NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman.

Based in Iowa, Mike Chapman has been to 45 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, created W.I.N. Magazine and the museum now known as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, created the Dan Hodge Trophy awarded each season to college wrestling's best wrestler, and has written 28 books including 16 about wrestling. But he also has what he calls "a passion for the olden days of wrestling", when professional wrestling was a real competitive sport a century ago in the days of Frank Gotch, and used the rules of catch-as-catch-can, or catch wrestling, where victory is attained by pin or submission.

We spoke with him by phone Saturday.

What we mainly discussed was how today's revived catch wrestling can advance and become a popular spectator sport once again.

"I hope some of your listeners will even take some notes, not because this is written in stone, but at least it's a starting point," he said.

"I think there's four things that a catch organization needs:

"It needs a planning structure. And by that I mean a five-year plan and a ten-year plan. What do you hope to accomplish, where do you want to be in five years, and where do you want to be in ten years?

"Second of all, they need financing. No plan, no good will, nothing can survive and grow without some financial backing.

"Third, it needs leadership, people who are willing to step up and provide the leadership in legal areas, in structuring, like you've been saying for the last year, sports marketing, things like that.

"And here's the last of the 'big four'. I call these the 'big four'.

"Unity.

"None of these are more important than the other. You need a five- and ten-year plan for the structure. You need a financial prospectus. You need leadership. And then you need unity.

"Everybody needs to work together."

We discussed these points in depth, including: why catch wrestling must remain independent of the existing corrupt and incompetent international and national wrestling organizations; how catch wrestling organizations can still do what they want while working together; the need for a face-to-face conference or conferences of people and all the groups involved in catch wrestling to turn these plans into reality; and much, much more.

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No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Mike Chapman, No Holds Barred, plan