Wyatt Hendrickson to wrestle Egyptian Olympian Aly Elsayed Gabr at Real American Freestlye 01

The late Hulk Hogan, who founded the new league, was a big fan of Hendrickson after seeing his performance at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. He released a statement on the signing of the heavyweight back in June.

“Wyatt Hendrickson right now is the sport of wrestling, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Real American Freestyle team after what was truly a historic win and unbelievable season, ” Hogan said in a statement. “Our mission is to provide a platform for these athletes at all stages, and even at the top – where Hendrickson currently is – we’re proud that because of what we’re building, the NCAA Championship title fight won’t his last bout, but simply the last before what we know will be an illustrious professional career.”

A three-time All-American and NCAA champion, Hendrickson won at Final X on June 14th in a best-of-three series for a spot on Team USA for the 2025 World Championships, defeating Trent Hillger two matches to zero. In addition to RAF01, Hendrickson will compete at the 2025 World Championships in Croatia in September, just a few weeks later.

“Real American Freestyle announced recently that FOX Nation would be the streaming partner for their live events, and also recently welcomed Kurt Angle to serve as commentator and analyst alongside Chael Sonnen and Bubba Jenkins,” a release from RAF read. “Following the sad passing of co-founder and Commissioner Hulk Hogan, Real American Freestyle will honor his legacy and continue to build the organization he cared so deeply and passionately about. Hulk had a deep appreciation for Wyatt’s patriotism.”

Hendrickson deferred his service for the Air Force in order to wrestle professionally and compete for Team USA. Over the next few years, Hendrickson will attempt to make the 2028 Olympic team and represent the United States in Los Angeles before fully diving into his military career.