Real American Freestyle (RAF) is a newly launched professional freestyle wrestling league in the United States, founded in 2025 by Chad Bronstein, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Israel “Izzy” Martinez. Headquartered in Tampa and backed by venture capital firm Left Lane Capital, RAF is designed to give elite amateur wrestlers a true pro platform—something historically missing from collegiate and Olympic-style wrestling.
RAF’s mission is to “professionalize competitive wrestling and create a platform for elite athletes to compete in front of millions of fans.” Unlike scripted sports entertainment wrestling, RAF is unscripted, following competitive freestyle wrestling rules under a modified version of United World Wrestling and USA Wrestling standards. Matches are structured into three two-minute periods, with specific scoring systems for take downs, exposures, step-outs, reversals, and cautions (realamericanfreestyle.com).
The league is led by a management team combining deep wrestling expertise with entertainment experience. Hulk Hogan serves as commissioner, while Eric Bischoff is Chief Media Officer, and Izzy Martinez is COO. RAF has formed partnerships with USA Wrestling, NCAA/NIL collectives, and UFC, allowing currently eligible college wrestlers to compete without jeopardizing eligibility.
RAF launched with about 40 athletes on its roster, featuring a mix of Olympians, NCAA champions, and combat-sport crossover talent. The league supports both men’s and women’s divisions across multiple weight classes similar to international freestyle wrestling.
RAF held its inaugural event, “RAF 01: Hendrickson vs. Elders,” on August 30, 2025, at Cleveland’s Wolstein Center, which drew roughly 4,500 fans. The show featured a tribute to Hulk Hogan, who died earlier in 2025, and commentary by Kurt Angle, Bubba Jenkins, and Chael Sonnen. Their second event, “RAF 02: Dake vs. Makoev,” was held October 25, 2025, at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center with a live stream exclusively on Fox Nation. A third event, “RAF 03: Mendes vs. Chandler,” was scheduled for November 29, 2025, in Chicago. RAF has announced plans for a weekly, two-hour live television series starting in 2026(realamericanfreestyle.com)..
As of their inaugural event, RAF has crowned champions in multiple men’s and women’s weight classes. Notable titleholders include Wyatt Hendrickson (Heavyweight), Bo Nickal (Light Heavyweight), Kyle Dake (Cruiserweight), Yianni Diakomihalis (Lightweight), and Helen Maroulis (Women’s Flyweight), among others.
RAF is pushing into new territory by integrating live sports betting. In November 2025, they announced a multi-year partnership with ALT Sports Data, which makes RAF the first Olympic-style wrestling league to have official betting data distributed to major sports books.
RAF represents a major shift in the world of wrestling: instead of being limited to the amateur and collegiate circuits, top freestyle wrestlers now have a sustainable, professional outlet. The league combines the rigor and legitimacy of Olympic-style wrestling with the production values, storytelling, and commercial reach of modern sports entertainment. With its high-profile backers, broadcast platform, and betting integration, RAF aims not only to elevate wrestlers’ careers but also to grow the sport’s mainstream appeal.
The RAF is currently growing in numbers and could grow to be one of the biggest combat sport leagues in the world if they continue to grow their roster with legends as well as young talent and continue to find ways to keep it interesting.