THOSE of us with long enough memories grew up watching the likes of Mick McManus and Big Daddy charging around the wrestling ring.

Now if another former champion of the era gets his way the sport will make an explosive return to our screens in wrestling’s answer to The X Factor.

Wembley’s Steve Lee Curtis - British light-middleweight champion of 1987 - has swapped the lycra shorts and the squared circle to style himself as the sport’s very own Simon Cowell.

The now 50-year-old is in advanced discussions with a number of TV companies for a show to give Joe public the chance to enter the world of professional wrestling.

Wannabes will be coached by other legends of the sport like Mark ‘Rollerball Rocco, Mick McManus and Brian ‘Goldbelt’ Maxine before performing in front of a panel of the former stars with Curtis as head judge.

And, just like The X Factor, in the latter stages of the show the public will get to vote on which would-be stars to keep and who to deliver a knockout blow to.

"I will be wrestling’s answer to Simon Cowell," said the former showman, whose heart has been in the sport since the age of 15.

"Just like The X Factor the idea is to get people off the street who want to be professional wrestlers.

"Hulk Hogan (former WWF Champion) is trying out a similar idea in the US, but I think we can do a better job."

Curtis was coached by the late, great former world mid-heavyweight champion Mike Marino, another of the stars of the World of Sport era of the 1970s and 80s.

The sport disappeared from our screens shortly after Curtis beat Bobby Collins to win his light-middleweight title belt in 1987.

However, the determination which saw him rise to the top in the world of grappling is the same driving force which makes Curtis confident of bringing the grunts and groans back to the box again.

He added: "I’m very confident someone will pick it up because I’m not the sort of person to back off.

"I’m just like I was in the ring - I keep hounding people until I win."