The hype around the professional wrestling scene in Great Britain has been growing and growing and it all comes to a climax on New Years Eve at 5pm.
World of Sport Wrestling returns to U.K. television following a 30-year absence from screens with a huge opportunity laid out in the middle of the two-hour special.
In a primetime spot with millions possibly tuning in to see the likes of El Ligero, Grado, Zack Gibson and many many more, the success of the show could possibly spearhead a new generation of wrestling lovers.
The chance of a lifetime
Professional wrestling in Britain has seen a boom in recent years with stars from all over the world making their way to England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales to showcase their talents.
The growth of independent promotions such as ICW, PROGRESS, Rev Pro, OTT Wrestling and even more recently this year in WCPW has been a catalyst for the rebirth of World of Sport Wrestling.
Legendary commentator Jim Ross will be calling the action in the pilot episode which depending on how it is received may become a weekly television show, a dream for every professional wrestling fan in the U.K.
The hard-working talent that travel from city-to-city to put on shows for British crowds rarely get a chance to appear on television yet now they are being put under the spotlight of a national audience.
WWE taking notice
Casual wrestling watchers will know little to none of the independent scene and direct much of their attention towards the global machine that is WWE.
While the company are based in the United States, they are frequent visitors to the United Kingdom, stopping through for tours twice a year and even they have taken notice of the British Isles' wrestling scene.
The WWE announced a tournament to crown a U.K. Champion, with the 16-man event taking place in Blackpool in January 2017 with the company recognizing the array of talent on offer in Britain.
While Vince McMahon tries to gain a monopoly over every wrestling scene in the world, his task in claiming the U.K. will become a whole lot harder once World of Sport Wrestling airs and proves to be the success everybody knows it can be.
The New Era
The level of talent on offer for the debut of World of Sport Wrestling is deep with some of the finest talents from all around the United Kingdom set to take their place in the spotlight.
Grado: One of Scotland's finest creations and one of professional wrestling funniest performers. The man may not have the typical physique one would associate with a wrestler but his down to earth personality and ability to entertain a crowd is second to none.
El Ligero: The high-flying hard worker performed in 288 matches in this year alone and held a number of titles. His aerial ability makes him one of the most exciting performers to watch and his ability to wow a crowd is phenomenal.
Zack Gibson: Those in Liverpool will know exactly who this man is as the Liverpool fan may just be one of the meanest men on Merseyside. He is a superior technical wrestler that prides himself on his ability to leave opponents quaking in their boots.
Joey Coffey: The 'Ironman' who is a typical face in Scotland's phenomena known as ICW. The hard-hitting heavyweight has held a number of championships and even his image is terrifying enough before he even sets foot in the ring.
The development of wrestling has grown massively compared to the old days of Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy. The athletes are capable of doing things never before seen and tell truly interesting stories to keep the audience engaged.
The backing
One thing that maybe halts wrestling from growing to that next level of entertainment is the stigma of its lack of production quality, while that is changing with the likes of Fite TVing hundreds of shows, it has been upped even more thanks to the backing from ITV.
With World of Sport Wrestling filmed at Dock Ten studios in Manchester, the quality is bound to be incredible, on the same level as WWE making it watchable to the majority of the British public
In its first taping, hundreds of fans were turned away at the door with tickets being given out in advance - more than what were able to be held in the studio.
The days of waiting will soon be over for those who have spent decades and years waiting for this iconic moment to come to fruition, World of Sport Wrestling has excited even veteran Jim Ross who said:
“I’ve been blessed to have had a 40 year plus broadcast career, but can honestly say being part of ITV Studio’s production of World of Sport Wrestling has been a career highlight for me. The wrestling talent assembled is brilliant on all levels and they have succeeded in living their wrestling dream on this iconic brand. World of Sport Wrestling lives again!”