Nathan Jones: Too Much, Too Soon

Nathan Jones was born off the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, on August 21, 1969. Little is documented about his early years and childhood, but one of the major turning points in his life came when he was 18. For whatever reason, Jones turned to a life of crime and committed several armed robberies. As a result, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Due to his enormous stature, he would become known as the “colossus of Boggo Road,” the area of Australia he was incarcerated in. 

Nathan was sentenced in 1987 and would be released in 1994 after serving seven years. During his time in prison, Nathan would take up powerlifting, developing his already Goliath-like frame into an even more hulking appearance. At 6’11, Jones was a sight that had to be seen to be believed and undeniably intimidating. Some have claimed that he began experimenting with steroids while still incarcerated. Upon his release, Nathan Jones had a new lease on life, and it would be up to him as to what path he would ultimately take.  

Strongman Competitions/MMA  

After serving his time, Jones began competing in strongman competitions in his native Australia. He would earn the distinction of being recognized as Australia’s strongest man. He would then start competing internationally and continue to have some success, as well as dabbling in arm wrestling. He would eventually find his way into the MMA world, having only one professional fight to his credit. Nathan quickly pointed out during an interview with pro wrestler/YouTuber Hannibal that the fight was predetermined. It would be a foreshadowing of the next phase of his life.  

Pro Wrestling Career Begins 

After working as a bodyguard, Jones would begin training at Ultimate Pro, the same school that churned out names like John Cena and Samoa Joe. He would then find his way back to his homeland, appearing for World Wrestling All-Stars. He captured multiple championships with the promotion and seemed to be gradually finding his footing as a pro wrestler. Because of his sheer size and look, Jones would always be considered a hot prospect in the wrestling world. It wasn’t long before the WWE would inevitably come calling. 

WWE 

Because this was a much different era for WWE, they leaned into Nathan Jones’ history of crime. They used actual news footage, in which the reporters would refer to Jones as “The Colossus Of Boggo Road.” The vignettes were supremely done and, as a result, created a great deal of intrigue about Jones from the onset. His intimidation factor leapt from the screen, and outside of Sid Vicious, he seemed to possess a tailor-made look for wrestling. It all but seemed that WWE had found its next big star.  

“It’s been a while, mate, but time has a weird way with the mind.” “10 years can feel like 10 minutes if you occupy yourself properly.” “If you're not subtle with yourself, the voices in your head will eat you alive for sure.” “I happen to like me; I like what I’m thinking; you may not like it so much.” This is the monologue that Jones would deliver before a terrifying shot of him flexing his neck and growling at the camera. These hold up, and you should go out of your way to find them as to see why this man had such a buzz at the time. 

Initially, the vignettes were kept short, showing very little of Jones. Over time, we would gradually see more and more of him as we learned about his unique background. Once again, WWE has to be lauded for the quality of these segments and for building anticipation for a debuting character. “Some may regret the time they lost; I see the time as a gift.” “Focus, concentration, and the strength of mind you come out with can produce great rewards.”  

Due to his criminal history, Nathan would inevitably deal with visa issues, which briefly complicated his journey in WWE. He would eventually begin working the house show loop in dark matches before making his official debut on April 10, 2002. His opponent would be Bill Demott, formerly Hugh Morrus in WCW. Though it’s never been fully explained, the company started to shift Jones away from his psychopathic monster character. It’s suspected that Jones was having trouble finding himself in the role, but that has never been confirmed.  

As 2002 drew to a close, it seemed that WWE had wanted to push Jones as a babyface. They established an on-screen relationship between him and The Undertaker, in which the veteran would serve as a sort of mentor to Jones. This would lead to a strongly promoted tag match at WrestleMania 19. The Undertaker and Nathan Jones were to be pitted against A-Train and Big Show, marking the only time The Undertaker would compete in a non-singles match at the event. According to some, Jones was not progressing at the rate he needed to for such a marquee match. 

Some have said that Jones wasn’t overly enthusiastic about learning his craft. His alleged lethargic attitude would see the company pulling him out of the match entirely in an unprecedented move. During the lead-in show to the PPV, an angle was filmed that suggested A-Train and Big Show had attacked him in the locker room. The Undertaker would go at it alone, with Jones emerging at the end of the match to throw some kicks and assist Undertaker in getting the victory. Almost immediately following WrestleMania, Jones was sent to OVW for more training.  

While on the one hand, it seemed as if the WWE had committed to Jones and maximizing their investment, on the other, it felt like they had lost some faith in him. It may have been clear to them that he was not progressing at an acceptable pace and wasn’t progressing much at all. Nevertheless, it seemed that Creative had reimagined his role, and upon returning later in 2023, Jones was cast as a sort of henchman for Paul Heyman. They leaned into his “Colossus Of Boggo Road” moniker. He and Matt Morgan were paired briefly and often assisted a recently turned heel, Brock Lesnar.  

It seemed as though Nathan might have been poised for a decent run, but at the same time, the company didn’t appear to view him as a featured attraction. At this point, it felt like the WWE was trying to squeeze whatever value they could out of Jones. Then came the Australian tour in late 2003. Reportedly, Jones had been receiving much “ribbing” from his peers. Often, if the other wrestlers don’t feel they can fully trust you or see you as an easy target. They will mischievously or even maliciously tease you. 

Nathan Jones didn’t have a personality that was conducive to this sort of environment. Some have speculated that he was concerned that if the backstage taunting continued, he might seriously hurt someone and subsequently find himself in serious trouble.

In Brock Lesnar’s autobiography, Death Clutch My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, The Beast Incarnate recalled Nathan being just minutes away from wrestling in his hometown in Australia when Jones finally snapped and said, “Nothing is worth this stress. It’s all games, but then they tell you how seriously they take their own business. I just don’t want to be here anymore.”

The big man saw an opportunity while in his homeland and would casually leave the arena, never to return to the WWE in any capacity. It was an unspectacular exit following what would be a somewhat surprisingly unremarkable run. It reinforces that no matter what physical gifts you are blessed with, passion is most generally the key component to success in pro wrestling.  

Life After Wrestling 

When asked during an interview what went wrong with his wrestling career, Nathan Jones said it wasn’t for him. He stated being a wrestler, called for a “Rock Star lifestyle,” and was more of a “homebody.” He went on to have a highly successful acting career, appearing alongside major names like Brad Pitt in the movie “Troy.” He was destined to be a performer, albeit of a slightly different variety. In the case of Nathan Jones, it may have ended up being less of a case of too much, too soon, and more so, wrong place, wrong time.