{ "id": "ep0b2j7wgj", "slug": "raf-04", "title": "RAF 04", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries", "label": "Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" } ] } ], "excerpt": "RAF 04: Hendrickson vs. Parris, the fourth Real American Freestyle pro freestyle wrestling event, held December 20, 2025 at Fishers Event Center, Indiana, on Fox Nation; Hendrickson tech-falled Parris 13-2, Romero beat Downey 10-0, Hamiti pinned Wick for the middleweight title.", "snippet": "RAF 04: Hendrickson vs. Parris, the fourth Real American Freestyle pro freestyle wrestling event, held December 20, 2025 at Fishers Event Center, Indiana, on Fox Nation; Hendrickson tech-falled Parris 13-2, Romero beat Downey 10-0, Hamiti pinned Wick for the middleweight title.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries", "markdown": "# RAF 04\n\n**RAF 04: Hendrickson vs. Parris** was a professional freestyle wrestling event held on December 20, 2025, at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana. It was the fourth flagship event produced by [Real American Freestyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/real-american-freestyle) (RAF), a professional freestyle wrestling league founded in April 2025 by Chad Bronstein, the late [Hulk Hogan](https://www.edgepedia.org/hulk-hogan), and [Eric Bischoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-bischoff), and it streamed live on Fox Nation.[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025) • [2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) The nine-bout card closed the promotion's first year and featured five championship matches, three of which ended in 10-0 or better technical falls.[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) • [3](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/raf-01-10-results-r101079/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Event | RAF 04: Hendrickson vs. Parris, fourth flagship Real American Freestyle card[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025) |\n| Date and venue | December 20, 2025, 7 p.m. EST, Fishers Event Center, Fishers, Indiana[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025) |\n| Broadcast | Exclusively on Fox Nation; replay available there afterward[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) |\n| Main event | Wyatt Hendrickson retained the RAF Heavyweight Championship, beating Mason Parris by 13-2 technical fall in the second period[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) |\n| Co-main event | Yoel Romero, 48, beat Pat Downey 10-0 by technical fall for the interim light heavyweight title after Bo Nickal withdrew[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) |\n| Title change | Dean Hamiti pinned Evan Wick to become the new RAF Middleweight Champion, the only pinfall of the night[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) |\n| Upset | Parker Keckeisen, a +441 underdog, defeated 2025 World champion Zahid Valencia 10-2[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) |\n| Card size | Nine bouts, including five championship matches[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) • [3](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/raf-01-10-results-r101079/) |\n\n## Background\n\nReal American Freestyle was created to give elite amateur wrestlers a professional platform with prize money and national exposure, and it runs unscripted competition under freestyle rules rather than scripted sports entertainment.[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025) RAF 04 was the league's first event in Indiana and its final show of 2025.[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025)\n\nThe main event matched two of the most accomplished American heavyweights. [Wyatt Hendrickson](https://www.edgepedia.org/wyatt-hendrickson) won the 2025 NCAA championship at 285 pounds for Oklahoma State, defeating Olympic champion [Gable Steveson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gable-steveson) 5-4 on a late takedown, and captured the RAF Heavyweight Championship at the league's inaugural event by beating 2024 Olympian Mostafa Elders.[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025) Mason Parris, a Lawrenceburg, Indiana native, won the 2023 NCAA title at 285 pounds for Michigan and the Dan Hodge Trophy, then represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025) Parris led their head-to-head series 3-0, with two freestyle wins at the 2023 US Open and US Senior World Team Trials, and the RAF matchup was set in motion when Parris issued a direct challenge to Hendrickson during the [RAF 01](https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-01) broadcast.[1](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025)\n\n## Rules context\n\nRAF bouts use modified freestyle wrestling: three two-minute periods with 30-second breaks, no overtime, and a technical fall, which ends the bout immediately, once a wrestler leads by 10 or more points. Takedowns score 2 points, standing exposure 4 or 5, ground exposure 2, and step-outs and reversals 1; a tied match is decided by criteria, awarded to the wrestler who scored the last point.[5](https://rafwrestling.org/rules/)\n\n## Results\n\n**Main event: heavyweight championship.** Hendrickson scored a four-point knee pick from the over-under position early, an advantage that never changed hands, and finished with a 13-2 technical fall in the second period to retain the title.[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) Parris retained the lead in their lifetime series, but the promotion's own recap described the performance as one of the most dominant heavyweight title matches in RAF history.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard)\n\n**Co-main event: interim light heavyweight title.** [Bo Nickal](https://www.edgepedia.org/bo-nickal), the RAF Light Heavyweight Champion, withdrew from his scheduled title defense against [Yoel Romero](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoel-romero) for undisclosed reasons, and Pat Downey stepped in on short notice for an interim title match.[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) Romero, a 48-year-old Olympic silver medalist who had been away from freestyle wrestling for years, led 8-0 after two periods and ended the match with a double-leg eight seconds into the third period for a 10-0 technical fall.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) The Nickal-Romero bout was rescheduled for a later card.[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/)\n\n**Middleweight championship.** Dean Hamiti, the 2025 NCAA champion at 174 pounds, pinned reigning champion Evan Wick in the third period to take the belt. Starting the period down 4-3, Hamiti scored exposure and roll points before finishing the cradle, the only pinfall of the night.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard)\n\n**Cruiserweight upset.** Parker Keckeisen entered as a +441 underdog against Zahid Valencia, who had won 2025 World championship gold without surrendering a point months earlier. Keckeisen took a 2-1 lead with a takedown, closed the first period 4-1 with leg laces from a defensive position, and pressed the attack until Valencia left the mat to vomit; the final score was 10-2.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) Keckeisen then called out [Kyle Dake](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-dake).[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard)\n\n**Retained titles.** David Carr, a 2025 U.S. World Team member, retained the welterweight championship with a 10-0 technical fall over former UFC welterweight champion [Belal Muhammad](https://www.edgepedia.org/belal-muhammad), finishing 30 seconds into the second period.[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) • [4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) [Kennedy Blades](https://www.edgepedia.org/kennedy-blades) retained the women's middleweight championship by shutting out Alara Boyd 10-0 in less than one period.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard)\n\n**Other bouts.** The remaining results, as compiled by InterMat:[3](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/raf-01-10-results-r101079/)\n\n- [Light heavyweight](https://www.edgepedia.org/light-heavyweight) (215 lb): Trent Hidlay over Jacob Cardenas, 5-3\n- Cruiserweight (190 lb): Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov over Dustin Plott, 11-7\n- [Middleweight](https://www.edgepedia.org/middleweight) (175 lb): Jason Nolf over Andy Varela, 10-0\n\nKadimagomedov, an Olympic silver medalist, trailed 6-5 heading into the final period before a scramble takedown put the match out of reach.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) Nolf, a three-time NCAA champion, tech-falled Varela in just over one period despite Varela having learned the full ruleset only days earlier, then called out UFC lightweight contender [Arman Tsarukyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/arman-tsarukyan).[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard)\n\n## Aftermath\n\nRAF 04 was followed less than a month later by [RAF 05](https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-05) on January 10, 2026, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, headlined by Colby Covington versus Luke Rockhold, with the rescheduled Nickal-Romero match and a bantamweight title bout between Nathan Tomasello and Austin DeSanto on the card.[2](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/) • [6](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/two-matches-added-to-raf-05-card-r100694/) The promotion's recap framed the night as a changing of the guard, with Blades separating herself from the women's field, Keckeisen establishing himself as a top contender without a belt, and Romero re-entering the light heavyweight title picture.[4](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard) InterMat ranked three RAF 04 bouts, the Hendrickson-Parris main event, the Keckeisen-Valencia upset, and the Hamiti-Wick title change, among the top ten RAF matches of 2025.[7](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/the-top-10-raf-matches-of-2025-r100720/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Real American Freestyle 4 in Fishers: Time, Card & Watch, Get Indiana](https://getindiana.com/news/real-american-freestyle-4-fishers-event-center-december-2025)\n2. [RAF 04 Recap: Hendrickson Destroys Parris, Romero Shocks, Rafinsider](https://rafinsider.com/raf-04-recap-hendrickson-makes-it-look-easy-and-indiana-gets-a-championship-night/)\n3. [RAF 01-10 Results, InterMat](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/raf-01-10-results-r101079/)\n4. [RAF04 Recap: Changing of the Guard, Real American Freestyle](https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/post/raf04-recap-changing-of-the-guard)\n5. [RAF Wrestling Rules: Real American Freestyle Scoring & Format](https://rafwrestling.org/rules/)\n6. [Two Matches Added to RAF 05 Card, InterMat](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/two-matches-added-to-raf-05-card-r100694/)\n7. [The Top 10 RAF Matches of 2025, InterMat](https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/the-top-10-raf-matches-of-2025-r100720/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"RAF 04\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[RAF 04](https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04](https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"RAF 04\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-04. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "RAF 04: Hendrickson vs." }