Wrestling Changed My Life (Wrestling Podcast)

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Uncle Chael Sonnen is back! In this episode we talk about Barstool Sports’ betting lines on the Olympics, a few legendary fargo matches involving greats such as Stephen Abas, Teague Moore and Eric Guerrero, as well as McGregor vs Poirier 4. Chael Sonnen is a UFC legend, ESPN analyst and co-host of Ariel and the Bad Guy. As a UFC fighter, Chael battled Anderson Silva, Jon Jones a...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE DJ Bruce and I talk Fargo! Fargo started on Saturday and has been heating up all weekend. Please enjoy! * PRESENTED BY MANSCAPED This episode is brought to you by Manscaped. Save 20% off on your next purchase with the promo code ‘WCML’. Shop Manscaped now. * FANS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less th...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Logan Storley is a 4x All American for the University of Minnesota. Today, he’s a top 5 welterweight for Bellator. Logan fights for Sanford MMA, where he is coached by Greg Jones and Henri Hooft; Robbie Lawler and Michael Chandler also train at Sanford MMA. Logan is originally from Webster H.S. in South Dakota, where the great Brock Lesnar also went to high school. Enjoy this on...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE John Kuchinski is a double amputee, and is blind but is a judo man and former wrestler. Please enjoy this inspirational episode. * PRESENTED BY MANSCAPED This episode is brought to you by Manscaped. Save 20% off on your next purchase with the promo code ‘WCML’. Shop Manscaped now. * FANS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Mark Grey is a 3x NCAA qualifier for Cornell. He was a multiple-time, age-group and junior national champion. In high school, Mark wrestled for Blair Academy and the legendary Jeff Buxton. Mark’s older brother is Cornell University head coach Mike Grey (episode 81). Please enjoy! Instagram: @markgrey26 Picture: Tony Rotundo * PRESENTED BY MANSCAPED This episode is brought to you...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Alec Pantaleo is a 3x All American for the University of Michigan and has been lighting up the freestyle scene this summer. He just won the Poland Open and will be gunning for his first Senior World Team this fall. In college, Alec was coached by Josh Churella, Sean Bormet and now the great Sergei Beloglazov at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. Connect with Alec on Instagram and Tw...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Ivan Delchev Ivanov is a 5x Bulgarian National Champion who currently runs a wrestling academy in the Greater Omaha Nebraska / Council Bluffs Iowa (The Best Wrestler) regions. Ivan competed for the Bulgarian national team in 1993 and 1994, and before that attended sports school in Bulgaria throughout the 80’s. After competing, Ivan was a FILA Master Coach, traveling the world te...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Greg Jones is one of the best collegiate wrestlers of all time. He won NCAA titles as a freshman, junior and senior. In total, Greg lost just 4 college matches during his tenure at West Virginia. After coaching in Morgantown for the better part of a decade, Greg moved to Florida’s Blackzilians gym to teach wrestling to MMA fighters. Today, he and Henri Hooft run an elite MMA gym...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tom, The Big Cat, Erikson is one of the all-time great heavyweights of freestyle wrestling. Despite never qualifying for the Illinois High School state tournament, Tom made the finals of 12 US Open Championships and was a 3x Olympic Alternate. After wrestling, Tom was one of the early pioneers of MMA, fighting in Pride 8 in front of 50k Japanese fans. Today, Tom is an assistant...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Chael Sonnen is a UFC legend, ESPN analyst and co-host of Ariel and the Bad Guy. As a UFC fighter, Chael battled Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and many others in a HOF-caliber career. As a wrestler, he was an All American for the University of Oregon. In this episode, Chael and I breakdown current events including -Stanford hiring Rob Koll -Team USA’s training camp in Atlanta -Did D...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Dan Gable is a 15x NCAA National Champion coach for the University of Iowa and 2x World Champion, winning the 1971 Worlds and 1972 Olympic Gold Medal. In this episode, Dan shares a story about Rick Sanders (2x Olympic Silver Medalist)that you’re not going to want to miss. Enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. For your next custom team...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Johnni DiJulius is the assistant wrestling coach at Harvard - go Crimson Tide - and is a former Ohio State Buckeye. While at Ohio State, Johnni was a 4x NCAA qualifier and a member of the 2015 NCAA Championship team. He was coached by the great Tom Ryan during his stint in Columbus. Johnni is also an avid BASE jumper and has some WILD videos on his Instagram. Enjoy! Follow Johnn...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Ryan Morningstar is the assistant coach at the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the Hawks in 2012, Coach Morningstar was an assistant for Barry Davis at the University of Wisconsin and was a 2x All American as a wrestler for the Hawks. In this episode we cover... -The Lisbon Iowa wrestling community -Tom Brands’ coaching impact -Being recruited by Coach Brands while at Virgi...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Johnny, J Rock, Johnson is the owner of RAW 241 wrestling club, based out of the Garden State, New Jersey. J Rock is one of the top youth and high school coaches in the country. He’s worked with the likes of Brett Matter, Jordan Burroughs and Darion Caldwell. J Rock’s passion for wrestling is insane and I can’t wait for you to listen to this podcast. Enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTA...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Jake Deitchler shocked the wrestling world in 2008 when he qualified for the US Olympic Wrestling Team while just 18 years old. Jake went on to wrestle at the University of Minnesota before his career was cut short due to concussion related injuries. Today, Jake runs Grynd Wrestling Academy. I freaking loved this podcast folks. Please enjoy! (Picture: Tony Rotundo) Connect with...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Nick Garone is a New York legend. A former All American for Old Dominion and a New York state champion before that, Nick has a passion for wrestling that few can match. Enjoy! Connect with Nick on Twitter and Instagram: -Twitter: @MSGWrestling -Instagram: @xcel_worldwide * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT Register for the Spartan Combat Nationals, taking place May 20-23 in Jacksonvil...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Aaron Steed is the CEO of Meathead Movers and a founding member of the Central Coast RTC, hosted near Cal Poly. Aaron is a former wrestler turned businessman who still has an incredible passion for the sport. I’m really excited to see what transpires at the Central Coast RTC (their facility is amazing). Enjoy this one and happy Friday! Support the Central Coast RTC: CentralCoast...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE John Smith talks about the 1992 Olympics, Pat Smith and the beginning of his coaching career in this never before released episode. This interview was recorded in October of 2020 and is the third and final interview that we recorded with John as part of our audio documentary series, The Smiths. Enjoy! Enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT Register for the Spartan Combat Nationals...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Joe Rau is a Chicago Legend. He’s a multiple time World Team Member in greco and winner of the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. He was recently involved in a controversial match in the finals of the 2021 Olympic Team Trials. Back in high school, Joe was a 1x state qualifier and went on to wrestle Division 3 at Elmhurst College. There he was a 3x All American and NCAA Champion. Enjoy! *...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Mississippi is the only US State without high school wrestling. Brian Fox is looking to change that. Over the past year, Brian created the Mississippi Wrestling Federation / Foundation and has been instrumental in creating a wrestling culture in Mississippi. Before Brian’s efforts, just two high schools had wrestling. Now, there are seven and we need your help to keep the moment...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE “If you solve a problem for a customer you earn more loyalty and then they come back for more,” says Doug Waggoner, CEO of Echo Global Logistics. In this episode, host Ryan Warner talks with Doug about navigating obstacles, taking risks and how / when to use Transcendental Meditation. In this episode you’ll learn, -How to know when it’s the ‘right’ time to start a business -If y...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Yianni Diakomihalis is a 2x NCAA Champion for Cornell University and is one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the country at 65kg. He recently took 4th at the 2021 Olympic Trials and will be gunning for his 3rd NCAA title during the 2021/2022 season. This interview took place four days before the 2021 Olympic Trials and was recorded for Tokyo Dreams, the 5-part vlog series that...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tony Robie is the head wrestling coach at Virginia Tech. Prior to being named the head coach in 2017, Tony was an associate head coach under Kevin Dresser. As a wrestler, Tony competed for Bruce Baumgartner at Edinboro University. He was a 2x All American, taking second in 1997 to Iowa’s Joe Williams. Please enjoy! (Picture: Tony Rotundo) Connect with Tony -Twitter & Instagram:...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Shane Sparks (@ShaneSparksBTN) is an award winning sports broadcaster. He’s covered wrestling for the Big 10 Network, NCAA and Track Wrestling. (Photo: Tony Rotundo) Enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT Register for the Spartan Combat Nationals, taking place May 20-23 in Jacksonville Florida, now! REGISTER * FANS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a shor...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tim Wright is the first NCAA 4x Champion in any sport. In the late 80’s, Tim won four NCAA D2 wrestling national crowns for Southern Illinois Edwardsville. Prior to college, Tim won two state titles for Rock Island High School, and was voted outstanding wrestler of Illinois his senior year. Tim is no doubt one of the great wrestlers in Illinois history, and all time. It was an h...