Tonight’s co-main event of Who’s Number One: Lovato Jr. vs. Burns saw William Tackett face off against Tye Ruotolo.
Tackett, of course, was a late replacement for Craig Jones, who was scheduled to face Ruotolo before he was forced to withdraw after having an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine.
The teens began their match wrestling on the feet before Tackett pulled guard at a little over a minute in. Ruotolo pressured down trying to pass, and Tackett latched onto a leg, going for a heel hook. Ruotolo tried to roll out of danger, and though he was able to avoid getting heel hooked, Tackett’s grip on his leg held fast. A brief scramble nearly led to Ruotolo taking Tackett’s back, but Tackett was able to escape danger and recover guard.
The competitors were reset after getting too close to the edge of the mat, and Tackett resumed playing guard. Tackett then wrestled his way up to his feet and tried to reverse the position by bringing Ruotolo down to the ground, ultimately succeeding as the athletes tumbled to the edge of the mats. Ruotolo was able to recover his guard and keep Tackett at a distance until they returned to their feet briefly.
Tackett pulled guard again just before the ten-minute mark, inverting to establish another hold on his opponent’s leg. Ruotolo rolled out and resumed trying to pass, while Tackett was relentless in his leg entry attempts. After some time trying to pin down one of Tackett’s legs, Ruotolo succeeded in sliding into mount, where he used his hand to cover his opponent’s nose and mouth.
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As Tackett defended the smother, Ruotolo worked to isolate an arm, flattening Tackett out from the top position. At one point, he locked in an Americana grip and wrenched Tackett’s arm out to the side, but Tackett pulled his arm back in and avoided the armlock. Ruotolo moved back to knee-on-belly, and Tackett seized the opportunity to recover guard before Ruotolo was able to move into north-south and briefly work for a choke. As Ruotolo tried to transition to mount, Tackett again recovered his guard and inverted to attack a leg once more. Ruotolo rolled out and tried to attack the back, moving to mount and smothering Tackett instead.
With about thirty seconds to go, it was Ruotolo who then sat back for a leg attack, going for a heel hook that Tackett was quick to escape. The remaining seconds of the match saw both competitors at a stalemate in a leg entanglement.
Tye Ruotolo was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
