Hulk Hogan's new endeavor has Cleveland ties, brother

The global debut of Real American Freestyle (RAF) — a new promotion backed by wrestling icon Hulk Hogan — heads to Cleveland in August featuring multiple local ties.
Why it matters: It's a first-of-its-kind promotion looking to provide a professional, financially viable path for collegiate wrestlers.
Driving the news: Wolstein Center will be the venue for its inaugural event on Aug. 30, RAF revealed to Axios on Wednesday.
Tickets go on sale today via RAF's website.
How it works: Unlike WWE-style professional wrestling, RAF features the kind of "unscripted" freestyle wrestling seen at colleges and the Olympics.
The Aug. 30 event will include eight men's and four women's matches with winners receiving financial prizes and/or championships.
Flashback: RAF is the brainchild of Cleveland native Chad Bronstein, a former high school wrestler and Miami University grad.
Bronstein became an entrepreneur after college, developing cannabis brands with athletes like Mike Tyson and Ric Flair, before co-founding Real American Beer with Hogan in 2024.
What they're saying:"When I brought the idea for RAF to Hulk, he was like, 'Brother, we gotta start with Cleveland,'" Bronstein tells Axios.
"Ohio has such a huge wrestling community with various colleges. There's never been a pro promotion for freestyle wrestling where you have the same opportunity athletes in other sports do after college."
State of play: RAF's roster features a collection of former Olympians, NCAA champions and MMA stars.
Among those competing Aug. 30 is Lance Palmer, who wrestled at St. Edward High School in Lakewood and Ohio State University before becoming an MMA fighter.

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