The worlds of WWE, UFC and boxing collide in one epic evening of entertainment at Co-op Live

WWE was back in Manchester with a bang on Wednesday night – and there were famous faces both in and out of the ring.

More than 20 of the world’s top WWE Superstars from Smackdown joined Co-op Live for a night of entertainment made famous by the multi-billion dollar franchise.

Thousands of fans packed into the venue, which is firmly establishing itself as a popular leisure destination.

Gunther faced “main event” Jey Uso in the World Heavyweight Championship Street Fight, while Nia Jax faced Bayley in a WWE Women’s Championship match.

(Image: NQ) Fun games that had the audience oohing and aahing at the same time.

Randy Orton spent at least ten minutes clamoring for his victory, but no one cared – the crowd was just happy to sing “Voices” over and over again.

The highlight of the evening was a steel cage match for the WWE Undisputed Championship between “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa – it was a fantastic finale.

(Image: NQ)

A few famous local faces came to merge the worlds of WWE with UFC and boxing as champion MMA fighter Tom Aspinall graced the ring to show off his belt, while boxers Tommy and Tyson Fury were seen being ushered in to sit ringside in the middle of the evening.

MMA fighter Tom Aspinall (Image: NQ)

When I was a kid in the 1990s, WWE – or WWF as it was known before the name change – was my all-time favorite. People like Bret the Hitman Hart, Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Macho Man Randy Savage were absolute legends.

And I’ll admit, I’m not all that familiar with this current flavor, as my oldest son only recently discovered WWE – and he already loves it. Last night I thought I’d pick one up for the team by driving like crazy to get us there, but I ended up liking it as much as he did.

We chatted with a mother and her adult daughter in the same row, walked toward the barriers to catch a glimpse of the superstars, and became completely caught up in the drama.

An epic evening of entertainment, the tour continues next month in London, Nottingham and Sheffield. For more information, visit wwe.com.