Ben Askren was on his way to see "Step Brothers" the other night, the Will Ferrell comedy. "Mat Brothers" would be more the movie of Askren's life.

Although it would no doubt have its comic elements, the movie would also make you smile about how real brothers can work together. Even if that's partly by beating the crud out of each other.

Ben, a two-time NCAA champion in wrestling while at Missouri, won the 163-pound class at the U.S. Olympic trials in June in Las Vegas. His younger brother Max, a rising junior at MU, competed in the 211.5-pound class but didn't earn an Olympic berth. Both, however, are headed to Beijing.

Wrestlers must have top-notch training partners to prepare for competitions. For Ben, there's nobody better than his brother.

"I wouldn't be where I'm at without Max," Ben said. "You know, in (college wrestling), the only person who could scramble anywhere as good as me was Max."

The college method is called "folkstyle" wrestling and has definite differences from international freestyle wrestling. Ben could take more risks and expose his back to the mat in college as he racked up victories.

Read the complete story at kansascity.com.