NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

He is currently in Wigan, England, for the third annual International Week organized by the legendary home of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, the Snake Pit Wigan. There will be several days of training, capped off by the annual catch wrestling invitational tournament involving wrestlers from around the world, which will take place this year on Saturday, November 8, in Bolton, England.

We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Saturday before he left for the U.K.

"This year is going to be a little bit different from all the other years," he said. While there still will be several days of training and the event on Saturday, this year the people from the Snake Pit Wigan decided to have American catch wrestler "Jon Strickland teach a few of the training sessions."

We also discussed some of the differences between American-style and British-style catch wrestling, how the wrestlers who will compete in the catch tournament on Saturday will be selected by Snake Pit Coach Roy Wood, Raul's own plans to wrestle at this event for the third year in a row, the book on Snake Pit founder Billy Riley by Stephen Greenfield and Mark De Courcy which is due out this week, the need to raise the quality of wrestling and focus on fundamentals more in catch wrestling training and events, plans for the future, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Catch Wrestling Alliance, Eddie Goldman, International Week, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Snake Pit Wigan

Curran Jacobs wrestles Christopher Crossan - Photo by Brad Wilder


Catch Wrestling Alliance group shot


Curran Jacobs


Crank Gym wrestlers


Colleen Schneider


Amin Nazer and Lucca Perretti


Ned Morales


Brooklyn Thomson pins Xochi Wilder


Frank Gotch 1910 poster


Gotch-Hackenschmidt


Roy Wood in Frank Gotch derby


Mike Chapman and Roy Wood


Eddie Goldman and Roy Wood


Mike Chapman wearing Frank Gotch's favorite derby hat - Photo by Brad Wilder


Raul Ramirez, Mike Chapman, Andrea Wood, and Roy Wood - Photo by Steve Moyer


Eddie Goldman and Lucca Perretti

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the post-match interviews from the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth, held June 7 at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. Plus, we present an analysis of this event, and explain why it represents the start of a new era in catch wrestling.

Interviewed at the event were victorious wrestlers Brooklyn Thomson, Ned Morales, Amin Nazer, Colleen Schneider, Adam Laporte, and Curran Jacobs; Snake Pit Wigan head coach Roy Wood; catch wrestler and MMA fighter Josh Barnett, who coached Colleen Schneider; and wrestling author and historian Mike Chapman.

Here are the complete results:

Catch Wrestling Alliance: The Rebirth
Collins Court, John Wooden Center
UCLA
Los Angeles, California
June 7, 2014

Catch wrestling rules: you can only win by pin or submission, 20-minute time limit, no points or judges.

1 - Brooklyn Thomson (Canada, Crank Gym) pins Xochi Wilder (USA, Catch Wrestling Los Angeles), 6:37, wins Billy Riley Award.

2 - Kyle Johnson (USA, Catch Wrestling Los Angeles) and Malcolm Tisdale (Canada, Crank Gym) draw, 20:00, share Martin "Farmer" Burns Award.

3 - Ned Morales (USA, Catch Wrestling Los Angeles) submits Stephen Greenfield (UK, Snake Pit Wigan) by facelock, 5:34, wins Roy Wood Award.

4 - Amin Nazer (UK, Snake Pit Wigan) submits Christopher Morales (USA, Catch Wrestling Los Angeles) by top wristlock, 5:43, wins John Perretti Contenders Award.

5 - Colleen Schneider (USA, Combat Submission Wrestling) submits Jennifer Thomas (USA, Catch Wrestling Los Angeles) by face crank, 7:01, wins Joe Stecher Award.

6 - Adam Laporte (Canada, Crank Gym) defeats Jon Strickland (USA, Billy Wicks Foundation), injury default (knee), 4:25, wins Billy Wicks Award.

7 - Curran Jacobs (USA, Catch Wrestling Los Angeles) pins Christopher Crossan (UK, Snake Pit Wigan), 2:02, wins Frank Gotch Award.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

The 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., taking place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. You can only win by pin or submission. Best two out of three falls. All styles welcome. For more information or to register, go to snakepitusa.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: alliance, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Snake Pit Wigan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses why, after an almost century long exile from the world of real sports, catch wrestling is back.

Excerpts from previous interviews on No Holds Barred are played to explain this issue in depth, including from:

- Wrestling historian Nathan Hatton
- Wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman
- Roy Wood, head coach of the Snake Pit Wigan
- Wade Schalles, new coach of Scientific Wrestling
- Jake Shannon of Scientific Wrestling
- Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance
- Jon Strickland of the Billy Wicks Foundation
- MMA and grappling pioneer John Perretti
- MMA legend Frank Shamrock
- wrestling and shootfighting coach and promoter Steve Nelson
- MMA and wrestling legend Randy Couture
- catch wrestler Curran Jacobs
- MMA fighter and catch wrestler Colleen Schneider
- catch wrestler Kyle Johnson
- catch wrestler Qin Yunquan
- catch wrestler Adam Laporte
- catch wrestler Jennifer Thomas
- Garry Davis of Brazen Martial Arts
- Dan Kanagie of the North American Catch Wrestling Association
- John Potenza of the Snake Pit USA Catch Wrestling Association
- Kris Iatskevich of the ISWA (International Submission Wrestling Alliance)
- Stephen Greenfield of the Snake Pit Wigan and the Llanelli Catch Wrestling and Traditional Japanese Martial Arts Club
- and, last but not least, the late catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth. This invitational event will be held under catch wrestling rules, where you can only win by pin or submission. It will take place Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: alliance, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Frank Gotch, No Holds Barred, real pro, Snake Pit Wigan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

Their first event, the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth, will be held Saturday, June 7. The location is the Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA, at 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095-1612.

Eight catch wrestling matches are scheduled, where you can only win by pin or submission. There are no points or judges.

We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Monday.

The most recent addition to the lineup is Colleen Schneider, a catch wrestler and MMA fighter who trains with Josh Barnett. She will face Jennifer Thomas in one of two women's matches. She replaces Qin Yunquan of Singapore, who had to withdraw because of a knee injury.

"I think everyone's really locked in now," Raul Ramirez said, as we discussed the entire card.

Essential to reviving catch wrestling today is learning the historical lessons from the 1800s and early 1900s, when professional catch wrestling completely degenerated into a staged spectacle.

"We can't be making the mistakes of the past. But luckily," he said, "we got a lot of history books that document all of the details of what not to do."

The general methods of good and proper sports governance have improved and developed tremendously since the early days of catch wrestling, and we agreed that this incarnation of catch wrestling must strive for excellence, both on and off the mat.

"We got to keep this more democratic. We got to allow for different voices to be heard," he said.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance is already working with many schools around the world to accomplish these goals, including the home of catch wrestling, the Snake Pit Wigan.

"It is truly an alliance where we're trying to work together to create good governance and keeping the wrestlers happy, but also healthy as well," he noted.

We also discussed the importance of former college wrestlers like former Michigan State captain Curran Jacobs entering the ranks of catch wrestling and how that will likely affect the sport, the many awards which will be presented at this event honoring catch wrestling and grappling greats, the catch wrestling memorabilia exhibition at this event organized and hosted by wrestling author and historian Mike Chapman including artifacts from the days of Frank Gotch, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth. This invitational event will be held under catch wrestling rules, where you can only win by pin or submission. It will take place Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: alliance, catch wrestling, Colleen Schneider, Curran Jacobs, Eddie Goldman, governance, Los Angeles, Mike Chapman, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Snake Pit Wigan, UCLA

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Steve Greenfield, who runs the Llanelli Catch Wrestling and Traditional Japanese Martial Arts Club.

Located in Llanelli, Wales, in the U.K., it is the only club in Wales, and only one of two in the U.K., which are affiliate clubs of the home of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, the Snake Pit Wigan.

Steve Greenfield not only trains people in catch wrestling, but also competes himself. A veteran of the Snake Pit Wigan's international tournaments, he will be wrestling at the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth.

This event will be held Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA, at 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095-1612.

His opponent will be Ned Morales of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles.

We spoke with Steve Greenfield by Skype Sunday.

He explained that besides training and coaching, he is working on three books about the history of catch wrestling, focusing on the legendary Riley's Gym in Wigan, catch wrestling in Lancashire, and the many varied styles of wrestling.

A hot topic in contemporary catch wrestling is the issue of the absence of any central governing body. While the ranks of this reviving sport are presently relatively small, he agreed that a goal must be the eventual formation of precisely just such a body. This is especially true given the facts that, last century, the entire sport of professional catch-as-catch-can wrestling devolved into a staged spectacle, and that corruption is still evident today in international wrestling.

"All the problems you've sort of focused at have obviously shown their face in the history of professional wrestling," he said.

"The last thing we want to do is to see all this happening once more. So I agree, I think you have to have a central organization that everyone's sort of tied into and part of, but again is accountable to."

The current state of catch wrestling, with numerous small "disparate groups," even though they communicate with each other, will not advance the sport very much, he argued. Thus, a central governing body must eventually be formed.

"Unless that happens ... whilst we're all doing our own little thing here and there, it's going to remain what it is, a niche sort of market basically," he said.

We also discussed another controversy in catch wrestling: the use of strangulations or chokes. In the the old Riley's Gym and in current Snake Pit Wigan events, they are prohibited. Historically, they were also usually banned in catch wrestling in earlier times. We thus talked about the reasons for this, which included both the fact that strangulations and chokes "kill" or "change" the wrestling, and that there is some evidence that they can be dangerous.

In addition, we discussed what should be done today to create a foundation for the eventual establishment of a governing body for catch wrestling, how steps can be taken to fight corruption in wrestling, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth. This invitational event will be held under catch wrestling rules, where you can only win by pin or submission. It will take place Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: alliance, catch wrestling, corruption, Eddie Goldman, governing body, Llanelli, No Holds Barred, Snake Pit Wigan, Steven Greenfield, Traditional Japanese Martial Arts Club

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

The date and place are now set for their first event, the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth. It will be held Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA, at 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095-1612.

This invitational event will feature catch wrestling, where you can only win by pin or submission.

Among the athletes who have so far been confirmed to compete in the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth, are:

Christopher Crossan of the U.K. He won a gold medal at the 2004 European BJJ tournament in Lisbon, gold at the 2005 Gracie European tournament, and was the Alan Woos and Ernie Riley Trophy Winner at the 2013 International Catch Tournament in Wigan, England.

Ian Jones of the U.K. He is a professional MMA fighter with 20 years of competitive martial arts experience. He holds a BJJ brown belt, is a three-time British Thai boxing champion, and has 13 years of grappling experience. He is also a catch wrestler and has wrestled out of the Snake Pit Wigan.

Luis Ojeda of the U.S. He is a Level 3 Scientific Wrestling Certified Catch Wrestler under Billy Robinson, a two-time King of Catch heavyweight champion, and has competed and trained in numerous disciplines including judo.

Jon Strickland of the U.S. A longtime catch wrestler, coach, and martial artist, he is now also building the Billy Wicks Foundation, named for the catch wrestling legend under whom he has trained.

Qin Yunquan of Singapore. She is a martial artist, catch wrestler, and freestyle wrestler, as well as an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

Many more athletes will be confirmed shortly.

We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Monday.

"Within the past few years, people have been really training hard in catch wrestling, all around the world. So this is basically going to be a big showcase for some of the people who have doing some higher level catch wrestling," he said.

"They're going to be coming from all around the world, straight here to the Wooden Center at UCLA. We're basically going to put on a really, really great show for people to see what higher level catch wrestling is."

We discussed the rules of this event, the difference between catch wrestling and other styles of grappling and wrestling, how catch wrestling was once a major and legitimate professional sport, how this event is open to all styles and all groups, and much more.

"We've got to get the politics out of it," he said. Otherwise, referencing what had happened to catch wrestling a century ago, it will become "extinct."

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: BJJ, Catch Wrestling Alliance, Eddie Goldman, grappling, International Invitational, judo, MMA, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Rebirth, Snake Pit Wigan, submission, UCLA

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

Based in the Los Angeles, California, area, and working with the Snake Pit Wigan in the U.K., which is the home of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, he has set his sights on hosting a major international catch wrestling event this year in Los Angeles.

We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Wednesday, New Year's Day.

"Everyone who's involved with catch wrestling, it's their dream to really help revive it as a real, maybe even professional sport, hearken back to the glory days of catch wrestling," he said.

"So basically this past year I've been working hard with the Snake Pit Wigan and reaching out to other people in the United States who have been involved with catch wrestling for a long time. A lot of them want to work together to try to provide wrestlers for a big event that we plan on having, most likely June of this year."

Many of the details of this event are yet to be finalized, but the basic rules of catch wrestling will be in place: you can only win by pin or submission.

Among the many issues facing catch wrestling as it is being revived is governance. The building of regional, national, and international infrastructures is already taking place, with the hopes of holding events to determine credible national and world champions "who earned" these titles. At the same time, he also stressed the need to guard against corruption. This is what killed real professional catch wrestling a century ago, when it completely degenerated and left the realm of sport.

At this point, this Catch Wrestling Alliance event is planned to be held on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, where many sumo wrestling and jiu-jitsu events have taken place. Wrestlers will be invited from several countries, including some of those who have competed at the Snake Pit Wigan's annual International Catch Wrestling Tournaments.

The aim, he said, is "a real international event."

We also discussed why catch wrestling has as its basics the fundamentals of wrestling; possible different rule sets which include or exclude chokeholds; other catch wrestling events already planned for 2014, including the Virginia Shooter's Challenge, which is the North American Catch Wrestling Association's regional qualifier, on April 5 in Amherst, Virginia; the eventual need for an international federation to govern catch wrestling; and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Catch Wrestling Alliance, Eddie Goldman, Los Angeles, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Snake Pit Wigan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles.

He has just returned from Wigan, England, where on November 9 he won both his matches at the second annual International Catch Wrestling Tournament, organized by the Snake Pit Wigan. He won his first match by hammerlock over Stephen Greenfield of Wales, and his second by pin over Ulli Koch of Germany. For these efforts, he also was awarded three trophies: the Alan Latham AKA Francis Sullivan Trophy presented by his daughter Karen Latham, the Billy Chambers AKA Jack Fallon Trophy, and the Roy Wood Trophy for Most Improved Wrestler of the Year, presented by Wigan head coach Roy Wood himself.

In addition, it was announced that Catch Wrestling Los Angeles is now an official Snake Pit Wigan Training Group.

We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Sunday.

We discussed the opportunity wrestling has with the void being created by all the problems in many combat and contact sports, especially those where evidence of head injuries and brain damage are mounting. In the U.S., there is a slow but steady rebirth of real professional wrestling events, with some using a mix of freestyle and American folkstyle rules, and others international freestyle rules.

"With the history of catch wrestling, ours is the granddaddy of them all," he said. "If everyone from Wigan and everyone in the United States works together, we can really try to get something going that's global and really exciting."

He noted that international participation in this Wigan event increased this year, as well as the quality of the wrestling. There are many freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers who are "really interested and really wanting to do catch wrestling." At this event alone, freestyle and Greco wrestler Muhammad Ali of Pakistan, a two-time South Asian Games champion, traveled all the way to England to train and wrestle, winning both of his matches by pin. Other international wrestlers included Osamu Matsunami of Japan and Ulli Koch of Germany, with, of course, Raul Ramirez from the U.S. and numerous wrestlers from the U.K.

"This can be global again," he said, as we discussed some of the plans to continue this revival of catch wrestling.

We also discussed plans to hold an international catch wrestling tournament in the Los Angeles area next year, the need for those in catch wrestling to be connected to the broader wrestling community, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

LenneHardt.com, the web site of the world's greatest ring announcer, Lenne Hardt. Need a unique and cool combat sports-related gift? At LenneHardt.com, you can order personalized messages, wedding calls, ringtones, phone answering messages, and more, all recorded by Lenne herself, in the style of your choice. For more information, go to LenneHardt.com.

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Billy Robinson, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman. Raul Ramirez, freestyle, International Catch Wrestling Tournament, Los Angeles, No Holds Barred, Roy Wood, Snake Pit Wigan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Stephen Greenfield of the Snake Pit Wigan and our correspondent Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles.

They are both now in Wigan, England, the home of catch wrestling, for the second annual International Catch Wrestling Tournament, hosted by the historic Snake Pit Wigan. Several wrestlers from around the world have come to Wigan for this tournament and the annual International Week of training and seminars.

Catch wrestling is in the process of being revived, and this is the most important catch wrestling tournament in the world.

This event, alongside the 36th annual Aspull Freestyle Wrestling Competition, will be held this Saturday, November 9, at the Robin Park Sports Centre in Wigan. As was done last year, videos of the matches are expected to be posted online shortly.

We spoke with both Stephen Greenfield and Raul Ramirez by Skype Wednesday.

"The plan is, this year there's going to be a larger number of matches" than last year, said Stephen Greenfield. "I think currently it's anywhere between 10 and 15, depending on how many people we've got at the time."

He added, "It's not quite an open tournament yet. It's mostly populated by people who have sort of trained at the Snake Pit, and also some of the people that have come for the International Week.... Hopefully it will be interesting for people to watch." Next year, however, the plan is to hold an open tournament.

The influence of the Snake Pit Wigan has already spread far beyond the U.K., and there are plans for more similar catch wrestling tournaments internationally.

"Our mission," said Raul Ramirez, is "try to create that bridge, or outreach or education, on basically letting the American wrestlers - collegiate, folkstyle, freestyle wrestlers - know that we in the United States do have such a rich catch wrestling tradition as well, that they most likely don't know about."

Towards that end, discussions are now under way to plan a catch wrestling tournament in the Los Angeles area for sometime in the first half of 2014.

We also discussed the catch wrestling rules used by the Snake Pit Wigan, which are based on the original rules of Billy Riley of Riley's Gym. Under those rules, there are no points or judges, and a match can only be won by pin or submission. However, the Snake Pit Wigan rules do not allow chokes. Current Snake Pit and Aspull head coach Roy Wood, who was trained by Billy Riley, has argued, according to Stephen Greenfield, "The choke kills the wrestling."

In addition, we discussed the appeal of catch wrestling, the need for those involved in catch wrestling to have ties to the broader wrestling community, what is needed for the revival of catch wrestling to be successful, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

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Labels: Aspull, Billy Robinson, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman, freestyle, International Catch Wrestling Tournament, No Holds Barred, Roy Wood, Snake Pit Wigan, Stephen Greenfield. Raul Ramirez

(Sumo photos by Raul Ramirez)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Dr. Raul Ramirez.

He was in attendance at the 13th annual US Sumo Open, held Sunday, September 15, in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. We discussed that event and the appeal and popularity of sumo.

On November 9, he will also be competing in the second annual international catch wrestling tournament in Wigan, England, the home of catch wrestling, and hosted by the historic Snake Pit Wigan.

We spoke with him by phone Wednesday about these events, and the next steps in the revival of catch wrestling.

"I think what we need to do is put on some good shows," he said about what is needed for catch wrestling. The people running the Snake Pit Wigan tournament "have a good idea with regards to having some invitational events at first," he said. Only competitors who are doing high level catch wrestling are selected, "so that all the people in attendance can see the excitement of catch wrestling." Thus, the spectators "can see what it is and they can know that it is different from other grappling styles."

We also discussed the need for proper marketing and promotion of catch wrestling, using media to its fullest, good organization and quality governance, learning the lessons from the corruption that destroyed catch wrestling as a real sport last century, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

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Labels: Billy Robinson, catch, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Los Angeles. catch-as-catch-can, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Roy Wood, Snake Pit Wigan, sumo, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the future of wrestling, the continuing problems and crisis facing Olympic wrestling, and the rebirth and growth of catch wrestling.

Highlighted are audio quotes we have gotten over the years on these topics from many people around the world, including: MMA pioneer and grappler John Perretti; Clint Kingsbury of Wrestling Canada Lutte; Olympic freestyle wrestling champion, coach, and former MMA fighter Kevin Jackson; MMA legend and former Greco-Roman wrestling US champion Randy Couture; NCAA Div. 2 wrestling champion and pro wrestler Bob Backlund; NCAA champion Teague Moore of Tour ACW; wrestling historians Nathan Hatton and Mike Chapman; Snake Pit Wigan catch wrestling legends Roy Wood and Billy Robinson; Garry Davis of Brazen Martial Arts; Steve Nelson of USWF Shootfighting and head wrestling coach at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo, Texas; Dan Kanagie of the North American Catch Wrestling Association; Jon Strickland of American Carny Style Catch as Catch Can Wrestling; John Potenza of the Snake Pit USA Catch Wrestling Association; Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles; Kris Iatskevich of the ISWA: Coach George Hero of Midwood High School Wrestling; and Jake Shannon of Scientific Wrestling.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

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American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

The First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.

Labels: catch, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman, folkstyle, freestyle, Greco, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Snake Pit Wigan, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Dr. Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles.

On November 10, 2012, the first catch wrestling tournament in over 50 years in Wigan, England, the home of catch wrestling, was hosted by the historic Snake Pit Wigan.

In that event, Raul Ramirez wrestled, defeating Stephen Greenfield of Wales by crossface submission. This year, he plans to compete again, in what promises to be an even bigger event.

"Last year we had the event, the international catch wrestling tournament for the Snake Pit Wigan," he said in this interview, which was recorded by phone Monday.

"It was apparently a huge success, because there is such a demand now in England, the students there training with [Coach] Roy [Wood] at the Snake Pit Wigan have just ballooned."

He continued, "Last year since we had five matches, this year they're going to have 15 matches. This is going to be on November 9 in Wigan."

This year's tournament will also take place along with a major freestyle wrestling tournament, which is one reason many more participants are expected in the catch tournament.

He also talked about the plans for Catch Wrestling Los Angeles to become an official training camp for the Snake Pit Wigan. And we discussed the ongoing worldwide revival of catch wrestling, the different rules for catch wrestling used in different events, the future of catch wrestling and the many styles of grappling, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

The First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.

Labels: Billy Robinson, catch, Eddie Goldman, freestyle, grappling, Los Angeles. catch-as-catch-can, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Roy Wood, Snake Pit Wigan, wrestling