Bo Nickal Returns to Wrestling in Real American Freestyle League
Posted by JOE KANIA
SHOP: The Bo Nickal Collection
After three NCAA titles at Penn State, a 2019 U23 World crown, the Dan Hodge Trophy and rising MMA star, Nickal has little left to prove—but plenty of takedowns left to score. Now the 29-year-old superstar is set to lace up his signature blue shoes for RAF’s inaugural season, stepping back onto the mats that first made him a household name.
Why RAF and why now?
A real pro league for real matches. RAF markets itself as “the first unscripted pro wrestling league for the best athletes in the world,” promising Olympic-rules action with production polish borrowed from entertainment wrestling.
Big-arena launch. The debut card—RAF 01—is locked in for Aug. 30 at Cleveland’s 13,000-seat Wolstein Center.
Star-studded roster. Recent signings include Olympic medalists Kyle Snyder and Kyle Dake plus NCAA phenom Wyatt Hendrickson. Nickal’s addition gives RAF instant mainstream name recognition in both wrestling and MMA circles.
Nickal’s résumé at a glance
| Achievement | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| NCAA Division I Champion (3x) | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Dan Hodge Trophy | 2019 |
| U23 World Champion | 2019 |
| U.S. Open Champion | 2019 |
| Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year | 2019 |
Career college mark: 120-3 with 59 bonus-point victories.
What Nickal brings to the league
Explosive scoring: Fans still replay the inside-trip pin he hit on Myles Martin in the 2017 NCAA final.
Crossover spotlight: His unbeaten early run in the UFC has grown an audience that rarely tunes into amateur wrestling.
Marketing magnet: Few wrestlers have Nickal’s social-media engagement; RAF gains an instant headliner for national TV and streaming packages.
Nickal’s return signals a paradigm shift. For decades, elite U.S. wrestlers either chased Olympic cycles or switched to cage fighting. RAF offers a third path—lucrative, spectator-friendly, and tailor-made for athletes who want to keep competing on the mat while still building personal brands.
If the Wolstein Center opener delivers the electricity Nickal routinely generated in college arenas, Real American Freestyle could do for amateur wrestling what the PFL and BKFC have done in other combat sports: create a true professional lane without scripted finishes.
Bo Nickal isn’t just coming back to freestyle; he’s walking into a league built for highlight-reel finishers exactly like him. When the lights go up in Cleveland on August 30, the most decorated active American wrestler of his generation will be center stage once again—this time, with an entire sport riding on his takedown prowess and star power.
