Pro Wrestling Greats Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff joined forces with legendary coach Izzy Martinez to launch Real American Freestyle in the hope of bringing the sport to a mainstream audience as its popularity continues to grow in the United States.

Hogan and Bischoff are long -time friends who helped set the sports entertainment world on fire as they created the new world order in the World Championship Wrestling and overtook the then World Wrestling Federation in Ratings War for more than 80 weeks. The two bring their storytelling approach to the middle of the mat to this unique opportunity.

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“The Hulkster” explained to Pakinomist Digital that when he and his business partner Chad Bronstein began exploring the idea of ​​creating a bigger place for freestyle wrestling, they realized there was “more meat on the bone” and that TV landscape was hungry for more live sports.

“When we started digging around, we found the athletes (were) very interested. We found a partner who really had an impact on this arena of NCAA masters, a gold medal that has trained almost everyone in the world, and we decided to start moving on with that idea,” Hogan said. “And when Tchad and I started getting into really deep water, I said, ‘Boy, we have to call Eric Bischoff’ because production and TV -TING and him knew the amateur breaker world himself, he just became the perfect partner to jump in there with us.”

Bischoff, though he was known for his work in sports entertainment, fought in high school in freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines. He also served his black belt in martial arts.

He said that when he first sat down with Hogan and Bronstein about the idea of ​​a mainstream freestyle wrestling League, “pears” began to get 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 shop with someone and you get out of it and you still look forward to doing business with them again, it’s a special relationship.”

Bischoff said amateur breaking is “incredibly popular” in the United States, and the women’s side of the sport is growing faster than men’s side.

Eric Bischoff will be part of Real American Freestyle. (Distribution to Pakinomist Digital)

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“It is a completely underrated sport, which means that there is no professional league that allows these amateurs to develop as they would do in any other sport, and it is such a underrated market and I know I have spent some time in amateur breaking as a child, this is unique athletes,” he said.

“Each athlete is engaged, they need to be disciplined, but there is something about individual sports, especially wrestling, it’s just another kind of grinding and you have to be fitted a little differently to succeed.”

Hulk Hogan speaks during the last day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

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

Hogan and Bischoff used nostalgia to get the sports world talk 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 skilled wrestling coaches in the United States, he was 27-0 in the 157-pound division at North Idaho College. He coached several NCAA All-Allers as well as UFC stars Holly Holm, Yair Rodriguez and Jon Jones.

The Olympic Silver Medal Kennedy Blades, another student of Martinez, is among Wrestlers on the guard plan. Real American Freestyle said in a news message that Ben Askren and Zahid Valencia are also set to be included.

“I’ve been an athlete and a coach in wrestling sports and couldn’t be more proud of what the real American freestyle team has built,” the Chief Operating Officer added to the news message. “Until now, Wrestlers have not had the opportunity to seek a professional career as there was insufficient financing or attention that was directed at it. This league will give them a platform not only to do so but build their skills, fire and inheritance”

Real American Freestyle also has the backing of the 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 large high school sports for boys and girls’ teams, according to a 2024 study.

President Donald Trump got a first -hand view of March just how big the sport is when he saw the NCAA championship close and personal in Philadelphia. He witnessed Wyatt Hendrickson withdrew an incredible revolt by Gable Steveson in the last match.

President Donald Trump, late. Dave McCormick, Elon Musk and Rep. Jim Jordan looks at the gentlemen’s ncaa -wrestling -competition at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 22, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Hogan told Pakinomist Digital that the president has a standing invitation for opening night on August 30 in Cleveland.

“There’s decided, brother,” Hogan said. “We really hope he comes. It just turned me on when I saw him hugging the American athletes who won. It was just astonishing that he was in it.”

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