WRESTLING hopefuls have been treated to an in-ring masterclass from a former WWE heavyweight.

Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly delivered a four-hour seminar to students at the Egremont-based training camp Johnny Moss School of Hard Knocks and Hammerlocks.

Veteran Holly, who was a competitor with WWE between 1994 and 2009, taught the group of 12 on all aspects of professional wrestling, including technique, timing, crowd interaction and psychology.

“It was a fantastic session – one of the best we’ve ever had,” said John. “I was working with Bob at two shows in Carlisle on the Friday and Saturday night, and asked him if he’d come up for a session on the Saturday afternoon, and he was more than happy to.”

In his lengthy run with WWE, former racing car driver Holly won multiple championships including the Intercontinental Title, Tag-Team Title and Hardcore Title, and shared a ring with the likes of The Rock, Kurt Angle, Triple H and Brock Lesnar.

Holly was the latest former WWE star to host a seminar at the wrestling school, following Al Snow and Chris Masters. World of Sport stars Johnny Saint and Marty Jones have also made guest appearances.

John added: “Bob was stern, but fair, and kept the session light-hearted. You could see the improvement in them from the start of the lesson to the end.”

John, a renowned wrestler in British circles, has recently returned from a stint in Orlando working with the up-and-coming talent in the WWE’s NXT Performance Centre.

He was invited to be a guest coach for a week by head coach Matt Bloom (formerly known as A-Train) and hopes are high that he will return in the future.

“It was absolutely brilliant. It’s state-of-the-art facility, with seven rings, huge gyms and cameras everywhere so that WWE’s management can keep an eye on everyone’s progress.

“There’s an acting coach from Hollywood to help them with their verbal skills, and a conditioning coach from the NFL.”

John worked alongside a number of NXT trainers, including British wrestler Robbie Brookside and former WCW star Norman Smiley, to help coach the next generation of superstars.

“I got some good feedback from Matt Bloom and the rest of the coaches and I’d jump at the chance to go back there in the future.”