Olympic medalists Snyder, Dake and Brooks sign with Real American Freestyle wrestling

By Canadian Press on May 8, 2025.

Olympic medalists Kyle Snyder, Kyle Dake and Aaron Brooks headline the newest additions to the Real American Freestyle wrestling league.

The announcement of the signings Thursday comes off the heels of the Tampa, Florida-based company’s launch last week. The league, with pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan as the commissioner, will hold its first event Aug. 30 in Cleveland.

Snyder earned gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and silver in Tokyo in 2021. He’s a three-time world champion who won three national titles at Ohio State.

Dake is a four-time world champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist. He was a four-time national champion at Cornell. Brooks, a four-time national champion at Penn State, earned bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

David Carr and Trent Hidlay also have signed. Carr was a two-time national champion at Iowa State. He was an under-20 world champion, and bronze medalist at the under-17 world championships. Hidlay was a two-time national runner-up at North Carolina State.

“David, Kyle, Aaron, Trent, and Kyle represent the best of the best, and that’s who we’re targeting for Real American Freestyle,” Hogan said in a statement. “Our goal is to give these athletes an opportunity to continue their careers, create a platform for greatness, and inspire a legacy that lasts.”

Kennedy Blades, a silver medalist at the Paris Games, had already signed on the women’s side. She believes the input of people such as Hogan will help it be sustainable. Her longtime coach, Israel Hernandez, is the league’s chief operating officer, and she’s excited that he’s teaming up with Hogan, chief media officer Eric Bischoff and co-founder Chad Bronstein.

“I think the Real American Freestyle wrestling is going to be huge for the sport. I know coach Izzy, at the end of the day, wants to push wrestling to the highest level.

“The goal is to get people outside who don’t know anything about wrestling to come watch and invest in the sport financially, being there at the events, stuff like that,” she said. “So I’m really excited about it.”

Events will feature eight weight classes with eight matches for men and four for women. Wrestlers will have the opportunity to win a championship purse and bonuses — in adherence to NCAA regulations — for victories.

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Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press