Each year, hundreds of collegiate athletes take the next step in their sport by moving up to the professional level.

Until now, wrestlers haven’t had that option.

Real Pro Wrestling, an experimental professional wrestling league, is trying to provide wrestlers a way to continue their training—and get paid for it—after their collegiate careers.

“They’re doing it to create a league like the NBA and NFL to give guys in the sport a chance to make a living while still trying to win world and Olympic medals,” ISU assistant coach Chris Bono said. “There’s no money in our sport. If you don’t have a coaching job, it’s hard to train for the Olympics because you have no income. You can’t hold a 9-to-5 job and make a world or Olympic team.”

Bono and five time U.S. Nationals champion Joe Williams headline the Chicago Groove — one of eight teams in the inaugural season.

“Right now, for this event, they had an eight-team tournament,” Bono said. “In the future, they’re looking to sell the teams, have a draft and have a league that they hope to expand.”

In an attempt to make the wrestling more exciting, Bono said rule changes were made to cause more action in the meets.

“They changed the scoring a little,” he said. “You won’t see too many 3-2 scores. You’ll see a lot of action. There’s a mat you can push people off of and they fall six feet into a pit.”

Along with the rule changes, three weight classes have been dropped from the collegiate format, making it more like international wrestling.

“There’s only seven weight classes, so [the amount] of people will depend on who owns [the team],” Bono said. “If you want a backup, you’d have to pay for one.”

The RPW television schedule was supposed to start sooner, but a fire in one of the main studios burned most of the footage of the wrestler’s biographies.

“There was a fire at one of the owner’s house where most of the background stories were,” Bono said. “His studio was all lost, and they’re back on the road doing the background stories on us again.”

In addition to Bono’s support, current Cyclone wrestlers said they would like to take their wrestling skills to the next level if the league is successful.

“I think it’s great,” junior Nate Gallick said. “It’s putting real wrestling in the mainstream so people can see it. Hopefully, they like it.”

Junior Grant Nakamura said he would enjoy the chance to showcase his talents and get paid for the years he’s put into wrestling.

“It’s highly televised and it seems like everyone who comes to [collegiate] wrestling meets is checking it out,” Nakamura said. “Everyone is starting to get interested in [RPW]. I’d love to do it.”

The action will start on the PAX television network March 27. Bono, former Cyclone Joe Heskett and 2004 133-pound national champion Zach Roberson will be showcased.