‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor says his days as a full-time pro wrestler are likely over. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a surprise appearance in the future.
Lawlor spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of MLW’s Fantastica Mania event in Charleston, South Carolina. Lawlor has been working as a commentator for the league since he has been sidelined from wrestling. The former MMA star had hip replacement surgery last year, explaining why he finally got medical help after years of wear and tear on his body.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t stand up straight and I couldn’t walk,” Lawlor explained. “ I dug myself, over a couple of years, into a really deep hole physically by continuing to wrestle when I should have just stopped. I should have taken myself off the road, I should have gotten medical help sooner.”
Tom Lawlor details the extent of his hip and back injuries
Lawlor says he not only needed a hip replacement, but he is also dealing with the loss of a disc in between his L5-S1, or lumbosacral joint, in his spine. His doctor said that he needed a hip replacement, whether he was having back pain or not. Lawlor elected to have surgery in August and started rehab a few days later. Still, Lawlor noted that the recovery process has been long, and slow at times.
“One of the big issues, because I had the hip surgery and also have this issue with my back, is I don’t know what’s what. The L5-S1 is down at the base of the spine by your sacrum. It’s really a hip and spine issue. It’s not just a spinal thing,” he explained. “So it’s been tough to tell exactly what issues are due to recovering from the hip surgery and what issues are from the disc that’s now missing in my back. I continually have to do rehab for the hip, and I also have to do rehab for my back. And that has now become the bigger issue.”
Lawlor said his symptoms range from sciatica to losing feeling in his left leg to a lack of sleep. Despite that, it hasn’t been a persistent issue. While he continues to work on getting his left side back to equal strength to his right (due to having a posterior surgery rather than an anterior), he’s also continuing to train for an in-ring comeback. Lawlor said he’s taken a couple of bumps, including a run-in for Relentless Wrestling last month. Despite that, he’s still reluctant to say he’s ready to get back in the ring.
Tom Lawlor doesn’t see a full-time return to wrestling in his future
Lawlor also confirmed he’s been offered wrestling matches. However, he’s in no rush to return, pointing out the risk of another potential injury. While he would love to do commentary full-time, that might not be realistic. Lawlor believes he might wrestle here and there eventually, but his days as a full-time wrestler are over.
“I’ve been offered matches, and I almost accepted some of them. But really, I don’t feel like I need to put myself in a position to rush back into the ring,” he explained. “I’ll be honest, if the doctor came to me tomorrow and said, ‘You’re never wrestling in a professional wrestling match again. It’s too dangerous,’ that would be fine with me. It’s more about getting back to a point where I can live an active, healthy lifestyle. I’ve been trying to do [that] for the past 42 years, rather than forcing or rushing myself back into the ring.
“So I’m sure there are going to be instances where I do get back into the ring. I’ve even thought about maybe testing my mettle in a tuxedo match one day. But honestly, I don’t think I will ever wrestle a full-time schedule again,” Lawlor said. “I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me at this point in my life.”
Lawlor isn’t ruling out a surprise appearance in the future
Lawlor says he’s not sure what else he has left to prove, and he’s happy to maintain any connection to the business, even if it means he’s no longer wrestling.
“It’s something that I absolutely love. But I also love watching guys who are arguably better than me go out there and do it in the ring,” he added. “[I want to] stay involved and hopefully provide some sort of benefit to whatever company I’m working for. That’s more important to me than forcing myself and rushing back into the ring.”
Lawlor said that his run-in at Relentless was fun because it wasn’t advertised, so he didn’t have to worry about expectations or delivering on a promise. When asked if he’d prefer to have a potential in-ring return remain a surprise, Lawlor agreed that was his exact line of thinking.
“I wouldn’t mind walking out from the crowd when someone puts out an open challenge. If that happens in Vegas somewhere and I’ve had a couple of drinks, or maybe my adrenaline is flowing, maybe I’d get in there,” he teased. “That’s actually one of the things that appeals to me, just showing up as a surprise.”
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