The name Hugo Knox is probably one that WWE fans will be unfamiliar with but Stuart Tomlinson may ring a bell for football fans.
That is because Tomlinson began his career in football before embarking on a journey that took him all the way to Florida, working as a wrestler for the WWE.
This strange tale which sounds like something out of fiction actually did happen. While he didn’t become a massive star or main event WrestleMania, it shows a man following his dreams after injury cost him his first love and trying to make it in the USA in a brand-new career.
One day, Stuart Tomlinson retired from football and became Huge Knox – a professional wrestler.
This is his story.
Stuart Tomlinson Played As A Goalkeeper Until He Retired Age 28
Like many wrestlers, Hugo Knox had a career in football before he signed up with the WWE. However, unlike most, this was football in England – aka soccer! While some wrestlers have played soccer prior to joining the WWE, it is usually in the women’s division with stars like Nikki Bella and Tegan Nox.
Tomlinson came through the academy at Crewe Alexandra as a goalkeeper, debuting as a 17-year-old against Oldham Athletic in 2003. Despite being a prodigy, Stuart Tomlinson never ended up becoming the number one at Crewe, leaving in 2009 after two disappointing loan spells away from the club.
A move to Barrow in 2009 saw his greatest success – an FA Trophy win at Wembley Stadium in 2010. However, he struggled to nail down the starting spot again.
He did become the number one keeper at Port Vale but was forced to retire in July 2013, due to an ACL injury he suffered during the season. He was only 28 at the time and the news was reported nationwide on the BBC.
This is the same injury that Tegan Nox suffered THREE TIMES in her career!
Stuart Tomlinson was known for his unusual physique for a goalkeeper. He was tall, like most keepers, but had the figure of a bodybuilder and packed on much more muscle than the majority of football players.
Keepers are usually tall and slight, giving them more flexibility to be able to make the toughest saves possible. Tomlinson was more Akinfenwa than Abiatti and his large frame is what drew the eye of the WWE back in 2013.
A WWE Tryout Saw Him Being Signed By The Company
After his retirement from football, Stuart Tomlinson was scouted by the WWE to become the newest English superstar in the company.
Talent scout Canyon Cemen (yes, that is his real name) saw Tomlinson’s cover issue of the Polish version of Men’s Health and immediately contacted him about moving into professional wrestling.
He told The Mirror, “I was on the cover of Men’s Health. And the talent scout Canyon Ceman, I think he saw a picture of me, and they were looking for talent from the UK, and then lucky enough I got a try-out, and I was here a couple of months later.”
Tomlinson clearly impressed during his tryout, alongside a number of other wrestlers and athletes from the UK. He still had the conditioning of a professional footballer alongside the physique of a bodybuilder, making him the perfect person to become a WWE Superstar.
He went into more detail about the tryout in an interview with Adam Smith on YouTube.
“There was a tryout in England at the O2 Arena. Obviously, the company got in touch with me and asked if I’d be interested. I think they looked at my sporting background and how I looked and thought, ‘You know, if you want to come down and have a go…’ So I went.” Stuart Tomlinson said.
“The tryout was hard, I’m not going to lie. There was a lot of cardio-based stuff, but I got through it. And now, here I am in Orlando. I know 10,000 people have applied just for a chance to earn a contract and walk through the door at NXT, but they’re very picky.”
After passing the tryout with flying colours, Stuart Tomlinson was shipped off to the US. He moved to Florida and became a regular trainee at the WWE Performance Center.
Stuart Tomlinson Was Renamed Hugo Knox And Made His Wrestling Debut In 2014
It was in December 2013 that Stuart Tomlinson moved to the US, taking time to get his visa sorted and move his entire life to this new country.
The Englishman was quickly ingratiated into the WWE system, that is to be given an awful new name that could only come out of the WWE Performance Center.
Despite being a relatively known footballer in Britain, he shed his identity, changing his name from Stuart Tomlinson to Hugo Knox. This is the name he would be known by for the rest of his career in the United States as he attempted to become a big star in the WWE.
Despite having zero experience in the wrestling business before flying over to America, it didn’t take long for Hugo Knox to debut in the WWE. Just one year after inking his deal, Huge Knox wrestled his first match in the WWE at an NXT Live Event in November 2014.
It likely would have been earlier, but an injury suffered around WrestleMania 30 meant that his debut was pushed back in order to aid his recovery.
“My first year I was lucky enough to go to WrestleMania for NXT Axxess, that’s when I actually tore my bicep there, so that put me back like six months.” Hugo Knox said.
The former Stuart Tomlinson wrestled his first match on November 8th 2014 at the Midtown Cultural & Educational Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. This was a six-man tag team match, ideal for an inexperienced wrestler to hide his weaknesses and get used to being in the ring.
Unfortunately, it ended in a loss. Knox, teaming with Elias and Steve Cutler, lost to Angelo Dawkins, Chad Gable and Sawyer Fulton, who were known as “Shoot Nation” at the time. Very little information is known about the match other than the participants and the result.
While his experience was limited, Hugo Knox was truly a character. He has been described as the “British Alex Wright”, happily dancing with the crowd after the match in his ridiculously tiny polka dot pants that he called “ring gear”.
Hugo Knox wrestled 62 matches in WWE (according to Cagematch) although just one of those matches made it to television. That was a tag team match in a quick defeat to the Vaudevillians, teaming with Tucker Knight.
He was stuck on the Florida house show loop, not impressing enough to get a regular spot on TV. This would sadly be as far as Hugo Knox went in the WWE.
WWE Released Hugo Knox In 2016 And He Retired From Wrestling
Sadly, Stuart Tomlinson’s time in the WWE as Hugo Knox came to an abrupt end when he was released by the WWE in 2016.
He hadn’t wrestled for the past month and was on the periphery in NXT. Many people noted that he stuck out like a sore thumb in NXT and that, while he was incredibly athletic, did not have the talent or experience to make it as a WWE Superstar at that point.
PWInsider was the first to report his release on September 30th, 2016. It was said to be a mutually agreed upon decision, with Knox wanting to return to England to reignite his football career after seeing no future in wrestling.
“In what was described to PWInsider as a “mutually agreed upon decision”, WWE has released NXT performer Stuart Tomlinson aka Hugo Knox, 31. Knox had not worked a match for the brand since this past August.” PWInsider reported in September 2016.
Stuart Tomlinson, shedding his identity as Hugo Knox, returned to Britain with three years of the top wrestling coaching in the world under his belt. Would he enter the blossoming British Wrestlign scene and try to make a name for himself at home?
No.
Instead, he went back to his roots, signing with Altrincham as a goalkeeper and returning to football. He was brought in just as cover for injured keeper Tim Deasy, who Tomlinson played with at Barrow years ago.
Being four years out of football, Stuart Tomlinson was slightly off the pace and made just six appearances for his new club. Sadly, they were relegated at the end of the season, prompting the former Hugo Knox to hang up his gloves for a second and final time.
Stuart Tomlinson is not the first hopeful to make it to the WWE and fail to make an impact. He had three good years and made a TV appearance, which is better than 99% of wrestlers ever will do.
The former footballer took a chance and did his best, which is all anybody can ask for. He made more of an impact than Tim Wiese did, so Stuart Tomlinson/Hugo Knox is undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in WWE history!
