New Documentary on Frank Gotch Planned

Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 | Documentary, Wrestling | No Comments

Two documentary filmmakers, one from Los Angeles and the other from Iowa, came to Mike’s house on November 20 to film him for a project they are doing about the early days of professional wrestling, with a heavy emphasis on Frank Gotch. They spent the previous day in the Humboldt area to film various spots where the Gotch legend began, and at Bickell Park, where the fabulous statue of Gotch stands tall along the river’s edge. Mike played a key role in that statue’s development and was the guest speaker at the unveiling in 2014.

Tags: Bickell Park, Frank Gotch, Frank Gotch Documentary, Humboldt

USA Takedown Radio Appearance

Thursday, October 20th, 2022 | Documentary, Podcast, Radio, Wrestling | No Comments

On Saturday, October 29, Mike will be a guest host on the USA Takedown radio show in the studio in Des Moines. Host Scott Casber is the founder of this 30-year-old program, and the entire show will be devoted to the new documentary “For the Love of Catch”. Curran Jacobs, producer and narrator of the documentary, will be interviewed along with several other stars that appeared in the documentary. The show is carried live from 8 to 10 AM central time each Saturday morning on 106.3 FM and 1460 KXNO. Fans can also listen online or on their mobile devices using the iHeart Radio app, free of charge, by searching USA Takedown.

Tags: Catch Wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Scott Casber

For the Love of Catch Documentary

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 | Documentary, Wrestling | No Comments

On October 1, Mike and Bev were special guests at the premiere of “For the Love of Catch” documentary, which is about the history of wrestling in all its forms. The premiere was held in Owasso, Michigan, the hometown of Curran Jacobs, who produced and narrated the film. Curran was captain of the Michigan State University team in 2012 and has a degree in theater arts. He has appeared in several movies and is the winner of several major tournaments in catch wresting, which allows submission holds and choke holds. Mike wrote the original script and is featured throughout the film, which begins with a trip to Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary Frank Gotch, and then to Iowa City for interviews with Dan Gable, and Tom and Terry Brands. And then to the little frontier village of New Salem, Illinois, to visit former Illinois coach and 1980 Olympian Mark Johnson on the very spot where Abe Lincoln wrestled Jack Armstrong in 1832.

Also appearing in the film are MMA stars Randy Couture, Dan “the Beast” Severn and Josh Barnett, Scott Casber, Takedown USA founder, and many others. The film can be seen on Amazon Prime and DVDs can also be purchased there.

Tags: Catch Wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Randy Couture