On June 29th 2024, World of Sport announced their return from a five-year hiatus.
ITV cancelled the show in 2019 after their first season, following dismal ratings and a huge drop in viewership over the series. From a high of 1.25 million to a low of 200k, it showed a huge failure in management.
However, the show is back! Not on ITV, but streaming online. The new programme, titled World of Sport :The Return, will aim to revive British wrestling and bring it back to it’s heights of the 1970s and 1980s.
Some huge names have already been announced as part of the WOS: The Return roster, including former champions, American wrestlers and even a reality TV star.
While they no longer have Joe Hendry or Will Ospreay, they still have some top-class wrestlers under the WOS banner.
World Of Sport Wrestling Roster
The following wrestlers have been announced for World of Sport: The Return. They are;
- Grado – Former WOS Heavyweight Champion, actor and incredibly popular Scottish wrestler. Grado became famous wrestling for ICW, before moving onto TNA and eventually becoming a popular actor in various Scottish TV show.
- Sha Samuels – The former NXT UK star returns to WOS after struggling to nail down a spot in the WWE. He has wrestled for RevPro since his 2020 release from WWE, and will hope to make a splash in September.
- Adam Maxted – The former Love Island contestant returns to World of Sport Wrestling, having been a key part of the first series. The Northern Irish wrestler has competed in promotions like RevPro and OTT since then, and could be a key player for the second series.
- Martin Kirby – Former WCPW Champion Martin Kirby retired from wrestling in 2020, but recently came out of retirement. He has been a consistent part of the UK indie scene, and will be an important part of the WOS reboot when it films this year.
- Iestyn Rees – The 41-year-old Iestyn Rees has been an important part of British wrestling since his debut in 2006. He will be a veteran presence in the locker room to keep the younger talent in check.
- Ashton Smith – Former NXT UK Tag Team Champion Ashton Smith is a huge signing for WOS. He has regularly challenged for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship, and will likely be a main event star for the promotion.
- Joel Redman – The Englishman is a legend of British wrestling, despite only being 37-years-old. He has wrestled all over the world, including in AJPW and WWE. You may know him as Oliver Grey, and he was one half of the inaugural NXT Tag Team Champions, along with Adrian Neville (aka PAC).
- Bullit – The English wrestler has been competing since 2018, and could be one-to-watch in the newest series of World of Sport Wrestling.
- LA Taylor – Cornwall’s own LA Taylor is a constant presence among many UK indie promotions, including Cardiff’s Slammasters Wrestling. She will be a key focus of the women’s division, and is likely to hold their women’s title before too long.
- Nightshade – Nightshade was announced as one of the newest members of the WOS roster. She is a hoss in the ring, and could become a dominant heel in the women’s division on the new show.
- SoCal Val – The American wrestler and broadcaster returns to World of Sport Wrestling. She was a hostess and commentator for the first season of the show, and will likely take a similar position in the second series.
We will add more wrestlers to this list when they are announced. Keep checking back to this article to see who else is signed on to join World of Sport Wrestling: The Return.
