Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff Reveal Their ‘Third Man’ and Launch Real American Freestyle Wrestling
A few days after dropping a cryptic nWo-style promo teasing the arrival of a mysterious “third man,” Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff finally lifted the curtain—and it’s not what fans were expecting.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the duo revealed that the “third man” is not a wrestler, but world-renowned wrestling coach Izzy Martinez. The announcement comes alongside the launch of Real American Freestyle Wrestling, a new professional freestyle wrestling league set to debut this summer.
“This isn’t about body slams and steel chairs,” Bischoff told the AP. “This is real wrestling. Olympic-style. We’re shining a spotlight on the athletes who’ve dedicated their lives to the mat.”
Hogan echoed the sentiment, saying, “This is a real wrestling league with real athletes and real prize money. This is the real deal, brother.”
According to the AP, Real American Freestyle Wrestling is being positioned as the first of its kind—an attempt to bring the same energy and presentation style of pro wrestling to the world of amateur freestyle wrestling, elevating it to a broader audience with television production and live events.
“People love the action, the intensity, and the drama of wrestling,” Bischoff said. “We’re taking all of that, removing the scripts, and giving fans the purest form of combat sport.”
As for Martinez, he’s no stranger to building champions. A former Illinois assistant coach and founder of the IZZYSTYLE Wrestling club, he’s trained some of the top talents in amateur wrestling. “The platform we’re creating here is going to change the sport,” Martinez told AP. “We’re not just giving these athletes a spotlight—we’re giving them a future.”
For those who thought the Hogan/Bischoff teaser was leading to another wrestling nostalgia act or podcast, the pivot to a legitimate freestyle wrestling league is a curveball—but one that could shake up the combat sports landscape if it lands.
The league is set to kick off with its inaugural event this summer. Stay tuned—because according to Hogan, “It’s not about the past. It’s about the future of wrestling.”