Tom Lawlor says he deserves a match with Eddie Kingston.
Former NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor was set to make his AEW in-ring debut at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. There, he was set to face Adam Cole. However, Cole was unable to compete due to illness. Lawlor then competed in a dark match instead.
In an interview with Adrian Hernandez of The Bet Las Vegas and The Sporting Tribune, Tom Lawlor looked back on his match with Adam Cole getting nixed.
“I mean I haven’t gotten a match with Adam Cole, I haven’t been back on AEW TV. I haven’t gotten a match there against anybody,” Tom Lawlor said. “So it sucks. I was set up for what would have been the biggest opportunity in my pro wrestling career in front of thousands of people live, in front of maybe 100,000 people on pay-per-view.
“Instead, I got to go out there and wrestle, but it was a dark match. Nobody saw it. I got the win. Very disappointing. It all came together last-minute, so it was a whirlwind anyways, but then to have it end kind of like that, it was a kick in the nuts, really.”
Tom Lawlor Calls Out Eddie Kingston
Tom Lawlor continued by stating that he wants Eddie Kingston’s NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. He then expressed his hope that AEW CEO Tony Khan will “man up” and give him the bout.
“I’m a fan of AEW. I’m a fan of all pro wrestling,” Tom Lawlor said. “But what I really want is that New Japan STRONG [Openweight] Title back. I keep seeing it on AEW TV around the waist of Eddie Kingston, who only shows up on AEW TV. He just had a feud over the ROH Title with a guy who, he was fighting because that guy left the independent scene high and dry. He didn’t finish up his commitments.
“Now, Eddie Kingston takes himself off the road and is just defending that belt in AEW. [That] makes me sick. What I did when I was the champ was I increased my schedule. I started wrestling more places. It’s sad to see what that title’s become. Hopefully, Tony Khan is gonna man up and give me the match that I deserve. I also haven’t gotten any credit for Adam Cole’s injury. He has injured leg? That’s exactly what I attacked when I went after him, and he hasn’t been the same since. Where’s my credit? I get none.”
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The full interview is available here:
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