Real American Freestyle

Real American Freestyle
Company type	Private
Industry	Freestyle wrestling promotion
Founded	2025; 1 year ago
Founder	Chad Bronstein, Terri Francis, Hulk Hogan
Headquarters	Tampa, United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Chad Bronstein (CEO), Eric Bischoff (Chief Media Officer), Israel "Izzy" Martinez (COO)
Products	Freestyle wrestling events and competitions
Owner	Left Lane Capital
Parent	Left Lane Capital
Website	realamericanfreestyle.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Real American Freestyle, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 28 November 2025

Real American Freestyle (RAF) is a United States-based freestyle wrestling organization owned by Left Lane Capital. Established in 2025 by Chad Bronstein, Terri Francis, and Hulk Hogan, RAF showcases athletes ranging from active NCAA competitors to former collegiate and Olympic wrestling champions. The promotion provides wrestlers with opportunities to earn income from their talents, addressing the long-standing absence of financial rewards in collegiate and Olympic wrestling disciplines. Through a collaboration with USA Wrestling, NCAA athletes can participate and generate revenue via NIL endorsement deals.

RAF held its first event, RAF 01, on August 30, 2025. The promotion’s premier events are broadcast exclusively on Fox Nation, which plans to launch a weekly live television series in 2026.

2024: Conceptualization and groundwork

Terri Francis, who served as general counsel and vice president of investment and innovation at Anheuser-Busch InBev until 2022, teamed up with Chad Bronstein—former president of Carma HoldCo and collaborator with Ric Flair on the Wooooo! Energy drink—to introduce Real American Beer on June 13, 2024. This light beer, produced by City Brewing Company, incorporates Hogan’s image and pays homage to his iconic "Real American" wrestling entrance theme. WWE holds a minority ownership stake in this beverage brand.

In 2024, Bronstein’s son Chase attended a wrestling camp in Chicago led by UFC coach Israel "Izzy" Martinez. Impressed by Chase’s development, Bronstein and Hogan joined forces with Martinez to create a new professional wrestling enterprise.

2025: Official launch of the promotion

On April 30, 2025, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff publicly announced the establishment of Real American Freestyle. The promotion secured $3.5 million in seed capital from Left Lane Capital along with the venture firm Cassius. Chad Bronstein was appointed CEO, Bischoff took on the role of chief media officer, and Israel "Izzy" Martinez became COO.

Their approach centers on transforming competitive wrestlers into prominent figures by highlighting their personal narratives, inspired by formats like The Voice. Multimedia producer David Sahadi, previously collaborating with Bischoff, was recruited to enhance the storytelling aspect.

In May 2025, MOGL founder Brandon Wimbush joined as chief of staff while Willie Saylor, founder of MatScouts, was named vice president of talent development.

June 2025 saw the signing of Wyatt Hendrickson, notable for his upset victory over Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson at the 2025 NCAA Championships—a milestone that increased RAF’s prominence. Steveson continues to maintain a clothing collaboration with Takedown Sportswear, RAF’s official apparel provider.

In July 2025, Fox Nation obtained exclusive broadcasting rights for RAF’s flagship events. That same month marked the passing of co-founder and commissioner Hulk Hogan.

The debut event, RAF 01, was held on August 30 in Cleveland, Ohio—CEO Bronstein’s hometown. It included a WWE-produced tribute honoring Hogan and introduced his son Nick Hogan as acting commissioner. Wyatt Hendrickson emerged victorious in the main event, becoming the inaugural RAF Heavyweight Champion.

RAF 02 took place on October 25 in State College, Pennsylvania; Kyle Dake successfully defended the RAF Cruiserweight Championship against Boris Makoev.

On November 4, RAF announced a multi-year collaboration with ALT Sports Data to facilitate sports wagering on matches via platforms such as bet365, DraftKings, and FanDuel.

RAF 03 is planned for November 29 in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a headline bout between Chad Mendes and Michael Chandler.

RAF 04 is scheduled for December 20 in Fishers, Indiana; Wyatt Hendrickson is slated to defend his Heavyweight title against Mason Parris.

2026: Weekly Television Program

Beginning in 2026, a live two-hour weekly television program featuring RAF competitions will be broadcast. Participants will compete for a chance to showcase their skills at a premier RAF event. Negotiations over broadcast rights are ongoing with multiple television networks.

Men

Division	Weight	Titleholder	Crowned Since	Days Held	Title Defenses
Heavyweight	285 lbs.	Wyatt Hendrickson	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	0
Light Heavyweight	205 lbs.	Bo Nickal	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	0
Cruiserweight	190 lbs.	Kyle Dake	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	1
Middleweight	175 lbs.	Evan Wick	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	0
Welterweight	165 lbs.	David Carr	October 25, 2025	Template:Age in days	0
Lightweight	155 lbs.	Yianni Diakomihalis	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	0
Featherweight	145 lbs.	Real Woods	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	0
Bantamweight	135 lbs.	Nathan Tomasello	August 30, 2025	Template:Age in days	1

Women

Division	Weight	Titleholder	Crowned Since	Days Held	Title Defenses

Division	Weight	Titleholder	Crowned Since	Days Held	Title Defenses

Division	Weight	Titleholder	Crowned Since	Days Held	Title Defenses

Division	Weight	Titleholder	Crowned Since	Days Held	Title Defenses

Division	Weight	Titleholder	Crowned Since	Days Held	Title Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion	Since	Days Held	Defenses

Division	! Weight	Champion
Featherweight	150 lbs.	vacant
Flyweight	120 lbs. Helen Maroulis October 25, 2025 Template:Age in days 0
Strawweight	120 lbs. Sarah Hildebrandt August 30, 2025 Template:Age in days 0

Compensation and Contracts for Wrestlers

This organization provides amateur wrestlers with notable experience in collegiate wrestling and Olympic wrestling the opportunity to generate income from their abilities.

In collaboration with USA Wrestling, it permits active NCAA athletes to participate and earn through NIL endorsements while maintaining their NCAA eligibility status.

Competition Regulations

RAF follows adapted rules derived from United World Wrestling and USA Wrestling freestyle guidelines.

Each contest features three periods lasting two minutes each, separated by 30-second intervals. Matches can conclude prematurely by pinfall or if a competitor achieves a 10-point lead, resulting in a technical fall. Should the score be tied at the end of regulation time, the competitor who scored last is declared the winner without any overtime rounds.

The scoring framework is as follows:

Exposure (Standing): Executing throws that reveal an opponent’s back scores either 4 or 5 points.
Exposure (Ground): Turning an opponent onto their back from a grounded position earns 2 points.
Takedown: Gaining control over an opponent on the mat awards 2 points.
Reversal: Transitioning from the bottom position to top control grants 1 point.
Stepout: Forcing an opponent outside the boundaries results in 1 point.
Shot Clock: Failure to engage after a warning leads to the opposing wrestler receiving 1 point.
Caution: Infractions such as evasion or unsportsmanlike behavior provide the opponent with 1 point.

Wrestlers have the option to contest referee decisions through instant replay; however, unsuccessful challenges result in forfeiting further challenges and awarding 1 point to the adversary.