STATE COLLEGE — A new national professional wrestling league will soon launch, and its founders have deep ties to both Penn State and State College wrestling.
Former State College wrestler Tom Houck and Penn State All-American Eric Brugel will formally launch the Champions League of American Wrestling, CLAW, in 2025. CLAW will have six teams who will compete in dual meets across the country. The teams will be composed of top professional wrestlers selected in a draft by high profile general managers, with meets scheduled to begin in the fall of 2025.
What sets CLAW apart will be a set of modified and innovative rules that are designed to increase action, scoring and fan engagement. The five-minute matches will be fast paced, with the rules encouraging and rewarding action and point scoring from the opening whistle.
For example, one rule is specifically designed to jump start matches. If a wrestler initiates action in the first 15 seconds of a match, he is rewarded with a bonus point.
Other rules have also been designed to increase the action and fan enjoyment.
“The new rules are exciting,” Brugel said. “In over 50 test matches with D1 and senior-level wrestlers, we’ve seen nearly three times more scoring than in a typical NCAA tournament match. It’s real wrestling, but faster paced and more fun to watch.”
Brugel and Houck have done extensive research and testing, and debuted CLAW to the public in May 2023 with the CLAW Open in Falls Church, Virginia. With wrestlers from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, George Mason and UVA participating, the event put the new rules on full display.
There were 28 matches conducted on side-by-side mats representing two future CLAW teams: the Enforcers and the Hammers.
Fans at the event were asked to provide feedback and complete surveys about their experiences at the meet. Out of all respondents, 100% reported that the matches were entertaining, fast-paced and packed with more action.
It was exactly the kind of feedback Brugel and Houck wanted to hear.
Then in June 2024, Brugel and Houck held the CLAW Invitational that featured many of the top wrestlers in the nation. The event was professionally produced and streamed on social media.
Held in Auburn, Virginia, the competition had 40 senior-level wrestlers from schools such as Missouri, UVA, American, Iowa State and West Virginia. The wrestlers were drafted into two teams, the Cradle City Cicadas and the Enforcers.
The new rules and the action-packed matches were again a big hit with the fans. Fans and participants noted that the matches were enjoyable to watch because every point and round counted, and appreciated the new ways to score and that stalling was not tolerated.
Moving toward 2025 and the beginning of the actual league competition, CLAW will consist of six teams that will each be run by a general manager.
The six teams are the Hammers, Cicadas, Kaos, Mat Kings, Enforcers and Leopards.
More information about the schedule and sites will be released, but the dual meets will lead to playoffs and finally the Super Dual Championships.
“Wrestling can be a hugely popular sport if presented differently. By focusing on what fans enjoy and want, top athletes can be paid what they deserve, and fans can finally enjoy a bona fide professional league,” Houck said. “This summer’s tournament allowed viewers to see why so many people believe CLAW is a game changer for our sport.”
Brugel and Houck both have strong ties to our area.
Brugel was an All-American at Penn State who graduated in 1986. Brugel ranks in the top five in career victories at PSU with 103 and career matches with 149.
He was a two-time co-captain, and he won the Eastern Wrestling League 167-pound title in his senior year.
He was also inducted into the Centre County Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Houck graduated from State College Area High School and has been a long-time coach of middle school and high school wrestlers. He is the founder and president of the Top of the Podium Wrestling Center in Sterling, Virginia. In 2019, he was named the Virginia Wrestling Association’s Man of the Year.
Brugel said that, although there are no present plans for a CLAW event in State College, there will be others in Pennsylvania or neighboring states that area fans could attend.
More information and upcoming announcements can be found on the CLAW website, WrestleClaw.com.
