Fox Nation special explores Real American Freestyle wrestling league founded with Hulk Hogan's help
Real American Freestyle (RAF) is what happens when Olympic-level wrestling collides with the showmanship and spectacle reminiscent of WWE and the adrenaline-soaked intensity of UFC. A new Fox Nation documentary traces the league’s roots, introduces audiences to world-class athletes, and re-caps the most action-packed moments.
"RAF: The Greatest Takedowns" contains interviews with RAF founders and showcases the wildest highlights and most explosive takedowns from the RAF matches.
"The fans, they want this... This is one of the oldest sports of all time," RAF and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) athlete Colby "Chaos" Covington told "Fox & Friends" on Friday.
"The Greeks did it, the Gladiators did it and now Real American Freestyle is doing it. So any age can do it, and it's just such a special sport."
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Covington spoke about the opportunities afforded to athletes through RAF, a sentiment echoed in Fox Nation's new documentary.
"Now we have an opportunity to really be able to supplement our income and chase our dreams. It's not just the Olympic dream anymore," he said.
In "RAF: The Greatest Takedowns," the organization's founders explain that, iconic WWE stars like the late Hulk Hogan aside, there were no professional freestyle wrestlers who kids starting out in the sport could look up to and emulate.
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Hogan himself was instrumental in the birth of RAF. Co-founder Chad Bronstein worked with Hogan on his alcohol brand, Real American Beer.
Bronstein and Izzy Martinez, the wrestling coach of Bronstein's son and one of the country's most accomplished wrestling trainers, began brainstorming as to why there had not yet been a successful freestyle league. Hogan then connected them with legendary pro wrestling executive, Eric Bischoff.
Bronstein, Martinez and Bischoff explain what RAF is, how the league came to be and the reasons for its explosive growth in Fox Nation's "RAF: The Greatest Takedowns."
They also run down some of the most intense highlights from the RAF so far, featuring Covington and a legion of other athletes.
Subscribe to Fox Nation today to stream "RAF: The Greatest Takedowns."