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James is now an 8x World Team member and will wrestle in his 8th World Championships later this month. He also recently took a coaching job on staff at Virginia Tech. 1:00 - James first experience at VT was during COVID 3:50 - James coached at USA Wrestling for a year 7:30 - Thinking “I still got it” after retirement 9:45 - Partial hip replacement 12:45 - Back to Nebraska and competing 15:15 - VT comes knocking 21:45 - James didn’t think he would make it at Nebraska initially 23:20 - VT is in a strong position today 25:15 - Bo Bassett, teammates and coach/athlete relationship 27:15 - Feeling much better at 74kg than 70kg and especially 65kg 31:40 - Mark Manning and Peyton Robb will be coaching and training partner for Worlds 32:40 - Changes in freestyle wrestling since 2015 35:10 - Experience is on his side going into 8th World Championships 37:50 - All-time favorite wrestler 39:00 - Great story of why JB is such a dawg 42:30 - Wins and whoopins #TheBaderShow #SeniorWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chance Marsteller just beat returning World Champion Georgio Kougioumtsidis at RAF, awakening him from what he called a "slumber". 0:30 - Real American Freestyle 2:40 - Georgios Kougioumtsidis, World Champ, RAF opponent 9:45 - Getting into & out of a slumber. Enjo y it. 12:35 - When we enjoy it, gas tank goes up 15:00 - “You saved my life, Chance” 17:00 - The winning 4 pt move 19:20 - Split second decision making in matches 20:30 - Rib injury against Levi Haines 24:00 - Chance’s Golden Wolf RTC. Today, and the vision. 30:40 - The Treigning Lab 32:45 - Steller Trained 38:45 - Aaron Seidel, World Champ 43:00 - Real Woods vs Aaron Seidel 45:10 - Fan questions 52:10 - Chance’s all-time favorite wrestler #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yianni won 4 NCAA titles at Cornell and a Senior World silver to go along with his two cadet golds. He's recently joined the staff at Cornell as an assistant coach. 0:45 - Running his first clinic at VHS with a big brace 2:50 - Approach to coaching 4:10 - Being coached vs having a feel for positions 7:15 - Coaching vs being coached 10:45 - Working on the mental/emotional, relationship side 14:10 - Garage home practices as a kid 16:25 - Practices at Cornell 17:30 - Hip injury 20:10 - Might Yianni compete again? 27:30 - Reflecting on his career 30:00 - Has Yianni experienced burnout? 35:00 - NCAA vs World Championships - The experience 43:15 - Final X 2025 vs PJ Duke, health episode 53:00 - Coach chuzz 53:40 - The increasing number of young elite kids 56:25 - Real Woods vs Bo Bassett 58:50 - Fan questions 1:03:00 - Working with RTC and Vito 1:05:20 - Wins and whoopins #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aeoden Sinclair recently won a U20 World Title, after finishing 3rd at the NCAAs as a freshman. 0:30 - Becoming a world champ 1:10 - Believing he could be a world champ 2:50 - Comebacks were new for Aeoden at Worlds 4:30 - College wrestling is so hard, an advantage for hard matches 10:00 - Watching world semifinals and finals comebacks 20:30 - U20 Team Champions! 23:00 - Uniqueness of world championships 24:45 - Naked sauna, spa and the thai massage 34:00 - NCAA, RAF, USA, UWW 37:00 - Aeoden’s thoughts on his freshman year 38:00 - Aeoden considers NCAA loss to Ferrari as an upset 41:00 - Take time off the mat? Nah, just have fun 45:10 - Book reports for wrestling practice at AWA 55:00 - Fan questions #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Seidel was third at NCAAs as a true freshman for Virginia Tech and recently won a U20 World Championship in dominant fashion. 0:30 - Savage Seidel 2:00 - Making a big jump this year 3:20 - Intro to wrestling and getting hooked 5:15 - Being from PA and getting good on top 7:00 - Never won states before high school 9:20 - Chasing Jax Forrest going for his fourth state title 11:20 - Chance Marsteller, being intimidated 15:15 - Deciding to wrestle in college and Virginia Tech 18:30 - Broken hand before first college competition 25:00 - Wrecking everyone at Midlands, his first competition 28:20 - Jax Forrest and NCAAs 31:30 - Watching and attending NCAAs 35:00 - Enjoying 3rd place and freestyle season 36:30 - Winning U20 World Championship 40:45 - Bo Bassett, now a teammate 42:30 - James Green, coach and competitor 43:30 - Fan questions 46:10 - All-time favorite wrestler 47:00 - Wins and whoopins #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nolf recently beat Evan Wick at RAF, avenging a loss from a year ago. We dig in about a potential Olympic run but I wouldn't hold your breathe. He's coaching a wrestling club and using that experience to fuel and shape his business, Athlete's Ocean. 1:00 - Putting jiu jitsu to the side 6:00 - Wrestling in RAF 1 with 3 days of training 11:00 - Bo Nickal and timing 13:30 - Training evolution for RAF 18:40 - Nolf’s unique entrances at RAF 21:15 - Rematch vs Wick 27:30 - Any chance at Olympic run? 34:45 - The older you get, the less you train 38:55 - Texas wrestling culture vs Pennsylvania 42:45 - Nolf Wrestling Academy 44:15 - Ocean Team Spaces 46:40 - Building his product around his needs 48:00 - Questions from friends 50:15 - Nolf tore his knee in match 1 against Dake in Olympic Trials 1:00:00 - How does Nolf use AI? #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FloWrestling's Tyler Meisinger joins the show to talk about growing up in southern California, getting into wrestling, how he developed his passion for video and growth as a wrestler at the University of Michigan. 00:00 - Arm wrestling 03:25 - Growing up by the beach 04:48 - Finding wrestling 06:53 - The first practice & shark bait 10:13 - Taekwondo helped with wrestling 13:25 - Going all-in on wrestling 17:58 - Growing up in the YouTube era 24:41 - High school success and setbacks 28:26 - The driver's license goal: Winning a CIF title to earn his license 32:16 - The senior year breakthrough: Placing at the California state tournament. 37:11 - The road to Division 1, Michigan 40:43 - Freshman year at Michigan - sink or swim 43:46 - Developing video skills at Michigan 49:54 - Inspiration from the NCAA floor 51:11 - Earning the starting spot at Michigan 57:24 - The 2020 Big Ten Tournament 1:04:14 - The COVID-19 shutdown 1:08:43 - Post-college career, pre Flo 1:12:22 - The Michigan documentary 1:15:20 - Joining FloWrestling 1:21:55 - Favorite projects at Flo 1:28:49 - How Tyler uses AI for video editing, his all-time favorite wrestler, and his biggest "wins and whoopins." #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drake Ayala was a 2x NCAA finalist and 3x NCAA All-American for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He recently accepted an assistant coaching position at Iowa State. 1:00 - How healthy was Drake this season? 2:00 - The Freshman Fab Four (Jax, Davino, Blaze, Seidel) 4:10 - Last year wasn’t completely smooth for Drake and Hawkeyes 8:00 - Drake’s 2026 NCAAs11:00 - Iowa’s 2026 NCAAs13:30 - View of Iowa State as a Hawkeye 15:00 - Iowa - Iowa State rivalry 19:50 - Dealing with a tough year 22:50 - What were his plans for after graduation? 24:45 - How did Iowa State come about? 29:00 - Reactions from Iowa fans 31:45 - Being integrated at Iowa State 32:30 - Difference or similarities between Iowa and Iowa State 36:00 - Learning as a coach 40:20 - Questions from fans 44:30 - How does Drake use AI? 45:45 - Drake’s All-time favorite wrestler 47:20 - Wins and whoopins #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meyer Shapiro is transferring from Cornell to Nebraska after becoming a 3x All-American for Cornell. He joins the show to talk about his physical health, mental health and new home with the Huskers. 0:30 - Meyer is home in Maryland 1:35 - Health update 2:35 - Sitting out first semester 5:50 - 3 years and still no NCAA title 8:00 - The 2025 health scare 11:25 - Hurt neck, time off the mat 14:15 - Back on the mat 17:55 - Finishing 8th place at NCAAs 20:30 - Confidence & pressure 23:30 - Leaving Cornell for Nebraska 27:20 - Taking a Redshirt 30:20 - Open tournaments, freestyle? 33:30 - What will Meyer miss about Cornell? 35:45 - 157lbs and 74kg 37:00 - Questions from fans 39:20 - Build your own character 45:15 - Thinking about wrestling 48:20 - Wrestling Antrell Taylor 51:25 - Artificial intelligence 53:20 - Touring Meyer Farms, sauna and wrestling room #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May of 2025 Amit Elor wrestled in and won the World Team Trials while she was unknowingly pregnant. She stayed active and worked out the entire pregnancy. In May of 2026, about three and a half months after giving birth, Elor once again wrestled in and won the World Team Trials. She will compete in the World Championships this fall looking to earn her fourth World/Olympic gold medal. She joins The Bader Show to share her incredible journey. 0:45 - Baby update 1:35 - Finding out she was pregnant 4:05 - Amit wrestled at 2025 WTT while unknowingly pregnant 7:50 - Amit wrestled until 38 weeks pregnant 11:15 - A little too much working out sometimes 13:30 - Doctor’s advice 16:20 - Challenging parts of the pregnancy 21:00 - Giving birth 24:35 - Back to the gym three days later 28:10 - On the mat 2 weeks postpartum! 30:10 - Considering US Open and wrestling at WTT 34:07 - Not as strong this time 37:30 - What to do w baby during World Championships & training camps 41:10 - Pressure from competition is still there 42:30 - 2028? 2032? 44:45 - Content creator extraordinaire 49:00 - Pregnancy food cravings 54:45 - Fan questions 57:25 - How does Amit use AI? 58:45 - Wins and whoopins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Defending World Champion Trent Hidlay joins the show after a special Final X wrestle-off against his good friend Mike Macchiavello. Now Trent has his sights set on chasing a second consecutive World Title. 0:00 Intro 0:40 Why Trent Hidlay Missed Final X 2:27 Choosing Between Wrestling & His Wedding 6:21 Mike Macchiavello's Impact On His Career 10:19 The Brutal NC State Practice Battles 15:01 Preparing To Wrestle Your Best Friend 17:20 Was It Awkward Wrestling Mike? 20:37 Final X Win & Wedding Week 23:04 Watching Final X During His Wedding 24:03 Honeymoon In Santorini 25:38 RAF Match Preview 27:29 Thoughts On Snyder vs Sadulaev 29:24 Does Winning Really Make You Happy? 32:51 Hayden Hidlay Returns To NC State 36:46 Nobody Saw This At The World Championships 39:24 The Moment He Almost Gave Up In The World Finals 42:12 Celebrating A World Title In Croatia 43:29 Learning To Fight Through Doubt 45:46 Is Trent More Confident Now? 46:06 Life After Becoming World Champion #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wyatt Hendrickson beat World Bronze medalist Mason Parris in two straight matches at Final X to make his second straight World Team. He will represent Team USA at the World Championships later this year. 0:30 - This summer will be different from last summer 2:00 - Wrestling Mason Parris at the Ranking Series tournament 4:15 - Wyatt’s thoughts on Final X matches 5:00 - Wyatt almost got pinned 6:30 - Challenges, reviews & new rules 12:45 - Rewatching a scramble against Parris 14:40 - Extra wrestling at the end of match 2 17:00 - Teammates losing and locker room tone 20:00 - Teammates keeping Wyatt accountable 23:50 - Learned a lot wrestling Bahrain and getting pinned 26:00 - Picturing wrestling Zare 27:30 - Wyatt vs Gable? 28:50 - Sweat it out (Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma) 31:40 - Artificial Intelligence, how does Wyatt use it? 34:00 - The final word - Live the Word #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get to know the story behind FloWrestling's international guru, Jon Kozak. 0:50 - Backstory, sports nut & wrestling 7:00 - Relationship with dad and wrestling 9:45 - Wrestling success 12:35 - Broke his leg in a match 18:30 - Felt good about the end of wrestling career 19:00 - Church, Bible college 22:00 - College baseball 24:30 - Jon became a pastor, started a church 26:30 - Became a huge MMA fan 28:15 - JB success brought Kozak back to wrestling 31:30 - The Yarygin FloFilm 33:33 - Starting to create wrestling content 39:30 - Started doing rankings for Flo 42:10 - Final X talk 56:25 - Kozak’s all-time favorite wrestler 57:00 - How does Kozak use AI? 59:00 - Wins and whoopins #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IMG Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in the country and specializes in sports. They have started a wrestling program and Director of wrestling, Enock Francois and head coach Kevin Jack join the show to talk about their school, the vision and the future. 0:45 - What is IMG Academy? 3:15 - Sports education institution 5:45 - IMG is starting a wrestling program 8:15 - Why was Enock sold, immediately? 9:50 - Wanting to reflect a D1 program 11:00 - Head coach Kevin Jack 13:00 - Director of wrestling / Athletic director for wrestling 17:00 - What will IMG’s competition schedule look like? 21:30 - How are they putting a team together? 23:00 - The financial component with tuition, financial aid 27:30 - Five years down the road 30:00 - Enock learning under Rob Koll, thinking outside the box 35:00 - New ways to be creative at IMG 40:20 - Creating something and building trust from scratch 41:30 - They will be competing next season 43:30 - The final word #TheBaderShow IMG Wrestling questionnaire: https://forms.imgacademy.com/view.php... IMG Wrestling Camps: https://shop.imgacademy.com/pages/boo... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Macchiavello won his third US Open title and is headed back to Final X for the second time. He will face returning World Champion and friend, Trent Hidlay, whose wedding he will attend this summer. 0:50 - Why the headgear in freestyle? 2:00 - The young guys are so tough and hungry 4:30 - Internal emotions tied to wrestling 8:20 - How Macch and Trent Hidlay became friends 11:00 - Trent was Macch’s Final X training partner in 2023 11:30 - Feeling Trent improve over time 13:40 - Realizing Trent could be an opponent 14:30 - “See you at Final X” - they joked 19:00 - Emotionally preparing to wrestle a friend 21:00 - Macch and Trent wrestled in Zagreb this past February 27:00 - Gameplanning for Trent Hidlay 28:30 - Trent and Macch talk lately? 31:15 - Wedding talk, when’s the Final X wrestle-off? 33:40 - Watching Trent win a World title last year! 38:00 - How does Macch use artificial intelligence? 41:45 - Who is Macch’s all-time favorite wrestler? 44:35 - Wins and whoopins 48:06 - Macch will be on staff at West Point 49:15 - Macch looks like Jorge Masvidal 51:45 - Macch’s final word #TheBaderShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices