British promotion WoS/World of Sport has made their first announcement in quite some time. The Twitter account for the ITV brand stated that the company has signed a new deal to bring WoS to fans in India.

The company confirmed that DSport will be showing the programme. DSport is premium sports TV channel launched by Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, for the Indian subcontinent.

There is currently no confirmation on WoS and their status on ITV. The ratings for the show dropped dramatically week on week and were well below what is expected for the channel. ITV is one of the ‘big four’ channels in the UK and is available in every home with a television set. WoS started as an evening programme and gradually moved timeslots throughout the ten episode run. Another issue with the show was the scheduling in terms of times of year.

The company recently finished a live event tour that stretched across the UK. Shows were held in Scotland and throughout England, although some shows were cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Whilst there’s no confirmation there’s a chance that the show does return but on a different channel under the ITV banner. World of Sport still has a strong brand name in terms of British culture.

WOS INDIA TV DEAL@DSportINLive has been named the official broadcaster in #India for the WOS Wrestling. #Sport #Wrestling #WOSWrestling #BritishWrestling #UK #Media #TV #Television #News #Asia #Industry pic.twitter.com/YSLnCyfRkN

— WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) February 25, 2019

World of Sport held their tenth and final episode of season 1 this past weekend on ITV. The viewership data is in and again it’s not pretty. Episode 10 averaged 200,000 viewers (3.9% share), down 100,000 viewers from last week but also down a sharp 40% from Episode 7’s 500,000 viewers (5% share).

We need to revisit the sentiments from last week’s first show in the new 2:30pm time slot . It’s clear that the change from 5pm to 4:30pm played a huge role in the ratings drop from weeks 5, 6,7 to 8. With the ITV Evening News changing by 30 minutes the rest of the schedule had to follow suit. Again the number isn’t pretty to look at but a time change affects most programmes across many genres. This isn’t uncommon for WWE either, when special time changes occur for RAW and Smackdown this affects their numbers.

What Happened?

World of Sport held their nineth episode this past weekend on ITV. The viewership data is in and again it’s not pretty. Episode 9 averaged 300,000 viewers (3.9% share), the same as last week but down a sharp 40% from Episode 7’s 500,000 viewers (5% share).

We need to revisit the sentiments from last week’s first show in the new 4:00pm time slot (this week was 2:30pm). It’s clear that the change from 5pm to 4:30pm played a huge role in the ratings drop from weeks 5, 6,7 to 8. With the ITV Evening News changing by 30 minutes the rest of the schedule had to follow suit. Again the number isn’t pretty to look at but a time change affects most programmes across many genres. This isn’t uncommon for WWE either, when special time changes occur for RAW and Smackdown this affects their numbers.

The numbers for WoS WERE steadily increasing, week 5 saw a height of 900 thousand viewers and an overall rating of 700k. Again the live tour for 2019 is an excellent sign of ITV investment in the show, both monetarily and in figurative terms. However yet another drop to the 2:30pm time slot is not something to celebrate.

Time Change to 2:30pm This Week

Once again air the time changed for the show. This has been extremely detrimental to the show over the past few weeks but does make sense given the commercial impact of Saturday nights in the UK. ITV have a huge ratings war on their hands when it comes to their X Factor show and the BBC 1 Strictly Come Dancing programme (Dancing With the Stars in the United States). Moving the WoS programme to a pre-Premier League timeslot (most games start at 3pm) could’ve been a bonus but again if you’re establishing a new show in it’s first season then multiple time changes are going to hurt.

As we’ve mentioned previously there will likely be a season 2…but it might not be on the mainstay ITV channel. Moving the WoS programme to an ITV2 could be ideal to establishing a more niche genre (to the mainstream) and helping build viewership amongst the younger demographic that ITV2 holds. Still, the numbers are low and the buzz behind the programme is at arguably it’s lowest since the premiere episode. Compare that to the fact that PROGRESS are heading to Wembley in just under a week…it’s quite the incredible situation.

Are you still watching WoS? Let us know in the comments

The WoS/World of Sport promotion will be heading out on tour in early 2019. The ITV show will be taking the stars of Saturday Nights across the UK starting January 18th.

This is an interesting move for the television brand. Whilst the current ratings for the Saturday Night broadcast are repeatedly below the 1 Million mark ITV appear to be keeping their sports entertainment brand ongoing to test the waters for a touring schedule.

With dates across Southern England, Wales and Scotland the company appears to be hitting as much of Mainland UK as they can. Several names have now been announced for the tour including the following:

• Will Ospreay
• WoS Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray
• WoS Champion Rampage
• Robbie X
• Crater
• Nathan Cruz
• Joe Hendry
• Justin Sysum
• Adam ‘Flex’ Maxted
• Grado
• Viper
• Sha Samuels

Touring Schedule

Here’s the full schedule:

• Friday, January 18 – Southampton O2 Guildhall
• Saturday, January 19 – Newport Centre
• Sunday, January 20 – Bournemouth International Centre
• Friday, January 25 – Stoke Victoria Hall
• Saturday, January 26 – Blackpool Tower Ballroom
• Sunday, January 27 – Aberdeen AECC
• Friday, February 01 – Scarborough Spa Grand Hall
• Saturday, February 02 – Northampton Derngate
• Sunday, February 03 – London York Hall

Weekly Ratings

You can check out our Ratings reports for WoS via the following links:

• 28th July Episode 1
• 4th August Episode 2
• 11th August Episode 3
• 18th August Episode 4
• 25th August Episode 5
• 1st September Episode 6
• 8th September Episode 7

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1043545900390334465

WoS/World of Sport held their seventh episode this weekend on ITV. The ratings for the show appear to have now been released.

Here’s the reported number:

• 500k (5% share)

Compared to last week’s number:

• 400k (4.8% share)

We reported last week that WoS would be going on a UK tour in 2019. This skews the idea that WoS would be prematurely meeting its demise with such forward planning.

The Time Change

We need to revisit the sentiments from last week’s first show in the new 4:30pm time slot. It’s clear that the change from 5pm to 4:30pm played a huge role in the ratings drop from weeks 5 to 6. With the ITV Evening News changing by 30 minutes the rest of the schedule had to follow suit and this appears to have hurt WoS by a few hundred thousand viewers. Again the number isn’t pretty to look at but a time change affects most programmes across many genres. This isn’t uncommon for WWE either, when special time changes occur for RAW and Smackdown this affects their numbers.

The numbers for WoS WERE steadily increasing, week 5 saw a height of 900 thousand viewers and an overall rating of 700k. Again The live tour for 2019 is an excellent sign of ITV investment in the show, both monetarily and in figurative terms. It is a good sign that the show bounced back this week slightly with around a 100k increase in this new time slot.

No Premier League Competiton

If you’ve been following our Ratings reports for the past seven weeks then you know that Premier League football returning has a huge impact on UK viewing habits. This week interestingly didn’t have a 5:30pm match as it is an International break. With no game potentially taking away viewership from WoS it may have been hoped by ITV officials that their Saturday night wrestling show would perform slightly better. The England international game did not start till later in the evening on the pay-per-view Sky Sports channel.

WoS/World of Sport held their sixth episode this weekend on ITV. The ratings for the show appear to have now been released.

Here’s the reported number:

• 400k (4.8% share)

Compared to last week’s number:

• 700k (6.7% share)

There’s no way of sugar coating of it, that’s a huge drop.

We reported over the weekend that WoS would be going on a UK tour in 2019. This skews the idea that WoS would be prematurely meeting its demise with such forward planning.

The Time Change

It’s clear that the change from 5pm to 4:30pm played a huge role in the ratings drop. With the ITV Evening News changing by 30 minutes the rest of the schedule had to follow suit and this appears to have hurt WoS by around 300 thousand viewers. Again the number isn’t pretty to look at but a time change affects most programmes across many genres. This isn’t uncommon for WWE either, when special time changes occur for RAW and Smackdown this affects their numbers. TV audiences are creatures of habit, if you have prepared for a specific timeslot and this gets changed then this affects your routine.

The numbers for WoS WERE steadily increasing, last week saw a height of 900 thousand viewers and an overall rating of 700k. Again The live tour for 2019 is an excellent sign of ITV investment in the show, both monetarily and in figurative terms.

Is This The End?

This isn’t the death knell for WoS as other sites are reporting. The upcoming tour and options for ITV to move the show across their wealth of channels are numerous and extremely likely. Will pro wrestling be featured on Saturday evenings going forward? Likely not, but a more realistic slot on an ITV 2 with a good lead in like previous weeks (the Scorpion King broadcast helped the show massively) could make a huge difference.

WoS Wrestling has announced that the brand will be heading out on tour in 2019. The ITV show will be taking the stars of Saturday Nights across the UK starting January 18th.

This is an interesting move for the television brand. Whilst the current ratings for the Saturday Night broadcast are repeatedly below the 1 Million mark the numbers have been growing since week two and Episode 5 reached seven hundred thousand homes.

With dates across Southern England, Wales and Scotland the company appears to be hitting as much of Mainland UK as they can. Fans of the UK scene will be able to purchase tickets for the first WoS tour at 10am on Friday 7th September.

• Friday, January 18 – Southampton O2 Guildhall
• Saturday, January 19 – Newport Centre
• Sunday, January 20 – Bournemouth International Centre
• Friday, January 25 – Stoke Victoria Hall
• Saturday, January 26 – Blackpool Tower Ballroom
• Sunday, January 27 – Aberdeen AECC
• Friday, February 01 – Scarborough Spa Grand Hall
• Saturday, February 02 – Northampton Derngate
• Sunday, February 03 – London York Hall

You can check out our Ratings reports for WoS via the following links:

• 28th July Episode 1
• 4th August Episode 2
• 11th August Episode 3
• 18th August Episode 4
• 25th August Episode 5

*BREAKING NEWS* @WOSWrestling announces its first LIVE TOUR in early 2019. See all of your favourite stars from the show at these upcoming events! Go to https://t.co/5qrKbIIq6M for more details 👊🏻🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/D9pqrpn2ea

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) September 1, 2018

WoS/World of Sport held their fifth episode this weekend on ITV. The ratings for the show appear to have now been released.

Here’s the reported number:

• 700k (6.7% share) The show peaked at 0.9m

Compared to last week’s number:

•  545k (5.3% Share)

Interestingly the number does appear to have not only held but been built upon. Considering that we’ve now had four weeks of around 500k-700k it’s fair to say that the show has found it’s audience. and is slowly growing.

Premier League Opposition

If you’ve been following our weekly report on the WoS Ratings (here’s week 4) you’ll know about the Premier League opposition. Football/Soccer in the United Kingdom is a massive draw. Whilst PL games don’t draw millions in actual TV ratings the eyeballs viewing the action across the UK in pubs, clubs and illegal streaming are huge.

This week’s game saw Liverpool take on Brighton. On paper this wasn’t a ‘big’ game however last week’s results for both teams including a shock win for Brighton gave this game far more precedence. The fact that this 5 o’clock kickoff game didn’t actually hurt the WoS rating is a big plus for the brand.

The Brand is the Draw

Last week saw the return of top international star Will Ospreay. The NJPW performer is easily considered one of the top stars on WoS and it was expected that his reappearance would help the number. It appears as though the brand itself may be the drawing card. With a strong Tag Team title tournament and Women’s Division the brand is slowly establishing itself to the mainstream UK audience.

For a Saturday night the number again is not stellar. Can the show now sustain and build on the number? It remains to be seen but this isn’t

Here are the full results from the Saturday August 25th show:

• WOS Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final – Alpha Bad (Iestyn Rees & Kip Sabian) defeat Just Uz (BT Gunn & Stevie Boy)
• Crater b. Gabriel Kidd and Liam Slater
• WOS Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match – Adam Maxted & Nathan Cruz defeat Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Grado
• WOS Women’s Title Battle Royal – Kay Lee Ray (c) b. Ayesha Raymond and Bea Priestley and Kasey Owens and Viper

WoS/World of Sport held their third episode this weekend on ITV and the ratings for the show appear to have been released.

The first week’s numbers released by an ‘insider’ at the DigitalSpy website were instantly refuted by a production staff member at ITV. These latest numbers for the August 11th episode have again been revealed by a user at the DigitalSpy forum however these do not appear to have yet been disputed.

Here’s the reported number:

• 17:00 – WOS Wrestling: 539k (4.9% share)

Last week’s number after being ‘tapechecked’ was around 584k with a 6.6% share. You may remember that the debut show number was around 924k with a height of around 1.2 million viewers.

Before looking what these numbers mean it is important to consider how the rest of Saturday night UK television performed, including the return of the Premier League on BT Sport:

ITV

• 16:00 – The Chase: 946k (10.2%)
• 17:00 – WOS Wrestling: 539k (4.9%)
• 18:00 – ITV Evening News: 1.53m (11.9%)
• 18:15 – ITV Regional News: 1.82m (13.7%)
• 18:30 – Japandemonium: 1.22m (9.1%)
• 19:00 – Big Star’s Little Star: 2.76m (18.3%)

BBC One

• 16:30 – Final Score: 1.75m (18.1%)
• 17:10 – BBC News: 2.21m (21.0%)
• 17:20 – BBC Regional News: 2.55m (23.1%)
• 16:30 – European Championships 2018: 797k (7.9%)

Sky Sports 

• 17:15 – EFL Derby County vs Leeds United: 280k (2.0%)

BT Sport 1

• 17:00 – Live Wolves v Everton: 546k (4.2%)

Fans in the UK will no doubt know the impact of football (soccer) on sports fans in this part of the world. Whilst the numbers posted for BT Sport are marginally more than ITV at the 5pm time slot BT is a pay per view channel and Everton vs Wolves is not a marquee match by any stretch, next week will feature Chelsea vs Arsenal which is a FAR bigger event that casual football fans will watch. The Sky Sports number is also interesting as it featured a match from a lower league (The Championship) and again is a premium channel.

The real worry is the huge drop in viewership from the 4pm slot on ITV at 946k for gameshow The Chase (which ironically features a huge wrestling fan as one of the regulars) and whilst the jump to 1.53 million for the ITV News is expected it is again eyebrow raising compared to the preceding content.

The question at this point must be “will WoS be cancelled?” As a fan of the UK scene it was important, but not imperative, that this project worked. There was already a thriving scene in the region before WoS and there still will be if and when the show has moved on. In terms of promotion for the programme there has not been anywhere near the exposure and marketing drive that people would expect for a national programme. Whilst the number does appear to have shelved at the 500k mark at the very least there appears to be an audience (although this is difficult to confirm after just 3 weeks).

The Wrestling Observer claimed that ITV would be making the decision on WoS after 3 episodes and whilst this is pure speculation and not confirmed these numbers cannot really be spun in a truly positive light. Next week’s episode will see the return of Will Ospreay and the WoS Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray, so hopefully there can be some bounce back for WoS but as previously mentioned there will be strong opposition from the Premier League evening game.

Did you watch Episode three of WoS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments

WoS/World of Sport held their second episode this weekend on ITV and the ratings for the show appear to have been released.

Last week’s numbers released by an ‘insider’ at the DigitalSpy website were instantly refuted by a production staff member at ITV. These latest numbers for the August 4th episode have again been revealed by a user at the DigitalSpy forum however these do not appear to have yet been disputed.

The numbers are being reported as follows:

• 17:00 – WOS Wrestling: 609k (6.8%) * tapechecked: 584k (6.6%)
• ABC1 Adults: 204k (5.6%) 33.5% skew
• Adults 16-34: 63k (6.0%) 10.3% skew
• Adults 16-54: 210k (6.6%) 34.5% skew
• Housewives with Children: 29k (4.1%) 4.8% skew
• All Housewives: 373k (6.9%) 61.2% skew
• Men: 262k (6.9%) 43.0% skew
• Children: 50k (7.4%) 8.2% skew

Whilst the number may appear to be alarming (it could be) there are a number of factors to consider. Television ratings from the ‘overnight’ scale put WoS at around the 600k mark and compared to more established programmes in and around the 5pm time slot it does not skew wildly out. Here’s the ratings from ITV that evening:

• 16:00 – The Chase: 759k (10.0%)
  * tapechecked: 767k (10.2%)
• 17:00 – WOS Wrestling: 609k (6.8%)
  * tapechecked: 584k (6.6%)
• 18:00 – ITV Evening News: 1.64m (16.3%)
• 18:15 – ITV Regional News: 1.83m (18.0%)
• 18:30 – Japandemonium: 1.11m (10.1%)

*Courtesy of DigitalSpy

Another factor to consider is the 8pm ratings for the big two television stations in the UK. BBC1 had 1.80m (13.3%) whilst ITV had 1.05m (7.8%). This is potentially a record low in the history of recorded television viewing in the United Kingdom, this is possibly due to the ongoing heatwave in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Again the numbers that are being published as a standalone do look worrying, however factoring in that this is the second episode of a brand new venture for ITV and looking at how the overall landscape of television in the UK had an arguably abysmal night this certainly does not sound the death knell for WoS…but there are improvements to be made.

Did you watch Episode two of WoS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments

https://twitter.com/DannRead/status/1026125037529640960

World of Sport’s (WOS) premiere episode took place on Saturday night on Britain’s biggest mainstream channel, ITV. The program is set for a 10 show stint running into October and is available to every television set in the United Kingdom.

One of the major news items coming from the show was the announcement that WoS Champion Grado would be defending his title in the main event. WoS Commissioner Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett announced that a 5-man elimination match would determine a number 1 contender and after some confusion former PROGRESS ATLAS Champion Rampage Brown and Justin Sysum were added to the main event.

The Triple Threat bout headlined the show and Rampage Brown eventually took the win to become the NEW WoS Champion, defeating Grado in his first defence since winning the belt on New Years Eve 2006. Rampage is a well respected veteran in the UK scene having performed for the likes of DEFIANT, ICW, NGW, IPW:UK, IMPACT, PCW and the aforementioned PROGRESS.

The next episode takes place Saturday night on ITV at 5pm, you can check out more information at the official WoS website.

WE HAVE A NEW WOS CHAMPION!! @RampageBrown #woswrestling #wosw pic.twitter.com/CRgvhYQ4bs

— WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) July 28, 2018

This Saturday night will see the return of professional wrestling to mainstream UK television.

This is yet another fantastic development in a 5 year span that has seen grappling in the United Kingdom erupt on the global scene. It cannot be understated how the likes of PROGRESS, Rev Pro, ICW, Attack! Pro, Fight Club: Pro, IPW:UK and Pro Wrestling: EVE have shaped the incredible talent pool that we have in the British Isles and a ‘bubble’ which many predicted would burst years ago has turned into a seismic shift.

Just a decade ago wrestling in the United Kingdom was essentially built on the use of ex-WWE/TNA talent, this is not a knock on those performers however it was evident that the cost of bringing over stars from the United States was not cost effective and extremely limiting when attempting to build domestic names and have enduring storylines that fans could cling to. Fast forward to 2018 and we have an abundance of UK bred stars that are breaking boundaries on home soil as well as Japan, Europe and the States.

The announcement of WoS’ return in a 10-part series did initially spark some controversy from fans of the UK scene, the original New Year’s Eve special and subsequent collaboration with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force promotion killed off any initial buzz that the brand had generated and it appeared as though the story had ended…yet here we are with a 10 part series set to run as of this Saturday with a brand new roster of extremely talented UK stars.

The return of WoS to mainstream UK television really is a big, big deal. Viewing habits in the UK have tended to label Saturday night as a family orientated block with the likes of X Factor, Ninja Warrior UK and (in times past) Gladiators being featured programming, all on the ITV channel. With young wrestling fans expecting a presentation quality akin to WWE and an older demographic just wanting to relive the years of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks it cannot be understated that WoS has a challenge to be ‘all things to all people.’

When you consider the potential outreach of WoS compared to say NXT UK it isn’t even in the same ballpark. World of Sport will be broadcast on ITV/STV which is available in every single television set in the United Kingdom, with the ITV family of channels reaching 38.4 million viewers a week…WWE Network isn’t close to that, but you wouldn’t expect them to be.

You do have to remember that the NXT UK brand will be geared towards an already established professional wrestling fanbase whereas the aformentioned family audience for WoS will be more casual, so again WoS will have the challenge of branching out and essentially creating it’s own audience to attract the sort of viewership that ITV will be expecting when their ratings figures appear later in the week.

In terms of pro wrestling being on one of the ‘big four’ British channels (BBC 1 & 2, ITV and Channel 4) you have to go back to the Attitude Era when Channel 4 would air WWE PPVs such as the Royal Rumble 2000, this created a huge buzz for the product in the UK and defined a generation of wrestling fans…in more recent times TNA/IMPACT has been extremely successful with a respectable following in the UK through their ties to The Wrestling Channel, Challenge and 5Spike.

With WoS being broadcast for 10 episodes with the potential of a touring brand and mainstream publicity many more younger fans would be exposed to the likes of Grado, Viper, Rampage and Will Ospreay, this will be huge for the ongoing British wrestling revolution and could help the grassroots of the scene.

This Saturday night will see the return of professional wrestling to mainstream UK television, this a really big deal.

Will you be watching WoS on Saturday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments

Countdown is on, tune in next Saturday 28th at 5pm#WOSW #ITV #STV pic.twitter.com/P9MLKi0v7O

— WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) July 22, 2018

World of Sport/WoS will be making a return to mainstream British television next Saturday July 28th. The iconic UK wrestling brand will be making an initial run of 10 shows on ITV/STV, a channel that is available on every single TV set in the UK.

WoS announced their full roster and on-air personalities over the past month and one of the more intriguing is the involvement of former WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett. Bennett will be acting as the ‘Commissioner’ for the show and also providing commentary alongside SoCal Val and Alex Shane.

Bennett recently took to Twitter to hype the upcoming debut show of this WoS reboot, he stated that “1 week from today, the greatest collection of British wrestlers amassed in over 30 years hits prime time on @ITV.. Who are you most excited to see? @WOSWrestling“

Here’s the full official roster for WoS:

• Rampage Brown
• Grado
• Iestyn Rees
• Sha Samuels
• Davey Boy Smith Jr
• Adam Maxted
• Nathan Cruz
• CJ Banks
• Brad Slayer
• Martin Kirby
• Lionheart
• HT Drake
• Doug Williams
• Crater
• Gabriel Kidd
• Kip Sabian
• Liam Slater
• Robbie X
• Will Ospreay
• Stevie Boy
• Joe Hendry
• Justin Sysum
• Ayesha
• Kasey Owens
• Kay Lee Ray
• Bea Priestley
• Viper

Will you be watching next Saturday? Let us know in the comments.

1 week from today, the greatest collection of British wrestlers amassed in over 30 years hits prime time on @ITV.. Who are you most excited to see? @WOSWrestling pic.twitter.com/02bWta1lkl

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) July 21, 2018

WoS (World of Sport) has revealed their new official website ahead of their return to mainstream television on July 28th. As well as confirming the complete roster for the upcoming return of the iconic programme the website has an ‘events’ tab, possibly alluding to some Live Event shows taking place down the line however these are nowhere near confirmed.

Here’s the full official roster:

• Rampage Brown
• Grado
• Iestyn Rees
• Sha Samuels
• Davey Boy Smith Jr
• Adam Maxted
• Nathan Cruz
• CJ Banks
• Brad Slayer
• Martin Kirby
• Lionheart
• HT Drake
• Doug Williams
• Crater
• Gabriel Kidd
• Kip Sabian
• Liam Slater
• Robbie X
• Will Ospreay
• Stevie Boy
• Joe Hendry
• Justin Sysum
• Ayesha
• Kasey Owens
• Kay Lee Ray
• Bea Priestley
• Viper

WoS has also announced that former TNA on air talent SoCal Val and British wresting legend Alex Shane will be joining former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett in the commentary booth for the rebooted series.

Episode 1 of the new series will be airing on ITV Saturday 28th July at 5pm GMT.

WOS Exclusive:

The official WOS Wrestling website is live: https://t.co/0wirzjVo2J Featuring our complete roster! #WOSW #ITV #STV pic.twitter.com/fuXPAF6612

— WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) July 11, 2018

The battle lines have been drawn…NXT UK and the WoS (World of Sport) rosters have been revealed in some form or fashion and now the new ‘war’ for supremacy on the British Isles has begun.

NXT UK

The long touted NXT UK brand was FINALLY announced as part of the Royal Albert Hall shows back in June with British wrestling legend Johnny Saint at the helm as the General Manager. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be the focal point of the show which is being taped sporadically throughout the year (for the Network but potentially television if a deal can be reached), new Tag Team and Women’s Championships will also be created.

So, here’s the NXT UK roster as we currently understand it:

NXT UK Roster

• Mark Andrews
• Travis Banks
• Tyler Bate
• Joe Coffey
• Mark Coffey
• Joseph Conners
• Noam Dar
• Eddie Dennis
• Jordan Devlin
• Pete Dunne
• Jack Gallagher
• Sam Gradwell
• Saxon Huxley
• Amir Jordan
• El Ligero
• Dave Mastiff
• Trent Seven
• Ashton Smith
• Tyson T-Bone
• Flash Morgan Webster
• Wild Boar
• Kenny Williams
• Wolfgang
• Isla Dawn
• Jinny
• Killer Kelly
• Charlie Morgan
• Nina Samuels
• Toni Storm
• Zack Gibson
• James Drake

World of Sport

The story behind the second reboot of WoS has been quite an unstable one. With the initial show airing way back on New Year’s Eve there was a huge opportunity for the programme to capture a whole new audience in the mainstream…unfortunately that did not come to fruition and a co-branding deal with IMPACT/Global Force Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett certainly did nothing for the brand.

Fast forward to earlier this year and WoS held television tapings for a new 10 part series that will be airing later this month. With a huge proportion of UK based stars having signed with WWE’s UK division there was certainly skepticism as to who WoS could even bring in. With former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett installed as the ‘Executive’ for the show and essentially the ‘General Manager’ they have a recognisable face for fans in the UK and here is the roster that they have amassed:

WoS Roster

• Will Ospreay
• Davey Boy Jr
• Grado
• Moose
• Primate
• Joe Hendry
• Martin Kirby
• Iestyn Rees
• Viper
• Kay Lee Ray
• Bea Priestley
• Sha Samuels
• Doug Williams
• Rampage Brown
• Lionheart
• Nathan Cruz
• Kip Sabian
• Robbie X
• Adam Maxted
• Gabriel Kidd
• CJ Banks
• Liam Slater

NXT UK vs. World of Sport

Deciding which roster is ‘better’ is of course subjective. Even the idea that WWE and World of Sport/ITV are ‘at war’ is speculative at best but with the way that NXT UK seemingly ‘snapped up’ UK stars to contracts was certainly telling. Looking purely at the starpower on offer you have to give it to NXT UK, the likes of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson are now well established to the WWE audience and Dunne in particular is seemingly being groomed for a huge run on the main roster when WWE deems him fit.

WoS however is not slouching when it comes to in ring talent, with Will Ospreay leading the charge but huge underrated stars such as Nathan Cruz (PROGRESS’ first ever Champion), Kip Sabian and Martin Kirby having charisma and in ring guile that should translate well to a mainstream audience.

Another area where NXT UK appears to have the edge is in their Women’s Division. Viper, Kay Lee Ray and Bea Priestley are indeed three of the best in ring female performers on the planet but when you line them up against the likes of Isla Dawn, Jinny, Killer Kelly, Charlie Morgan, Nina Samuels and Toni Storm it just doesn’t stack up and WoS are found wanting…IF ONLY we could get all of these stars on one programme.*

Something else to factor in is the fact that WoS will only be running for 10 episodes initially, so do they really need a completely ‘stacked’ roster right now? Granted they DO have an incredibly talented pool of performers but in terms of numbers WWE again does have the edge…but seeing the likes of Ospreay light up mainstream British television is an extremely exciting prospect.

What do you think of the two rosters and who do you think has the edge heading into the summer? Let us know in the comments.

Side Note: The Pro Wrestling: EVE promotion can be very proud of the work they’ve accomplished on the UK scene when looking at these Women’s division stars, most if not all have been featured on an EVE card in the past few years and it has given Women’s wrestling a massive platform in the UK.

World of Sport (WoS) have confirmed the official start date for the new ‘reboot’ of the iconic British Wrestling series.

The mainstream ITV channel will be hosting the 10 part series starting on Saturday 28th July at 5pm, which is a huge opportunity for the brand to present a new era of UK wrestling to a broad demographic and is clearly hoping that this will be a hit amongst viewers in the 16 and under as well as the older generations who may remember the days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks.

WoS has also announced that Mae Young Classic competitor, ICW, Stardom and Pro Wrestling: EVE star Viper/Piper Niven will be part of the brand new series alongside Will Ospreay, Grado, Moose, Primate, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Bea Priestley, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Rampage Brown, Lionheart, Nathan Cruz, Kip Sabian, Robbie X, Gabriel Kidd, CJ Banks and Liam Slater.

WoS has also announced that former TNA on air talent SoCal Val and British wresting legend Alex Shane will be joining former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett in the commentary booth for the rebooted programme.

This is one of the biggest opportunities that the UK scene has been exposed to this century, ITV is one of the ‘big four’ channels in the United Kingdom alongside BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4. Stars such as Ospreay who are already major names across the globe to independent wrestling fans will now be able to ply their trade to a brand new audience and potentially break out into the mainstream.

@WOSWrestling starts on #ITV #STV on Saturday 28th July at 5pm. #ItsComingHome #WOSW pic.twitter.com/iyaWUDgC7m

— WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) July 8, 2018

World of Sport (WoS) has officially announced the first few names for the upcoming return of the iconic series on British television.

WoS announced via their Twitter and Facebook accounts that former WWE Superstar and General Manager of DEFIANT Wrestling Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett would be a ‘WOS Executive’ and commentator for the 10 part series which begins later this month. Bennett made the following comments on Twitter following the reveal:

“Get ready for something massive this summer on @ITV. I’ve brought together the absolute best of the UK wrestling scene & they are going to blow your minds. 100% BRITISH-MADE WRESTLING is BACK on TV! Do not miss it..”

Also announced for the series are the following stars of the UK scene:

• Adam Maxted (5* Wrestling, NGW)
• British Bulldog Junior (Former WWE Superstar Davey Boy Smith Jr)
• Kay Lee Ray (ICW and Pro Wrestling: EVE)
• Joe Hendry (ICW and WCPW)

The show is expected to start on the UK’s ITV channel later this month with a Saturday night slot rumored to run just after the successful Ninja Warrior UK programme.

The following stars have also been contracted by ITV to feature on the new 10-part show: Will Ospreay, Grado, Moose, Primate, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Bea Priestley, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Rampage Brown, Lionheart, Nathan Cruz, Kip Sabian, Robbie X, Gabriel Kidd, CJ Banks and Liam Slater.

This is one of the biggest opportunities that the UK scene has been exposed to this century, ITV is one of the ‘big four’ channels in the United Kingdom alongside BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4. Stars such as Ospreay who are already major names across the globe to independent wrestling fans will now be able to ply their trade to a brand new audience and potentially break out into the mainstream.

Get ready for something massive this summer on @ITV. I’ve brought together the absolute best of the UK wrestling scene & they are going to blow your minds. 100% BRITISH-MADE WRESTLING is BACK on TV! Do not miss it.. @WOSWrestlingITV 🇬🇧👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/X9xvtJ6bL0

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) July 4, 2018

World of Sport (WoS) has released a brand new trailer hyping the upcoming reboot series on the UK’s mainstream ITV channel (you can check this out at the bottom of the page).

The video features narration from the new WoS General Manager Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett and also highlights some of the big players making their way to Saturday nights.

The following stars have contracted by ITV to feature on the new 10-part show: Will Ospreay, Davey Boy Jr, Grado, Moose, Primate, Joe Hendry, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Kay Lee Ray, Bea Priestley, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Rampage Brown, Lionheart, Nathan Cruz, Kip Sabian, Robbie X, Adam Maxted, Gabriel Kidd, CJ Banks and Liam Slater.

This is one of the biggest opportunities that the UK scene has been exposed to this century, ITV is one of the ‘big four’ channels in the United Kingdom alongside BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4. Stars such as Ospreay who are already major names across the globe to independent wrestling fans will now be able to ply their trade to a brand new audience and potentially break out into the mainstream.

WOS Wrestling is BACK!

Let the games begin… #WOSW #wrestling #thisJuly #ITV #dawnofanewera #bringiton pic.twitter.com/eL0c9mP6Mt

— WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) July 1, 2018

World of Sport (WOS) recently held TV tapings at EPIC Studios in Norwich, England. The returning brand will be shown on one of the UK’s largest channels in ITV and the first episode of this second ‘reboot’ attempt is likely to air around July 21st.

One of the biggest pieces of news coming from the tapings include the announcement of new WOS General Manager Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett who recently stepped down from his role as the DEFIANT Wrestling GM, this move now sheds more light on that decision.

The following stars have also been contracted by ITV to feature on the new 10-part show: Will Ospreay, Davey boy Jr, Grado, Moose, Primate, Joe Hendry, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Kay Lee Ray, Bea Priestley, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Rampage Brown, Lionheart, Nathan Cruz, Kip Sabian, Robbie X, Adam Maxted, Gabriel Kidd, CJ Banks and Liam Slater.

According to live reports the action on the show is far superior to that of the original New Years Eve special from a few years ago. It was also noted that the show would be heavily focused on two names in particular; Will Ospreay and Davey Boy Jr who had the most anticipated and hyped bout during the tapings.

The UK wrestling scene was hit with the news earlier this week that World of Sport would officially be returning for a 10-part series. The tapings for these shows are scheduled to take place May 10th/11th/12th from EPIC Studios in Norwich, England.

Several of the UK’s top stars have reacted to the news that ITV are bringing back the once hugely popular series. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay asked “Wouldn’t it be interesting if they could Elevate the product and show the nation the true evolution of British Wrestling. Wonder how or better yet who could do that…???” 

Several names have already been rumored regarding the potential stars that will be making their way to the new ITV show, including the first ever PROGRESS Champion Nathan Cruz, El Ligero, Mark Haskins and Alex Cupid. One name that likely will not be returning to the series is Zack Gibson, who recently appeared as part of WWE’s Wrestlemania Axxess shows and is slated to be signing with the WWE UK roster at some point in the near future. Gibson did appear on the one-off New Year’s Eve special that aired back in 2016 in a match against El Ligero.

So @WOSWrestlingITV is coming back as a series. Wouldn’t it be interesting if they could Elevate the product and show the nation the true evolution of British Wrestling.

Wonder how or better yet who could do that…???

— Will Ospreay • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) April 25, 2018

https://twitter.com/Nathan_Cruz90/status/989111793070034944

https://twitter.com/IamAlexCupid/status/989271892971413506

Who remembers 'Big Daddy' and 'Giant Haystacks'?

ITV's 'World of Sport Wrestling' is making a return to our TV screens – 30 years after it was last aired!@ITVSport @WOSWrestlingITV @EPICNorwich #Norwich #wrestling pic.twitter.com/oi7sZdZ2WB

— ITV News Anglia (@itvanglia) April 27, 2018

ITV sent out a press release on Wednesday confirming that the World of Sport pro wrestling series is officially being revived as a 10-part series.

Click here for our previous report on the WoS reboot, with details on the tapings and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross confirming his status for the project.

ITV commissions new 10-part wrestling series

ITV has commissioned a new 10-part wrestling series from ITV Studios Entertainment.

WOS Wrestling will be jam-packed with the UK’s top names in the sport, competing in a fun-filled evening of family sports entertainment.

Recorded in front of a live audience at studios in Norwich, fans will get to see some of the finest pro wrestlers compete in various, intense bouts. At the end of each show, only one will get to take home the coveted WOS Wrestling Championship belt.

Plus, backstage interviews between rounds will deliver news on what the wrestling stars are thinking – be it elation or frustration.

Tom McLennan, Creative Director, ITV Studios Entertainment said, “There is a massive indie wrestling scene in the UK and a strong nostalgia for the wrestling shows of our youth. WOS Wrestling will combine the best of the past with incredible talent available today to make a fun, exciting and thrilling show that the whole family can enjoy.”

WOS Wrestling is an ITV Studios Entertainment commission for ITV. It was commissioned by Jane Beacon and Clare Ely.

Audience tickets are available through https://lostintv.com/.

WWE Hall of Famer and Commentating Legend Jim Ross has confirmed his status for the upcoming World of Sport tapings taking place on May 10th/11th/12th from Norwich’s EPIC Studios in the UK.

As we reported previously; World of Sport Wrestling has scheduled a series of TV Tapings for mid-May. The promotion previously announced television taping dates for May of 2017 as well but abruptly canceled them a few weeks ahead of time. At the time, talent and fans were told the decision had been made to postpone the project.

JR was a major part of the original ‘reboot’ special that aired as part of ITV’s New Year’s Eve offering in 2016 working as the play by play commentator…but it looks as though his involvement in the project has now come to an end. Ross tweeted earlier today (available at the bottom of this page) to confirm that he will not be taking part in the tapings which are slated for the following dates:

• Thursday, May 10th, 630PM
• Friday, May 11th, 2pm & 630pm
• Saturday, May 12th, 2pm & 630pm

World of Sport have not confirmed which on air talents will be taking part in the new tapings, several performers from the original ‘reboot’ episode are now heavily linked with moves to WWE, including PROGRESS Wresting Tag Team Champion Zack Gibson.

Unfortunately, no, but I’m pulling for my friends at @ITV for @WOSWrestlingITV project. https://t.co/XG6ByxjmG8

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) April 21, 2018

World of Sport Wrestling has scheduled a series of TV Tapings for mid-May. The promotion previously announced television taping dates for May of 2017 as well but abruptly canceled them a few weeks ahead of time. At the time, talent and fans were told the decision had been made to postpone the project.

Now it appears, World of Sport Wrestling is ready to give the project another go.

WOS Wrestling recently announced the following TV Taping dates:

All shows will take place at Epic Studios in Norwich:

• Thursday, May 10th, 630PM
• Friday, May 11th, 2pm & 630pm
• Saturday, May 12th, 2pm & 630pm

All shows are free to attend.

World of Sport Wrestling

In 2016, WOS Wrestling filmed a pilot episode which featured Grado winning the World Championship. This was to be followed up with a 10-part series in 2017 with Jeff Jarrett serving as executive producer. The TV tapings were scheduled for late-May in 2017 but were abruptly canceled. The promotion blamed prolonged contract negotiations for the postponement.

It’s not clear at this moment exactly who is still involved with the project. Most of the social media accounts previously associated with 2017’s revival attempt are still not active. Nick Aldis, Grado, El Ligero and Sha Samuels were expected to be key parts of the 2017 version of the show but it is not clear if that is still the case or not. None of the wrestlers involved in previous revival attempts have mentioned the tapings in their social media feeds either.

Here are the results from the one-night 2016 revival show for World of Sport Wrestling:

1. WOS World Championship (vacant)
   Dave Mastiff defeated Grado
2. 4-Way Ladder Match
   Kenny Williams defeated CJ Bans, Danny Hope, and Sam Bailey
3. Viper defeated Alexis Rose
4. The Coffey Brothers (Joe and Mark) defeated Ashton Smith and Rampage
5. El Ligero defeated Zack Gibson
6. #1 Contender Battle Royal
   Grado defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr, El Liger, the Coffey Brothers, Johnny Moss, Kenny Williams, and Sha Samuels

It has been revealed that the planned tapings for World of Sport’s (WOS) new show have been delayed. PWInsider stated that sources within the company confirmed that the booked dates of May 25th & 26th were no longer pencilled in and that the tapings would now be in July.

IMPACT had already announced that Bobby Lashley and Kongo Kong would be working the tapings however with the change of date they may no longer be available.

It is not yet known why the tapings have been delayed, ticket sales were reportedly strong heading in to the planned May 25th & 26th dates.

WOS have not yet made any announcements on the date change, as recently as April 10th they were still promoting the original taping date:

http://twitter.com/WOSWrestlingITV/status/851366282201112577