Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff recently announced a brand new joint-venture after two wrestling promos cut in an nWo style, with the "Hulkster" clearly going back to his "Hollywood Hogan" persona. In light of their Real American Freestyle Wrestling venture, "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" shared some behind-the-scenes information on the venture and the potential pitfalls Hogan and Bischoff could fall into.
According to the report, similar ventures were attempted in the past, most notably in the 1970's where things fell apart quickly after those involved failed to draw. Furthermore, it claimed that Hogan was inspired to undertake the venture after watching Wyatt Hendrickson beat Gable Steveson in the 2025 NCCA Heavyweight Championship final. "When I saw that happen and I saw our President hug him, I went, okay, we are on point, we're ready to go and instincts have prevailed and I smell victory," WON claimed Hogan said. "I think we are on the right track, brother."
The report then noted that the plan for RAFW is to have a debut show in Cleveland end of August this year, with twelve matches: eight men in eight weight classes, and four women's matches. The promotion will also focus on using both college wrestlers and veteran wrestlers who have competed at the national and international levels. Additionally, Hogan plans to use RAFW to facilitate a rematch between Steveson and Hendrickson, admitting that it is "on the radar" despite neither men having signed with them yet.
Furthermore, the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" report briefly noted that Hulk Hogan's RealAmerican Beer will naturally be the title sponsor, and that business man, Chad Bronstein, is listed as the co-founder of the company. In the case ofEric Bischoff, the report claims he'll be the Chief Media Officer."Eric jumped in with both feet, and he's doing a lot to guide this ship right now, brother," WON claims Hogan said. "He's getting so much stuff up production wisejust moving us forward, light years ahead of where we could have been on our own."Additionally, the report added that Hogan will be the public face and commissioner, Eric Bischoff will be handling media, and Bronstein will be running the promotion.
The report then suggested that having Hogan as the front guy seems like a major miscalculation, considering his reputation with the general public as well as those in amateur wrestling, who see him as the one who represents "fake wrestling." However, it goes on to further note that Hogan can likely gain mainstream recognition for Real American Freestyle Wrestling, but adds that the audience might largely be over 50.
Naturally, it also touched on the "third guy," Israel Martinez, noting how he previously coached Greg Jackson's MMA team, trained Jon Jones, Holly Holm, and Yair Rodriguez, as well as NCAA champion, Tony Ramos, and will be the Chief Operating Officer."Izzy's our linchpin," WON claimed Hogan said. "He has trained all the Olympic athletes, all the NCAA champions, all the college kids that really have made it. And he was our source to pull in all these great athletes and get everybody signed."
When it comes to the future of Real AmericanFreestyle Wrestling, Hulk Hogan has massive aspirations."Our goal is not to be competitive with Dana White, the UFC, or the WWE, but to be just as big or bigger because this is an underserved market," the report asserts Hogan said. Whilst the "Hulkster" has lofty dreams for RAFW, WON pointed out that the concept has never worked outside of the NCAA tournament itself.
Interestingly, WON speculates that both Bischoff and Hogan are likely aware that the project will fail, and are simply trying to make some money. The report then claimed that Bischoff aims to gain a short-term media deal and is aware that the sport will need time to build a legitimate audience. The report also notes that Hogan wants to take RAFW into major arenas, whichWON doesn't believe will be viable long term, and predicts that the promotion might only get some buzz early on before failing to generate enough income for larger venues.
"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 apparently said. "I think it's going to turn the knob up on the promos and what they have to say." However, WON noted that RAFW could get by through streaming deals or YouTube, but would need massive numbers to make money.
