Newmains man who drove to London to chase dream of being a professional wrestler is tearing it up in America
A Newmains man who packed in his job and drove to London to enrol in a wrestling academy run by a former WWE star could be on his way to superstardom in the United States.
Luke Scouler, better known to wrestling fans as Crixus, had previously been a fitness instructor before working in residential care with young people at Inspire Scotland, a social care organisation that supports children and young people.
The 33-year-old said: 'I really loved that job. But it was tough emotionally. I've always had a bit of a Batman complex - I thought I was going to save everybody.
'I was in a bad place with it. I knew it wasn't for me and I was burned out.
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"I was in a bad place and I remember sitting in my house in Newmains watching TV with my dog, Odin, when wrestling came on and I just thought; 'Screw it. Let's go.' Scots have made it big in this business – why couldn't I?'
That night, he drove to London accompanied by his dog Odin to enrol in a wrestling academy run by former WWE star Al Snow, who has shared a ring with the likes of legendary wrestling royalty such as the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
'I drove through the night with no plan and no place to stay,' Luke admitted. 'Me and the dog slept in the car for a bit. Eventually the guy who ran it asked if I was serious. I told him I'd already quit my job and left my house. That was it. We moved into the gym and didn't go back.'
He first landed a place at OVW in 2019, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) – the cult American brand featured in the hit Netflix documentary Wrestlers – after placing first at a 300-person wrestling combine.
OVW is the wrestling promotion that launched the careers of John Cena and Batista.
However, just as things were taking off for Luke, the Covid pandemic hit and he ended up stuck in the UK for two years.
Now based in Louisville, Kentucky, he became the first ever Scottish OVW champion and is now one of their biggest stars – something which he thinks his upbringing in Scotland prepared him well for.
He said: 'We've got thicker skin. You're battle-ready by the time you leave primary school, so wrestling comes naturally to us.
'I'm a smartass cheeky b******, and the accent helps too. Over here in the States, people already think we're mental which helps. I just turned my personality up to 11.
'I wasn't pretending to be someone else – just the version of me you probably wouldn't want to sit next to in a pub. I get to act like an a*** and they still love me. They boo you, but they're cheering underneath.'
The rise of Crixus comes in the wake of the success of fellow Scots such as Drew McIntyre, an OVW alumnus who became Scotland's first WWE Champion in 2020, and Edinburgh's Joe Hendry who made his WrestleMania debut this year.
Portrayed by Zac Efron in the Hollywood movie The Iron Claw, former WWE Hardcore and European champion Al Snow, OVW's head trainer, said: 'With Crixus, we may have another superstar on our hands. His dedication has been incredible.
"To make it in this business, you have to sacrifice and do things out of the ordinary. And that's why I think he's got what it takes.'
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