'World of Sport Wrestling' is returning to Saturday afternoons on ITV for the first time in over 30 years.
World of Sport Wrestling competitors
Following the success of the New Year's Eve special, which attracted over a million viewers, ITV has decided to commission a 10-part series which will feature the UK's top grapplers such as Grado, 'The East End Butcher' Sha Samuels, Dave Mastiff and El Ligero.
ITV Studios Entertainment Manchester has teamed up with American company 'IMPACT Wrestling' - a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. - to create the programme.
Tom McLennan and Simon Marsh will executive produce for ITV Studios in-ring legend Jeff Jarrett - the Chief Creative Officer for 'IMPACT Wrestling' - will be the Executive Producer for 'IMPACT'.
Sharing about his excitement for the series, 49-year-old Jarrett said: "The 'WoS' brand is etched in professional wrestling tradition. My family's lineage in the industry dates back 70-plus years, so I am honoured for the opportunity to work on reviving the legacy of this historic British series."
Mclennan - Director of Entertainment at ITV Studios Manchester - added: "Britain's wrestling scene is thriving and there has never been a better time to bring it back to ITV after a gap of 30 years."
The new bouts are to be filmed in front of a live audience at the Preston Guild Hall on Thursday 25 May and Friday 26 May with tickets going on sale at Gigsandtours.com / Ticketmaster.co.uk and Prestonguildhall.co.uk on 7 April at 9am.
The new 'World of Sport Wrestling' series is expected to air in a teatime slot at around 5pm on Saturdays.
'World of Sport' was a sporting compilation show that was broadcast by ITV from January 1965 until September 1985 in competition with the BBC's 'Grandstand' programme.
It featured a variety of sports with wrestling prominently every week and the British public fell in love with the larger than life characters such as Rollerball Rocco, Mick McManus and Kendo Nagasaki and were gripped by the long-running feud between fan favourite Big Daddy and the villainous Giant Haystacks, making the behemoth pair household names.
Tagged in Simon Cowell