Neil Ruddock will star in a new crossover league which blends wrestling with football when it launches this year. The Ex-Liverpool and West Ham hardman, nicknamed Razor, will feature as a guest manager at the first of three events which will see grapplers will rub shoulders with footie stars.
Squads of wrestlers – including sitcom actor Grado and ex-WWE star Luke Menzies – will battle it out on a green, footie pitch-style ring and each pinfall in the 15 minute bouts will be totted up like goals.
Referees in the National Wrestling League will be able to issue red and yellow cards for bad behaviour and league points will be divvied up like football matches – three for a win and one for a draw.
Ruddock, 58, will feature in the promotion’s event in Newcastle on August 9. He said: “Football is all about passion, rivalry and backing your team, and wrestling has the characters, drama and atmosphere to go with it.
“So bringing the two together just makes sense. It’s right up my street, which is why I am excited to get involved.”
Promoters said they want to blend the intensity of professional wrestling with the rivalry and passion for football.
Teams include Manchester Manics and Glasgow Hitmen, whose name and logo were inspired by WWE legend Bret Hart. Their kit is also pink and black in a nod to the Hitman’s iconic ring attire.
Former WWE star D’Lo Brown, who wrestled for the company during the Attitude Era, will manage Yorkshire Titans and will take on tv star Grado in a tag team match in Newcastle.
Grado, real name Graeme Stevely, has wrestled for huge American promotions like TNA and AEW. He said of the new league: “What an original concept, two British traditions mix into one.
“It’s fun, fresh, and exciting… just the wee boost wrestling in the UK needs to brighten the scene back up again.”
The league is the brainchild of ex-Wrestler Dante Richardson, who competed between 2003 and 2010, and Kenny McIntosh, who co-founded wrestling magazine Inside The Ropes.
He said he wanted to bring football’s “tribalistic fan approach” to wrestling so that fans could follow their squad of wrestlers across 10 matches each season with a winning team crowned at the end.
The league will run from August to May with the North East Outlaws competing at home in their first match.
Dante said: “This is something genuinely different. We’re taking the passion and athleticism of professional wrestling and placing it into a competitive league environment that fans can follow.
“Every match matters, every point counts, and every event builds toward something bigger. It’s wrestling—but not as you’ve seen it before.”
Kenny added: “The National Wrestling League represents a huge step forward in how wrestling can be presented.
“By blending sports structure with entertainment, we’re creating something that feels both familiar and completely new. Fans will be able to invest not just in individual wrestlers, but in teams, rivalries, and a season-long journey.”
The first three events will take place later this year in Newcastle (August 9), Manchester (September 27) and Glasgow (October 10), with tickets on sale now
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