One month ahead of its first show, Hulk Hogan’s Real American Freestyle officially has its first media rights partner.
In a release on Monday, the promotion announced that its first two shows will air on the Fox Nation streaming service. Real American Freestyle’s debut event — dubbed RAF01 — is scheduled to take place on Aug. 30 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, while the date and location of its second show have yet to be announced.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Real American Freestyle team as they build a visionary brand that redefines the future of wrestling,” Fox Nation president Lauren Petterson said in a release. “Fusing elite athleticism with unmatched entertainment, it’s an honor to be part of the new era of the world’s oldest and most iconic sport.”
Added Hogan, who is billed as the commissioner of Real American Freestyle: “Real American Freestyle is creating something that’s never been done before, and we needed a partner that understood that and could build with us. FOX Nation is synergistic with our brand, they appreciate the importance of bringing this sport to the masses, and they believe in our goal.”
While co-founder Izzy Martinez previously indicated in an interview — intentionally or not — that the promotion would air on Fox’s broadcast channel, subsequent reporting revealed that it would, in fact, air on Fox News’ streaming service, Fox Nation. That certainly makes more sense than broadcast television considering the unproven nature of the promotion, as well as the fact that Hogan, Martinez and fellow co-founder Eric Bischoff have made previous appearances on Fox News promoting the product.
In addition to news of the Fox Nation deal, it was recently revealed that fellow WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will serve on the promotion’s commentary team, along with former MMA champion and ESPN personality Chael Sonnen and MMA world champion Bubba Jenkins. Monday’s release also revealed the first card for RAF01, which is set to include the following matches:
- Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas
- Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia
- Darrion Caldwell vs. Real Woods
- Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer
- Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera
- Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez
At this point, Real American Freestyle possesses some promising elements, including both Hogan’s personal star power and a fairly impressive roster of wrestlers. Still, it will be interesting to see how the promotion’s debut show performs, as a media rights deal that only extends through a yet-to-be announced second show only speaks to both the company and sport’s lack of a proven track record.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.