CrossFit Open Matchups We Want to See

By Nicole Kurz | March 21, 2016
crossfit open matchups
(c) CrossFit, Inc.
The 2016 CrossFit Open is well underway, and already we’ve seen some epic action, challenging workouts, and watched some of the best athletes in the world go head to head before watching “average Joes” complete the workouts.

We’re currently four weeks in and I can already say that this has been, hands down, my favorite year yet. CrossFit has not only upped the ante for the elite level competitors, throwing in new movements and combinations that no one saw coming, but they’re also taking the time to give a shout out to the rest of us who love love LOVE the sport.

Is it motivating to watch Dan Bailey finish (well, sort of) the super challenging 16.2 streaming online or to see Sigmundsdottir come back after a last-minute loss last year to dominate 16.4? Of course it is! The star-studded match-ups of top Games finishers give us all a glimpse into near-perfection, but we love that the everyday heroes are included this year as well, proving that CrossFit really is accessible to all.

With four weeks down, we have just one more workout to go. Here’s the list of who we’ve seen throw down so far, and who is left to come:

Checking out who is up against who for this year got me thinking — what other matchups would we love to see? Both in the “CrossFit” spotlight and out of it, there are some names we would love to see have a lift-off, bro-sesh or maybe even some celebrity CrossFitters that we think would put on one heck of a show if they went head to head.

To that end, we give you eight CrossFit Open matchups we want to see.

Miranda Oldroyd and Dana Linn Bailey

So, it’s probably not a big surprise to any of our readers that I have a bit of a girl crush on Dana Linn Bailey.  She made my top 10 women to follow on Instagram list just a few weeks back, and continues to rock my world with her workout selfies, doggie pictures, and all around great attitude about fitness, business, and life in general.

One of the things I’m really loving about her lately is that she’s good friends with CrossFit OG (that’s original goddess for those not in the know) Miranda Oldroyd and she’s added some CrossFit workouts into her mix. She’s posted more than one video, and I think that Miranda has her beat, but I would love to see these two go head to head on a WOD that involves sandbags and stair climbing. I think DLB might just Miranda a run for her money.

Jared Enderton and Lucas Parker

crossfit open matchups
Jared Enderton
So, Jared Enderton is a super strong guy with a killer beard. Lucas Parker is also a super strong guy with a killer beard. Both have some pretty impressive accomplishments. Recently, Enderton took fifth place in the CrossFit Liftoff competition in 2015, putting up a 315-pound snatch and a 387-pound clean and jerk. Parker is a multi-time Games veteran who has PRs of 291 pounds for the snatch and 345 pounds for the clean and jerk posted on the CrossFit website. We would love to see these two lumberjack-esque studs go head to head on an Open workout with either a heavy odd-object carry, or something like 16.4 with lots of reps of heavy movements to see who comes out on top.

Bob Harper and Jason Statham



There are loads of celebrities who CrossFit. Some are really vocal about it, and some are just quietly badass in the background and then they rip off their shirts in a big Hollywood blockbuster and we’re left jaw-dropped and speechless at their bods. If Bob Harper is the former (seen above getting his first bar muscle up in 16.3 — they really are just like us!) and Jason Statham is the latter, we can’t help but want to see a match-up between these two.

Maddy Myers and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet

crossfit open matchups
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet (c) CrossFit, Inc.
There are loads of really well-rounded athletes competing at the highest levels in Crossfit.  Camille is definitely one of the ones at the top of the list.  The 2014 Games Champion hasn’t slowed down since her win, and continues to put up huge numbers on her Olympic lifts and dominate the gymnastics game. Maddy Myers is a relatively new name in the sport. At only 19 years old, she and Camille share a lot of commonalities. They’re both petite at 5’2″, they’re both powerful Olympic lifters, and they are both athletes to watch this year. We would love to see Camille and Maddy compete in a snatch-off or a clean and jerk ladder to see who comes out on top.

Cody Anderson and Josh Bridges

crossfit open matchups
Josh Bridges (c) CrossFit, Inc.
Obviously, we love match-ups between long-time greats in the sport and new up-and-comers.  Just like the Maddy/Camille throw down we want to see above, we would love to see OG Josh Bridges face off against relative newcomer Cody Anderson.  At 5’7″ and 5’5″ respectively, these dudes are known for being technical powerhouses who can move a ton of weight, even without a commanding physique.

Josh has dominated at every CrossFit Games to date, and Cody burst onto the scene recently and is expected to do well again this year. We would love to see these two matched up for some heavy overhead efforts. Or if we wanted to be really REALLY mean, some rowing and wall balls.  Because vertically challenged people just love wall balls.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zack Efron


So in case you haven’t heard, they’re filming a Baywatch reboot that stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zack Efron. Sure, neither of these guys has openly shouted CrossFit from the rooftops, but given the seriously hilarious barbs they’re throwing one another on set, and the numerous friendly competitions The Rock is posting about on Facebook, we love the idea of seeing these two go head-to-head in a long chipper.

Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone

I’m pretty sure my top five personal mantras are all Chuck Norris-isms.  So if I’m going to make a top anything list, chances are good he’ll be on it.

When deciding who to pit against the man who pushes the earth down during push-ups, the only option is Rocky himself. We feel like a body-weight workout would be fun to watch between these two, but given that they both have a love for fighting, watching them run through the infamous “Fight Gone Bad” might just be perfect.

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