they could beat Austin I would probably argue as well but say well you should the sport should advance but honestly there will be no more ATMs for the bluegrass I would bet. as he will do what none in his class have or will ever do again , I think when its said and done he stands alone , and yes he can and does play the football as well but this is a wrestling site about wrestling nit football powerlifting MMA or basketball wrestling , at best Merrit would have gotten away with only being majored !!!atm won 220 as a fresh who should have been in the 180s and a Soph who should have been in the 90s now he is a legit 220 and this whole thread will be forgotten by yrs end when jaws have dropped and kids who have faced ATM last memory of their match with him was how bright those damn lights were bwahahahahahahahah that's fact

Mpire, I don't see any place where someone said merritt was better then your son because he played at Alabama. And as for why I brought it up, you had never seen him, so I tried to give you a comparison of him, he was an sec linebacker, so I knew you would understand he was not an average guy. You asked "more powerful the atm?", in my opinion, possibly yes. The thing is, no one knows, but even though in your own mind you may not think so, but someone could be stronger. People have respect for your boy, but the time to compare someone to the best, is after they are finished themselves. Till then, enjoy the ride and best of luck.

He obviously was not an average guy he was a state and multiple time state champ you/ someone brought up football to use as a measure a decent point usually but not a big factor when talking wrestling elite , most of Kys best wrestlers other than probably Merrit or ATM could not have a shot at playing ball because of sise ,an before anyone says Jude Bryant or anyone else we are talking wrestling elite , Brock Boston Fausz the three sr studs this yr , couldn't dream of playing college ball !!!!! Fact is it was brought up to use as a basis for Merritt being better !!

As for power in your opinion possibly that's your opinion ,

As a former KY state IPF teenage powerlifting champion who broke every record in the state and as a six x Ohio open powerlifting champion who has trained for over 35 yrs and competed for over 30 and has trained with trained and who has seen ATM train with some of the best power lifters on the planet, since he was a kindergartener and made fans of them all no chance in He(( Merrit or anyone else in the past or currently wrestling in ky could be considered more powerful than ATM ,

And as for straight up wrestling your talking about a kid who was ranked sixth by win in their top 20 at 220 last yr as a Soph in a field Where there was only 1 Soph in the top 20 "ATM "and who has been ranked since grade school placing 3rd twice and winning Tulsa as a youth

As for waiting until they are finished to compare - Austin is only half finished and has already accomplished easily more than Merritt did ,

As I said the year is upon us soon everyone will see and after next yr not this one everyone can pass judgement on just how good Austin is was and will be , or better yet simply snatch up ATM and go a period with him .

Not trying to hurt any feelings but at the same time the biggest compliment a kid can get is he is a hard worker and I have seen no one work harder than Austin ,

His day yesterday went like this , school , wrestling practice , youth practice helping coach then training in our gym till midnight only a couple days after the end of his football season when most two sport guys would and were home chilling , he can't be beaten wont be beaten not by any loss or any one who cannot maintain his drive or focus , and I have seen no one like Austin EVER ,

No one period he's money a machine a for real life Terminator .

Just saw him and read numerous articles some of wich were falsely reported stating he did not lose to a ky opponent in HS , that would have made him a four timer anyway sure he was good but after further investigation I think ATM would have pinned him .

"mpire, a little advice before you speak... read first and if you don't understand what you're reading then read it again. It was never stated that Boston would have lost to Smith, it was stated that the match would have been close. Furthermore, for you to have never seen Merritt is enough said and if you never seen Merritt then that probably means you know very little about the '96 class. So I have no words for you buddy, done talking; end of discussion ;-)...

Austin, stay humble and hungry, skies the limit for "YOU". Keep your eyes and ears open to what's going on around you and don't let ones' ego define who you are or what you stand for. I respect you as a talented young man, a wrestler and how hard you work at your craft. Keep up the hard work, I think you're an awesome wrestler!

Enclosing,

A fan of ONLY the Myers brothers"

UnderDogg....maybe the greatest post ive ever read on this site hahaha

I give, I knew better then to try to add insight to an argument that means nothing, but not again. Only one thing I have took from this. "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less"

I would pay the entry price to see Meyers vs Merritt alone. Getting to see beasts like Tendai Boston and Carr does not hurt either

All I have to say about the old vs new debate is that any of you who believe the individuals or teams of old could win against the individuals or teams of today........ you are dreaming. There are always exceptional individuals such as Carr Jr but they are the exception and not the rule. To say that the 96 team would have won more than a couple of matches is just not reality.

I believe you could pick the best Woodford team, or what many consider some of the most dominating teams ever, 04 CC or the Oldham team and they would not have won the state tournament these past few years.

It's great for the state as a wrestling fan but I agree with Mpire, to think the oldies would hang with the newbies as a whole, you are just not paying attention to the sport.

Just my opinion! :-)

And I could be wrong, but I know many high schools changed and didn't add 9 th grade to high school till around the mid 90's. Merritt may have only wrestled in his high school yrs, which may have been 10th-12th

As far as past and present, present kids are way advanced as a whole. I agree there are exceptions that could hang today, but as a whole its much tougher to even place now, let alone be a champion. Youth ,

m/s and club are exploding, wrestling will continue to keep improving in the future.

And ATM would have been a six timer rather than an Ohio jr high ow winner had he been in KY , so what's your point , ATM has a bigger trophy case and a higher lift total parents who's names begin with past Mr and Ms Ky so who loves ky more lol Mpire that's who now me and ATM are training so go dream up some more bs to feed the masses

Mpire, check your PM box bro.

No my feelings are hurt hahahahahah

Hahahahaha! I seriously doubt that!!

Here's how the match would go ----

Merritt would run to Hvy like the powerhouse from last yr did to avoid the one and only ATM .

now lets get the show on the road baby its wrestling season put up or shut up quit dreaming up fantasy matches that would never happen so old farts can tell how tough it was back in the Neanderthal days of ky wrestling when no one but the one and only Carrs ventured outside of KY !!!!!

Meyers,

You do realize that not every single post on this site and not every discussion has to praise your sons correct? I have never once heard a person say that either of your sons were anything less than excellent wrestlers, yet you feel the need to obnoxiously destroy every interesting conversation on this site. I spoke with Austin before weighins last year on day 2 of state and believe it or not he sold me. Hes a great kid...I have no idea where he gets that from. Your annoying inferiority complex destroys every conversation online and you are almost equally as irritating in person. Without you acting that way, one would be hard pressed to find a fan of wrestling in the state who was not also a Meyers boy fan.

Sincerely

95% of the people who visit kentuckywrestling.com

My suggestion to anyone that doesn't know "Mpire" is to seek him out at a tournament. He is a very knowledgable person. He is very unselfish with his wisdom of wrestling. A website can only give you a very slight insight of who a person truly is. I call Mpire (Chris) a friend. He and Rob Boston are truly some wonderful assets. Thanks to both guys for all of your advice and help.

Well guess where he Stephen and my other boy gets it from lol its all good someone voices their opinion of a past wrestler beating my favorite HS wrestler I make my comments that are based on facts , no need for every goof ball in wrestlingdom to make personal attacks on me , I could care less what some think I see the buttons being pushed I simply gave everyone what they wanted some fun and no Merritt could not beat Austin that's ridiculous Same as the power quote aimed at pushing my buttons obviously , either way course your all o in ATM he's a beast a great kid but so many a holes attacked him his brother and him again after state last yr for taking up for himself when little pricks in the stands should have been thrown out , trust me nothing is forgotten a hole coaches who wouldn't shake Stephens hand unsportsmanlike kids from fake no class teams flashing cocky signs its on people are going to get their feelings hurt grow up take what's coming like a man or keep crying talk smack about me who raised good kids with good morals and ethics that come directly from myself , this board crap means nothing those titles do 95 % of the people on this site never had to deal with garbage we do and 99.9999999 % do not have our trophy case well probably 100 % but who's counting , now were u one of the people saying ATM should be kicked out for flipping some jerks the bird lol yeah that talk dried up a few weeks later when he came back from Virginia beach a two x nat champ .

Respect is earned , earn some , Austin has but evidently no amount of earning it is enough for some time for the state he proudly represents and yes he took a big chance on getting beaten his fresh yr going 220 at national duals for the team when he should of and easily could have went 95 only to get blasted by fans last yr for retaliating on those doing wrong to him , He has nothing left to prove to you or anyone else in KY time they stopped trying to pick at him it would be smart as things are about to unfold it will become clear he is everything I have always claimed he was and more of course you already know that ....a shame so many others listen to bs and parents listen to hype gossip and garbage or I would be training a host of ky kids who would be making waves shortly but it is what it is , I am fine with training just one the one your talking about

I havent seen atm wrestle a match since his freshman year. One of my brothers who is still pretty involved in ky wrestling told me in their opinion there's never been a big guy in the state that atm couldn't pin. But in regards to the merrits, not sure which one it was...but I think it was the one in debate here went to sr nationals and lost by a point to the eventual champion. At any rate a very close match to a hs national champ. The national champ wrestled in college with my brothers and told them he's never wrestled a guy as strong as merrit before. He did say he gassed and his technique was nothing great. I'm not trying to stir the pot or knock anyone. I'd say atm wins without a doubt but its not a stretch to say merrit was as powerful as atm.

Hvys often lose by a point ,just sayin what did Merritt place at sr nat.???

Not going to discuss wrestling because I think Austin is easily the highest overall rankedupper weight k y wrestler ever and he hasn't wrestled a match in his jr yr yet !!

As for power I understand freaks of nature and I understand hard workers and I understand those who are around and trained by the best ,

Austin is a freakishly strong and fast flexible athletic kid who has trained around and been trained by some of the best Power athletes in this region people with WORLD records , its not that he is trained by them they actually enjoy watching what he does wich is light yrs ahead of what any any any kid in this sport or any other in ky has done in powerlifting , understand that its nit his or our goal for him to be the strongest wrestler in the state the goal is to be the strongest athlete period , no Merrit was nit as powerful as ATM he grabs 125s straight from the floor over head in a 1 arm snatch for reps pulls 600 and plans on 700 his sr yr reps 300 on the bench and if I told him he would leap tall buildings in a single bound lol

Its all good we will have this conversation again after this and again after next season , get the picture when people see a HS 220 winning college Hvy opens next season they will understand power

The only question I have about ATM's wrestling is.........is he going Heavyweight or 220. He has proven himself on the mat.

220 .probably all the way through HS , he will wrestle Hvy in the opens next yr because there is no 220 in college . Possible he goes Hvy his sr yr depending on what his college coaches advise or want and what he wants to do .

Where can we expect to see ATM wrestle in college?

Lol hes a JR who hasnt wrestled his first match of the aeason !!!Worry about that after he embarrasses your team for the next two yrs:)

ATM is great but I would've loved to seen him and Bruce Stepp wrestle. Bruce maybe the most powerful wrestler ever in this state. Excepted a schoarlship to Ohio State before getting in a wreck after his senior year and breaking his back. Now that would probably have been the matchup of big guys this state could've ever seen.

That's sucks , hate to see something like that happen to a kid particularly a wrestler who works so hard to achieve his goals .