Wrestling Icon Dan Gable On His New Film “The Last Champion,” Kurt Angle, The Iron Sheik & More
Per the newly-released film The Last Champion, John Wright was a hometown hero — the powerful star of his high school wrestling team and a promising Olympian — but one bad decision destroyed his dreams and forced him to leave under a cloud of scandal that has haunted him ever since. 20 years later, Wright returns to his small town after his mother’s death, hoping to save his family home from foreclosure. His icy reception proves that his former friends and neighbors still have not forgiven him for letting them down. Unexpectedly, John gets the opportunity to turn everything around by coaching his high school’s wrestling team. There he meets Michael, a talented underdog with a troubled home life who faces a vicious opponent out to destroy him both on and off the mat, leading to the question as to whether Wright can become the leader both the team and Michael need.
Cementing the legitimacy of the film The Last Champion — which stars Cole Hauser and Hallie Todd — it features both the acting and behind-the-scenes work of wrestling icon Dan Gable. Gable was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Gable is of course an Olympic Gold wrestler, a double NCAA Division wrestling champ for Iowa State, and the third wrestler inducted in Unite World Wrestling’s Hall of Fame Legend category. Gable coached Iowa to 21 consecutive Big Ten titles and 15 NCAA team championships. Without Gable clearing the path, it is unclear as to whether other amateur wrestlers could have forged long-term, mainstream careers; Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and The Iron Sheik being just 3 examples of competitve wrestlers who would later find success in the entertainment-based art known as professional wresting, while current WWE Superstar Chad Gable — himself a former U.S. Olympian — is literally named in honor of Dan Gable.
On December 15, 2020, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dan Gable via Zoom, as embedded below. We spoke about The Last Champion, his receiving of the aforementioned U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, professional wrestling — including whether or not he and The Iron Sheik ever wrestled — future projects, and more. Additional info on Gable can be found online at www.dangable.com, while more on The Last Champion is available by visiting its official website: www.thelastchampion.com.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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