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

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!!

The WWE legend announced this week he, Eric Bischoff and famed coach Israel Martinez have joined together to start Real American Freestyle -- and on Wednesday, he told us he wants POTUS ringside when it all officially kicks off on Aug. 30 in Cleveland.

In fact, Hulk -- who was one of Trump's biggest supporters during his run for president in 2024 -- said he plans to make a phone call to the White House soon to personally extend the invite.

With or without Trump, though, Hogan made it clear he's expecting big things from the league -- which will have a bit of a different feel than most of the wrestling promotions he used to dominate.

The RAF will feature real, unscripted freestyle wrestling ... with both men's and women's divisions. He said in a teaser for the league that athletes "are going to get paid to beat people up" -- before telling us they could make dollar amounts in the seven-figure range.

Hulk promised it'll have "The Voice"-like elements too ... saying wrestlers' backgrounds will be given to fans prior to their matches.

"By the time these wrestlers come out," he said, "you're going to actually be vested in these athletes and it's really going to ramp up."

Hogan said the idea all came to him and his business partners right around the time he started his Real American Beer company ... and he told us after watching Trump attend the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in Philadelphia last month, he got really excited for its potential.

Now, he said he believes it's all got the chance to be "just as big as" the UFC and the WWE.