Appearing on Fox & Friends Thursday morning to promote the newly announced Real American Freestyle (RAF) Wrestling league, WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan set incredibly high expectations for the venture, declaring its potential to rival established giants like WWE and UFC. Hogan, serving as Commissioner for the new league, appeared alongside partner Eric Bischoff (Chief Media Officer) to discuss the project launched yesterday with acclaimed coach Izzy Martinez (Chief Operating Officer).
Hogan articulated the ambitious scope for RAF Wrestling, which aims to blend legitimate freestyle wrestling competition with sports entertainment presentation. According to reports from outlets including Fightful and 411Mania, Hogan stated during the Fox & Friends interview:
“Yes it is. It’s freestyle wrestling and it’s professional now because we get to pay the athletes… 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 emphasized the role of COO Izzy Martinez in securing top amateur talent for the league, which plans its first event for August 30th in Cleveland:
“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. He was our source to pull in all these great athletes and get everybody signed.”
Hogan also reiterated his motivation for getting involved, framing it as both a personal opportunity and a way to elevate deserving athletes. He told the Associated Press in a related interview yesterday, “The idea was so exciting that I get a chance to be involved with all these young people and help guide them… especially to make them huge stars and create a future for them… This is a way for me to jump back in, get off the sidelines, and be part of something real with athletes who are championship-caliber. I couldn’t turn it down.” He also mentioned to TMZ that seeing President Trump embrace NCAA Champion Wyatt Hendrickson in March further solidified his belief in the project’s potential.
While Hogan presented RAF Wrestling with characteristic confidence on Fox & Friends, comparing its potential scale directly to the two dominant forces in combat sports and sports entertainment sets a remarkably high bar for the fledgling organization. With financial backing and established names attached, the league aims to capture the “underserved market” Hogan identified, but achieving parity with UFC or WWE remains an immense challenge.
