First off, this isn’t some no-holds-barred free-for-all. There are, in fact, rules. The knights must use blunted weapons and the following moves are prohibited: stabbing; striking the groin, feet or back of the knee; and striking a man on the ground. Despite this, the weapons still leave some absolutely massive dents in the armour worn by competitors!

Each episode features six contestants who are judged on their aggression, technique and defence by a panel of three experts: host and former WWE superstar Jay “Christian” Reso; Armored Combat League co-founder and armour expert Andre Sinou; and medieval and renaissance fighting instructor John Clements.

If you’re expecting competitors comically charging towards each other weapons held aloft, you’d be seriously off the mark. This still relatively underground sport is serious and deserves to be taken as such. That clanging metal-on-metal sound and the ferocity of the competitors will have you wincing, gawping and shrieking like a medieval spectator!

The champion from each round wins $10,000 and a place in the season finale, where they can have a stab at nabbing the championship title and a further $10,000. But before the winning knight is crowned champion, we caught up with the man behind the melee, Jay Reso, better known by his pro-wrestling moniker, Christian Cage, to find out more.

Knight Fight, Tuesday 9 April, 9pm, HISTORY^® (CH 270). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > HISTORY