KING George's Hall has been hailed as the most popular of the old wrestling venues in the country as the sport returns for the 11th year in a row next month.

Promoter Ian McGregor, himself a former professional wrestler, said the venue is the only traditional venue that has averaged an attendance of more than 1,000 over the past five years.

He said that the sport's popularity in East Lancashire comes from the heyday of UK wrestling in the 1970s and 80s when shows were televised and millions watched.

He said: "King George's Hall is renowned by all the top names in the sport.

"Of the venues which hosted wrestling in the old days, it's the only one which averages a crowd of more than 1,000.

"Of course, we do arena shows in Manchester and Wembley with bigger crowds, but wrestling in Blackburn and East Lancs goes back decades to when it was televised on World of Sport.

"There's some wonderful images of the sport's most famous star, Big Daddy, in Blackburn and it's clear from his face how much he enjoyed coming here.

The next event, American Wrestling Live 2016, is returning to King George's on Saturday, February 6 at 7.30pm.

It will star Mr Tank, Rocky Steele, Johnny Moss, Road Warrior and Masked Marauder plus a host of other stars and a guest appearance by TNA superstar Bram.

As well as booing the bad guys and cheering the good guys, audience members will have the chance to meet the wrestlers.

Tickets cost £12 for adults, £10 for children or £36 for a family ticket (two adults, two children). Call 0844 8471664 or visit the theatre box office.