Hulk Hogan And Eric Bischoff Talk Cena’s Heel Turn, Unveil Real American Freestyle

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have launched Real American Freestyle, an unscripted freestyle wrestling league injected with storytelling and colorful characters. Real American Freestyle looks to blend the drama of pro wrestling and reality shows with the unscripted competition of freestyle wrestling. The first league of its kind, Real American Freestyle has already announced former UFC fighter Ben Askren, former Olympian and world champion Kennedy Blades and former national champion Zahid Valencia.

Hogan and Bischoff turned back the clock this past week with a vintage black-and-white promo in the spirit of the NWO. The disruptive tandem once posed the biggest threat to WWE in history during the peak of WCW Nitro in the mid-nineties. Now reunited, Hogan and Bischoff teased a new wrestling promotion with a third man. Despite wild speculation of what Hogan and Bischoff were up to, and whom the third man might be, the WWE Hall of Famers finally have an answer: decorated wrestling coach Israel Martinez, who will serve as the upstart brand’s Chief Operating Officer.

“Real American wrestlers are some of the most disciplined, elite athletes in the world — but until now, they haven’t had a true professional stage to showcase their greatness,” said Hulk Hogan, Commissioner of Real American Freestyle, in a press release. “Eric and I know how to build the kind of heat that grabs attention and we’re going to make Real American Freestyle wrestling a must-see for fans.”

“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,” said Eric Bischoff, Chief Media Officer of Real American Freestyle. “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,” said Israel Martinez, Chief Operating Officer of Real American Freestyle. “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.”

Real American Freestyle will receive a venture capital investment from Left Lane Capital, backers of Gerard Piqué’s Kings League, Shaun White’s Snow League and League One Volleyball.

I sat down in an exclusive interview with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff to talk Real American Freestyle, their plan to transcend the sport of freestyle wrestling and the current landscape of professional wrestling.

Hogan And Bischoff Disliked John Cena’s Heel Turn And Say WCW Had A Bigger Impact Than AEW

Alfred Konuwa:

How would you guys compare the John Cena heel turn to the Hulk Hogan heel turn? What was better? What do you think was more monumental, etc.?

Hulk Hogan:

I’m going to let Eric comment on that, because if I talk first, I could say something that’s not appropriate.

Eric Bischoff:

Look, I respect the hell out of John Cena. He’s a good man and I consider him a friend, but I’d say the differences are pretty substantial. There’s some parallels, too. John Cena was a babyface throughout the majority of his career. Okay, that’s a strong parallel, the “who’s the third man?” storyline that played out for weeks, however long, before Hulk Hogan turned heel. That was an integral part of the story.

John Cena’s change of character to heel was spontaneous. There were rumors of it, and people speculated about it, but it wasn’t part of a storyline that was being built, and creating anticipation and then delivering at that moment and surprising people along the way. John surprised everybody because they didn’t know it was coming, but it just wasn’t the same because it wasn’t part of a story.

AK:

Do you agree, Hulk? You have anything inappropriate to add?

HH:

Oh, you’re killing me. You’re killing me (laughs.) Well, first off, John Cena was my favorite wrestler. Let me start there. Because I grinded for years, brother, and there was no Rock, no Stone Cold. There was only me for 20-plus years. I saw all the Make-A-Wish kids. I’ve met with all the station producers, everybody. So John stepped up and really ran with the ball and he did a really great job. I think he saw more Make-A-Wish kids than anybody’s ever seen.

And at the end of the day, when he turned heel—like the [nWo] storyline, like Eric said—we set it up, we set up, we set up, then we delivered. And then not only did we deliver, we rolled out with me, Hall and Nash. And that story kept snowballing and snowballing, and we kept getting more evil and evil. And so for me, watching that story with John Cena, when The Rock did the throat thing, cut his throat, and John Cena turned heel, I expected more of the same.

And then John Cena came out and there was no Rock, and I just got disconnected at that point, ’cause I was expecting the characters to keep rolling out like we did. So I know everybody’s got movies and obligations and stuff, but it didn’t feel like that big tidal wave coming at you. Like when the nWo took over, man, I even hate to say the word, we just cleaned house and beat everybody’s ass, and we just killed it. All the babyfaces were crying and complaining, and it got really ugly. We were so powerful with that trio.

AK:

And now, present day, we’re in 2025, and AEW has surpassed Nitro as the longest weekly prime-time show on the Turner networks. And even though it did surpass Nitro in longevity, how do you compare the two legacies? Do you think AEW or WCW left a bigger impact?

EB:

Alfred, please, brother (laughing.)

HH:

I’m going to go the WCW all day long. All day long.

EB:

Look, I’m happy for Tony Khan and the people that work at AEW. Legitimately, it’s hard. Tony’s putting up his own money. He’s earned his way to be able to say that he outlasted Nitro. And if that makes him happy, if that’s an achievement for him, then God bless. Good for him.

HH:

Well, I don’t know Tony Khan, I got nothing but respect for what he’s done, and how he’s pushed and created opportunities for these guys. And you can get hooked into some of those storylines. I started watching some of those girls grind out there, and I’ve never seen people work so hard in my life. Some of the girls, phew, some of bloodbaths and some of the stuff I’ve seen is kind of really cool stuff. But I like the grit and the real aggressive stuff. But yeah, nothing but respect for Tony Khan.

AK:

Do you have a favorite women’s wrestler in AEW?

HH:

Bro, I kind of like was all over the place until I watched that Toni Storm. The one that acts like the 1920s, the Roaring ’20s. Bro, when I saw her start grinding in there and digging, and when I saw her gaffe through her hairline, when she pulled that blade through her hairline and she needed about 10 staples, I went: “Holy crap, this girl ain’t playing.” And the girl she was wrestling, I can’t remember her name. It was like a protege or a really hot blonde…

AK:

Mariah May.

HH:

Yeah, bro. She was grinding too, man. And I’m telling you, those girls, I would not want to be in that match with them. They were playing a hardball.

AK:

AEW is very uncool right now. I think it was cool in its first year, but then WWE heated up. AEW is uncool. What do you think AEW needs to be cool again?

EB:

I don’t have the answer. If I did, I put it in a little box and I’d send it to Tony along with an invoice.

HH:

They need a young Hulk Hogan with a full head of hair. (Laughs)

EB:

And Alfred, you’ve heard me say this a million times, Tony’s vision, I think, never talked to him about this, is the spectacle. And I still believe, more so now than ever, that the wrestling audience wants great story. They want great action and they want characters that could deliver it. But man, without a story, without really good stories, it’s just an exhibition and it doesn’t seem to be connecting.

Real American Freestyle Mission Statement And Goals

AK:

What is Real American freestyle and what makes it so revolutionary?

HH:

First off, I’d like to thank you for checking the video out, boss, because we were just trying to wake em up. That’s really going to be an electric shock to everybody, so we’re excited that we’ve got such a great response already.

EB:

By the way, I follow you on socials.

AK:

Yes, I follow you, too. Thank you.

EB:

… your commentary… You’re one of my favorites for a lot of reasons, so thank you very much. The video was really Hulk’s idea in the very beginning, and I loved it. We knew that Hulk and I together, that’s kind of cool news for people who are fans of the Monday Night Wars and all that, and nWo, but we wanted to get their attention and that was such a cool way to do it.

And really, if you look back, one of the things that really changed professional wrestling, the way it was being presented at the time, it all started with those black and white kind of video montage promos. And given what our challenges are and our goals are here at Real American Freestyle, that’s exactly what we’re going to bring to freestyle wrestling, is a new form or another level, really, of entertainment while maintaining the credibility of the product. And there’s such fascinating stories from these athletes that have never been told, and I don’t care whether it’s golf, baseball, basketball, the NFL, it’s all driven by the stories. And that’s what we’re going to focus on here.

AK:

So this is going to be a shoot freestyle wrestling product, but with stories intertwined?

EB:

Exactly.

HH:

Yes.

EB:

World-class athletes, elite-level athletes, Olympic-level wrestlers, collegiate champions, but in a professional environment with a lot more entertainment.

HH:

Well, I think Eric described it the best when he said if you think of The Voice. You do the backstories first, so the people care about the athletes, and you see where they started, and the injuries and what type of family background they have, and in the history package, I think that kind of sets people up to care for the athletes, like Eric said. And that’s where we’re going to begin, with the people warming up and getting to know the athletes, and then it’s up to the athletes to perform.

AK:

I’m looking at some of the athletes you have on your roster. It’s going to be over 40 athletes on the roster, but already Ben Askren has been announced, Kennedy Blades. I’m very familiar with these athletes. To me, they’re the type of athletes who are elite-level performers in terms of athleticism, but also great performers in terms of their charisma and how they jump off the screen and tell stories. So I’d like you to tell me, what is the ideal athlete who you’re trying to recruit for this brand?

HH:

Well, that was one of the first things I told Eric when I called Eric, ’cause Eric knows how to beat everybody. I keep saying that. And we’ve got a track record together, and that was one of my main concerns. Our partner, Chad Bronstein, got this whole thing stirred up in us. And so, I was worried about the athletes. So we went to Ohio, Wisconsin, hung around some of the colleges, went out and hung out with these guys, and it wasn’t like just plain white toast. It wasn’t flat.

It was like these guys have a Conor McGregor swagger already. They’ve been watching TV. They know about branding. They’re smartened up way ahead of their time. So, when you talk to these kids, you realize, man, they’re full of piss and vinegar. And I think once you get them out there and they get in front of that light, brother, they’re going to turn into monsters as far as searching for greatness and victories. So, it all works together. It really does.

EB:

And Alfred, I don’t know how many amateur wrestlers you’ve ever gotten to know well or close to, but I had a little bit of experience in amateur wrestling as a kid and a couple of years after college. And one thing that I learned along the way, and I was really—on a good day—I was pretty average, on a good day, but I love the sport.

And I think one thing that is consistent throughout, and this is probably true for a lot of the individual sports, but wrestling in particular, you’ve got to be wired a little differently to reach the elite level that some of our athletes have.

And part of that is just really, really interesting individual personalities and characters, and the things that these people have to overcome to get…And it’s true with all athletes, but with wrestling in particular, maintaining your weight year round, and it’s a tough, tough sport, and the people in it are incredibly tough and very unique individuals.

AK:

And I’m glad you mentioned that because you have pro wrestlers or amateur wrestlers who go into pro wrestling, like a Kurt Angle, who was one of the best in the world and was able to tap into that entertainment side. Meanwhile, Gable Steveson is very Stoic. He’s one of the best ever. You could argue the best college heavyweight ever. WWE recruited him, and I think it would’ve worked out had they stuck with him, but I think his issue was being so stoic and not necessarily more of a boisterous personality.

So, when it comes to Real American Freestyle, would you rather have somebody with that pedigree and an Olympic type background that you could mold into a great performer? Or would you rather have somebody who maybe doesn’t have that background but they jump off the page immediately?

EB:

I hate either/or questions ’cause I want them both. I want them all. (laughs) But look, you want world-class, and all of these athletes are going to be the best in class. These are world-class athletes, and competition is competition. It doesn’t matter to me as much if somebody comes with kind of built-in charisma, ready to go. Obviously, that’s a blessing, that’s a great thing. But I also really enjoy helping people find their characters, because they’re in there. There’s just sometimes a barrier between what you feel and what you’re comfortable articulating.

And once we kind of cross that barrier and people get a real feel for how much fun it can be to just take their own personalities, maybe turn the volume up just a little bit on a couple of things, all of a sudden you see this character, it just blooms right in front of your face sometimes. And that magic is fun. Watching that transition and people getting confidence is fun. So, I like working with both, to be honest with you. And they each provide different challenges.

AK:

Would you agree with that, Hulk?

HH:

Yeah. Well, I remember when Brock Lesnar first came to the WWE. I got him first, and it was no picnic, believe me. And so I wrestled him probably 10 or 12 times. And I remember being in Madison Square Garden, the only way I could get him to lighten up on me at all, I would say, “okay, Broccoli.” I’d call him Broccoli instead of Brock Lesnar. I said, “if you keep doing this crap, you’re going to end up in here by yourself.”

So finally, I got him just to like go with the flow, which is what we did back then. But I saw his personality develop. I saw him be able to just shoot in there like a monster and grab a single leg, take a guy down, ride him like a government mule. And then at the same time, turn into this crazy, over-the-top entertaining character. And what we called in the wrestling business a good worker, where you could work with a guy every night and he wouldn’t break your neck or cripple you.

And when I first got him, he was not like that. He was like a freight train running over you. So, I think that either/or question, the way Eric answered it, I like his answer. I want both, same. I feel the same way about it. But I see guys that have stepped in, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, different guys that have stepped in that have really turned into great actual entertainers, on top of having that grit and that athleticism that we all look for. And so it’s going to be amazing. You see these purebreds turn into entertainers as they learn their craft and they’re getting paid for it. That’s an incentive too they haven’t had.

AK:

Like you mentioned, getting paid, because on the business side, it’s being funded by Left Lane Capital. So I’d like to know more about what’s the business model for Real American Freestyle.? Do you guys plan to secure a TV deal or have you secured any type of broadcasting rights?

EB:

No TV deals as of yet. We haven’t even produced our first show. We just made our announcement, so we haven’t done anything yet in terms of TV. And look, we know that right now the market for sports rights, television rights. It’s a very healthy market and we’re glad to be in it, but we’ve got our work to do. And I think I’ve at least, a lot of this is Chad Bronstein, our partner, is driving a lot of this along with Left Lane.

But my take on it right now is let’s showcase our abilities, let’s put on the absolute best show we can on every level from production values, storytelling, athleticism, and competition and excitement, bringing in the entertainment that we know we need to bring into it to go mainstream and to build this league into the powerhouse that it should be. We’re going to put forth our best effort and we’re going to see where the chips fall. It’ll be a long process. I’m realistic about that. We’ve got our work cut out for us.

Hulk Hogan And Eric Bischoff On Vince McMahon

AK:

You guys teased a third man in your video. So, I’ve read about Chad Bronstein whom you’ve mentioned. Is it Israel Martinez who’s going to be coaching? Is it left Lane Capital? I know a lot of crazy people say crazy things on the internet. Some people think Vince McMahon might be the third man. There’s rumors of Vince wanting to start an entertainment company. Will there be any involvement there?

HH:

Wow. Eric, what do we do with that?

EB:

We enjoy it, we let it hang, and we wait until Thursday. No, I can assure it won’t be Vince McMahon as the third man, but you know the same thing I know. Alfred, you read the same things I’ve read. It’s pretty clear that Vince is kicking some tires and looking around, and maybe got that billionaire boredom setting in, so who knows? But no, he’s not the third man.

Our third man is the guy that’s going to bring credibility, along with a vision, relationships, and a real thorough knowledge of amateur wrestling and the people in it. Of course, that’s going to be Izzy Martinez. Izzy is our third man. And look, Hulk and I had a blast. We stepped out in front of those cameras in Tampa on whatever day it was, Friday. I’ve lost track of time. And we stepped out in front of those cameras. We didn’t rehearse, we really didn’t even talk about it. We both just said, “Let’s just let the cameras roll and see what happens.”

And I think what you saw is 75% of the first take and 25% of the second take, and it just felt so good. And as fun as that is and entertaining as it can be, we also know we need credibility. And for this league to grow into what it can grow into as a legitimate sports franchise, Izzy’s our third man. Couldn’t think of anybody better.

Hogan And Bischoff On Their Decades-Long Partnership

AK:

What is your guys’ proudest accomplishment as a tandem? ‘Cause I’m sure there’ll be two different answers.

EB:

Hulk, why don’t you go first so I can think about it? There’s a lot to choose from.

HH:

Probably the fact that I didn’t miss an opportunity, which I almost did for me, because I was out in LA filming a movie and I had enough of the red and yellow Hulk Hogan thing, and it had worn itself out in the WWE a little bit, a lot of it. And then WCW started to wear itself out. And Eric called me and goes, Hey, I got this idea with Nash and Hall, and I’m like, “eh.” I really didn’t click with those guys at first.

And then as I was watching TV and Scott Hall came in and when he stepped through the ring and goes, “hey, yo. You might know who I’m, but you don’t know why I’m here,” it looked like it was a shoot. Like he was from the other production invading. I’m like, “hold on a minute.” And so I made sure I watched the next week, and the next week when Big Sexy came and Kevin Nash and powerbombed Eric off the stage, I went, “okay.”

I called Eric up, and this is the biggest thing for me is not missing that opportunity ’cause I was doing the chin, being real judgmental and, “I don’t know if I want to turn heel.” I said, Eric, “I’m the third man.” And when I called Eric and told him I was the third man, shortly after that, this thing took off like Hulkamania did. It took off like a lightning bolt and we changed that whole wrestling business again. We flipped it upside down. And so that was the greatest moment for me, was getting that second shot of adrenaline, riding that second light and bolt. And he threw the opportunity at me. I almost said no, but I didn’t. So that was the greatest for me.

EB:

And mine is the same, only it’s just a little different version of it, in that I never had a big run. It wasn’t a second shot for me. It was the only shot for me. I had been working for WCW for a while, and look, WCW was what it was. It was a distant number two. So distant that it might as well have been number 22. It didn’t really matter. And struggled for such a long time to try to figure out a way. And people would always say this, Alfred, I would hear it all the time, “we got to figure out a way to make wrestling cool again.” Well, okay, that’s pretty obvious. How do you do that though?

And when Hulk jumped in with both feet and the nWo happened, we say this often, but people don’t really fully understand. That one move, Hulk Hogan joining the nWo and turning heel, changed the business of the wrestling business. Everybody likes to lay claim to that. “We changed the business….” No, you didn’t. You took advantage of the business. You added to the business in some ways, but you didn’t really change it much.

The nWo changed it because we looked at where wrestling was, both with WWE at the time and WCW, and we knew we had to compete. It was at that point in time that I looked at the male 18-49-year-old demo. It was being underserved. Nobody was paying attention to it. WWE’s business model was all teen and preteen. If you go back and you look at their advertisers, their sponsors, all of their merchandising was geared towards teens and preteens.

I knew I couldn’t compete with that, but I saw that 18-49-year-old audience that was completely underserved. Much like the amateur wrestling audiences today around the world, they’re underserved in the sense that they don’t have their product. And there’s a real similarity of parallel between where professional wrestling, sports entertainment as we know it was, and where amateur wrestling is right now. And we intend to change the landscape for amateur wrestling in a very positive way, by creating more opportunities and giving these athletes the showcase that they’ve worked all their lives and deserve to take advantage of.

HH:

Well, I think with this amateur wrestling, the storytelling is going to be so organic, that once these guys get in that gladiator arena and they start tugging and pulling for position, and they’re out to win, and their egos and their families, and everything they’ve lived for. Their whole life is on the line, I think the storytelling is going to get really crazy as to how far these guys are going to go to win and push and stay on top of their game. I think it’s going to fall into our laps, is what I’m praying for.

EB:

And it will, because Hulk, they’re so competitive, just by their very nature and the reason they’re amateur wrestlers to begin with. And a lot of these athletes started when they were five or six years old. This has been their life, and it’s a 365 day a year life for wrestlers. Yeah, there’s a season, but you train for it all year round. And they’re so intense, they’re so unique, and that’s where the stories are going to come from.

And I want to be clear, Alfred, these are not sports entertainment stories. These are not crafted by writers. This is about, as Hulk said, much like The Voice on NBC, it is a show about singers. “Wow, they got really good voices. Cool.” You don’t really care until you find out what it took for them to get there. And you learn about their families, you learn about the history. You learn about the people in their church who inspired them and kept them going. Those are the stories that matter the most. Much more than something a Hollywood writer could come up with.

AK:

Hulk, you make a lot of public appearances to where sometimes you’re beloved, but there are times where you do get a heel reaction. Is there anything that you plan on doing to repair or help your public image among those who may boo you?

HH:

Well, it’s kind of weird, because a lot of people forget that professional wrestling is a work. And so, I’ve seen The Rock in Vegas. I love him to death. I’ve seen The Rock in Vegas, I’ve seen The Rock in LA, and they booed him out of the building. Hulk Hogan goes to LA, they boo him out of the building and everybody, bam, what is it? 3.2 billion interactions or something? Just crazy numbers.

A lot of people have advice and a lot of people have opinions about why I got booed or stuff that I should fix or not fix. But then I’ll go to New York or I’ll go to Chicago and they’ll cheer me out of the building and I should probably turn to those same people that gave me advice for their opinions before and ask them, “what do I do about people cheering me now?” And so I’m so used to being cheered or booed, it’s kind of like if you don’t get a reaction, there’s a serious, serious problem.

AK:

I think the return of Hollywood Hogan would help. I think a lot of people are nostalgic for that, and a lot of people are pumped for that.

EB:

Well, they got a little taste. We gave them a little taste.

HH:

Yeah. (laughing) Well, a lot of the haters are going to hate, brother. And at the end of the day, I switched gears a couple of times, like the nWo. I switched gears with my lifestyle, I switched gears with what I believe in. And even switching gears to sell beer, Real American Beer is just a whole nother thing that some people think is a good idea. Some people might go, “oh, well, what is Hulk Hogan saying? Train, say your prayers and drink a beer?” There’s always going to be somebody that jumps in there. So I’m so used to it, that if they weren’t nipping at my heels, I wouldn’t feel alive or wouldn’t even feel relative. So I’m really kind of used to it. My whole career has been like this.

AK:

Is there a catchphrase for this brand? And if not, what would you guys consider for a catchphrase?

HH:

Well, I threw one out the other day, and I think it’s in the second video, and I said, “Welcome to the black and blue of professional freestyle wrestling, brother!” I was going to say “broken bones,” but I didn’t want to scare some of the organizations off and not let us steal some of their wrestlers for a while. I was going to say, “welcome to the broken bones and the black and blue of professional freestyle wrestling,” but we left off the broken bones.

EB:

When I got the call from Hulk and he laid this thing out to me about two minutes in. He said, “look, we’ve got Left Lane capital behind us,” and I didn’t know who Left Lane was in that moment. But as it was described to me, and I did some research after the call, you couldn’t hope for a better partner, because they’re interested in building sports leagues and they understand it. They understand the challenges, they also understand the opportunity. And man, that’s the kind of partner you want.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.