It's something out of a B-action movie: Six athletes trained in combat martial arts and representing major city teams score points by knocking out opponents using fists, knees and feet. All of this is conducted in front of a bloodthirsty live audience. Penalties are scored for “passivity,” meaning both fighters are always on the attack. Oh yes, and each team has one woman. Created for cable TV by executive producer Chuck Norris, World Combat League is an entirely professional presentation of a brand new team sport, which proves to be vastly superior to the kickboxing programs that routinely air on sports channels, thanks to the scoring for teams, not individuals. Considering the newness of the sport, the announcers, referees and pugilists seem to be remarkably seasoned in this 168-fight collection.

Shelf Talk: Fight fans of all stripes are going to love this one, but push it to sports nuts across the board. According to Versus Network, 128,000 viewers were drawn to the first season's episodes (the show debuted in 2006 and is still in production), which is boffo for cable. The DVD debut can only raise awareness of both platforms. To support the program, Echo Bridge will deliver massive exposure via a flight of 60 tagged spots that will air during Versus' broadcasts of WCL fights this spring. The supplier also plans to cross-trailer it with other second-quarter titles. A Greatest Knockouts and Knockdowns compilation is priced for $9.99.