PUMPED full of painfully tangled limbs, grimacing bone-crunching manoeuvres, and unflattering, but flamboyant outfits that juxtapose the raging masculinity and unbreakable bravado that occupies them, professional wrestling is a sensationalised form of performance art with a universal appeal like no other.

But despite once being a staple of popular, terrestrial television channels in the UK, British wrestling has since tapped out to the exaggerated and heightened surrealism of America’s WWE Network, which has reigned for more than 40 years and launched some of the most recognisable and celebrated wrestlers of all time.

LDN Wrestling, however, a touring company that will be gator rolling into the Braintree Arts Theatre next week, aims to challenge the yanks’ dominance and reinstate the demand for British wrestling.

Sanjay Bagga, 33, a lifelong fanatic who left university after just twelve weeks to become a wrestling promoter, founded the group in 2004, after growing frustrated with the lack of affordable and thrilling entertainment provided to fans of the sport in the UK.

He said: ‘‘Wrestling and this great country go hand in hand, it is in our culture and even used to outdraw the FA Cup Final when it was on ITV.

‘‘But British wrestling took a big knock when it got taken off the TV in the 1980s, so I felt there was a gap in the market for a wrestling event with affordable family-friendly prices.

‘‘You have got the big American WWE, which is great, but it can end up working out about £500 day to go to those events.’’

After a successful 15 years, and with plans to bulldoze through another two hundred shows across Europe already in motion, LDN Wrestling is definitely on its way to helping Britain re-stake its claim on the wrestling world. Even if it still occasionally has to cater to fans wanting the exaggerate personalities of wrestlers from across the pond.

He said: ‘‘I think wrestling is coming back bigger than ever in Britain, but the modern generation only know Hulk Hogan, John Cena and The Rock now.

‘‘So we have five American wrestlers appearing as well, including Jason Carrion, and everyone always goes home happy when we combine the American and British wrestlers.’’

LDN Wrestling will take place on May 24 at the Braintree Arts Theatre from 7.30pm.

Tickets, which cost £15 for adults, £12 for children under 16 or £45 for a family of four, can be bought from braintreeartstheatre.com