First ballot warm-ups

If there was a Hall of Fame for Wrestling Gear, what warm-ups make it in on the first ballot?

For my criteria, to be first ballot means the warm-ups iconic and viewed as part of the visual history of the sport, regardless of team allegiance. This is slightly different criteria than I used when I wrote the Top 25 Wrestling Warm-Ups of All Time for FloWrestling in 2020, when I weighted design higher than cultural significance. With that established…

I think there are three ... and only three.

1. Oklahoma State - arguably the most iconic in the entire sport.  As trends have come and gone and fabrics have changed, OSU has stayed with this look and i think it speaks to the history and culture of the sport.  And if it didn't make it in on the first ballot, the selection committee would lose all credibility .

2.  Iowa - specifically the version with the yellow sweats.  I think it perfectly captures "Iowa Style" - maybe more so than any warm-up captured a wrestling team's identity.  It's minimalist, it's gritty, it almost has the attitude of we don't care what we look like, we just want to win.

3.  Iowa State - the robes .  I don't really like robes and i hope they don't make a comeback, outside of a throwback event, but they are a key part of the history and the culture of the sport - none more so than Iowa State .  Some of the greatest to ever do it walked out in cardinal and gold robes - from the first great one, Dan Gable, to the great one, Cael Sanderson.  If the Hall covers the entire history of the sport , you definitely need to include the Iowa State's robes.

Those are the three. Do you think I left anyone off?