Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan is stepping into a new ring, announcing the creation of a professional freestyle wrestling league that aims to transform the amateur sport into mainstream entertainment.
The league will debut on August 30th in Cleveland, marking the first stop in what Hogan describes as a tour of “all the major venues” across the country.
Speaking about the venture, Hogan emphasized the crucial role of his business partner Eric in the operation. “Eric’s so darn important to this venture, he knows how to deliver, produce, and make the fans care about these athletes,” Hogan said.
The new organization plans to differentiate itself by focusing on storytelling, drawing inspiration from reality competition shows. “When Eric was explaining it to me, he goes, it’s like ‘The Voice.’ You shoot the back story, he broke his leg when he was younger, his family fell apart, or he got rewards for wrestling growing up,” Hogan explained. “But once we find out what the back story is, when these guys come through the tunnel, they already care about the athletes.”
Hogan, who built his career on charisma and entertainment value in professional wrestling, initially expressed concerns about the performers’ personalities. “I was worried about these young guys being like flat white bread, you know?” he admitted.
However, those concerns were quickly dispelled after meeting the athletes. “Once I got around, they all got that Conor McGregor swagger. They’ve been watching TV, they’ve been watching promos. They know about branding, they understand the opportunity,” Hogan said.
The wrestling legend highlighted the dual benefits for competitors joining the league: “Not only to make a ton of money doing what they love, freestyle wrestling, but” to also build their personal brands and connect with fans in new ways.
Industry analysts suggest this venture could potentially bridge the gap between collegiate wrestling’s competitive focus and professional wrestling’s entertainment elements, creating a new hybrid that showcases authentic athletic competition with enhanced storytelling.
While the complete roster of wrestlers has not yet been announced, the organization is expected to attract top talent from collegiate and international freestyle wrestling backgrounds.
Real American Freestyle debuts August 30th in Cleveland, OH.
