Professional wrestling legends Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff garnered attention by releasing a video teasing a new project where they will be working with a mysterious “third man.”
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 28, 2025
Naturally, this prompted plenty of questions. What were the former nWo members promoting? And who could the third person possibly be?
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Now, the details have been revealed. And fans seem to be disappointed.
On April 30, Hogan and Bischoff revealed that their third man was none other than USA Wrestling recruit and UFC coach Izzy Martinez, and together, they were creating a new wrestling promotion.
Our Third Man pic.twitter.com/e74KkWqXV5
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 30, 2025
The promotion is called Real American Freestyle Wrestling, and it will focus more on amateur freestyle wrestling as opposed to the scripted pro wrestling fans are used to seeing.
In the company, Hogan will operate as commissioner, Bischoff will be Chief Media Officer, and Martinez will be the Chief Operating Officer.
“Yes it is. It’s freestyle wrestling and it’s professional now because we get to pay the athletes,” Hogan said on Fox and Friends. “Izzy is our linchpin. He has trained all of the Olympic athletes, all the NCAA champions, all the college kids that really have made it.”
REAL AMERICAN FREESTYLE: Wrestling legends @HulkHogan & @EBischoff reunite to launch new league set to professionalize freestyle wrestling pic.twitter.com/DRKoaBzCNf
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 1, 2025
“He was our source to pull in all these great athletes and get everybody signed. Our goal is not to be competitive with Dana White and the UFC or the WWE, but to be just as big or bigger because this is an underserved market.”
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“I intimately understand and appreciate what it takes to perform at the level these athletes do, and I was always curious why this sport wasn’t recognized for the potential it has,” Bischoff said in a press release.
“The stories we have to tell at Real American Freestyle and the accomplishments of the wrestlers are extraordinary. Not only will the audience be entertained by the product but the entire sport will be lifted as a result.”
“I’ve been an athlete and a coach in the sport of wrestling, and couldn’t be more proud of what the Real American Freestyle team has built,” Martinez said. “Until now, wrestlers have not had the opportunity to seek a professional career as there was not adequate funding or attention being paid to it. This league will provide them with a platform to not only do that, but build their skills, brand, and legacy.”
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While this will certainly be an exciting opportunity for freestyle wrestlers, standard Hulk Hogan fans remain unconvinced.
This is largely because a majority of them aren’t aware of who Martinez is. Additionally, there is confusion whether this league will be scripted like WWE or whether it will be a grappling-focused fighting league like UFC.
Despite this, it seems like an exciting opportunity for amateur wrestlers who may not have the opportunity to work for either company.
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