Previewing this Sunday's Rumble on the Rooftop matchups

This Sunday, fans can finally catch some live wrestling action for the first time in months. The Rumble on the Rooftop will take place on June 28 at 6:00 p.m. CT in Chicago, Ill. The event will raise funds for the athletes competing, their Regional Training Centers and Beat the Streets Chicago. Fans can purchase a live stream through Fite.TV for $19.99.
While Taylor Miller is going to break down Sunday’s main event, Jason Nolf vs. Jordan Oliver, in tomorrow’s #FreestyleFriday feature, let’s take a look at some of the other competitors and matchups on the card.
Co-Main Event

Pat Lugo vs. Luke Pletcher
College fans in particular should be excited for this match. Both wrestlers competing earned the No. 1 seed at the 2020 NCAA Tournament (Pletcher at 141 and Lugo at 149) and were denied a shot at bringing home a title their senior year. Pletcher was a two-time All-American for Ohio State. Lugo, who wrestled his first two seasons at Edinboro, transferred to Iowa and was a 2019 All-American.
Last year, Pletcher finished runner-up to Jaydin Eierman at the U23 World Team Trials. He is also a 2017 UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals champion.

Lugo is a 2017 Junior World Team Trials runner-up and a 2015 Fargo Junior freestyle runner-up.


Co-Main Event
Joe Rau vs. Pat Downey
This match is a fun one, featuring 2019 Greco-Roman World Team member Joe Rau vs. 2019 Men’s Freestyle World Team member Pat Downey. Rau is a two-time Senior Word Team member and a 2014 World University Team member. Downey is a 2012 Junior World silver medalist.
Anyone discounting Rau as only a Greco wrestler is sorely mistaken. Rau is the 2018 Bill Farrell International champion in freestyle and finished fourth at the 2018 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.
In that tournament, Rau and Downey split matches. Rau defeated Downey in the opening round, 7-2, and Downey got his revenge in the third-place match, winning 7-0.
Downey has shown tremendous improvement since 2018 and will be tough for Rau to crack. However, both of these wrestlers are known for not being afraid to go big, and this should be an entertaining bout.
Dylan Ness vs Nestor Taffur
Dylan Ness was known as one of the most electrifying wrestlers in college wrestling. A four-time All-American and two-time NCAA finalist for Minnesota, since graduating, Ness has placed third at the 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International and fourth at the 2018 U.S. Open.
Nestor Taffur competed collegiately for the now defunct Boston University wrestling program, where he was an EIWA champion and two-time NCAA qualifier. Post-collegiately, Taffur is a three-time Colombian World Team member. He is a 2017 Pan Am Championships silver medalist and a 2018 Pan Am Championships bronze medalist.


Zach Sanders vs. Zane Richards
Zach Sanders was a four-time All-American at Minnesota. Internationally, he is a 2012 World University Championships silver medalist and a 2008 Junior World Team member. Sanders is the 2014 Pan Am Championships gold medalist and 2015 Pan Am Championships runner-up. Sanders has been a staple of the domestic scene and has placed at many different U.S. events over the years.
Zane Richards was a two-time All-American for Illinois. Prior to college, Richards was a two-time Fargo Cadet champion and a 2011 Fargo Junior champion. He also made the 2011 Cadet World Team. Richards placed third at both the 2019 U.S. Open and the 2018 Bill Farrell International.
Zac Braunagel vs Brett Pfarr
Brett Pfarr was a two-time All-American and 2017 NCAA finalist for Minnesota. Since graduating, Pfarr has placed fourth at the 2019 U.S. Open, 2019 Senior Nationals and the 2019 Bill Farrell International. He also placed third at the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International.
Zac Braunagel is entering his redshirt sophomore year at Illinois. Last season, Braunagel went 21-10 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Braunagel is a 2019 Greco-Roman Junior World Team member and a UWW Freestyle Nationals runner-up. He is also a 2018 Fargo Junior Greco-Roman champion.


Danny Braunagel vs Nazar Kulchytskyy
Nazar Kulchytskyy was a three-time Division II NCAA champion for Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In 2018, Kulchytskyy made the National Team at 74 kg. He is a 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion, a 2018 Pan Am Championships runner-up and a 2017 U.S. Open runner-up.
The second Braunagel appearing on this card, like his brother, Danny is entering his redshirt sophomore year at Illinois. As a redshirt freshman, Braunagel qualified for the NCAA tournament with a 23-9 record. Braunagel is a 2019 Junior Pan Am champion, a 2018 Fargo Junior freestyle champion and a 2019 UWW Junior Nationals and Junior World Team Trials runner-up.


Mitch McKee vs Nick Dardanes
Mitch McKee was a 2019 All-American for Minnesota and a 2020 NWCA first-team All-American. McKee is a three-time age-group World Team member, making a Cadet World Team in 2012 and the Junior and U23 World Teams in 2017. McKee claimed silver at the Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland. Additionally McKee has won six Fargo titles (four in Greco-Roman and two in freestyle).
Nick Dardanes was a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2013 All-American for Minnesota. Dardanes has finished third at the 2016 Bill Farrell International and fourth at the 2018 U.S. Open. In high school, Dardanes was a Fargo Junior finalist.
Girls High School Match

Mia Palumbo vs Shea Reisel
Mia Palumbo is currently ranked No. 1 at 106 pounds in the National Girls High School rankings. Palumbo is a 2018 Fargo Cadet and Junior Champion.
Shea Reisel is ranked No. 13 at 112 pounds in the National Girls High School rankings. She is a 2019 16U Fargo runner-up.