Hulk Hogan Launches Pro Wrestling League, Hopes Trump Hits Inaugural Event | TMZ Sports

Hulk Hogan’s got a new wrestling league … and he’s hopeful he won’t be the only major celeb running wild at its inaugural event later this summer — telling TMZ Sports he wants Donald Trump there too!!

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we are up and running We’re on the crest of the wave and we’re on a crazy roll man It’s getting nuts Yeah So tell us about this Hulk Because if people are thinking “Hey this is this is professional wrestling This is WWE.” No this is not this is this is freestyle wrestling or amateur wrestling but on a professional level Hulk tell us tell us about what you got going on here with you and uh and your buddy Eric Bishoff Yeah Well it it all started out with the beer you know the real American beer Just like the Hulk Hogan name the Hulk Hogan’s got over a thousand licenses out there for products You know we started out with real American beer It was an open lane One of the huge companies messed up their marketing plan So I saw this open lane for a light beer that could bring America back together So we started out with that new brand Real American Beer And all of a sudden we’re looking for all these opportunities and Eric Bishoff and myself my partner Chad Bronstein we’re always looking for that Wild Wild West deal and all of a sudden you know we’re talking about TV and the industry and stuff and I’m noticing the reality TV and the scripted stuff isn’t popping and cracking like it used to be But live sports is really taking over You know the new volleyball league Shawn White the snowboard league you know Left Lane was backing those guys Now they’re behind us And all of a sudden you know since wrestling at its core is what I’m all about I’ve been in the ring with some really crazy wrestlers Like I got uh Brock Lesnar right after he left the UFC I got in first I got Kurt Angle when his eyeballs used to roll back like a shark and he come after me You know Benjamin Shelton all these different guys that I’ve had the opportunity to see adapt to our business I said you know something there’s something there with these amateur guys because they don’t get to continue their career They e either go to UFC and they do the striking or they get a a normal job like a mailman or electrician And I said with my partner I said ‘You know let me call Eric because there’s something here you know and Chad and I Eric and I and Eric put our heads together and we said these guys don’t have a chance to continue their professional career but since we can pay them now you know it’s real American professional because they’re getting paid freestyle wrestling And all of a sudden man we grabbed Izzy Martinez and he’s the coach of all coaches He’s coached so many Olympic athletes NCAA champions We’ve got such a crazy team together and we put out a couple little teasers to kind of let people know what we’re doing This thing’s taken off like crazy It’s part of the Real American beer brand which has rolled into wrestling and now we’re up to no good We’re going to do all kind of stuff That’s incredible Hulk And obviously you look at MMA and and what the UFC has done I mean absolutely massive It’s it’s crazy how the sport has grown And you’re right there there’s nothing that exists for for wrestling How big can this be well you know we’ve even got a crazy female division that’s going to grow and grow and grow But when you talk about how big it can be I’ve seen what’s what’s happened with the UFC even before Dana White got it Vince McMahon and I about good god 354 years ago took a look at it I can’t even remember how long ago it was And we had no idea it was going to turn into what it was But when you ask how big can it be because of the reaction with you know the the freestyle wrestling and the amateur wrestling in the Olympics When I think about the UFC in the WWE we’re not competitive at all with these guys but we have a chance to be just as big as them So that’s what I’m looking for because everybody loves the you know the wrestling the freestyle wrestling You don’t get stuck on the mat You got to get back up And what we’re going to do is kind of like shoot these packages so that you care about the athletes kind of like the voice where if you’re wrestling brother you know we’re going to find out what why why you started We had no idea you came from a broken home We had no idea that you know your brother committed suicide We had no idea that you’re an honor student in college All the backstory So by the time these wrestlers come out you’re going to actually be vested in these athletes and it’s just really going to ramp up Because I thought maybe these amateur wrestlers were kind of dull you know but I was wrong I’ve been hanging out with them And they have all got that Conor McGregor swagger They’ve been watching TV They’ve been watching the wrestling They know how to run their mouths They know what branding is all about So not only the wrestling career career that we can pay up to seven digits at the end of the day Also their licensing their merchandise We’re getting ready to roll brother That’s incredible Hulk did and I remember watching this and how much attention it got Obviously you’ve got a relationship with President Trump and he was at the NCA Championships that got a ton of attention Did did did that factor into this at all Hulk or or had this already been in the works and hey that’s just you know another cool thing for the sport of wrestling well it it definitely factored in but we were way ahead of the game We had already started this months and months before but to see our president step up and be involved I said I think I know who’s going to be at our August 30 30th event in Cleveland I’m going to make a special phone call You know that’s that sounds I might know somebody I might know somebody I’d say so And the guy himself Yeah the big man himself