WAR is over as brothers call it a day

THEY can lay claim to giving global wrestling stars CM Punk and Rockstar Spud their big breaks.

But now brothers Stuart and Simon Platt are calling time on the Wrestling Association of Rugby (WAR) which they started 12 years ago.

Their final show takes place at their old school Lawrence Sheriff on Saturday, March 22 with their two biggest names on the guest list.

"We've sent out an open invitation to everyone who has appeared in our shows over the years including CM Punk and Rockstar Spud," Stuart told us.

"They are global superstars now but we're hoping we might at least get a video message from one of both of them to play on what will be an emotional night.

"They probably would have both made it without us, but it's nice to think we have helped them in some way, giving them a springboard."

Stuart, 35, and 28-year-old Simon formed WAR after seeing an advert in the paper for wrestling classes and going along out of simple curiosity.

They ended up taking over and soon after established their training school before deciding they wanted a stage for their competitors to perform on.

The first show was a success and in the intervening years they have built up a loyal following with all of their four shows throughout the year selling out.

But despite their popularity they both admit the time had come to bring the association to an end.

"It doesn't sound a lot when we say we do four shows a year, but there's a large amount of work that goes into getting people together and the promotion; it takes a lot of time which we seem to have little of these days," Stuart, a recruitment consultant by day, told us.

"Twelve years ago we had no families, no commitments or anything like that but our lives are moving on and we didn't want to keep doing it if it meant the quality would drop. Plus wresting is a young man's game!

"Rugby has the best fans in the country so there will be a gap in the market. But we hope we'll give them a good send off.

"It will be an emotional night and there will be tears; not just from us but the spectators too.

"We've had so many emotional messages from people who have coming to our shows for eight or nine years and are now bringing their own kids."

The last night will feature a 30-man Royal Rumble style final bout while Blue Thunder will be looking to regain his championship from Xander Cooper.

There will also be high-octane matches featuring The Ocean Brothers, Clarkewood, The Judge, Falcon and The Spindoctor.

Tickets are priced from £5 by calling , by emailing or logging onto www.waruk.co.uk.

Former WWE champion CM Punk starred in Rugby before he hit the big time across the Atlantic while Rockstar Spud, who made his first appearance in the ring at a WAR show, is currently signed to America's second largest wresting company TNA (s)

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