Kyle Dake stood in disbelief, the four-time world champion reduced to a spectator as the unthinkable unfolded. The 86 kg throne he once ruled was now gone. Ripped from under him by Zahid Valencia, the man who has made a habit of turning legends into stepping stones. In the most anticipated clash of Final X, it wasn’t a war. It was a takeover.
Dake wasn’t edged out. He was outclassed. Valencia walked in already holding a recent win from the U.S. Open, and he doubled down with back-to-back victories. 5-3, then 4-1. The math is simple. 3-0 in 2025. With each win, he pushed Dake further away from the World Championships, where Valencia will now carry the American flag in the 86 kg class. Dake, meanwhile, was left stunned, stripped of his spot and his momentum.
Valencia’s rise has been calculated. His move from Arizona State to Cowboy RTC last year, just after David Taylor’s arrival, seemed like a gamble. It now looks like a masterstroke. The two-time NCAA champion has reinvented himself on the international level. After a bronze medal at 92 kg in Belgrade last year, and gold at the Pan Ams in 2022, Valencia is surging at the perfect time.
As Dake walks away from Final X with more questions than answers, Valencia walks forward with clarity. And a ticket to the 2025 Senior World Championships. This wasn’t a changing of the guard. It was a takeover, pure and simple. The wrestling landscape at 86 kg has a new king, and his name is Zahid Valencia.
Bad news for the 86 kg World field – Cowboy Zahid is GOOD good. He beats Kyle Dake in two matches to make the World Team pic.twitter.com/RFGT8tT32S
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) June 14, 2025
Fans didn’t just react. They erupted. Social media lit up with reactions ranging from awe to shock. Surely, the wrestling world had expected a battle. What it got was a shift in power. And soon, the online realm was buzzing.
Fans divided after stunning Final X show from Zahid Valencia
As soon as the news went viral, fans flocked to the comments section. Valencia didn’t just beat Dake, he made it look easy. That’s what makes one fan say, “Taking down dake is very very hard and this man made it look like he is drilling … unreal.” Against a four-time world champ known for defense, Zahid’s control was shocking. The 5-3, 4-1 scores weren’t flukes. It was clinical, fluid, dominant. Like a high-level practice drill. That’s the power shift fans witnessed.
Zahid’s rise has many buzzing about his next test. Aaron Brooks. One fan cuts right to it, saying, “Aaron Brooks will treat him like a redheaded stepchild. WE ARE!” It’s a Penn State callout and a warning. Despite Valencia’s dominance, not everyone’s convinced he can handle the next generation. Brooks, the NCAA’s newest powerhouse, looms large. Zahid might’ve humbled Dake, but he hasn’t silenced everyone.
Wrestling: U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling Apr 20, 2024 State College, Pennsylvania, USA Kyle Dake looks on in the 74 kilograms Freestyle Championship Final during day two of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. State College Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State Pennsylvania USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMatthewxO Harenx 20240420_tbs_bm2_419
Some fans believe time played a role. “Good for Zahid.. he doesn’t stand a chance against a younger Dake. That’s not David Taylor’s work that’s father times.” The claim here isn’t about coaching. It’s about decline. Dake, now 33, might’ve lost his edge. For this group, Zahid’s win isn’t a passing of the torch, but a sign of Dake’s wear and tear catching up at the wrong moment.
Generational comparisons flared up, too. One pointed jab, “A younger Dake doesn’t stand a chance against younger JB (Jordan Burroughs) neither .” It’s a layered take, minimizing Dake’s peak by holding it against Burroughs’ prime. In this lens, Dake was always second to someone. Now Zahid joins that lineage of men who exposed him. The result at Final X only fuels that perception.
The unfinished business with Brooks was also dragged back online. One fan stirred it up saying, “(Aaron) Brooks had a scheduled match against Zahid a few months ago and pulled out. Worried he wouldn’t get saved by a singlet pull call.” It’s both mockery and doubt. Implying Brooks ducked Zahid and couldn’t rely on ref decisions. It shows that even after toppling Dake, Valencia still has doubters and receipts to cash. Thus, with things looking rosy for Zahid Valencia, it remains to be seen what happens next.
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