Wrestling Changed My Life (Wrestling Podcast)

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Cyler Sanderson is a 2x All American and the owner of the Sanderson Wrestling Academy. Cyler wrestled at both Iowa State and Penn State for his brothers Cael and Cody Sanderson. Please enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals are returning to Jacksonville, Florida on April 8-10, 2022. Register now at SpartanCo...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Travis Hammons is the head coach of the Harvey Twisters, one of the most successful youth clubs in Illinois history. Travis wrestled for the Twisters and longtime head coach, Quintroy Harrell, before winning an Illinois state title as a senior. By virtue of Travis’ state title in ‘05, he became the first Chicago Public School wrestler to win a state title in 25+ years. Two weeks...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Corey Anderson is one of the top Bellator light heavyweight fighters in the world. A UFC veteran and former D3 All American for Wisconsin Whitewater, Corey Anderson’s next fight is a semi-final fight in the Bellator Grand Prix. In this episode, we talk about UFC vs Bellator, Juco and D3 wrestling, the Ultimate Fighter reality show, and training with Daniel Cormier. Please enjoy!...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Ben Reiter is the executive director for Beat the Streets National. Prior to his current role, Ben lived in Peru for 10 years where he was a professional MMA fighter, fighting in both Bellator and Inka FC. In college, Ben wrestled for Penn. Please enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals are returning to Jacks...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Bo Bassett (@BoBassett06) is a Cadet World champion, and the pound for pound best 8th grader on the planet. This fall, he’ll be shooting to become just the 3rd wrestler to win a Super 32 high school title as a middle schooler. This past summer, Bo dominated at the 2021 UWW Cadet World Championships, winning the 45kg title by pinning his Russian foe in the finals. In this episode...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tamyra Mensah-Stock is an Olympic Gold Medalist in women's wrestling. Tamyra is also a 2019 World Champ and a 2018 World Bronze medalist. She’s undoubtedly one of the best - if not the best - American women's wrestlers of all time. In this episode we cover -The Olympics and subsequent media circus after winning Gold -Tamyra’s early years in Katy Texas -Coach Johnny Cobb and his...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Zain Retherford is a 3x NCAA champion for Penn State, 2x Hodge Trophy winner and a 2x National Team member. He’s one of the most dominant college wrestlers of all time. Now, he’s focused on making the 2022 World Team. In this episode we cover: -Zain’s early years -Doing 1k push-ups in a single night -Cael Sanderson and being recruited by Penn State -The 2012 Cadet World Champion...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Joe Siprut is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer of Kerberos Capital Management. Prior to founding Kerberos, Mr. Siprut was a nationally recognized attorney. Mr. Siprut is a supporter and advisor to Beat the Streets Chicago, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to empowering urban Chicago youth through wrestling. In this episode, Joe and...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tony Ramos is an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa where he wrestled for coaches Tom and Terry Brands. In high school, Tony wrestled for Glenbard North - Gold Dot Nation stand up - where he was a 3x state champion. Tony was also a multiple time National Team member. Today, Tony is the associate head coach at the University of North Carolina. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Ed Ruth is one of the most decorated college wrestlers of all time. He won 3 NCAA titles for Penn State, finishing 3rd his freshman year. Ed also won 4 team titles under coach Cael Sanderson, where his teammates included David Taylor, Quentin Wright and Zain Retherford. After Penn State, Ed fought in Bellator while training at AKA in San Jose. Today, Ed is the assistant coach at...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Jon Reader and Chris Bono join the podcast to talk about running the Badger 100, a 100 mile foot race along the Badger State Trail continuing onto the Jane Addams Trail between Belleville, WI and Orangeville, WI. We also talk about the training leading up to the race, Braxton Amos Junior World title and the future for the Badger Wrestling team. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This...

Buvaisar Saitiev rises from obscurity to become one of the stars of the 1996 Olympics. Brandon makes a run at his first NCAA title. * Slaying Saitiev explores Brandon Slay’s improbable win over Russian star, Buvaisar Saitiev, at the 2000 Summer Olympics - a match that is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Olympic wrestling history. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presente...

Brandon Slay battles domestic challengers Joe Williams and Brian Dolph for a spot on the 2000 Olympic Team. * Slaying Saitiev explores Brandon Slay’s improbable win over Russian star, Buvaisar Saitiev, at the 2000 Summer Olympics - a match that is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Olympic wrestling history. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. Sho...

Brandon Slay and Buvaisar Saitiev wrestle at the 2000 Olympics. * Slaying Saitiev explores Brandon Slay’s improbable win over Russian star, Buvaisar Saitiev, at the 2000 Summer Olympics - a match that is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Olympic wrestling history. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. Shop Kyle Dake merchandise at SpartanCombat.com...

Brandon’s journey for Olympic gold begins in Sydney and ends on the Today Show. Brandon and Buvaisar Saitiev reflect on their careers. * Slaying Saitiev explores Brandon Slay’s improbable win over Russian star, Buvaisar Saitiev, at the 2000 Summer Olympics - a match that is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Olympic wrestling history. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is prese...

Brandon Slay becomes a dominant Texas wrestler but struggles to find his place in the competitive world of Division 1 NCAA wrestling. * Slaying Saitiev explores Brandon Slay’s improbable win over Russian star, Buvaisar Saitiev, at the 2000 Summer Olympics - a match that is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Olympic wrestling history. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presen...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Chris Dardanes is a 3x All American for the University of Minnesota. Prior to his tenure with the Gophers, Chris wrestled for Oak Park River Forest High School (OPRF) in Illinois where he was a 1x state champ. Today, Chris is the head coach at Perry High School in Perry Iowa. To hear from Chris’ high school coach, Mike Powell, checkout episode 100 and 220. * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Nick Gwiazdowski is a 2x World Bronze Medalist and a 2x NCAA champion. His senior year, he had an epic showdown with Kyle Snyder. Recently, Nick moved to the Spartan Combat RTC after spending nearly a decade at North Carolina State. Please enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals will be back for 2022! Clear y...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Matt Ghaffari is America’s most decorated greco wrestler of all time. He was a 4x world medalist, earning a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he fell to Russian great Alexander Karelin in overtime. Today Matt is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In this episode, Matt shares story after story about his rise to wrestling greatness, battling with Karelin, and a...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Bryan Medlin is the head coach at the Illinois Regional Training Center and is an assistant coach at the University of Illinois. In this episode Bryan and I recap the Olympics - specifically the men’s freestyle tournament. Please enjoy! (Photo: Sam Janick) * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals will be back for 202...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Austin Gomez is an Illinois legend, winning 3 IHSA state titles and 2 Fargo national titles. After high school, Austin went to Iowa State but retired after just two seasons due to concussion-related injuries. But, he’s back and recently announced that he will wrestle for the Wisconsin Badgers. Loved this conversation. Please enjoy! (Photo: Tony Rotundo) * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN CO...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Chance Leonard is the executive director for the new wrestling documentary, The Price of Legacy, which chronicles the wrestling tradition at Perry High School in Perry Oklahoma. The Price of Legacy has been named to four film festivals and is getting a lot of love. I really enjoyed it and hope you do as well. To watch The Price of Legacy, click any of the following links: -Youtu...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Olympic wrestling is here! Ryan recaps Days 1-3 of Olympic Wrestling action, including: -Lopez from Cuba winning a historic 4th gold medal -Tamyra Mensah-Stock winning Olympic Gold -Adeline Gray finishing with a Silver -David Taylor, Thomas Gilman and Helen Maroulis’ draws Enjoy this one folks! (Photo: Rich Bender) * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spart...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Matt Azevedo is the head coach at Drexel University. He’s led the Dragons since April of 2011. Prior to Drexel, Matt coached at Cornell and Cal Poly. As a wrestler, he wrestled for both Arizona State and Iowa State. While at Iowa State he wrestled for Bobby Douglas and was teammates with Cody Sanderson, Cael Sanderon and the great Joe Heskett. As a wrestler, Matt beat Henry Ceju...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Today’s episode features two interviews. The first is with Gracie Figueroa, 2021 US Open Champ. Grace wrestles for Menlo College and is vying for a spot on the 2021 World Team. Gracie recently signed with Spartan Combat. Our second interview is with Illinois freshman, Danny Pucino. Please enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. Shop Kyle...