
Hulk Hogan's Real American Freestyle league events to be streamed by Fox Nation
The 71-year-old wrestling veteran, born Terry Bollea, started the group with co-founders Eric Bischoff, 69, and 38-year-old Chad Bronstein, and subscription platform Fox Nation will stream the league's inaugural event, RAF01, on 30 August from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.
The streaming deal also includes the league's second event, scheduled to take place later in the year.
Chad, who is CEO of Real American Freestyle, 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.'
Fox Nation described the events as an 'exhilarating experience, packed with action and an immersive show atmosphere'.
RAF's commentary team will include Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle, 55, former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, 47, and 35-year-old freestyle world champion Bubba Jenkins.
The RAF01 match card includes Bo Nickal, 28, vs Jacob Cardenas, 24, Yianni Diakomihalis, 25, vs Bajrang Punia, 30, Darrion Caldwell, 36, vs Real Woods, 24, Austin Gomez, 27, vs Lance Palmer, 35, Kennedy Blades, 21, vs Alejandra Rivera, 26, and Sarah Hildebrandt, 31, vs 23-year-old Zeltzin Hernandez.
It comes after Hulk underwent neck surgery in May.
The brawler, who has openly discussed his extensive history of surgeries, recently told WWE star Logan Paul he has undergone at least 25 operations between 2014 and 2024.
On Jake's podcast 'Impaulsive,' he said: ''I've had 10 back surgeries. Both knees and both hips replaced, shoulders – everything.'
Hulk began his wrestling career in 1977 and achieved global fame in the 1980s with the World Wrestling Federation.
He won the WWF Championship six times, with his longest reign lasting a record 1,474 days.
Hulk also secured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, holding the title for a cumulative 1,177 days, the longest in WCW history.
His match against André the Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987 is iconic, where he famously body-slammed the 520-pound Giant before a crowd of over 90,000 fans.
The wrestler played a pivotal role in the formation of the New World Order (nWo) in WCW, revolutionising wrestling storylines.
Hulk was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice – first as an individual in 2005 and later as a member of the nWo in 2020.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
McKeown, McEvoy hold the hope of an Aussie gold rush
Backstroke star Kaylee McKeown and freestyle sprinter Cameron McEvoy will lead the charge as Australia attempt to claw their way back above the US at the swimming world championships in Singapore. A silver and bronze medal on Friday night dropped Australia (five gold, two silver, six bronze) into second spot on the medal tally behind the US (five gold, 10 silver, five bronze). Mollie O'Callaghan started as the hot favourite in the women's 100m freestyle final, but her late charge wasn't enough to beat Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen, who prevailed by 0.12 of a second. It means O'Callaghan's bid to surpass Ian Thorpe's Australian record of 11 world championship gold medals will have to wait for another day. The only other medal for Australia on Friday night was a bronze to the men's 4x200m freestyle relay team of Flynn Southam, Charlie Hawke, Kai Taylor and Maximillian Giuliani. The quartet entered their final as big underdogs, but they came within a whisker of nabbing silver. Great Britain won gold in a time of 6:59.84, with China (7:00.91) just edging Australia (7:00.98). While day six didn't result in a gold rush for Australia, things could be different on Saturday night. McKeown is a two-time Olympic champion in both the 100m and 200m backstroke. The 24-year-old won the 100m world championship backstroke final ahead of arch rival Regan Smith on Wednesday. And McKeown will have the chance to add the 200m crown to her name on Saturday night when she goes up against the likes of Smith, Xuwei Peng, Anastasiya Shkurdai and Claire Curzan in the final. McEvoy qualified fastest with a time of 21.30 seconds for the men's 50m freestyle final, and the Olympic champion is hoping to come up trumps on Saturday night. "I can't complain, it's only 0.05 off what I did to win Paris," McEvoy said of his Friday night semi-final swim. "It's good, but the job's not done. I've got one more tomorrow. "I need to let the finals atmosphere kind of lift me up a bit. Don't think about the end time. Don't go down that rabbit hole. Let the body speak for itself and see where I end up." Australians Alexandria Perkins and Lily Price both qualified for the women's 50m butterfly final, while Matt Temple qualified sixth fastest for the men's 100m butterfly final. During the daytime heats on Saturday, Isaac Cooper will feature in the men's 50m backstroke, Meg Harris and Olivia Wunsch are in the women's 50m freestyle, while Sam Short will be hoping to overcome illness to compete in the men's 1500m freestyle. O'Callaghan said tiredness from a busy schedule meant she wasn't at her best in Friday night's 100m freestyle final. Thorpe is sure it's just a matter of time before the 21-year-old surpasses his record mark of 11 world championship gold medals - possibly even in Saturday night's 4x100m mixed freestyle relay final. "I'm certain and I can't wait to see Mollie surpass that," Thorpe told the Nine Network. "What she has the opportunity to do is create her own legacy in swimming, which will continue to inspire people in future generations … leading into the Brisbane Olympics in 2032."


West Australian
10 hours ago
- West Australian
Australian swimming champion Mollie O'Callaghan on track to beat Ian Thorpe's world championships record
Australia has a new golden generation in the pool. And it's golden girl, 21-year-old ace Mollie O'Callaghan, who has now equalled swimming legend Ian Thorpe's record for most gold medals at the world championships. Aussie swimmers have dominated this week's titles in Singapore and have landed big blows on our closest rivals the United States. O'Callaghan sealed her 11th career world champs gold on Thursday night, powering Australia to victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay and to the top of the medal tally, ahead of the US. The Queensland jet saw off a challenge from legendary American swimmer Katie Ledecky. That's after she won the 200m freestyle with a clutch swim after qualifying second. She was pushed all the way by America's Claire Weinstein. It now means she is firmly in the conversation for the greatest Aussie swimmer of all time, alongside Thorpe, Olympic medal record-holder Emma McKeon and countrywomen Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown. But O'Callaghan and McKeown have time on their side. The pair are locked in for a tilt at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and are likely to then shoot for the 2032 home Games in Brisbane. 'It is very special,' O'Callaghan said. 'Like, it would be wrong if I said it wasn't special, it's a huge accomplishment in a way.' Thorpe expected his record to tumble when red-hot favourite O'Callaghan was due to race the women's 100m freestyle final on Friday night. 'I look at her, and I see the gold medallist,' Thorpe said in commentary for Channel 9. 'She will go far beyond 11 (golds). 'And looking … beyond for Mollie O'Callaghan, is the opportunity not only at the world championships but multiple Olympics.' O'Callaghan had already matched Thorpe's five Olympic golds, when she captured the attention of the world at last year's meet in France. At the Singapore worlds, Australia topped the medal tally with three nights of competition remaining with five golds, one more than the United States. The Dolphins had also won one silver and five bronze medals, including one to Kyle Chalmers in Thursday night's men's 100m freestyle final. Chalmers finished behind Romania's David Popovici who posted the second-fastest time ever, 46.51sec., followed by American Jack Alexy (46.92). The South Australian 27-year-old touched in 47.17 — his personal best is 47.08 but he remains steadfast that he can break the 47-second barrier. 'Just kind of reinventing myself in the sport and finding a new way to swim fast,' Chalmers said. 'I'm just really grateful to have a really supportive team that believe in me, or probably believe in me more than I have believed in myself since Paris (Olympics) last year.' But perhaps the best Aussie moment of the world champs belonged to another 21-year-old Queenslander in Harrison Turner. The youngster produced a stunning swim to score a surprise bronze medal in the men's 200m butterfly on Wednesday night and gave a priceless poolside interview. Turner jagged the country's first medal in the event. 'If you told me I was gonna win a gold — I mean, sorry, a bronze medal — at the start of the year, with a PB of 1:57, I'd tell you you're dreaming,' Turner said. 'Being in lane eight I just snuck in and I thought 'I've got a lane, I've got a chance'. I never would have imagined to sneak in a bronze there.' Turner finished the interview — which has since gone viral online — by flexing to the camera and shouting 'dirty gold, let's go'.


Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mollie set to pip Aussie legend in country's epic pool haul
Australia has a new golden generation in the pool. And it's golden girl, 21-year-old ace Mollie O'Callaghan, who has now equalled swimming legend Ian Thorpe's record for most gold medals at the world championships. Aussie swimmers have dominated this week's titles in Singapore and have landed big blows on our closest rivals the United States. O'Callaghan sealed her 11th career world champs gold on Thursday night, powering Australia to victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay and to the top of the medal tally, ahead of the US. The Queensland jet saw off a challenge from legendary American swimmer Katie Ledecky. That's after she won the 200m freestyle with a clutch swim after qualifying second. She was pushed all the way by America's Claire Weinstein. It now means she is firmly in the conversation for the greatest Aussie swimmer of all time, alongside Thorpe, Olympic medal record-holder Emma McKeon and countrywomen Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown. But O'Callaghan and McKeown have time on their side. The pair are locked in for a tilt at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and are likely to then shoot for the 2032 home Games in Brisbane. 'It is very special,' O'Callaghan said. 'Like, it would be wrong if I said it wasn't special, it's a huge accomplishment in a way.' Thorpe expected his record to tumble when red-hot favourite O'Callaghan was due to race the women's 100m freestyle final on Friday night. 'I look at her, and I see the gold medallist,' Thorpe said in commentary for Channel 9. 'She will go far beyond 11 (golds). 'And looking … beyond for Mollie O'Callaghan, is the opportunity not only at the world championships but multiple Olympics.' O'Callaghan had already matched Thorpe's five Olympic golds, when she captured the attention of the world at last year's meet in France. At the Singapore worlds, Australia topped the medal tally with three nights of competition remaining with five golds, one more than the United States. The Dolphins had also won one silver and five bronze medals, including one to Kyle Chalmers in Thursday night's men's 100m freestyle final. Lani Pallister, Jamie Perkins, Brittany Castelluzzo and Mollie O'Callaghan of Team Australia celebrate winning the gold medal in the Women's 4x200m Freestyle Final. Credit: Lintao Zhang / Getty Images Chalmers finished behind Romania's David Popovici who posted the second-fastest time ever, 46.51sec., followed by American Jack Alexy (46.92). The South Australian 27-year-old touched in 47.17 — his personal best is 47.08 but he remains steadfast that he can break the 47-second barrier. 'Just kind of reinventing myself in the sport and finding a new way to swim fast,' Chalmers said. 'I'm just really grateful to have a really supportive team that believe in me, or probably believe in me more than I have believed in myself since Paris (Olympics) last year.' But perhaps the best Aussie moment of the world champs belonged to another 21-year-old Queenslander in Harrison Turner. The youngster produced a stunning swim to score a surprise bronze medal in the men's 200m butterfly on Wednesday night and gave a priceless poolside interview. Turner jagged the country's first medal in the event. 'If you told me I was gonna win a gold — I mean, sorry, a bronze medal — at the start of the year, with a PB of 1:57, I'd tell you you're dreaming,' Turner said. 'Being in lane eight I just snuck in and I thought 'I've got a lane, I've got a chance'. I never would have imagined to sneak in a bronze there.' Turner finished the interview — which has since gone viral online — by flexing to the camera and shouting 'dirty gold, let's go'.