WILL wrestling ever regain its grip on the public imagination? It will if promoter Jon Farrer has anything to do with it.

IT'S hard to believe that the 20-year-old sitting opposite, tucking into a bag of wine gums, is forging a career as an entrepreneur. "Excuse these," says Jon Farrer, holding up the remains of the crumpled bag. "It's breakfast."

The fact that it's three o'clock in the afternoon doesn't seem to strike him as being remotely odd.

In fact, the former pupil of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, doesn't appear to be fazed by much.

Half an hour earlier he was being hoisted into the air and then put in a stranglehold, all for the sake of a few photographs.

But these are the sorts of things you do in his business. For Jon Farrer is a wrestling promoter and next month he will be bringing his first show to King George's Hall, Blackburn.

Wrestling used mean Saturday afternoons and World of Sport with Kent Walton commentating on matches between Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki.

More recently, wrestling American-style has become hugely popular, particularly among youngsters, with stars such as Hulk Hogan and latterly Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock commanding million dollar salaries and playing to millions of TV viewers. Now Jon is hoping his own GWF (it stands for Global Wrestling Force) will make British wrestling popular again.

"At heart I am a wrestling fan and I want to put on the kind of show that fans would like to see," he said.

"Wrestlers are truly great entertainers.

"You may have stars like actors, athletes or stuntmen, but these guys are all of them rolled into one."

Among those taking part in the GWF show on February 2 is one of the legendary names from the WWF in America, Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

For those who don't know, his nickname derives from the fact he often brings a python into the ring with him.

He will be fighting Robbie Brookside, one of Britain's best wrestlers and a man who has played to packed houses all over the world.

But how did a lad from Lancashire end up as a wrestling promoter? After all, it's not a profession recommended by the careers teacher at school.

"I wasn't really interested in sport," said Jon, "But I turned on the TV on Saturday afternoon when ITV was showing American wrestling from the WCW and I got hooked. A mate at school had satellite TV before most people did and we'd all go round to his house and watch the wrestling

"I though it was something I would grow out of, but I haven't done so far," he laughed.

The internet proved to be the next step towards Jon's future career.

"I found you could talk to fans all over the world. There were sites giving all the latest news and speculating about wrestlers. I'm sorry to say I turned into an internet geek."

Thanks to a friend getting a job with CBS in America, Jon found himself at 17 writing a wrestling column for the TV giant's website.

"I used to get invited to British shows and I thought 'I want to be part of this'," he said.

"I'd got some money from my columns and I got involved with another organisation and promoted a show in Bolton in April 2001. I handled all the publicity and we got over 500 people there. I can't lie -- it did lose money but was I very naive.

"I'm not sure what the wrestlers thought when they found out that this kid was involved in the promotion, but, to be honest, I didn't care."

After moving to Barcelona for a while -- "I've always been a pretty radical sort of person" -- Jon went to college on a media and business course before the lure of wrestling proved too strong.

Soon he was writing columns for wrestling magazines and now he is associate editor of Total Wrestling.

"I can work from home but I travel a lot, covering the UK scene, which is bigger than you might think. I've also been to the States a couple of times and I hope to go to Japan," he said. " I suppose I have my dream job. Sometimes when I'm interviewing one of my heroes I think 'is that really me sitting here?'"

In February last year Jon formed his own promotion company and put on a show at Preston Guild Hall.

"I learnt a lot from that and decided to do something I don't normally do. I sat down and planned what I was going to do."

That planning has led to the GWF at King George's Hall and a number of other shows around the North West.

"No matter how much I go on about it, you have to experience it to appreciate what a fantastic show it is," he said. "Where else but wrestling could you take mum and dad, the two kids and the grandparents and they all enjoy it?

Unlike the current WWE wrestling from America, which runs very much like a soap opera with extreme violence, the GWF promotion will not have wrestlers working to scripts or towards a pre-determined result.

"These guys just go out there and give their all," said Jon.

"We will offer something for all types of fans so there will be one match using weapons such as chairs and a match with plenty of flying off the top rope.

"I've been behind the scenes and seen them when they come back from the ring and how much they hurt."

But will the promoter himself ever be tempted into the ring?

A rueful smile crosses his lips at this.

"Well, it's not something I'd rule out," he says.

Jon is hoping that if February's show is a success he will be able to establish wrestling as a regular feature, with matches every six weeks or so.

"That would be the aim so that the crowds would be able to follow their favourites.

"After all. there is a great tradition of wrestling at King George's Hall.

"I'd certainly like to see it return."

GWF wrestling comes to King George's Hall, Blackburn on Sunday, February 2. For details contact the box office on 01254 582582.