When Joey McKenna takes to the mat in his 65 kg match against Real Woods in a best-of-three series at USA Wrestling’s 2025 Final X at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday, June 14th, he will have home field advantage.
McKenna, 29, is from Towaco, N.J., and wrestled at Blair Academy. He last competed at the Prudential Center two years ago, he noted, and now the two grapplers will vie for the 65 kg (143.30 lbs.) spot on the 2025 U.S. Senior World Team at the same venue.
The event is the Beat the Streets New York’s Annual Benefit. Beat the Streets is a nonprofit organization that works to develop the full human and athletic potential of the New York City urban youth through amateur wrestling.
McKenna–who switch his training to the Cowboy Regional Training Center (RTC) in Stillwater, Okla., last fall–said he is on target as far as his weight and training goes and is prepared to do what it takes to emerge victorious.
“This is my home coming,” McKenna, a freestyle wrestle, said. “I get to wrestle in front of family and friends again. Just to wrestle in front of a Jersey crowd, it’s super exciting for me. Jersey loves to see wrestling. I’m ready to go (the full) 18 minutes if that’s what it takes (to win).”
McKenna has been on a tear of late, winning the 2025 U.S. Open in late April. Internationally, he has medaled in 12 tournaments and is coming off of a silver medal performance at the 2025 Senior Pan American Championships.
With a ton at stake, McKenna said he has been working with a sports psychologist to sure up his mental game, using laser-like concentration to help him stay centered while leaving nothing to chance.
“I like to think people are going to be behind me,” the silver medalist at the 2014 Junior World Championships said a matter-of-factly. “But I want to stay in the moment. I like to try to be focused and be in the moment. Wrestling is a game of inches. A little slip up can be costly. Things can get pretty crazy in a wrestling environment,” so mental sharpness is key, he noted.
With the Jersey faithful behind him, McKenna said that is not the only support he will receive.
“Faith is a pretty important part of my life,” explained McKenna, who is a devout Christian. “I started my faith walk in 2017, when I transferred from Stanford to Ohio State. I’m kind of discerning what’s God’s plan is for me. But I’m very healthy right now, praise the Lord. And I’m focusing on recovery now; it’s definitely a priority.”
The chance to be the U.S. representative at the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, in his weight class is not lost on the affable, charismatic McKenna.
“Right now, I feel confident,” he said. “I’ve prepared well, and we’ll see what happens. I fell bless for this opportunity.”
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