Coronation Street icon announces wrestling debut at 70 as thrilled fans say ‘it’s the crossover we didn’t know we needed’

Coronation Street legend Les Battersley is set to head into the ring in Manchester for a wrestling match aged 70 - 15 years after leaving the cobblestone streets behind.

Fans of soap operas responded with “it’s the best crossover we didn’t know we needed” and “this is perhaps the wildest thing I’ve seen in a minute” after Sovereign Pro Wrestling announced ‘King Lesley’ will be fighting on February 18, 2024.

The event, which is to be held at the Trinity Sports Centre, will see the fan favourite making his SOVPRO debut with Sovereign Pro Wrestling, whose promotion will hold their ‘It’s Dark and Hell is Hot’ show. Manchester musician Shotty Horroh, who is the co-owner of the promotion says ‘Who doesn’t want to meet Les Battersley?’

READ MORE: Member of staff shot at sell-out Halloween party in Salford billed as 'Magic City Massacre'

READ MORE: Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank asks 'please help' as he's supported over move

He told the Manchester Evening News: “In the North West Coronation Street is the bible to us. It’s going to be so good - I might even bring my mum along to this one. Who doesn’t want to meet King Lesley?”

Shotty, whose real name is Adam Rooney, said ‘why not?’ when reaching out to convince Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby on Corrie from 1997 to 2008, to make a wrestling debut.

He told the MEN: “‘I was watching wrestling and saw a picture of him and thought, why not? I reached out to him and he responded straight away. He said he loves to do it. The rest is history.”

Shotty added: “Irony does well in UK wrestling and that humour does well with the juxtaposition of Les Battersley doing something as crazy and aesthetic as wrestling. It’s also nice to think of the world like that - where