Snyder beats Aitmukhan in Main Event, also tops Pshenichnikov in PWL 8 in Kazakhstan

2016 Olympic champion and three-time World champion Kyle Snyder won two matches at Professional Wrestling League PWL 8, a card featuring top international wrestlers. The event was held today at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Snyder was the only wrestler on the PWL 8 card who wrestled two matches.  

Snyder faced a different opponent in his first match than announced prior to the event. He defeated Konstantin Pshenichnikov of Russia, 7-3. Pshenichnikov won the Roman Dmitriev Memorial International in Russia in 2019.

Snyder was originally scheduled to battle 2019 Senior World bronze medalist and 2021 Senior European champion Alikhan Zhabrailov of Russia in his first match

In the final bout of the card, the Main Event of PWL 8, Snyder shut out 2023 Senior World champion Rizabek Aitmukhan of Kazakhstan, 8-0.

In 2024, Aitmukhan won two age-group World titles in 2024, a U20 World championship at 97 kg in Pontavedra, Spain and a U23 World championship at 97 kg in Tirana, Albania. He is a two-time Senior Asian silver medalist (2023, 2024) and a two-time Asian U23 gold medalist (2022, 2023).

Snyder won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero and a silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He won Senior World titles in 2015, 2017 and 2022. Snyder claimed a U.S. record nine straight World and Olympic medals from 2015-2023. He was a three-time NCAA champion and four-time finalist for Ohio State.

The Professional Wrestling League features star wrestlers from around the world, including Olympic champions and medalists, world champions, and continental champions in men’s freestyle, women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling.

This year, for the first time, the league has been included in the United World Wrestling calendar. The total prize money for PWL 8 was $200,000.

PWL included 12 matches. Among the winners were Olympic champions Zaur Ugaev of Russia (MFS 61 kg) and Magomed Ramazanov of Bulgaria (MFS 86 kg), plus World champions Gabriel Rosillo of Cuba (GR 97 kg), Akhmed Usmanov of Russia (MFS 79 kg) and Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan (77 kg)

The results were posted on WRESTLIGA.COM (https://wrestliga.com/), which is the official website of PWL.

Snyder is scheduled to fly immediately from Almaty to Tirana, Albania to compete in the second UWW Ranking Series event there this week.

PWL 8

February 25th, Almaty, Kazakhstan

WFS 76 kg: Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Zhamila Bagbergenova (Kazakhstan), 5-1

GR 97 kg: Kiryl Maskevich (Belarus) dec. Hayk Khloyan (Armenia), 5-2

GR 77 kg: Sergey Stepanov (Russia) dec. Aik Mnatsakanyan (Bulgaria), 3-1

MFS 86 kg: Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) dec. Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus), 4-0

GR 97 kg: Gabriel Rosillo (Cuba) dec. Artur Sargsian (Russia), 11-4

MFS 79 kg: Akhmed Usmanov (Russia) dec. Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia), 8-1

MFS 97 kg: Kyle Snyder (USA) dec. Konstantin Pshenichnikov (Russia), 7-3

MFS 86 kg: Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria) dec. Arslan Bagaev (Russsia), 5-0

GR 77 kg: Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Ibrahim Ghanem (France), 6-1

MFS 61 kg: Zaur Ugaev (Russia) tech fall Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan), 11-0

GR 67 kg: Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) dec. Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba), 5-4

MFS 97 kg: Kyle Snyder (USA) dec. Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan), 8-0