Last week, Eric Bischoff’s Real American Freestyle Wrestling debuted its first show from Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, which included talent such as Bo Nickal and Holly Holm, while also featuring amateur wrestling legends such as Kurt Angle and Chael Sonnen on the commentary desk. Following the event, Bischoff compared the first show of RAF to being part of the launch of WCW, as he touched on the similarities of creating an alternative product for wrestling fans in a recent interview with “Undisputed.”
“We found our sweet spot in WCW by appealing to an underserved market,” Bischoff stated. “At the time, it was the 18-49-year-old male demo, which was completely neglected by WWE. They were focused on a teen and pre-teen audience … With WCW, we went in a different direction–and it worked. With Real American Freestyle, we are focused on an audience that loves wrestling. That audience wants more, and we’re going to give it to them. We’re also going to deliver a product that combat sports fan can sink their teeth into.”
RAF’s second event is expected to take place on Saturday, November 8 at the Bryce Jordan Center in College Township, Pennsylvania, which could see Sonnen step into the ring after he was challenged by MMA legend Tito Ortiz at RAF’s debut show. Additionally, Bischoff teased that Angle could return to the ring, stating that he’s unsure if the WWE Hall Of Famer would be physically healthy to wrestle, but feels he still has a passion to be competitive in the sport.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Undisputed” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
