Pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan to be commissioner of Real American Freestyle

By CLIFF BRUNT Hulk Hogan felt sure he was onto something Related Articles Formula How to watch the Miami Grand Prix on TV and what to know What makes a Kentucky Derby champion Big hearts immense lungs and powerful legs Three takeaways from Celtics gritty first-round win over Magic Tuesday s high school scores and highlights OBF Charlie Baker Marty Walsh making impacts far beyond Massachusetts After watching the NCAA Division I wrestling championships he was absolutely certain Hogan is one of the bulk popular professional wrestlers of all time and he stayed in that lane until his teenage stepson pulled him into watching freestyle wrestling After becoming more familiar with it Hogan started to believe the sport could become more popular and profitable with the right promotion Then it happened Last month Oklahoma State s Wyatt Hendrickson stunned Minnesota s Gable Steveson an Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo with a late takedown to claim the national title at heavyweight Hendrickson saluted President Donald Trump after his supremacy last month in Philadelphia Then with a United States flag draped over his shoulders the Air Force second lieutenant walked over and shook Trump s hand and hugged him Hendrickson s dramatic win and the moments that followed vaulted freestyle wrestling into the mainstream and made the timing perfect for Hogan to help launch Real American Freestyle He ll be commissioner of a league that released its plans on Wednesday Hogan wants the league to provide more earnings opportunities for a sport that historically has lacked them And after Hendrickson s big moment he feels the time is now When I saw that happen and I saw our President hug him I went OK we are on point we re ready to go and instincts have prevailed and I smell triumph Hogan announced I think we re right on track brother Hogan who at still has those massive arms and the charisma to match initially was a bit worried that the freestyle wrestlers might not have the personality to sell tickets He changed his mind as he began to connect with them Dude they ve all got that edge he noted These kids are young they re smart They re watching TV They know about branding they know what sells And they ve all got that little Conor McGregor swag Real American Freestyle events will feature single matches at eight men s and four women s weight classes The first event is scheduled for Aug in Cleveland with other sites to be named in the coming months FILE Oklahoma State s Wyatt Hendrickson left takes on Minnesota s Gable Steveson during a -pound match in the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship Saturday March in Philadelphia AP Photo Matt Rourke File Freestyle wrestling has been hot in the United States in latest years The women s U S Olympic freestyle group earned four medals in six weight classes in while the men claimed three medals And according to the National Federation of High Schools wrestling set participation records for boys and girls in and Hogan noted Kennedy Blades an American who earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics will be the face of the women s division Zahid Valencia and Ben Askren have agreed to participate on the men s side Hogan declared Hendrickson and Steveson are attainable additions and his eyes lit up when the subject of a doable rematch came up How much can we say Hogan solicited his advisors It s on the radar Hogan s Real American Beer serves as the title sponsor and he has plenty of encouragement Chad Bronstein is the co-founder and president Left Lane Capital which has backed Gerard Piqu s Kings League Shaun White s Snow League and League One Volleyball among other things has added this to its list of ventures Cassius is another sponsor Hogan knows specific fans will be shocked that his next step does not involve pro wrestling but he s confident in his decision The idea was so exciting that I get a chance to be involved with all these young people and help guide them in any way especially to make them huge stars and create a future for them he declared People might be surprised but wrestling is wrestling brother Because of name image and likeness deals college athletes will be able to participate though Hogan announced the league won t interfere with college national and international competitions FILE Iowa s Kennedy Blades is declared the winner after wrestling Indiana Tech s Cydney Bassett at pounds during Day of the Soldier Salute wrestling tournament at the Xtream Arena in Coralville Iowa on Sunday Dec Nick Rohlman The Gazette via AP File Hogan did bring in one connection from his pro wrestling days Eric Bischoff who ran World Championship Wrestling in its heyday in the late s and created the famous New World Order storyline will be the chief media officer Eric jumped in with both feet and he s doing a lot to guide this ship right now brother Hogan noted He s setting so much stuff up production wise just moving us forward light years ahead of where we could have been on our own Israel Martinez is the chief operating officer He is an accomplished wrestling coach who has helped build champions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC He was the wrestling coach for Jon Jones and he coached Holly Holm when she upset Ronda Rousey Hogan reported Martinez played a key role in getting USA Wrestling s blessing Hogan considers the new league an alternative to pro wrestling I see this as an opportunity for me to get involved Hogan disclosed to get back quit sitting on the couch to get involved with a bunch of powerful athletes that I can relate to as far as championship material guys that are on top of their competition and I just I couldn t pass on it AP sports https apnews com hub sports