An Egremont wrestler is set to take part in the revival of the iconic World of Sport show.

Johnny Moss will compete in a two-hour special of the much-loved British wrestling show being broadcast by ITV over the Christmas period.

World of Sport ran every Saturday afternoon between 1965 and 1988, and regularly attracted more than 15 million viewers.

The revival is being recorded in MediaCity, Salford, next week and will feature a host of current British wrestling stars, including ‘The East End Butcher’ Sha Samuels, Dave Mastiff and ‘Viper’ Kimberly Benson. On commentary will be legendary former WWE announcer Jim Ross, and a number of World of Sport originals will feature in the programme.

“I was overjoyed when ITV contacted me to be part of the show,” said Moss, who runs the School of Hard Knocks and Hammerlocks in his Egremont hometown. “I was a huge fan of World of Sport . I watched it every week and had all the videos, and my gym is decked out with posters as tribute to the show.”

Among those who Moss idolised from the World of Sport era include Fit Finlay – whom Moss wrestled in Germany and considers a career highlight – The Dynamite Kid, Marty Jones and Johnny Saint.

Jones and Saint have been regular guest trainers at Moss’s wrestling school, and Jones will return to Egremont this Saturday to hold a seminar for Moss’s students.

At its height, World of Sport’s viewing figures peaked at 18 million in 1981 when Big Daddy took on Giant Haystacks at Wembley Stadium.

“The show was iconic in British TV history and I’m very excited to be part of the revival,” said Moss. “It’s being produced by the team that was behind ITV’s Ninja Warrior so it has huge potential.”

Moss has been a well-respected name on the British and European circuit since debuting almost 20 years ago. He’s regularly shared a bill with WWE Hall of Famers including Mick Foley and Booker T, competed with champions Daniel Bryan and Sheamus (in their pre-WWE days), and famously helped train Finn Balor, the first WWE Universal Champion.

And since opening his wrestling school in 2014, he’s called his contacts book to welcome a number of special guests to Egremont, including former WWE stars Al Snow, Chris Masters and Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly. For tickets for the TV taping, email wswaudience@itv.com