ESPN asked USA Wrestling if fans would tune in to watch wrestling on national television. The wrestling community answered with an emphatic yes.     ESPN2 broadcast the U.S National Wrestling Championships on Friday, May 25 at 1 p.m. EDT. This event was being used by the network to assist in their evaluation of future wrestling coverage.    When the results arrived, almost twice as many people tuned in to see the U.S. Nationals than as the same show on ESPN2 in 2000. The 2000 U.S. Nationals drew an audience of 65,520 households, while this year's event drew 110,887 households.     USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender said he was pleased with the results.    "I'm excited to see that the television audience for wrestling is growing," Bender said. "Television is vital in gaining support and interest in wrestling. What the wrestling community needs now is for the ratings to continue to grow with future events."    The next event to be broadcast on ESPN2 is the World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling, originally held in Baltimore, Md. It will air on Tuesday, June 19 at 3 p.m. EDT.     Veteran play-by-play announcer Larry Nugent will be joined by 1984 Olympic Champion Jeff Blatnick and former National Freestyle Coach and current Naval Academy Head Coach Bruce Burnett to call the matches.    "It is absolutely necessary for anybody with an interest in wrestling to watch the World Cup of Freestyle wrestling," said Larry Nugent, director of development for USA Wrestling. "If fans aren't able to watch it live, they should set their VCRs. By watching the World Cup and encouraging their friends to also watch, the wrestling community can have an influence on future wrestling broadcasts."    The ratings from the 2001 U.S. Nationals and the World Cup will be considered by ESPN in its decision about coverage of the 2001 World Championships of Wrestling, which will be held in Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. from Sept. 26-29.