FILE - Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson reacts after defeating Minnesota’s Gable Steveson during a 285-pound match in the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)
FILE - in this April 3, 2005, file photo, Hulk Hogan fires up the crowd between matches during WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
Hendrickson to headline wrestling event as Hulk Hogan’s venture continues after his death
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wyatt Hendrickson will face Egypt’s Mostafa Aly Elsayed Gabr Elders in Real American Freestyle wrestling’s main event on Aug. 30, the company announced Tuesday.
FILE - Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson reacts after defeating Minnesota’s Gable Steveson during a 285-pound match in the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wyatt Hendrickson will face Egypt’s Mostafa Aly Elsayed Gabr Elders in Real American Freestyle wrestling’s main event on Aug. 30, the company announced Tuesday.
RAF01, the company’s inaugural event, ‘s death. Chad Bronstein, Real American Freestyle’s CEO and co-founder, said that’s the way Hogan would have wanted it.
“From day one, he threw his weight behind this league,” Bronstein said of Hogan in a statement. “He met with athletes. He watched tape, shared stories and showed up like only he could. RAF was personal to him, something bigger than all of us. This league is part of his legacy, and we intend to honor it.”
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Hendrickson beat Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson to win the 285-pound national title at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in March. Hendrickson’s dramatic late takedown in the final gave the Oklahoma State heavyweight the 5-4 win, closed out a 27-0 season and ended Steveson’s win streak at 70 matches. Hendrickson later won the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top men’s college wrestler.
Hogan was a fan of Hendrickson’s and believed he embodied the spirit of Real American Freestyle. Hendrickson is an Air Force second lieutenant who celebrated with a United States flag after he defeated Steveson.
Hendrickson’s opponent was the final piece to complete the card. Elders was the African Games champion at 97 kilograms in 2024 and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in that weight class.
Other men’s matchups include Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas; Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia; Darrion Caldwell vs. Real Woods; and Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer. Women’s matches scheduled are: Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera; and Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez.
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