Jim Ross will be commentating on ITV’s World of Sport Wrestling on Saturday evening.

British professional wrestling returns to terrestrial television for the first time in 30 years on New Year’s Eve when World of Sport Wrestling airs on ITV at 5pm.

The World of Sport brand was a mainstay of ITV’s Saturday afternoon schedule for decades, and its return to television has delighted both new and old-school wrestling fans.

Grado and Mastiff will be wrestling on the show. (Picture: ITV/World of Sport Wrestling)

Those nostalgic for memories of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks will be catered for with archive footage, but the main thrust of the show will focus on contemporary British talent including Grado, Mastiff and Viper.

Legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross will present and commentate the action, and we spoke to him regarding ITV’s new project, his views on WWE’s new UK ambitions and much more…




How did you become involved with World of Sport Wrestling?

ITV reached out and they were really on their game. They accumulated a great roster and were very organised with their taping.

They had done their homework and knew what they wanted. and I was very honoured that I could contribute.

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I’ve done a lot of Wrestlemanias and big shows but this was a really great day for me.

I loved to see the passion of the talent, the crew and audience were excited and it was a perfect storm that came together very well.

This was one of my favourite days in my wrestling career. It was so refreshing and different.

You have had a lot of offers to commentate on televised wrestling since leaving WWE and you’ve picked very few. Why did you choose to work on this project?

As a lifelong fan and working in the US in the 1970s, I met a lot of British talent that were on the World of Sport show back in the day.

The legacy of the brand is phenomenal, not just in Britain but everywhere if you’re a wrestling fan.

They had 20 years on national television on a powerhouse like ITV and it made stars out of a lot of people.

When you still have people talking about Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy, Rollerball Rocco, Johnny Saint, Marty Jones… all these people are still in the lexicon of pro wrestling.

The reason they’re still talked about is because of their exposure on ITV, who made World of Sport a massive brand by giving them that broadcast platform.

What can you tell us about the show?

Right now it’s a one-off, but those of us who love the brand would like to see it return but that’s not my call, that remains to be seen.

To be able to tape at their facility in Manchester was really cool. There was great lighting, nine cameras and big time technical pros. The show has a great, great look.

I’m very confident we’ve produced a brilliant show which mixes the old and the new.

One of the other things that was really cool was that sitting at ringside was a lot of the legends.

You had Klondyke Kate, Johnny Saint, Rollerball Rocco and a lot of others who were so excited to come back.

There has been a lot of discussion as to whether Big Daddy deserves a spot in Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame – what do you think?

Absolutely! He was an attraction and is still being talked about. You and I are discussing him right now. He’s absolutely a Hall of Fame talent because of the contributions he made to World of Sport and the fact his image is still in the mind of a lot of fans.

Big Daddy (Picture: Getty Images)

Big Daddy is a no-brainer to me.



What did you make of WWE’s decision to create a bespoke UK Championship?

I don’t think it was a response to the World of Sport show but if it was then I think it would solidify the idea that ITV are onto something big, because WWE wouldn’t react unless they thought it was a viable entity – which it is.

Jim Ross [R] with Jerry Lawler during their WWE tenure. (Picture: WWE) So I just felt like it was a natural progression. You’ve got the richest talent base anywhere in the world in Britain right now with a lot of amazing athletic home-grown talents that grew up as wrestling fans.

No matter what WWE or anyone else does, to say that you’re going to be able to compete with a powerhouse with the footprint of ITV is going to be very challenging for anyone.

Is professional wrestling still your favourite to commentate on?

Pro wrestling is what brought me to the dance. All of my subsequent jobs and opportunities have come as a result of my work in pro wrestling.

There is an old Oklahoma expression that goes ‘you dance with who brung ya’ meaning that the girl you take to the dance is who you dance with and who you leave with.

Wrestling is my passion, it’s my love and I had a blast in Britain. I was telling my family that when I got back it was like going over and broadcasting a Wrestlemania like event.

I’m probably going to do about 20 boxing events in 2017 which is a new entity for me, but I’m still a pro wrestling guy.


What do you make of Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington) and his current situation?

Tommy Billington was way ahead of his time and he was way advanced from his peers.

He was a World of Sport guy, as was his partner Davey Boy Smith. which shows how important the brand is.

It’s a sad commentary where he is and Tommy is not unlike a lot of wrestlers that didn’t prepare for the future and didn’t take care of themselves as they probably would have liked to.

I would do anything to see him have a better quality of life. He deserves it, he’s certainly a Hall of Famer.

Anyone who isn’t aware of him should go back and look at some of his classic matches.

Who are your favourite British wrestlers of all time?

William Regal has become a great friend, I helped him to get his job in WCW back in the day, and also helped him to regain his job in WWE after he had some personal issues.

I am so respectful of his journey, his skillset and passion for the product. He is the secret weapon in NXT for WWE with his British sensibilities and experience and is a big time player there.

WWE’s William Regal (Picture: WWE)

Guys like Dave Finley who I know very well, or Billington and Davey Boy Smith were all on World of Sport and I go all the way back to guys like Ted ‘Hooker’ Heath and Johnny Eagles.

I also commentated on Adrian Street back on in the States who was a very unique and dangerous guy.

Finally, who is the best professional wrestler in the world right now?

Wow, that’s a tough one. I think the hottest guy right now because he reminds me of a young Shawn Michaels is AJ Styles.


AJ is what a lot of guys on World of Sport can aspire to be. His timing, athleticism and flair for the dramatic means he might be the best in the world.

It’s a horse race though because there is a lot of great talent.

I like Will Ospreay a lot, I’ve watched some matches of his in NJPW and he’s a British kid who is really special.

But if this World of Sport Wrestling show is picked up we’re going to develop some of the greatest stars in the world on ITV, and it all starts on New Year’s Eve at 5pm.