ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Originally released in June of 2020, Assembly Fall was our second-ever audio documentary.

Dubbed as the biggest upset in Illinois history, Matt Kucala defied the odds and pinned the previously unbeaten Eric Tannenbaum at the 2001 IHSA state finals. Assembly Fall takes an in-depth look at that match and answers the question: is it the biggest upset in state history?

DIRECTORS’S TAKE

If you were a wrestling fan in 2001, you'll never forget where you were when you heard about the Tannenbaum-Kucala match. But most know almost nothing about the Tannenbaum and Kucala stories, as well as what happened in the hours and minutes leading up to that fateful match. Our mission with ‘Assembly Fall’ was to bring Eric and Matt’s stories to life. Most important, we wanted to show just what it takes to achieve something incredible, and how to respond after your lifelong goal is ripped from your hands - as it was for Tannenbaum. We also set out to answer the age-old question - is this the biggest upset in finals history?

Assembly Fall, I hope, answers these questions and shows a behind-the-curtain look at this incredible match. This episode was produced by Ryan Warner and the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast. For more information, please visit WrestlingChangedMyLife.com.