Hulk Hogan is setting bold expectations for the newly launched Real American Freestyle Wrestling promotion, vowing to build it into a powerhouse on par with, or even surpassing, WWE and UFC.
The new league, co-founded by Hogan and longtime collaborator Eric Bischoff, has become a hot topic in wrestling circles. With the first event scheduled for August 30, fans will be watching closely to see how the project unfolds.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, Hogan shared his ambitious vision for the promotion, which blends the athleticism of freestyle wrestling with professional entertainment and athlete compensation.
“Yes it is,” Hogan said when asked if the promotion was meant to rival industry giants. “It’s freestyle wrestling and it’s professional now because we get to pay the athletes.”
A key figure in the promotion’s strategy is Izzy Martinez, a well-known coach with experience training Olympic athletes, NCAA champions, and top collegiate wrestlers. Hogan credits Martinez as the central figure in building the promotion’s talent base.
“Izzy is our linchpin. He has trained all of the Olympic athletes, all the NCAA champions, all the college kids that really have made it,” Hogan explained. “He was our source to pull in all these great athletes and get everybody signed.”
While Hogan insists the goal isn’t direct competition with WWE or UFC, he made it clear that the bar is set high.
“Our goal is not to be competitive with Dana White and the UFC or the WWE, but to be just as big or bigger because this is an underserved market,” he said.
Which Major Pro Wrestling Staple Did Hulk Hogan Claim He Invented?
Hulk Hogan recently made a claim that he was one of the first wrestlers to use entrance music. Hogan said that on a show early in his career at Madison Square Garden, he was told music was not allowed at the venue, so he paid the sound operator $500 to play music for his entrance. This, Hogan says, prompted Vince McMahon to start having entrance themes for all of the wrestlers.
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H/t to Fightful.com