Fox Nation will be the exclusive broadcast partner for Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff’s Real American Freestyle wrestling league. The inaugural event, RAF01, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 30 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. A second event, which will also stream on the Fox News subscription digital-video platform, will take place in the fall. The venue for that one is currently TBD.
Real American Freestyle, abbreviated RAF by the WWF and WCW legends, is an amateur-style wrestling competition. Think the Olympics, not WWE — but with plenty of pro-wrestling theatrics. Chad Bronstein is the third partner in the league.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Real American Freestyle team as they build a visionary brand that redefines the future of wrestling,” Fox Nation president Lauren Petterson said in a statement. “Fusing elite athleticism with unmatched entertainment, it’s an honor to be part of the new era of the world’s oldest and most iconic sport.”
“Real American Freestyle is creating something that’s never been done before, and we needed a partner that understood that and could build with us,” Hogan, the commissioner of Real American Freestyle, said. “Fox Nation is synergistic with our brand, they appreciate the importance of bringing this sport to the masses, and they believe in our goal.”
Hogan’s longtime good-guy ring entrance was “Real American,” so there is certainly that positioning. He’s also stumped for Trump at various events, including the Republic National Convention. Hogan also cofounded and promotes beer brand Real American Beer.
“Fox Nation immediately understood the vision we had for Real American Freestyle making them the perfect partner for this historic media rights deal and the first of its kind in the sport,” Bischoff, the former head of WCW creative and current RAF chief media officer, added. “Having the right broadcast partner is critical to putting on a good show for the fans and we are thrilled to be working with Fox.”
“Our goal in creating Real American Freestyle was to make historical moves to professionalize the sport of wrestling,” Chad Bronstein, co-founder and CEO, said. “This partnership with Fox Nation will create a platform the athletes deserve and bring freestyle wrestling to our fans at home.”
The league’s head coach is freestyle-wrestling icon Izzy Martinez. Kurt Angle, a legend in both kinds of wrestling, recently joined as a commentator. Former MMA champions Chael Sonnen and Bubba Jenkins will also provide analysis at the promotion’s initial live event.
Thus far, that first card includes:
Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas
Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia
Darrion Caldwell vs. Real Woods
Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer
Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera
Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez
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