We finally know what Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have been putting over on X for a little while now. OK, so we’ve known for a few weeks, but the plans are now public.
Hogan, a Mt. Rushmore professional wrestler (in terms of what he meant to the biz) and Bischoff, WCW’s greatest promoter, have joined forces 25 years after their great nWo run to launch Real American Freestyle, an “unscripted” freestyle-wrestling league. What that means in layman’s terms is this is not the WWE-style wrestling they’re both known for — rather it is amateur-style wrestling, but with (real, American) money at stake.
It’s “a legitimate sports competition,” Bischoff told The Hollywood Reporter, “not a scripted sports competition or form of entertainment.”
The “integrity” of the grappling competition will be “impeccable,” Hogan said, though the league is also promising “high-impact moves designed to captivate modern audiences,” per the announcement. So however those go together.
Real American Freestyle is current seeking a media partner — ideally a “longterm” one, in Bischoff’s words, “somebody that brings more to the table than just a streaming platform.”
“This is a sport that needs to be built. The sport exists, but as a television property in a professional league, it doesn’t,” he said. “I’m not unrealistic so far as how much work that’s going to take — and time.”
The guys are not without any partners. Left Lane Capital is their lead financier, with Cassius (an “early-stage technology investor,” per its website) also kicking in money. Hogan’s Real American Beer will serve as title sponsor, brother. USA Wrestling, the NCAA and NIL organizations as also on board, allowing wrestlers to compete “regardless of their NCAA status,” according to the announcement.
And yes, you can make money here. There will be bonuses for wins and championship purses (that adhere to NCAA regulations). Amateur-style wrestling has historically not provided a potential career path for its top athletes. After the NCAA Championships and maybe the Olympics, competitors could try hands in WWE-style professional wrestling or UFC-style mixed martial arts — or they could “go get a job as a plumber or an electrician,” as Hogan put it.
In Real American Freestyle, there will be an opportunity for these athletes to make “seven figures,” the guys told THR. They did not share more about the structure of the athletes’ pay.
“Everybody makes their own deal, brother,” Hogan said.
The Real American Freestyle roster already includes 40 athletes ranging from 18-40 years old, Hogan and Bischoff told THR. Atop their call sheet are Ben Askren (Olympian, Pan American champion, mixed martial artist, and professional boxer), Kennedy Blades (Olympian and World Champion) and Zahid Valencia (National Champion and World Champion).
There is a much-hyped “third man” joining Hogan and Bischoff: Israel “Izzy” Martinez, a legendary amateur-wrestling coach. Hogan and Bischoff began teasing this whole thing with a very WWE-style vignette (above) that doubled as a callback to their old WCW days.
Back then, Hogan, the eat-your-vitamins good guy (the “Real American,” hence the league’s and the beer’s name), traded in WWF (at the time) and Hulkamania for a heel turn in WCW. Hogan shocked the pro-wrestling world when he was revealed to be the “third man” in heel faction nWo, joining Scott Hall (“Razor Ramon” in WWE) and Kevin Nash (“Diesel” in WWE) at the WCW Bash at the Beach pay-per-view.
Bischoff penned that legendary nWo “Invasion” storyline, and he remains the storyteller here. He called freestyle wrestlers “fascinating people” with “fascinating” stories The level of sacrifice and discipline these men and women endure is unparalleled in most other sports.
“Bringing that to life, along with higher-quality production values and showcasing these events and the drama that comes with them is what is going to take us to where we want to go,” Bischoff said.
Where they want to go is the big time. As commissioner of Real American Freestyle, Hogan says his main goal is getting into the same “quality arenas, big venues” as WWE and the UFC. The first Real American Freestyle event is set for this summer in Cleveland, Ohio, though the exact venue is being kept under wraps for now. Their events will feature eight weight classes with eight nine-minutes matches for men and four for women.
Though the wrestling will be very different than what we see today with WWE and AEW, the presentation will borrow a whole lot. Though “early days,” the mat (or the stage — whatever it ends up being) will likely be raised like a pro-wrestling or boxing ring, Bischoff said.
They also need “things that engage the senses beyond a win and a loss,” like lighting and music, he said. There will be entrances and themes (a la pro-wrestling) as well as highly-produced packages introducing the athletes to fans and potential viewers. For those, he’s not looking to WWE — he’s looking to The Voice.
“I was amazed at the quality of the packages, the video biographies that they do,” Bischoff said. “On a piece of paper, what is The Voice? It’s a singing competition, a musical competition. Well, they’ve been around since Battle of the Bands in the 60s. That’s nothing new. But what is new and special with The Voice and others like it is, they spent so much time producing these packages where you really get to know how these singers, how these performers got to where they are — and those stories, to me, are what made that show.”
“That’s what we want to do for these athletes,” he continued. “Because with that comes a connection to the audience, connection to sponsors, connection to all kinds of other good things. But it starts with showcasing those personalities.”
Those personalities are already shining through for Hogan, who admitted to initially being “worried” about that “essential” piece.
“A lot of these guys…got that Conor McGregor swagger. They’ve all been watching TV. They’ve been watching the promos of (pro-)wrestlers,” Hogan said. “We’re paying them, brother, and that should add to the natural instinct for greatness, aggression. Show your ass a little bit, you know?”
The nWo invades WCW
WWE/Getty Images
It’s good for the goose and gander — in this situation, for the league and the wrestler.
“The bigger star you become, the more you win, your merchandise and everything’s going to sell, you’re going to make your money,” Hogan said. “I think it’s going to turn the knob up on the promos and what they have to say.”
There’s another really good business opportunity here: sell to TKO.
TKO, the publicly-traded WWE/UFC merger company that is just gobbling up combat sports leagues left and right.
”Well, for me, that’s always an option down the road,” Hogan said. “We need to turn this into a monster first.”