Elite wrestling is coming to Indiana this weekend. Real American Freestyle 04 (RAF 04) takes over the Fishers Event Center on Saturday, Dec. 20, bringing four championship bouts to Hamilton County. The main event features Lawrenceburg native and 2024 Olympian Mason Parris challenging the reigning NCAA heavyweight champion Wyatt Hendrickson.
For Hoosier wrestling fans, this is a rare opportunity to see world-class freestyle competition without leaving the state.
RAF 04 Event Details
Date: Saturday, Dec. 20
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Venue: Fishers Event Center
Tickets: Available through Ticketmaster
How to Watch: Streaming exclusively on FOX Nation
What is Real American Freestyle?
Real American Freestyle (RAF) is a professional freestyle wrestling league founded in April 2025 by Chad Bronstein, the late Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff. Backed by venture capital firm Left Lane Capital, RAF was created to give elite amateur wrestlers something the sport has historically lacked: a true professional platform with real prize money and national exposure.
Unlike WWE, RAF features unscripted, real athletic competition under USA Wrestling freestyle rules. The roster includes Olympic medalists, NCAA champions, and MMA fighters competing in legitimate wrestling matches.
"The production's amazing," Parris told the Get IN. Podcast this week. "It's going to be a little bit more on the WWE side of things where it's a big production, it's a show. But the matches out there, they're real matches. There's nothing scripted about what we're doing."
RAF 4 marks the league's first event in Indiana and its final show of 2025.
Main Event: Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Mason Parris
The headline bout brings together two of the most dominant heavyweight wrestlers in American history.
Wyatt Hendrickson (Champion) captured the RAF Heavyweight Championship at the league's inaugural event, defeating 2024 Olympian Mostafa Elders. He started his collegiate career at Air Force and reached the NCAA Tournament four times, finishing third during his junior and senior seasons. He was then granted a special military waiver to use his NCAA COVID-19 extra eligibility year and transferred to Oklahoma State, where he won the 2025 NCAA championship at 285 pounds, famously defeating Olympic champion Gable Steveson in the finals 5-4 on a late takedown in the third period.
Mason Parris (Challenger) is a Lawrenceburg, Indiana native and three-time IHSAA state champion who went 206-1 in his high school career. He attended the University of Michigan, where he won the 2023 NCAA title at 285 pounds and Dan Hodge Trophy as a fifth-year senior. However, his ascension to the top of the podium took patience and hundreds of hours in the practice room.
He qualified for NCAAs as a freshman, bowing out of the tournament in the blood round. As a sophomore, he was ranked No. 2 in the nation and lost to Steveson 8-6 in the Big Ten championship. Unfortunately, the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, so he was named a first-team All-American for his performance during the regular season. He was NCAA runner-up as a junior, losing 8-4 to Steveson in the finals. Then as a senior, he secured a fifth-place All-American finish. Following his NCAA title, he represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The rivalry between Hendrickson and Parris runs deep. At the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Hendrickson finished third while Parris claimed the national title. Two months later, Parris notched two freestyle victories over Hendrickson at the US Open (20-7 tech fall) and US Senior World Team Trials (12-11 decision). The matchup was set in motion at RAF 1, when Parris issued a direct challenge to Hendrickson. The champion accepted.
Coming Home to Indiana
For Parris, competing at Fishers Event Center is a full-circle moment. The kid from small-town Lawrenceburg, where his dad started the first youth wrestling program in Dearborn County, is now headlining a professional wrestling event in his home state.
"I've been able to wrestle all over the world," Parris said on the Get IN. Podcast. "And just to kind of be back in Indiana where it all started is amazing. I have a bunch of family members, people I know from the community that are all coming to watch me compete. It's right in my backyard. I'm going to have the home crowd advantage."
Hendrickson welcomes the hostile environment. "People are saying it's on Mason's turf, it's in Indiana, and that's honestly better for me," Hendrickson told MMA Fighting. "I love hostile environments. That almost fuels me more."
For Indiana fans, that's an invitation to pack the Fishers Event Center and make some noise.
Full RAF 04 Fight Card
RAF 04 features four championship bouts:
RAF 04 Heavyweight Championship (Main Event): Wyatt Hendrickson (Champion) vs. Mason Parris (Challenger)
RAF 04 Interim Light Heavyweight Championship: Yoel Romero vs. Pat Downey
Former UFC star Yoel Romero was originally scheduled as the challenger of three-time NCAA champion Bo Nickal, but Nickal withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Pat Downey, a 2016 D-1 All-American, stepped in on short notice after dominating UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley at RAF 3. The winner of Romero vs. Downey will face Nickal for the undisputed light heavyweight title at a future RAF event.
RAF 04 Middleweight Championship: Evan Wick (Champion) vs. Dean Hamiti Jr. (Challenger)
Wick attended the University of Wisconsin and earned NCAA finishes of 3rd and 4th place at 165 pounds in 2018 and 2019. Hamiti Jr. won the 2025 NCAA title at 174 pounds with Oklahoma State, where he transferred after also wrestling for Wisconsin as a freshman, sophomore, and junior, earning 6th place at NCAAs each of his first two seasons.
RAF 04 Women's Middleweight Championship: Kennedy Blades (Champion) vs. Alara Boyd (Challenger)
Blades, a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympics, is a high-flying scoring machine who will take on Boyd, a native of Muncie, Indiana. With a 4th-place finish at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and 2021 NCAA title under her belt, Boyd is a stout competitor that will push Blades to the limit.
Featured Cruiserweight Bout: Parker Keckeisen vs. Zahid Valencia
Two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia, known for his explosive scoring, faces one of the best defensive wrestlers in the sport, Parker Keckeisen, a University of Northern Iowa legend who had NCAA finishes of 3rd-3rd-2nd-1st-2nd at 184 pounds.
About Fishers Event Center
The Fishers Event Center opened in November 2024 and features a seating capacity of 7,500. Since opening, the venue has hosted over 140 events with more than 500,000 attendees, including concerts from John Legend, home games for the Indy Fuel hockey team, and Indy Ignite volleyball.
The venue is located at 11000 Stockdale Street in Fishers, easily accessible from I-69. Arrive early as traffic can be heavy for major events.
Indiana Wrestling on the Rise
During his podcast appearance, Parris made a point to shout out the wrestling community across the state.
"We're a tough state. We're one of the top states," Parris said. "I think people underestimate us a lot. We've just been on such a come-up lately. To see what universities these guys are going to, it's berserk."
For younger wrestlers, watching Parris compete at this level offers proof that a kid from small-town Indiana can reach the pinnacle of the sport.
An even more recent Indiana wrestling success story is that of Jesse Mendez, the current No. 1 ranked wrestler at 141 pounds for Ohio State. He is a three-time All-American who placed 6th at NCAAs as a freshman before winning NCAA titles each of the last two seasons. This year, the Crown Point, Indiana native is vying to become another Hoosier to win the Dan Hodge Trophy as college wrestling's most dominant wrestler.
The Bottom Line
Real American Freestyle 04 brings world-class wrestling to Indiana this Saturday night. With four title fights and Lawrenceburg's own Mason Parris headlining in his home state, this is a can't-miss event for Hoosier sports fans.
"This is the start of something really amazing," Parris said. "I promise you won't regret going."
Listen to the full Mason Parris episode on the Get IN. Podcast for more on his journey from Lawrenceburg to the Olympics and Real American Freestyle.