CLEVELAND, OHIO • The Real American Freestyle wrestling league will debut this Saturday, August 30th, inside of the Cleveland’s Wolstein Center, and all the action will be televised live exclusively on Fox Nation at 7:00 p.m. EDT. In a string of promotions and interviews and media coverage, the league is looking to open its first contest in historic fashion, and with everything that has been poured into this event, a historic night may just be what it becomes.
As for the league, it is not just filled with some of the country’s greatest wrestlers, but it is filled with some of the sport’s greatest entertainers. And that is what will be on display here with RAF; it is a combination of great wrestling and those who know how to put on a show. With this combination, the hope is not only drawing more attention and bringing in a new fanbase to the sport, but it is also to inspire and elevate the sport in America while also providing a new look into the sport that opens up the stories behind the men and women donning the singlet.
So, how good is this first card? Well, when looking at the “talent” compiled, the names are some of the finest in the sport. And when looking at the number of state champions, All-Americans, NCAA champions, age level and Senior level World Team Members and champions and medalists, and the list of Olympians and Olympic medalists, well, the list is far too long to compile. But know this, everyone stepping on the mat knows how to not only light up a scoreboard, but how to bring fans to their feet.
Now, as far as Illinois is concerned, this inaugural event will feature five of its own: Kennedy Blades, Austin Gomez, Dean Hamiti, Matt Ramos, and Real Woods. Blades and Gomez were each 2024 Olympians in freestyle with Blades earning a silver medal for the United States while Gomez represented Mexico and has become the face of their World Team. Currently, Woods is a US World Team Member and one of the hottest wrestlers competing right now, and Hamiti is quickly on the rise as well after capturing a national championship for Oklahoma State and then making the National Team. As for Ramos, he simply comes in with insane confidence and the ability to pose a threat against anyone he wrestles. And every one of these five wrestlers have always been this way.
Outside of the Illinois five, here is a look at the RAF01 lineup:
Light Heavyweight • 205 pounds
Bo Nickal versus Jacob Cardenas
Heavyweight • Unlimited
Wyatt Hendrickson versus Mostafa Elders
Women’s Middleweight • 150 pounds
Kennedy Blades versus Alejandra Riva
Bantamweight • 135 pounds
Nathan Tomasello versus Matt Ramos
Lightweight • 155 pounds
Yianni Diakomihalis versus Bajrang Punia
Lightweight • 155 pounds
Lance Palmer versus Austin Gomez
Middleweight • 175 pounds
Evan Wick versus Jason Nolf
Women’s Strawweight • 120 pounds
Sarah Hildebrandt versus Zeltzin Hernandez
Cruiserweight • 190 pounds
Kyle Dake versus Dean Hamiti
Featherweight • 145 pounds
Real Woods versus Darrion Caldwell
Now that the card has been set, here is a deeper dive into the Illinois wrestlers and their opponents in Saturday night’s RAF01.
For Matt Ramos of Lockport, the former Porter turned Boilermaker placed himself on the national radar with his stunning national semifinal win over Spencer Lee at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Now, he walks into RAF with what he has always brought to the mat: a great deal of confidence and the ability to change over a match at any moment. Ramos is strong and fearless and believes that he is never out of a match, and all of that is profoundly true.
Standing across from him will be a four-time college All-American and 2015 national champion in Nathan Tomasello. Tomasello, who wrestled at Ohio State, is widely known for his consistency and physicality through his wrestling. He is strong and powerful and built low to the ground. Ramos, seemingly the opposite, long and wiry and someone who becomes more dangerous as the match gets tangled up, should create a great contrast in styles and make for an exciting matchup.
This match will be the first RAF belt awarded in the history of the league, and this Bantamweight title holder will be the one who carries around a strong sense of history as he will always have that special notch in his belt that no one else will ever be able to claim.
Dean Hamiti, a native of Joliet, has had quite the year. After claiming a 2025 NCAA national championship, Hamiti went on to win the US Open and then medaled at the Ziolkowski Memorial in Warsaw, Poland.
For the young riser that is Hamiti, he will face off against one of the more modern legends of the sport in Kyle Dake. Dake, who has already won three World championships in addition to two Olympic medals, is one of the most dangerous wrestlers when he is fully healthy. Dake’s career is well branded, mostly known collegiately as the first wrestler to win four national championships in four different weight classes, but his international career is nothing to balk at as his success is just as impressive as his defense.
Now, if Hamiti, who is dangerous with his aggressiveness from the outside, can keep his distance and frustrate Dake by not allowing him to get to his ties, head pinch, or chest wrap, he may be able to strike late enough in the match to either pull away or take the lead for good as time winds down. Even with that being said, Dake is dangerous in his own right, and he has won on the greatest of stages. But if Hamiti can earn the win, he will solidify himself as a legitimate challenger in the coming years leading to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Next up will be 2024 Olympic silver medalist, one of the leaders for Team USA, and the face of the future for women’s wrestling, Kennedy Blades of Chicago. At 21 years old, Blades has already accomplished a great deal; however, she has a great deal more in her sights.
Blades, who is widely adored by young girls and women wrestlers alike, is strong on the mat and sweet off of it. But make no mistake, she is a force, and everyone knows it. She can hit the big move, close out a match, or simply grind a win out. In essence, she knows how to take over, dominate, and get her hand raised.
Her opponent, Alejandra Rivera, one of Mexico’s finest, will try to utilize her scrappy style to combat the grace and strength and power that is Blades. However, if Rivera allows Blades to score early, the match could be over very quickly because, once Blades scores, she ends up scoring at a fast rate that is difficult to contend and keep up with.
This is only one of the two women’s bouts, so the stage is large and heavy and the lights will be bright for a match that will undoubtedly set the trend for what is to be expected from the next generation of female wrestlers.
Also stepping onto the mat for Illinois will be one of the world’s most electrifying wrestlers in Austin Gomez. The Carol Stream native and 2024 Olympian for Mexico, Gomez has been an NCAA finalist and has earned multiple All-American honors, but that is not what makes Gomez dangerous. What makes Gomez dangerous is Gomez being Gomez. With his fearless style and ability to score from anywhere at any time, he poses a threat in the open, in a tie, or in defense. Simply, when he is on the mat, he is dangerous. If there is anyone on this card that is never out of a match, it is Gomez. He knows how to win, and he knows how to entertain in the process.
Stepping up against Gomez will be Lance Palmer. The more seasoned Palmer, a four-time All-American for Ohio State, as well as a fighter who sustained a successful MMA career, comes back to the mat in his hometown with hopes of making a statement against the relentless Gomez. But to beat Gomez, he is going to have to be able to withstand the hurricane winds that are Gomez’s offensive attacks.
This one should be exciting as these two guys have the power and technique and fearlessness to attack the other at any given moment. The winner here will have much to brag about as this one should be a fight long before it turns into a battle of wills.
Lastly, the matchup between Real Woods and Darrion Caldwell will be what matches are meant to be, a constant grind of a match that ends in some spectacular display of showmanship that ignites the fans and places a spotlight on the final risk-taker.
For Woods, who knocked off Joey McKenna at Final X, after staging a series of final-second heroics up to that point, has been on some grand platforms in his time, and he is built for wrestling in pressure situations. And if the wrestling matchup was not enough, the winner of this one will have the final say in a battle of words that has not ended since it began.
Woods, who has now made his first World Team, is now given the opportunity to further legitimize his claim in freestyle, while Caldwell may be looking to come at Woods and show him that he is still a force to be dealt with. Look for Caldwell to come out fast and furious to avoid having to dig deep into the match because, if he does, that is where Woods has been an absolute killer as of late.
This matchup should be good because once the wrestling ends, and a winner is crowned, look for a final moment of showmanship that should put an end to all of the talking and hype that has been built up since the bout was released.
For more information, please visit: realamericanfreestyle.com
• TC LIFONTI / LEAD WRITER FOR ILLINOIS MATMEN / tclifonti.com
