Fox Nation Acquires TV Rights to Hulk Hogan’s ‘Real American Freestyle’ Wrestling League

The on-demand streaming service will air the league’s inaugural matchup event in August.

Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan poses for photographers in Los Angeles on March 29, 2018. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Fox Nation is getting into the ring with Hulk Hogan, signing a deal to become the exclusive broadcast partner of Real American Freestyle, the WWE Hall of Famer’s wrestling league.

The on-demand streaming service, a companion to the Fox News Channel, announced the new deal on Monday, revealing it will air the league’s inaugural matchup event, “RAF01,” scheduled for Aug. 30 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Fox Nation will also present the second event, slated for this fall.

Hogan cofounded the unscripted freestyle wrestling promotion earlier this year with entrepreneur Chad Bronstein and Eric Bischoff, a former executive with World Championship Wrestling.

The league, which is named after Hogan’s WWE entrance song, “Real American,” serves as a platform for amateur wrestlers with collegiate or Olympic backgrounds looking to break into the professional wrestling industry.

“Our goal in creating Real American Freestyle was to make historical moves to professionalize the sport of wrestling,” Bronstein, Real American Freestyle’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “This partnership with FOX Nation will create a platform the athletes deserve and bring freestyle wrestling to our fans at home.”

Hulk Hogan smiles onstage at the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff held at Sony Pictures Studios on Aug. 1, 2010, in Culver City, Calif. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Hogan, the league’s commissioner, also praised the new partnership, noting that his company is “creating something that’s never been done before.”

“We needed a partner that understood that and could build with us,” the television personality said. “FOX Nation is synergistic with our brand; they appreciate the importance of bringing this sport to the masses, and they believe in our goal.”

In turn, Bischoff, the team’s chief media officer, said Real American Freestyle is looking forward to “putting on a good show for the fans.”

The competitors for the main card bout have not yet been announced, though a dozen amateur wrestlers have been named in the fight card for the inaugural event.

Viewers can expect to see clashes between Bo Nickal and Jacob Cardenas, Yianni Diakomihalis and Bajrang Punia, Darrion Caldwell and Real Woods, Austin Gomez and Lance Palmer, Kennedy Blades and Alejandra Rivera, and Sarah Hildebrandt and Zeltzin Hernandez.

Fox Nation’s new partnership marks its second foray into the live sports arena.

Earlier this month, the streaming service revealed it had struck a deal to become the exclusive broadcaster of the Professional Bull Riders’ Camping World Team Series events on Fridays, starting on Aug. 8.