Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Real American Freestyle announces first matches, host city, arena in August

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Nick Kosko | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 10:16 AM ET

Real American Freestyle announced its first set of matches for its first event in August. On Wednesday, four bouts were announced for the first wrestling card set to be hosted August 30th in Cleveland at the Wolstein Center.

It will now host the inaugural RAF event later this summer with some familiar names already attached to the organization. Events for Real American Freestyle will feature eight weight classes with eight matches for men and four for women.

If you’re ready for wrestling to have an awesome professional event, aside from the senior level action at Worlds and Olympics, this is the place to be. You can see the announced bouts below.

Announced matches for August 30 RAF event:

Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell; Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer; Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra; Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera Arriaga. Woods and Blades just won at Final X this past weekend, earning their spots on the 2025 World Team for Team USA.

“Aaron Brooks’ opponent will be announced in the coming weeks, along with the full fight card,” the release read. “Seeking to provide an opportunity for the best athletes to compete and showcase their talent, Real American Freestyle will continue to develop its program ahead of this event, and will offer a dynamic, modern approach to coverage of the sport – spearheaded by the elite storytelling of Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and legendary coach Israel Martinez.”

Brooks recently announced his comeback from time away from the mat due to illness on The Quad Pod. The four-time NCAA champion from Penn State is a high profile name for Real American Freestyle.

Real American Freestyle Chief of Staff, and former Notre Dame quarterback, Brandon Wimbush joined On3 Wrestling recently to talk about the league. That can be viewed HERE.

“Cleveland is an incredible city, and Real American Freestyle is channeling its rock and roll style into this first event,” Commissioner of Real American Freestyle Hulk Hogan said. “The Wolstein Center is a great partner, and the perfect location for us to launch our season. Fans of the sport will not want to miss their chance to see history take place.”

Real American Freestyle also pledged the proceeds for each ticket sold to go to Cleveland State University. The school recently lost its men’s wrestling program due to cuts, but there’s been recent activity to save it, as well as add a women’s program.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: