Black Country wrestlers get WWE UK shot

Never in World Wrestling Entertainment's history have they featured a title exclusively for bone-benders on our shores,

But that will change in January when the inaugural belt is contested in a 16-man tournament, between British grapplers not yet signed to the American giants.

Trent Seven, from Wolverhampton, has been confirmed along with Dudley's Tyler Bate as one of the participants in the race to crown a first champion.

They were at a press conference for the tournament at the 02 Arena in London this week, with the two-night event to be held at Blackpool's Empress Ballroom on January 14-15.

The shows will be broadcast live on subscription channel the WWE Network, with commentary from Michael Cole and Brit Nigel McGuinness. Tickets for both evenings have already sold out.

WWE boss and Hall of Fame wrestler Paul 'Triple H' Levesque and British star William Regal - also known as Darren Matthews from Codsall - were on hand at the launch.

Seven - real name Ben Webb - has been wrestling since 2009. The 35-year-old founded his own promotion in the city, called Fight Club Pro.

He regularly stages bills at the Fixxion Warehouse on Skinner Street in Wolverhampton city centre, along with wrestling for companies both in Britain and the United States.

Tag team partner Bate, who operates under his real name, is full of potential as an exciting prospect at just 19-years-old.

He already has over 200 matches under his belt and, like Seven, regularly travels to appear for other outlets both at home and abroad, as well as Fight Club Pro.

WWE, formerly the WWF, is the largest wrestling provider in the world, holding over 300 shows a year which are televised to around 36 million viewers in over 150 countries.

Their biggest impact in England came when they held Summerslam 1992 at Wembley Stadium, which drew a live audience of 80,355 with millions more watching on Sky Sports.