Editor's Note: This is Part 2 of MatBoss' two-part series on American wrestling greats with signature wrestling shoes. In Part 1, MatBoss highlighted 10 retired American wrestling greats with signature shoes.
Many of America's most accomplished wrestlers ever have their own signature wrestling shoes.
Let's examine the final list of American wrestling greats who have their own signature wrestling shoes. Several wrestlers listed are actively competing.
Accomplishments: Jordan Burroughs, a two-time NCAA champion at Hodge Trophy winner at Nebraska, burst on the international wrestling senior level in 2011, winning a world title in his first world-level event at the senior level. The next year, Burroughs became an Olympic champion at 74 kilograms in London. He went on to add a second world title in 2013 and a third in 2015 before making the 2016 U.S. Olympic team title. After failing to medal at the 2016 Olympics, Burroughs won world titles 2017, 2021 and 2022. Along with his Olympic gold medal and six world titles, Burroughs has claimed three world bronze medals. His medal haul has catapulted him into the conversation for the greatest American wrestler ever.
Shoes: The year after Burroughs won Olympic gold in London, Asics released the JB Elite wrestling shoes in 2013. Burroughs became the first Black wrestler to have his own signature wrestling shoe. Asics would go on to release five versions, with the JB Elite IVs hitting the market in 2021. Each version has multiple colorways. In 2023, Rudis released Burroughs' first signature shoe with the company. The Rudis JB1 wrestling shoes were released in May and come in five different colorways.
Accomplishments: Jake Varner had a stellar college wrestling career at Iowa State, winning two NCAA titles and reaching the NCAA finals four times. In 2011, Varner, under the tutelage of his coach Cael Sanderson, earned a bronze medal at the World Championships. The following year, Varner became a household name when he won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022 as a Distinguished Member.
Shoes: Two years after Varner won Olympic gold in London, Adidas released the Adizero Varner wrestling shoes in 2014. In 2017, Adidas released the Adizero Varner 2 wrestling shoes, a similar design to the Adizero Varner 1 wrestling shoes but with some enhancements and style changes.
Accomplishments: Henry Cejudo was one of the nation's top high school wrestling recruits in 2006 and made the unprecedented move to the Olympic Training Center to focus on freestyle wrestling rather than compete collegiately. The decision paid off. Cejudo won his first U.S. Open title as a high school senior in 2006. The following year, Cejudo won another U.S. Open title before making his first world team on the senior level. He earned a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team by beating 2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas in a best-of-three series. Cejudo went on to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the youngest American to win Olympic gold in wrestling history at age 21. (Kyle Snyder later accomplished the feat at the age of 20.) Cejudo has gone on to have a very successful MMA career, becoming a UFC flyweight champion before earning a UFC bantamweight title in 2019 to become only the fourth fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold two belts. He has been called the greatest combat athlete ever.
Shoes: In 2009, a year after Cejudo captured Olympic gold, Adidas released the Vaporspeed II Henry Cejudo wrestling shoes. The shoes came in three colorways.
Accomplishments: Kyle Dake became the first college wrestler ever to win four NCAA titles in four different weight classes, accomplishing the feat from 2010 to 2013 at Cornell. He has gone on to win four world titles in freestyle on the senior level and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Most recently, Dake won a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships.
Shoes: In 2022, Spartan Combat released the Spartan Dake 001 wrestling shoe. It comes in three colorways: black, red/white/blue and tan/camo.
Accomplishments: Kyle Snyder has excelled at every level of wrestling. He posted a record of 179-0 in high school and won a junior world title before becoming a three-time NCAA champion at Ohio State. Snyder won his first world title on the senior level in 2015 at the age 19, beating the returning world champion, Russia's Abdusalam Gadisov. In 2016, Snyder won an Olympic gold medal at the Rio Games, becoming the youngest Olympic wrestling champion in USA history at the age of 20. The next year, Snyder came from behind to defeat Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the finals of the 2017 World Championships. It was Sadulaev's first loss in 75 matches and only his second international loss. Snyder has continued to rack up the world-level medals. He was an Olympic silver medalist in Rio and recently claimed a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships, which was his seventh world medal. He has three world gold medals, two world silver medals and two world bronze medals, along with his two Olympic medals.
Shoes: In 2018, Rudis released Snyder's first signature wrestling shoe, Snyder CALIGA, a lightweight shoe that fits like a sock. Rudis released a follow-up Kyle Snyder signature shoe called the Rudis KS Infinity, which comes in multiple colorways.
Accomplishments: David Taylor had a legendary college wrestling career at Penn State, winning two NCAA titles, along with two Hodge Trophies, and reaching the NCAA finals four times. He finished his college career with a career record of 134-3. Taylor has gone on to greatness in freestyle wrestling, winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, along with three world titles and a world silver medal.
Shoes: ScrapLife released its first wrestling shoe called the Ascend One, with a David Taylor signature shoe in the product line. It comes in multiple colorways.
Accomplishments: Bo Nickal won three NCAA titles at Penn State and reached the NCAA finals four times. In 2019, Hodge earned the Hodge Trophy as the nation's most outstanding college wrestler. Nickal went on to win the U.S. Open title in 2019 and a gold medal at the U23 World Championships. After falling to NLWC teammate David Taylor in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials, Nickal transitioned to MMA. He is currently undefeated in the UFC and one of the sport's rising stars.
Shoes: Like Taylor, Nickal has a signature shoe with ScrapLife. His Ascend One shoe comes in two colorways.
Accomplishments: Gable Steveson is only 23 years old but has already become one of the greatest American heavyweight wrestlers in history. He became an Olympic champion at the Tokyo Games at the age of 21, coming from behind to win in dramatic fashion over three-time and reigning world champion Geno Petriashvili of Georgia in the gold-medal match. Earlier in the tournament he defeated defending Olympic champion Taha Akgül of Turkey. As a collegiate competitor, Steveson has gone 85-2 and won two NCAA titles for Minnesota. He is also a multiple-time Hodge Trophy winner.
Shoes: ScrapLife produced the Ascend One Gable Steveson signature shoe that comes in white/black.
Accomplishments: Adeline Gray is the most decorated American women's wrestler in history. Gray has won six world titles, nine world medals and an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo.
Shoes: Gray became the first women's wrestler to have her own signature wrestling shoe. Asics released her signature wrestling shoe called the Aggressor 3 L.E. A.G. Gray helped design the shoe. "Asics has been incredible throughout this process," Gray said. "They gave me free range to let my imagination run in designing the colors of the shoe."
Accomplishments: In 2023, Yianni Diakomihalis became the fifth wrestler to win four NCAA Division I national titles and the second Cornell wrestler to accomplish the feat. Diakomihalis made his mark on the senior level in 2022, winning a silver medal at the World Championships.
Shoes: In December of 2022, while Yianni was competing collegiately for the Cornell Big Red, Spartan Combat released the Yianni D 001 wrestling shoes in three colorways. "I couldn't be happier with how it's been made," Yianni said of his signature shoe in an Instagram video. "It's super durable, super flexible, lightweight. It's everything that I've ever wanted in a shoe."
Accomplishments: Oliver was a two-time NCAA champion and three-time NCAA finalist at Oklahoma State. In freestyle, Oliver was a U.S. Open champion in 2021. He also won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials title but did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Oliver transitioned to MMA and signed with Bellator in 2023. He made his MMA debut in August at Bellator 298, winning the fight via an arm triangle choke submission in the first round.
Shoes: Adidas released Jordan Oliver's signature shoe, Combat Speed 4, in red/white/gold.