GLADIATORS legend Wolf today took a savage swipe at the new BBC reboot saying that new star Viper is a "carbon copy" of him.
Now 70, Michael Van Wijk pumps iron daily in New Zealand where he emigrated with his family 18 years ago.
The telly legend shot to fame in the early 90s on ITV's Gladiators.
Known for his bad boy persona, he quickly became one of the stand-out characters from the show.
Wolf was known for putting men half his age to shame with heavy lifting and exhausting sprints.
But as the BBC get ready to launch their reboot of Gladiators, Michael has given his thoughts on the show, and he didn't hold back.
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Speaking to this week's Radio Times, he said: “No disrespect to the new Gladiators but there’s a lot more competition now with streaming and social media.
"We pulled in 13m viewers at our peak. They’ll have difficulty matching that.
Michael was also asked if he would ever go back on the show, to which he replied: “I wouldn’t mind. I still work out five days a week, lifting weights with guys half my age.
"I could do Gladiators tomorrow…”
He also revealed that he thought that Viper - AKA Quang Luong - is simply a "carbon copy" of his Wolf character.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with The Sun last year, Michael talked about how he was fitter than ever, telling us: "If anything I'm in better shape now than when I was doing Glads because I have more time to train.
"I'm still keeping fit. I was sprinting the other day: six 15 second sprints and walking for a minute in between. I don't know how many 70-year-olds are doing full speed sprinting on a running machine. I'm still lifting very heavy and enjoying my workouts."
Michael also loves swimming in the sea, which is a two minute walk from his holiday home - known as bach - in Auckland.
He said: "It's very beautiful here. There's lots of palm trees. I'm at my bach [holiday house]. Everyone's dream in New Zealand is to have your home and a bach. They're quite standard, nothing flashy, but it's next to the beach.
"I come out my side gate and can see the water. Two minute walk to the water."
"It's lovely. Our home is 25 minutes away from the bach in the countryside. I normally come up here Friday, Saturday, Sunday."
The former gym owner has created a good life for himself and his family, working his way out of poverty to become a successful business owner and TV star.
He said: "We're comfortable, we're not rich. I wish I was. I'd love to be rich but with all the kids at school and all the expenses, you never get rich. [laughs]."
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Michael sold his four gyms in the UK to help fund his move to New Zealand where he opened two more.
He fell in love with the country after going on a month long holiday to visit friends in the early noughties and he hasn't looked back since.