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“100 Matches Later”: Drake Gallows Reflects on Milestone, Motivation, and What Comes Next

Posted: Aug 6th 2025 By: Lyndsay Steele

It’s a sweltering Tuesday afternoon inside the DG Dojo, but the man sitting across from me barely breaks a sweat. Drake Gallows — founder of Unified Wrestling Oklahoma, head coach of the DG Dojo, and the heart of indie wrestling in this state — is calm, clear-eyed, and just days away from completing something that once seemed unthinkable.

“On August 10th,” he says with a small, tired smile, “I wrestle Owen! for the Dojo Division Title. And that'll be match number 100 since January.”

Yes, one hundred one-on-one matches in just over seven months. Most of them held within these very walls — and, crucially, all of them filmed and posted online for the world to see. For Gallows, this wasn’t just a private challenge. It became a public promise.

LS: Let’s start with the obvious: Why? Why take this on, on top of everything else you do?

DG: I got asked that back in January and I still don’t have a sexy answer. Honestly, it started as a personal challenge.I thought it’d keep me sharp. I didn’t expect it to become something this big. The Dojo’s students range from day-one beginners to seasoned locals trying to fine-tune their timing. Drake’s sessions are long, technical, and brutally honest. The matches, posted on UWO’s platforms, have quietly built a cult following — not for their polish, but for their purity. No gimmicks. No grand entrances. Just wrestling.

LS: You’re not exactly taking it easy the rest of the time, either. You’re running the shows, booking talent, running your own life. Did you ever hit a wall?

DG: Oh yeah. February was rough. March was worse. I had a stretch where I could barely lift my arm. I recently discovered I had broken my collar bone and I was still rolling. I had to change my routine. Started stretching at heoufhout the day just to get moving. That’s been humbling.

Gallows lights up when talking about his students. He name-drops them constantly, not as protégés green horns or rookies, but as equals — peers he's learning from just as much as they’re learning from him.

LS: You made the decision to post every match online. Why go public with something so personal?

DG: Easy, we film everything! I figured, if I’m asking these kids to put themselves out there, I should too. We keep it raw, uncut — no commentary, no edits. Just bell to bell. People can watch us grow. They can see the real work, not just the highlight reel.

LS: What’s the mental side been like? Competing this hard, this often, with no break in sight?

DG: It gets quiet in your head. I’ve had days where I didn’t want to talk to anybody, but I knew I had to walk in and be present. That’s the job. That’s the privilege. I started noticing that when I wrestled, I could shake off everything else for about 8 minutes a day. And for me, that was enough.

As the 100th match nears — against Owen!, one of his sharpest students and most explosive competitors — there’s a sense of quiet finality in the air. But Gallows doesn’t seem interested in a victory lap.

LS: You ever worry about burnout? About pushing too hard?

DG: I worry more about coasting. I love this. I love teaching. I love wrestling. I love Oklahoma. If my back goes out tomorrow, I’ll still be here with a whistle and a clipboard yelling about footwork. Until then — I’m gonna keep going.

LS: So what happens after August 10th?

DG: I take a nap. And then I ask what the next challenge is. There’s no off season in wrestling so we just figure out what our next big goal is and shoot for it.

One hundred matches. All on tape. All in the open. No banners. No confetti. Just another day at the DG Dojo.