Real American Freestyle (RAF) Marks One-Year Anniversary with RAF12 Homecoming in Cleveland

The Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling league is set to mark its first anniversary with a celebratory return to Cleveland for RAF12 on Saturday, August 22. This milestone event will take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and will be broadcast live and exclusively on FOX Nation, continuing the league’s extended partnership with the streaming service.

RAF is positioning RAF12 as a significant homecoming, bringing the professional freestyle wrestling league back to the very arena where it first launched its full-scale fight-night show and introduced its unique, unscripted format to a national audience. Developed as the "new main stage for wrestling," RAF has built its brand around showcasing Olympic-caliber freestyle wrestling, adhering to USA Wrestling rules, but presented with high production values akin to major combat sports promotions.

RAF12 in Cleveland: Celebrating a Breakout First Year

Founded in 2025 by CEO Chad Bronstein, alongside Israel “Izzy” Martinez and Eric Bischoff, RAF was established to provide a dedicated professional platform for elite wrestlers. It aims to offer transparent career pathways, event-driven narratives, and opportunities for athletes to build careers beyond the amateur wrestling system. Operating from Florida, the league maintains a dynamic traveling event schedule, with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse serving as a key venue in its rotation.

Over its inaugural year, RAF has successfully established itself as a prominent commercial combat sports entity. Its events consistently feature a roster of Olympic medalists, World Champions, NCAA champions, and notable crossovers from MMA. The league's debut season boasted approximately 40 athletes and received substantial financial backing from venture capital firms like Left Lane Capital and Cassius, facilitating its expansion into major national venues and media partnerships.

The messaging surrounding RAF12 highlights a remarkable first year, characterized by events in national arenas, a consistent schedule, and a growing library of supplementary and documentary content available on FOX Nation. An earlier long-term extension of the partnership solidified FOX Nation as the exclusive home for live RAF events, providing the league with a stable distribution platform as it continues to grow.

RAF's decision to return to Cleveland strategically aligns the brand with a city already central to the wrestling calendar. With the NCAA Wrestling Championships occurring in Cleveland the same week, the league's announcement capitalizes on a concentrated presence of wrestling fans and one of the sport's key domestic events. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, offers an established arena-scale setting with a proven track record for hosting significant sports and entertainment broadcasts.

Chad Bronstein has frequently expressed his vision to present freestyle wrestling in a manner that appeals to a broader casual sports audience. He views RAF's arena events as a validation that high-level, unscripted wrestling can indeed serve as the foundation for a modern live show. Bringing RAF12 back to Cleveland reinforces the city's role as a recurring hub for the league and engages a fan base already deeply familiar with collegiate and international wrestling.

Beyond live competitions, RAF has diversified its engagement through initiatives like trading cards, interactive fan zones at events, and youth-focused programs, including clinic experiences with rostered athletes. These efforts aim to cultivate a comprehensive, year-round ecosystem around freestyle wrestling. The FOX Nation partnership further enhances this by providing documentary and behind-the-scenes content that chronicles athletes' journeys through training camps and competition weeks, thereby building personal brands and strengthening fan connections.

With RAF12 serving as the one-year milestone event in Cleveland and a secure long-term streaming agreement in place, the league is poised to enter its second season, confidently promoting freestyle wrestling as a consistent, arena-ready sports product with a clear home for both live events and on-demand storytelling.