USA Wrestling has updated its new "Bout of the Week" which has been posted as a video file on-line on  TheMat.com Audio/Video website .

The featured match this week is the 2007 Brent Metcalf vs. Kendall Cross consolation match in men's freestyle wrestling at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. at the United States Marine Corps U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev.

This match featured one of the most talented young stars in the nation, Metcalf, a college student testing himself on the Senior level. His opponent, 1996 Olympic champion Kendall Cross, was making a comeback in the sport after more than a decade in retirement.

The American wrestling public knows all about Kendall Cross, a star from Mustang, Okla. who climbed to the top of the world in international freestyle wrestling. Cross made his mark in college wrestling at Oklahoma State, where he won a NCAA Div. I title and dazzled fans with his wide-open, high scoring style on the mat.

It was after college when Cross truly made his mark, using his amazing flexibility and technical skills in freestyle. Cross broke through in 1992, when he defeated 1991 World silver medalist Brad Penrith to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team at 57 kg/125.5 lbs. Cross placed sixth in the Barcelona Olympics, 

In the next Olympic cycle, Cross was not able to make a U.S. World Team. Terry Brands had taken over at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., winning World titles in 1993 and 1995. At times, Cross also competed up at 62 kg/136.5 lbs., but was unable to crack the lineup there, a position owned by the other Brands brother, Tom.

In 1996, Cross had a magical year, putting it all together again at 57 kg/125.5 lbs. He upset Terry Brands in the U.S. Nationals finals, then defeated Brands under intense pressure in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Spokane, Wash. The three-match battle between Cross and Brands for the Olympic spot is remembered as one of the most exciting and intense showdowns in U.S. wrestling history.

Later that summer, Cross ran the table at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., capturing the Olympic gold medal. In the championship finals, he threw Canada's Giya Sissaouri to his back in the start of the match, and went on to an exciting victory. Cross ran all around the Georgia World Congress Center with an American flag to celebrate his victory.

Cross ended his career in 1997, winning a gold medal at the World Cup held on his home mats at Oklahoma State Univ. in Stillwater, Okla. It was a fitting finish to a remarkable career.

Jump forward more than a decade. Brent Metcalf is now among the top young talents in the sport. 

A high school star from Davison, Mich., Metcalf made history after his senior year when he finished his prep career by winning six Junior National titles. For three straight years, Metcalf was a double champion in Fargo, N.D., winning both the freestyle and Greco-Roman national title. He tied Sean Hage of Georgia as the only wrestlers to win six Junior titles in their career.

Metcalf chose to compete at Virginia Tech under 1996 Olympic champion Tom Brands, and took a redshirt year during his first year on campus. 

His life changed the next year, when Brands left Virginia Tech to accept the head coaching position at the Univ. of Iowa. Along with a few other teammates, Metcalf wished to follow Brands to Iowa. The athletes asked to be released from Virginia Tech, a request that was refused. The college offered to let Metcalf and the others out if they competed one more season for the Hokies. Instead, Metcalf went to Iowa anyway. He attempted to fight the dispute with Virginia Tech in court and did not prevail, and ultimately lost a year of college eligibility.

During the winter of 2006-07, Kendall Cross announced a return to competition at the age of 38. He began training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and started entering tournaments. He won a match in an all-star dual meet in Russia against talented Adam Batirov, a great start on his quest to return to competition. Later in the winter, Cross placed third at the 2007 Dave Schultz Memorial International, losing to Angel Cejudo by pin in the quarterfinals, but wrestling back to defeat Cejudo in the bronze-medal bout. Shortly after the Schultz event, Cross turned 39 years old.

Cross had difficulty getting down to 60 kg/132 lbs., and did not enter the U.S. Nationals. At the World Team Trials, he did not make the weight and decided to go up a weight class to 66 kg/145.5 lbs.

Metcalf qualified for the World Team Trials by winning a gold medal at the Clansman International earlier in the year. He kept busy during his year off, competing in open tournaments and freestyle events. He was still only 20 years old when he competed at the World Team Trials in Las Vegas.

In the opening round, Cross was upset by Phillip Simpson of the U.S. Army. Metcalf won his first match, stopping Joe Johnston of the Hawkeye WC. However, in the next round, he was pinned by veteran Jared Frayer. This set up the match between Cross and Metcalf in the first round of the wrestlebacks. 

Metcalf scored a 7-4, 4-2 victory over Cross, putting the legend out of the tournament. In the next consolation round, Metcalf was defeated by Eric Larkin, ending his competition as well.

Metcalf returns to the college ranks this year, competing in college for the first time as a sophomore at Iowa. Whether Cross will ever wrestle again is yet to be determined.

This popular feature will be changed on a regular basis, allowing members to enjoy many of the greatest matches in wrestling history. Posted in the archive section of the Members Only web page was the Donny Pritzlaff vs. Ben Askren quarterfinals match in men's freestyle wrestling at 74 kg/163 lbs. at the United States Marine Corps U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev. Many other entertaining and historic matches are in the archive section for the Bout of the Week.