Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff team up to launch Real American Freestyle, bring competitive wrestling to mainstream

Pro wrestling greats Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff teamed up with legendary coach Izzy Martinez to launch Real American Freestyle in hopes of bringing the sport to a mainstream audience as its popularity continues to grow in the United States.

Hogan and Bischoff are longtime friends who helped set the sports entertainment world on fire when they created the New World Order in World Championship Wrestling and overtook the then-World Wrestling Federation in the ratings war for more than 80 weeks. The two are bringing their storytelling approach to the center of the mat for this one-of-a-kind opportunity.

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"The Hulkster" explained to Fox News Digital that as he and his business partner Chad Bronstein began to explore the idea of creating a bigger venue for freestyle wrestling, they realized there was "more meat on the bone" and the broadcast landscape was hungry for more live sports.

"As we started digging around, we found the athletes (were) very interested. We found a partner that really had influence in that arena of NCAA champions, a gold medalist who has trained almost everybody in the world that is somebody and we decided to start moving forward with that idea," Hogan said. "And once Chad and I started to get into really deep water, I said, ‘Boy, we need to call Eric Bischoff' because production and television stuff and him knowing the amateur wrestling world himself, he just became the perfect partner to jump in there with us."

Bischoff, though known for his work in sports entertainment, wrestled in high school in freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines. He earned his black belt in martial arts as well.

He said when he first sat down with Hogan and Bronstein about the idea for a mainstream freestyle wrestling league, the "light bulbs" began to go off in his head.

"We’ve had a lot of success together. We’ve learned a lot together. We’ve had a lot of successes. We’ve had some challenges. We’ve been through it all, and when you go through that kind of war business wise with somebody and you come out of it and you’re still looking forward to doing business with them again, that’s a special relationship."

Bischoff said amateur wrestling is "incredibly popular" in the U.S. and the women’s side of the sport is growing faster than the men’s side.

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"It’s a completely underserved sport, meaning there’s no professional league that allows these amateurs to evolve like they would in any other sports and it’s such an underserved market, and I know having spent a little bit of time in amateur wrestling as a kid, these are unique athletes," he said.

"Every athlete is committed, they have to be disciplined, but there’s something about individual sports, particularly, wrestling, it’s just a different kind of grind and you have to be wired a little differently to be successful at it."

Bischoff said he and Hogan plan to showcase them in a way no one has been able to do before.

Hogan and Bischoff used nostalgia to get the sports world talking days before the announcement of Real American Freestyle. They performed an old NWO vignette and teased a third man who would join them in this endeavor. The third man was revealed to be Martinez.

Martinez is one of the most accomplished wrestling coaches in the U.S. He was 27-0 in the 157-pound division at North Idaho College. He coached several NCAA All-Americans as well as UFC stars Holly Holm, Yair Rodriguez and Jon Jones.

Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades, another pupil of Martinez, is among the wrestlers on the roster. Real American Freestyle said in a news release that Ben Askren, David Carr and Zahid Valencia are set to be included as well.

"I’ve been an athlete and a coach in the sport of wrestling, and couldn’t be more proud of what the Real American Freestyle team has built," Martinez, the chief operating officer, added in the news release. "Until now, wrestlers have not had the opportunity to seek a professional career as there was not adequate funding or attention being paid to it. This league will provide them with a platform to not only do that, but build their skills, brand and legacy"

Real American Freestyle also has the backing of Left Lane Capital, something freestyle wrestling leagues have never had before. Real American Beer, Hogan’s beverage brand, is among the sponsors. Cassius was also named as one of the investors in the league.

The league said wrestling recently had the highest percentage of athletes among major high school sports for boys’ and girls’ teams, according to a 2024 study.

President Donald Trump got a firsthand look in March at just how big the sport is when he saw the NCAA championships up close and personal in Philadelphia. He witnessed Wyatt Hendrickson pull off an incredible upset of Gable Steveson in the final match.

Hogan told Fox News Digital that the president has a standing invitation for the opening night on Aug. 30 in Cleveland.

"There sure is, brother," Hogan said. "We’re really hoping he comes. It just lit me up when I saw him hug the American athletes that won. It was just amazing that he was into it."

Hogan and Bischoff both agreed that timing is everything and now is the right time to appeal to an underserved audience.

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