I’m a former goalkeeper who quit football to become a bodybuilder, appeared in Men’s Health and became a wrestler
PLENTY of people dream of becoming a footballer, wrestler, model or bodybuilder.
Stuart Tomlinson has done all four.
The goalkeeper came through Crewe’s academy in the early 2000s, and was given his professional debut by the Alex.
After 28 appearances he left Crewe to join Barrow in 2009 – before going on to play for Port Vale and Burton Albion over the following four years.
Tomlinson had an unusual physique for a goalkeeper, and sometimes had his rippling muscles mistaken for being overweight by goading opposition fans – not that it overly bothered him.
He suffered a devastating knee injury while playing for Burton during the 2012-13 season, and was forced to hang up his gloves aged just 28 at the end of that campaign.
Boasting an impressive physique, Tomlinson landed some modelling work – even going on to appear on the cover of Men’s Health.
He was soon picked up by WWE talent spotters, and found himself signing for Vince McMahon’s promotion.
“I was on the cover of Men’s Health,” he told the Mirror in 2016.
“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.”
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Tomlinson, appearing under the ring name “Hugo Knox”, joined the WWE’s developmental division NXT.
While football was his first love, wrestling always remained a passion, and he added: “If you asked any of the guys I used to play football with, I would always be watching Monday Night Raw or messing around trying to wrestle them in training!”
Donning a pair of tiny polka dot trunks during his WWE stint, Tomlinson shoved previous taunts from fans down their throats.
On his message for terrace boo boys, he said: “I used to get a lot of abuse, getting called fat and this, that and the other, it’s a bit of a change now when I’m just in my wrestling attire, which is a pair of tiny pants.
“But I don’t go the gym every day to be covered up! For everyone who was calling me fat, come and watch!”
Tomlinson suffered a number of injuries during his three years with the WWE, and went on to be released in 2016.
Incredibly, he returned to football in March of the following year.
He played half a dozen games for sixth-tier Altrincham – covering for injured former Barrow team-mate Tim Deasy.
That would be his last stint in football, and he has gone on to become a bodybuilder with his incredible dedication to gym work.
Tomlinson, now 38, still shares plenty of post-workout images to social media – showing off his incredible build and huge muscles.