I’m a former Premier League star who scored 185 goals across 18 clubs before quitting football and becoming a WRESTLER
A FORMER Premier League hitman has gone from scoring away at the Emirates, Stamford Bridge, Anfield and the Etihad to locking horns inside a professional wrestling ring.
The 41-year-old scored 185 career goals in 562 appearances – with 24 strikes coming in the English top flight.
He most notably played for Norwich City, where he turned out 168 times for the Canaries, helping them win League One in 2010.
The ex-striker played for 18 clubs at senior level, spending the later years of his career playing in League One, the Scottish Championship and the National League.
He finally decided to hang up the boots in 2018 – but quickly traded them for wrestling attire.
In May 2018, the Englishman signed with WAW, a Norfolk-based wrestling promotion run by the legendary Knight family.
He made his in-ring debut at WAW’s Fightmare event.
WWE fans may be familiar with the promotion as the first-ever NXT Women’s champion, Paige, competed there.
The footballer-turned-wrestler is none other than Grant Holt.
Speaking to talkSPORT in 2021, Holt explained how he got into professional wrestling.
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He said: “I got approached by WAW to do a charity event and they asked if I’d be interested in going in and doing it, have a bit of swansong at the end and join in.
“I basically said yes because that’s the kind of guy I am; if someone gives me a challenge I’ll just do it.
“And it was for charity so why not go and do it? That’s how it started.
“I had to pull out of the first one I agreed to do because it clashed with work and I was still playing at the time.
“So I said ‘look, I’m going to have to cancel’ which is not really like me.
“So I said I’ll tell you what I’m going to do: ‘next year I’m definitely retiring. If you put on another show, I’ll do it.’
“That was it. I retired a little bit earlier than I hoped and then I was it.”
Holt quickly fell in love with wrestling and says he’d “have been all over it” at a young age if he had people who could have taught him.
The ex-Canaries ace added: “It started off like, I’ll just do it.
“Then I thought if I’m going to a show, why don’t I do it properly?
“Why don’t I do it properly for the year and build up to the show.
“What I didn’t want to be is someone who stands on the apron, comes in, kicks someone and they say ‘oh yeah, that footballer.’ I didn’t want to be that.
“I wanted to do it properly, know the holds, the ins and outs. I wanted to give it the deserved effort.
“If I’d have known what I do now and people could have taught me how to wrestle when I was a kid, I would have been all over it. It just wasn’t there where I was.”
Holt also brushed shoulders with some of WWE’s biggest names – and even his childhood idols.
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Holt recalled picking up WWE Hall of Famer, Billy Gunn, from the airport for the event.
Mick Foley, as well as Hardcore Holly, were other stars Holt got up close and personal with.
Holt recalled: “It was wild. I remember picking up Billy Gunn from the airport, one of my idols from when I was a kid, and he’s lying sleeping in my car with a WWE Hall of Fame ring.
“And what a great guy he was – absolutely massive too!
“You don’t realise. Mick Foley was another great guy.”
Holt’s journey into pro wrestling could’ve been different, though, starting off at the top.
The WAW hotshot has revealed that he was meant to go to WWE’s performance centre in London and Florida – but it didn’t end up materialising.
Holt said: “I was meant to go to the Performance Center in London and then the one in Orlando when I was in Tampa, but both times it didn’t end up happening.
“Just on a visiting type deal, but it still would have been cool.
“I’d love to do it. I enjoyed it, it’s a real good, fun thing for me and as I say, I never wanted to just go in there because of my name and where it’s from, I wanted to make sure that if I did it was because I’d done everything around the circuit.
“I don’t think it was right to just get bumped up and you should do things properly.”
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Holt is sure to have enjoyed his debut Royal Rumble win in 2018.
He dropkicked a rival over the top rope to win a 40-man spectacular.
Holt took a boot to the face from one grappler, ducked a clothesline before sending one wrestler over the top rope.
The 6ft1in Carlisle-born sports star has a signature move named after his previous job.
His finisher is called the Soccer Kick.
Holt’s new-found love for wrestling hasn’t seen him leave football for good.
In fact, Holt works as a scout for Prem side West Ham.
Holt completed his coaching badges and talent iD course during his time recovering from a ACL injury at Wigan.
Speaking to Jimmy Bullar on a SkyBet show in 2021, Holt said: “I’ve just got a new job as a first-team scout at West Ham.
“A friend of mine gave me a phone call and said there were a few jobs going there.
“I’ve been doing it at Norwich for nearly two years now and I thought that it looked like a really good opportunity.
“I put my name in the hat and they’ve said ‘come along and have a chat’ and I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s a great club on the rise, getting into Europe and that. I’m very lucky. It’s a great opportunity for me.”