(Video) Elon Musk and Donald Trump welcomed with ‘USA’ cheers at NCAA wrestling championship
Huge cheers for President Donald Trump and friend Elon Musk at 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships garners attention.
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Wrestling crowd welcomed Donald Trump with friend Elon Musk at 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling National (Source: X)
The NCAA March Madness for wrestling tournament bracket went live last week. A new group of champs rose to the top at the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships on Saturday night. Two big personalities also attended the event in Philadelphia; namely, POTUS Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Returning to college for his final year of eligibility at the University of Minnesota, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson headlined the tournament. Steveson also had big dreams of transitioning to MMA like wrestling buddy Bo Nickal. That’s one more area (Nickal) of shared interest that clashes with Donald Trump and his DOGE task force aide and friend Elon Musk.
Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson caused a ginormous upset after defeating Steveson during the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling finals! Meanwhile, Penn State standout Carter Starocci (184 lbs) defeated Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), 4-3.
President Trump was on hand to see all of the competition. He and Elon Musk got a massive haul of “USA!” cheers and ovation, Saturday night in Philadelphia. Check out the footage below, courtesy of Musk (@elonmusk on X):
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2025
The NCAA wrestling heavyweight championship match was amazing fighting between two super talented men! pic.twitter.com/mWCG7UAX1A
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2025
Despite his philanthropic drives and efforts, U.S. Digital Service and DOGE head Elon Musk has recently faced problems. His company, Tesla, has come under trouble due to people targeting the vehicle with acts of vandalism and felony to opposing the billionaire’s influence over the current US administration.
Yet, Musk was all in smiles, and enjoyed the heavyweight wrestling bout between Steveson and Hendrickson. The presence of Trump and Musk could become an annual thing for the NCAA wrestling in the coming years, and an opportunity to become more popular. If so, NCAA wrestling might find a better home at par with UFC someday.
TNT noses in UFC broadcasts deal with Disney-owned exclusive window closing, might bolster relations on NCAA wrestling
Rather than combat sambo, state wrestling lineups aren’t as prominent in UFC. They lack the facility and grind to make it so big and produce large masses of champs. UFC’s ally Donald Trump keeps a close eye on the wrestling grind and makes things go viral. He even visited the 2023 wrestling finals with Senator and former collegiate wrestler Markwayne Mullin.
The likes of three-time NCAA Division I champ Nickal and others have kept on the spark of interest in wrestling alive, even at global stages like UFC. Ex-UFC double-division champ, StrikeForce Grand Prix Champ, and Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier competed in the finals of NCAA Division I wrestling. Now, another effort in that direction could be TNT Sports.
The UFC is to field interest from several networks and streaming outlets for the company’s upcoming broadcast rights. TNT Sports has publicly expressed its interest in getting involved in the bidding process. The exclusive broadcast rights deal with ESPN ends this year; after that, it’s an open playing field.
We like both, [FI/UFC part-deal]…UFC is a fantastic property and has piqued our interest…Formula One, as well. Given our experience with sports internationally, we know the passion for Formula One. And we know that in this market, it has grown and it has great potential as well.
TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser to The Varsity
UFC brass already told ‘Money Movers’ CNBC Exclusive for CNBC TV co-anchor Sara Eisen that the new deal could land them on multiple platforms. TNT Sports is also home to boxing grinds in the UK and Ireland. What’s more interesting – they had a simulcast of the ‘NCAA March Madness tournament’ going on this week. The company could thus potentially add the UFC to the mix to bolster its overall sports offering.
Would it help American Wrestling get more attention?
TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser voiced that the addition of at least some of the UFC’s broadcast rights could benefit TNT Sports. The UFC FPI Jiu-Jitsu contracts are a new thing; as could be a venture into NCAA Division I Wrestling. Along with BJJ invitationals, TNT Sports also wanted a deal with Dana White when it first came to be that he was tagged for a boxing league.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had downplayed the spectrum of this, or adding any other sports entities after losing out on NBA. But with a giant like UFC, the sky is the limit. Niche corners like boxing would already get more amps and other areas would also get some love, including but not limited to NCAA Division I Wrestling.
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