NO HOLDS BARRED

My latest piece, "Sadulaev, RAF, and International Wrestling's Cold War", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Professional Wrestling League, PWL, RAF, Real American Freestyle, real professional wrestling, wrestling

My latest piece, "Real Pro Wrestling Leagues in U.S., Russia, and India Move Forward in 2026", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Pro Wrestling League, Professional Wrestling League, PWL, RAF, Real American Freestyle, real professional wrestling, wrestling

 My latest piece, "Promise and Pitfalls Facing New Real Pro Wrestling Leagues", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Pro Wrestling League, Professional Wrestling League, Real American Freestyle, real professional wrestling, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the Agon Wrestling Championships' matchmaker and wrestler, undefeated ONE FC fighter, U.S. Olympian, and two-time NCAA Div. I national wrestling champion Ben Askren.

His next competition will be in the main event of Agon 3 on Sunday, January 26, when he will be wrestling Mike Poeta, who is an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, a three-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA finalist for Illinois. Agon 3 will take place at the Williams Center in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and will be webcast live on the Agon web site. The Agon Wrestling Championships is one of several organizations bringing back real professional wrestling, and uses a mix of American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling rules.

In addition, he has recently signed to fight in Asia's largest MMA promotion, ONE FC, and expects to debut there this spring.

We spoke with Ben Askren by phone Friday.

Speaking of his many roles, including Agon matchmaker, he said, "I always just look for opportunities like this that I think fit me well and that I'm passionate about, and this is something that fits both those categories. I would love, just like most wrestling fans would, to see an authentic professional wrestling succeed and thrive in America."

He added, "It's definitely something new in my career, and something that I'm really passionate and looking forward to helping."

We discussed some of what has to occur for this new incarnation of real professional wrestling to succeed. While he is happy with what has been done so far, he said that there still is "a long way to go," mentioning the need for improvements in production of events, building a steady audience, and working with the media. While specific plans for Agon are still being worked out, he would like eventually to see a belt system for champions established like other combat sports have.

Ironically, he noted that Agon seems to have received a more positive response from the MMA media than the wrestling media, which he said is often "resistant to change."

As for ONE FC, he said, "I think it's going to be a good fit." He has already trained at Evolve MMA in Singapore, which he said had "great facilities" which are better than American gyms, and plans to train there again before his first ONE FC fight.

In addition, he has followed the history of catch wrestling, the style utilized a century ago by wrestlers like Frank Gotch and Farmer Burns, where you could only win by pin or submission. This was the last time that real professional wrestling was a major sport, and he knows that there are lessons to be learned today from catch wrestling, both in terms of essential techniques and promotion. He said he hopes to follow some of the main matches in catch, as catch wrestling is also being rebuilt as a legitimate sport.

We also discussed more about his busy life and dual careers in wrestling and MMA, where he sees it headed, 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: Agon Wrestling Championships, Ben Askren, Eddie Goldman, Mike Poeta, MMA, No Holds Barred, One FC, real professional wrestling

(Photo of Ben Askren vs. Quentin Wright from Agon 1 courtesy of Agon Wrestling Championships.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio of the January 16 media conference call hosted by the Agon Wrestling Championships.

Participating on this call were Agon matchmaker and wrestler, undefeated ONE FC fighter, U.S. Olympian, and two-time NCAA Div. I national champion Ben Askren; NCAA Div. I national champion and Agon wrestler Max Askren; and Agon co-founder Mike DiSabato.

Agon 3 will be held Sunday, January 26, at the Williams Center in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It will be webcast live on the Agon web site.

Ben Askren will headline Agon 3 with a bout against Mike Poeta, who is an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, a three-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA finalist for Illinois. Max Askren will face Michigan native Ben Bennett. NCAA champion Craig Becker is slated to face John Mesenbrink. And college coaches Luke Smith and Chris Heilman will complete the card.

Agon 3 is being billed as the "Festival of Funk" because of the unorthodox and popular wrestling style utilized by the Askren brothers.

The Agon Wrestling Championships is one of several organizations bringing back real professional wrestling, and uses a mix of American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling rules.

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: Agon Wrestling Championships, Ben Askren, Eddie Goldman, Max Askren, Mike DiSabato, MMA, No Holds Barred, One FC, real professional wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio of the December 9 media conference call hosted by the Agon Wrestling Championships.

Participating on this call were Agon matchmaker, undefeated MMA fighter, U.S. Olympian, and two-time NCAA Div. I national champion Ben Askren; NCAA Div. I national champion and current head wrestling coach at South Dakota State University Chris Bono; two-time NCAA Div. I national champion and current U.S. national team member in freestyle wrestling Brent Metcalf; NCAA Div. I national champion Max Askren; Agon co-founder Mike DiSabato; and Agon Commissioner Dave Dean. Asking questions were numerous members of the wrestling media.

Agon 2 will be held Sunday, December 22, at the Perani Arena & Event Center in Flint, Michigan. The main event will feature a match between Chris Bono and Brent Metcalf. The Agon Wrestling Championships is one of several organizations bringing back real professional wrestling, and uses a mix of American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling rules.

It was on this call that Ben Askren first officially announced that he had signed to fight with ONE FC, the largest MMA organization in Asia, beginning in 2014, as well as wrestling at an Agon event in January.

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: Agon Wrestling Championships, Ben Askren, Brent Metcalf, Chris Bono, Dave Dean, Eddie Goldman, Max Askren, Mike DiSabato, MMA, No Holds Barred, real professional wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman continues our coverage of the rebirth of real professional wrestling, with comments from Frank Molinaro, Mike Van Arsdale, and Ben Askren.

Frank Molinaro has already competed in two of these events. A 2012 NCAA Div. I champion at Penn State and now an assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers, on October 20, he defeated two-time All-American Kyle Borshoff by a score of 10-1 at the inaugural Tour ACW event in Pittsburgh. He was a late replacement for the injured Kyle Dake at the second annual Grapple at the Garden event held December 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York. There he faced 2011 NCAA Div. I national champion and 2007 junior world freestyle wrestling champion Bubba Jenkins, who also is an MMA fighter for Bellator. The match was held under American folkstyle rules. Tied 2-2 after three periods, it went to sudden victory overtime, with Jenkins scoring a takedown to win 4-2.

We spoke with Frank Molinaro after his match at Madison Square Garden.

While he is aiming at representing the USA in freestyle wrestling at the 2016 Olympics, he has his eyes on this rebirth of real professional wrestling. But he believes that much more needs to be done to guarantee its success.

"I kind of feel like everybody is out on their own plan and everyone's trying to start their own wrestling league," he said. "And I think at some point we're all going to have to come together and make one organization and have everyone contribute a piece to the puzzle and maybe get a great wrestling league out there."

We also replay comments on real professional wrestling from recent interviews on No Holds Barred with another NCAA Div. I champion and retired MMA fighter Mike Van Arsdale. He advocated "some kind of a tournament format." And we close with a response by two-time NCAA Div. I champion, 2008 Olympian, undefeated MMA fighter, and a victor at the first Agon Wrestling Championships on October 27, Ben Askren, about what the vast majority of wrestlers who have entered MMA would do if they could earn the same from wrestling as they do in MMA.

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: Agon, Ben Askren, Eddie Goldman, Frank Molinaro, Grapple, Madison Square Garden, Mike Van Arsdale, MMA, No Holds Barred, real professional wrestling, Tour ACW

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Nick Garone, the president of X-Cel Worldwide.

The main topic of our discussion was the second annual Grapple at the Garden.

This event will be held Sunday, December 1, at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York.

For the first time in almost 94 years, when Joe Stecher defeated Earl Caddock on January 30, 1920, to win the world heavyweight wrestling championship, there will be real professional wrestling at Madison Square Garden.

In the main event of Grapple at the Garden 2, four-time NCAA Division I national champion Kyle Dake, the only wrestler to win these championships in four different weight classes, will take on another former NCAA Division I national champion, Bubba Jenkins, who was also a freestyle wrestling junior world champion and is currently a professional MMA fighter. This match will be held under freestyle wrestling rules and is being promoted in association with X-Cel Worldwide.

The co-main event, just announced, is a match between Frankie Edgar, a former UFC lightweight champion and Division I All-American wrestler at Clarion, and Phillipe Nover, who is the current Ring of Combat MMA lightweight champion and will represent the Renzo Gracie Academy.

The card also has numerous college wrestling dual meets, involving Army, Bloomsburg, Boston University, Cornell, Drexel, George Mason, Hofstra, Illinois, Maryland, Penn, Princeton, and Rutgers, as well as four local wrestling programs including Stevens Institute of Technology and NYU in an NCAA Division III matchup, and a match between NCWA men's club teams from Stony Brook University and Westchester Community College.

The card also includes the Renzo Gracie Academy vs. Team Joe Warren, with numerous MMA fighters such as "King" Mo Lawal and Joe Warren himself wrestling; top USA Wrestling senior clubs from the New York Athletic Club and the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club; a team USA vs. team Canada in two women's freestyle wrestling matches with 2012 world champion and three-time world medalist Adeline Gray of the U.S. vs. Canadian World Team member Erica Wiebe, and 2012 world silver medalist Helen Maroulis of the U.S. vs. Canadian World Team member Jillian Gallays; the finals of the Beat The Streets PSAL Thanksgiving Dual Meet Invitational in high school wrestling; and the finals of the inaugural Grapple at the Garden middle school championship, produced in association with the Metropolitan Wrestling Association.

The full card, which of course is subject to change, can be seen here.

We spoke with Nick Garone by phone Sunday.

"One of the things that is so exciting about this opportunity is the venue," he said. "The venue is just second to none. It's the Mecca. It's the most famous arena on earth, in the world. People know it from all around the world, from China, to London, from California to Maine, everybody knows Madison Square Garden."

The event is also aimed at a broad audience.

"We really don't want to attract just wrestling people," he said. "Wrestling fans are going to be into it. Wrestling fans are going to come out and they're going to support. We really want people to appreciate the great athletes that this sport produces."

As for the athletes, he added, "This is giving them an opportunity to make a little money in their own sport, give the sport publicity, and as well be a good will ambassador for their style of wrestling."

We also discussed that while many Division I college wrestling programs have been dropped in recent years, there has been an actual growth of the number of college wrestling programs overall, that the sport of wrestling is growing in the U.S. on the grassroots level, 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: Bubba Jenkins, college, Eddie Goldman, Frankie Edgar, freestyle, Grapple at Garden, Kyle Dake, Madison Square Garden, Nick Garone, No Holds Barred, real professional wrestling, X-Cel Worldwide

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with the only college wrestler ever to win four NCAA Division I national championships in four different weight classes, Kyle Dake.

Now that his college wrestling career is over, besides aiming to wrestle in the Olympics, he is very much involved in many aspects of the sport of wrestling. He is currently serving as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Cornell, as well as appearing at various wrestling events and wrestling camps, and preparing to compete in international wrestling competitions.

He will be returning to action in a freestyle wrestling match in the main event of the second annual Grapple at the Garden on Sunday, December 1, at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York. His opponent will be another former NCAA Division I national champion, Bubba Jenkins, who was also a freestyle wrestling junior world champion and is currently a professional MMA fighter.

We spoke with Kyle Dake by phone Tuesday.

"It's a great time to try to be a professional wrestler, because there's so many opportunities," he said. "It's unfortunate that when I say professional wrestler, 99 percent of the population thinks of WWE, WWF, things like that."

He continued, "I think of myself as a professional, I really do. It's my job to be the best that I can be. I don't think of myself any different than, say, a UFC fighter, or a basketball player, or a baseball player. I'm trying to reach the peak of wrestling."

We also discussed his full-time training at Cornell, the need for wrestling to adapt to what fans want to see, his preference for remaining in wrestling rather than transitioning to MMA or grappling, and much, 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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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: college, Cornell, Eddie Goldman, freestyle, Grapple at Garden, Kyle Dake, Madison Square Garden, No Holds Barred, real professional wrestling