Sports

For many people the Civic doesn't conjure up images of rock gods or comedy legends – but of a different kind of superstar altogether.

Titans with nicknames such as The Power, The Raging Bull and Wonderkid have all performed here too.

Over the years, the Civic and Wulfrun halls have become synonymous with darts, boxing and wrestling – attracting dedicated fans from far and wide.

The Grand Slam of Darts started in November 2007 and has been held in the city ever since it began.

Tens of thousands have flocked here to see the biggest names in the sport step up to the oche, with 10,283 fans watching the tournament in 2009 alone.

There has been some incredible action over the years, with some key names dominating the top table.

The competition's inaugural winner was Phil 'The Power' Taylor, who went on to clinch the title a further three times over the next four years – his winning streak only broken once in 2010 by Scott 'Scotty 2 Hotty' Waites.

In 2012, Dutch player Raymond van Barneveld wrestled the title from Taylor, but The Power returned to top slot in 2013 and 2014.

From 2015 to 2017 the title was held by Mighty Mike, otherwise known as Dutch player Michael van Gerwen.

The popularity of the contest led to it being screened on ITV for the first four years of its run, with live coverage being moved to ITV4 after that.

Since 2011 the Grand Slam has been broadcast on Sky Sports, bringing Wolverhampton and its venues to a wide audience.

he hoped the evening would be the first of many

The Civic has a longer history of holding paid fights than any other venue in the country, with more than 1,200 boxers having stepped into the ring.

The tradition began on March 8,1943 with a charity show to raise funds for the Express & Star's comfort fund for those serving in the Second World War.

In the audience that night was the Marquess of Queensberry, the grandson of the founder of modern boxing, who was reportedly greeted with rapturous applause when he said he hoped the evening would be the first of many.

And it was, with well-known national names on the bill alongside local fighting legends.

Heavyweight icon Henry Cooper appeared twice during the 1960s, recording spectacular one-round knockouts on both occasions.

Maurice Cullen won the first British-title fight held at the Civic Hall when he outpointed Viv Andreetti in defence of his lightweight title in November 1965.

And in May 1979 there was a local triumph when Oldbury's Pat Cowdell defeated David Needham to retain his British featherweight title, in what would prove to be Needham's last fight.

Boxing continued to be a regular crowd pleaser at the Civic right into the 2010s, marking it's 70th anniversary at the Civic in 2013 with an exhibition chronicling the venue's rich sporting history organised by the Central Ex-Boxers' Association.

bone crunching, body slamming, lycra-clad action

And wrestling fans have not missed out on a wealth of excitement at the Civic either, with bone crunching, body slamming, lycra-clad action being showcased at the venue since the 1970s.

Saturday afternoon bouts became a regular fixture in the hall – but perhaps the most thrilling moment of the decade came in 1977 when world-famous wrestler and man of mystery Kendo Nagasaki was unmasked on a televised show broadcast to 14 million fans.

Nagasaki, a Japanese Samurai with reputed powers of healing and hypnosis, was unmasked in the ring at the Civic by manager George Gillett.

The man under the mask, Peter Thornley, has continued to wrestle – to varying degrees – since then.

Throughout much of the eighties, professional wrestling was broadcast live from the Civic on Saturday afternoons.

The sport was followed by people of all ages with wrestlers such as Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks becoming household names.

But as American wrestling grew in the 1990s, the popularity of the homegrown version fell away.

The sport wasn't on the ropes for long - by the following decade, wrestling was back and audiences at the Civic and Wulfrun halls could cheer on the stars of Alternative Wrestling World, Chikara Pro Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling.

Once again the halls thrilled to throws, holds and aerials from the new names of 'Wonderkid' Jonny Storm, The Hunter Brothers and 'Messiah' Brandon Thomas.