Knobbs started his career in the American Wrestling Association as the masked Terrorist in 1985.
In 1990, Knobbs, along with Jerry Sags, went to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), before The Nasty Boys left a few months later. They feuded with Rick and Scott Steiner over the WCW United States Tag Team Championship, but could not defeat them.
Later that year, they went to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where they were managed by Jimmy Hart. They won the World Tag Team Title from The Hart Foundation before feuding with and losing the title to the Legion of Doom. The Nasty Boys then wrestled many of the WWF's top face teams, including The Rockers, The Bushwhackers, and High Energy, before turning face in the fall of 1992 to feud with Hart's Money Inc. over the tag team title, which they were unable to regain.
They left the WWF for WCW in 1993 and were quickly placed with manager Missy Hyatt, who led them to the WCW World Tag Team Championship. After she left them, they feuded with Harlem Heat, The Blue Bloods, and the team of Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck. They won the tag team title a second time later in 1993, but they were defeated by Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan the following year. In May 1995, they defeated Harlem Heat for their third and final WCW Tag Title at Slamboree, but lost the belts back to Harlem Heat on a late-June episode of WCW WorldWide. In 1996, they were tricked by the nWo into thinking they were going to become members, but were attacked as soon as they received their shirts. Sags soon retired due to an injury afterwards.
Following Sags' retirement, Knobbs left WCW. When he returned to WCW. Knobbs entered WCW's hardcore division. He feuded with Norman Smiley and defeated Bam Bam Bigelow at SuperBrawl in 2000. In addition, he won the WCW Hardcore Championship three times. He lost the belt simultaneously to all three members of the boy band stable Three Count, but he regained it from them later. Fit Finlay was briefly his manager with partner The Dog. He also was briefly in Jimmy Hart's The First Family.
On November 20, 2007, Knobbs and Sags reformed as The Nasty Boys, performing in a dark match at the SmackDown! tapings from Tampa, Florida to wrestle their first WWE match in years against Dave Taylor and Drew McIntyre. Knobbs and Saggs won the match.