15 MORE Failed Experiments From WWE Developmental

4. Hugo Knox

Hugo Knox WWE NXT
WWE

The weather was at least an improvement for Stuart Tomlinson when he made the move from the UK to Orlando, Florida to follow his WWE dreams in 2013.

Tomlinson had played in goal for Crewe Alexandra, Burton Albion, Barrow, Port Vale and Altrincham and with it built enough size along the way to look like he belonged amongst the best and brightest at the Performance Center.  After a year of getting to grips with the career change, he made it into the ring after a year and notched up an impressive 62 matches before ultimately getting released in 2016.

He'd struggled to connect with audiences in that time, despite briefly sneaking onto television for a loss to The Vaudvillains alongside Tucker Knight. Less of a failed experiment and more noble failure, "Hugo Knox" was a nothing-or-something gimmick name that suited neither him nor the NXT heart-on-sleeve style of the time. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.