A GRADUATE who swapped the gridiron for the wrestling ring can’t wait to return to the city where he first enjoyed sporting success.

Justin Sysum is now the champion of WOS Wrestling on ITV after powering to a different kind of victory as part of the Southampton Stags American Football team during his days as a student.

Justin scored two touchdowns in the final as the Stags captured the National University American Football Championships in 2005/6 .

After graduating from the university with a degree in biology, Justin turned professional as a wrestler and won the WOS Championship, featured on Saturday afternoon TV in September.

Justin, known as "Superhuman Sysum" will receive support from his old old university friends when he climbs into the ring at the O2 Guildhall next Friday.

The Southampton show kicks off a six-date UK tour for Justin and his fellow ITV grapplers.

The O2 Guildhall event will be the first ever live WOS Wrestling touring show featuring the stars of last summer's series which marked British Wrestling's return to ITV after 30 years.

Justin, who will be in tag team action on the night, said: “There will be a lots of people who I met at uni, all supporting me. It will be like having home turf advantage and I won’t want to disappoint them or the wrestling fans who watched me win the championship on ITV.

“I lived in Southampton for three or four years and it’s very close to my heart. I still visit all the time and it’s like a second home to me. And I have amazing memories of winning the National University Championship with the Stags."

Justin will team up with masked man Robbie X to face former WOS Tag Team Champions Alpha Bad – ‘Alpha Male’ Iestyn Rees and ‘Superbad’ Kip Sabian.

The man Sysum beat to become WOS Champion, Rampage, will also compete as he faces ‘The Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay.

Also appearing on the Southampton bill will be former Love Island star Adam 'Flex' Maxted, the ‘East End Butcher’ Sha Samuels, ‘The Prestigious One’ Joe Hendry, Viper, Nathan Cruz and the 36-stone masked ‘Monster’ Crater.