Eric Bischoff releases Real American Freestyle without Hulk Hogan, but in his honor

Eric Bischoff is gearing up for one of the most important launches of his career with Real American Freestyle, which will debut on Fox Nation. However, the kickoff comes in a very special context: just a few weeks after the death of Hulk Hogan, his great friend and partner in the creation of the league.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Bischoff acknowledged that moving forward without Hogan has been an emotional process. "Bittersweet is the best way to describe it," Bischoff commented. "For those of us who knew Hulk for so long, it's been very tough. The first week after his death was probably one of the most difficult periods of my life. But the sweet part is that I hear him every day, I talk to him every day, and I'm excited to be able to do something that he felt so passionately about. It's not my vision, it's his, and that makes me feel good about what we're building."

Bischoff added that Hogan's passion for the project is what gives him the strength to move it forward, ensuring that he had never been so motivated in his career. "It's the right time, in the right place. We are the newest professional league in combat sports and the world will see it in less than 72 hours," he pointed out.

When asked if he ever thought about canceling the idea after Hogan's death, Bischoff was emphatic: that possibility never existed. In fact, he joked that if he had considered it, "Hogan would have come down to kick my butt," he noted.

Real American Freestyle is a new professional league that aims to bring Olympic wrestling (freestyle and folkstyle) to a modern, televised, and profitable format for the athletes themselves. The idea, originally driven alongside Hulk Hogan and led by Eric Bischoff with the support of entrepreneur Chad Bronstein and coach Izzy Martínez, is based on a clear concept: real matches under amateur wrestling rules, but with the production values, execution, and pace of a major live event.

The project debuts tonight with its first event in Cleveland, broadcast on Fox Nation, and is born with the ambition to build a stable calendar, nurture the freestyle wrestling talent pool, and offer them a professional path without the need to switch disciplines.