The Full Tilt Podcast

Jim Ravannak looks back on a life shaped by wrestling—from leading USA Wrestling and helping preserve the sport’s Olympic place to building the Gator Wrestling Club and supporting athletes like Daniel Cormier. He shares stories from Olympic and international team trips, recalls the people and moments that stayed with him, and reflects on why creating opportunities for athletes matters as much as w...

Newly elected Iowa Wrestling Hall of Famer Matt McDonough joins Full Tilt at Mission Athletics in Cedar Rapids for a wide-ranging conversation about the people and experiences that shaped his career. Matt looks back on growing up around wrestling, learning from coaches and training partners who pushed him, winning two NCAA titles, and facing the setbacks of his senior season. He also reflects on A...

At the Fargo wrestling tournament, host Hatch talks with wrestling legend Bruce Baumgartner about his path from an unheralded high school wrestler to an NCAA champion and one of America’s most decorated wrestlers. Baumgartner reflects on Olympic and world-level competition, the training habits that kept him improving, memorable matches overseas, and carrying the U.S. flag at the 1996 Olympics. He...

Cadet World Champion and Virginia Tech Hokie Bo Bassett breaks down the “nothing changes” mindset that powers his legendary work ethic, comeback wins, and faith-driven life. Bo shares how a heartbreaking loss at age seven changed everything, why burnout is a myth if you truly love wrestling, and how 5 a.m. “mental warfare” workouts, family, and faith shaped his path from Young Guns to world titles...

Joe Russell, Manager of Freestyle Programs at USA Wrestling, sits down with Hatch for an honest, funny, and powerful conversation about surviving a catastrophic motorcycle accident, relearning how to walk, and eventually coaching world and Olympic champions. Joe shares wild rehab stories, life lessons from Jay Robinson and Dan Gable’s coaching trees, what separates elite college wrestlers from wor...

USA Women’s National Team Coach Terry Steiner sits down with Hatch live at USA Wrestling’s new national office to talk about work ethic, Dan Gable, Randy Lewis, the birth of women’s wrestling in America, and what it will take for Team USA to finally dominate the world. From grinding in Bismarck, ND, to winning an NCAA title at Iowa, to leading a once‑unpopular women’s program into Olympic glory, T...

USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach and World Champion Bill Zadick sits down with Hatch for a long-form, deep dive into wrestling, coaching, and what it really takes to chase a world title for a decade. From Montana living-room “world title” matches and legendary camps in Oregon, to the crucible of the Iowa wrestling room under Dan Gable, Bill unpacks the culture, mentors, and moments that shap...

Associate head coach Derek St. John and Iowa State’s inaugural women’s head coach Alli St. John sit down on the Full Tilt Podcast to talk about building a D1 wrestling powerhouse on both the men’s and women’s sides. They dive into Alli’s journey from three-sport Illinois athlete to world silver medalist and trailblazing college coach, Derek’s path from Iowa state champ to NCAA champion and top-tie...

Appalachian State head coach JohnMark Bentley joins Hatch on the Full Tilt Podcast to pull back the curtain on one of the most overachieving programs in Division I wrestling. From running one of the largest team camps in the country to funding staff and facilities through camp revenue, Bentley explains how a “small” program competes with the big boys year after year. He shares his unconventional s...

Two-time NCAA champion and wrestling innovator Carl Adams joins the Full Tilt Podcast to share his journey from tough Long Island roots to Iowa State legend, world-level freestyle contender, and pioneering equipment designer. Carl breaks down how work ethic, family, and fearless competition shaped his career, what it was really like wrestling Dan Gable, and how the Adam machine changed wrestling r...

Olympic champion Ben Peterson sits down with Full Tilt to unpack a lifetime on the mat: from a Wisconsin dairy farm to Iowa State’s glory years, brutal training sessions with Dan Gable, winning Olympic gold during the Cold War, and how faith and family shaped every step of his journey. Ben shares vivid stories of surviving “meat-grinder” rooms at Iowa State, outworking the world with Gable and his...

Wrestlers, coaches, and fans are going to eat this one up. Live from Fargo, the Full Tilt Podcast sits down with USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender to unpack how girls’ and women’s wrestling exploded, how wrestling got kicked out of the Olympic Games and clawed its way back in, and why the sport’s future has never looked brighter. Rich walks through his journey from small‑town Wisconsin...

Chael Sonnen sits down with Hatch for a nonstop tour through American wrestling history and culture. From overlooked legends like Oscar Wood and Sean Hage to the mythology of John Smith, Kenny Monday, and the Brands brothers, this episode is wall-to-wall stories, rivalries, technique talk, and behind-the-scenes moments you’ve never heard before. They dive into Fargo, the Iowa room in the 90s, real...

Wrestling legend Cary Kolat sits down with Hatch to unpack a lifetime on the mat—from Western PA youth phenom and world medalist to program builder at Campbell and the U.S. Naval Academy. Kolat goes deep on mindset, training, the 2000 Olympic controversy, building Kolat.com, and what it really takes to develop champions today. Timed Highlights: 0:00 Opening: Hatch & Custom Community spot; sett...

Brent Metcalf joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into one of wrestling’s most respected minds. He walks through the legendary Davidson, Michigan room with Roy Hall, his undefeated high school career and Fargo dominance, the Virginia Tech-to-Iowa transfer storm, Carver-Hawkeye showdowns, wild overseas trips to Russia, Dagestan, and Iran, and why he believes in “chasing losing” to become th...

Jeff McGinness sits down to go full tilt on his journey from Iowa City mat rat to Hawkeye legend, and how that path eventually led him to build a powerhouse women’s program at Simpson College. From brutal 90s Iowa room stories to modern sports science, NIL, and recruiting women in a fast-changing landscape, this is a deep dive into what greatness really looks like in wrestling. Timed highlights: 0...

Olympic gold medalist and three-time Olympian Kenny Monday sits down to go full tilt on a lifetime in wrestling. From getting beat up as the smallest kid in the Tulsa YMCA room to conquering the brutal Tbilisi tournament and winning Olympic gold, Kenny breaks down the mindset, rivalries, and turning points that shaped his career. He shares inside stories on his legendary battles with Nate Carr and...

Barry Davis is a three-time NCAA champion, Olympic silver medalist, and one of the most beloved figures in American wrestling. But before the medals and banners, he was a kid at the YMCA in Cedar Rapids getting hooked on the sport — and grabbing wall charts at youth tournaments. In this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Barry and I go back 47 years: from Prairie High School rivalries and the infam...

Jamil Kelly’s wrestling story doesn’t follow the usual script. He wasn’t a blue‑chip recruit. He didn’t win an NCAA title. But he did become an Olympic silver medalist and one of the most respected coaches in the sport. In this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, we cover Jamil’s entire arc: – Growing up in Atwater, CA and getting pulled into wrestling as a late starter – Learning from VHS tapes, “H...

Three-time NCAA champion and Olympic medalist Nate Carr joins Full Tilt to share how a house of 16 kids, a pastor dad, and a wrestling-obsessed family forged one of the greatest legacies in American wrestling. Nate breaks down his classic battles with Kenny Monday, the influence of Coach Nichols and the Gatsons, and what he learned competing against Soviet greats on the world stage. He also goes d...

World champion, Olympic medalist, and finance executive Bill Scherr joins the show for a deep dive into one of the most fascinating careers in wrestling history. Bill shares how baling hay in rural South Dakota built his strength, why Randy Lewis changed what South Dakota kids believed was possible, and how Nebraska went from “death’s door” to national trophy contender. He breaks down Soviet domin...

UFC Hall of Famer and Olympic Greco-Roman standout Randy “The Natural” Couture sits down for a deep-dive into the journey behind the legend. From wrestling for the U.S. Army in the Cold War era to battling on the NCAA stage, chasing Olympic dreams, and pioneering MMA game-planning, Randy shares the untold stories that shaped his career and life. He talks about discovering Greco by accident, traini...

Doug Schwab joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into Iowa wrestling culture, his days under Dan Gable, the brutal “I quit” practices, making World and Olympic teams, and building the Panther Train at UNI. Doug shares real coaching gold on culture, competition, and what it means to raise tough, grounded kids in the sport. From small-town Osage roots and legendary rivalries, to Iowa’s dynast...

Ben Askren sits down in his Wisconsin home to unpack how he reinvented wrestling, from basement mats and reluctant partners to NCAA dominance and world‑level technique. He breaks down scrambling’s evolution, the balance between family and coaching, why passion beats early results in recruiting, and how to keep kids hungry for the sport without burning them out. Chapters 2:00 – The birth of the PNL...

Hatch sits down with Greco-Roman legend Dennis Hall for a raw look at one of the most intense careers in American wrestling. Hall talks about walking away from a full-ride at Wisconsin to chase Greco, going from 0–5 at early World events to World Champion, and the mindset work that helped him handle doubt, pressure, and pain. He opens up about losing his brother and how that tragedy fueled his run...