Not everyone gets a chance to be a star in WWE on their first contract, which was the case for Mike Knox. Despite being on the roster from 2005 to 2010, Knox rarely found himself in the spotlight, mostly being known for being the abusive on-screen boyfriend of Kelly Kelly in the ECW reboot, or his swift elimination in a Survivor Series match, with Shawn Michaels not even knowing who he just pinned. However, Knox almost had a second chance – after WWE gave a call in 2016.
Mike Knox Was Offered A WWE Contract In 2016, But Had To Turn It Down
While speaking on the Paltrocast podcast, Mike Knox would reveal that WWE had offered to bring him back to the roster back in 2016 – but he’d have to turn this offer down. Knox would be quoted saying the following about this time in his career.
“I was a realist, I always have been. Back then, especially then, I was 330 pounds, 320, you know what I mean? I hasn’t worked and my knees were freaking really bothering me, my back, my neck was kind of screwed up, you know what I mean? Like, I was starting to forget s*** … I still want to live an awesome life, you know what I mean? I don’t want to be, you know, have a head full of mush and two broke legs … I want to be able to run the streets and howl at the moon.”
Now Part Of The National Wrestling Alliance Roster
Since then, Knox has been able to return to the ring as part of the roster in NWA – even challenging for the NWA World Championship on a few occasion. Out of the names WWE looked to get back in 2016, only Jinder Mahal would truly work out – with Mahal ending up with a reign as WWE Champion following his return. Shelton Benjamin & Curt Hawkins also made their returns to the company, winning tag team gold.
It’s unclear how high someone like Knox would have gotten on the roster at the time, especially with how he describes his physical state at the time. Knox made the right choice, and is now able to continue to work in the ring after putting in some hard work to get back into ring shape. Would you want to see WWE pick Knox up for a contract in 2022? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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