Long-time wrestling fan and UFC middleweight Tom Lawlor will appear at this Saturday’s Ring of Honor pro wrestling show in New York, cornering one of the organizations top tag teams.
In an appearance on The MMA Hour, Lawlor revealed that he would be managing reDRagon, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, as they attempt to regain the promotions tag team championships. Both O’Reilly and Fish train in MMA and Jiu Jitsu, and Lawlor claimed that he had been helping the team hone their skills.
“reDRagon are the best fighters in Ring of Honor, bar none,” Lawlor told MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani. “They have the best Mixed Martial Arts training, and we all know that that is the top style that can be employed in any fight. I’m teaching them new submissions. They are going to attack the Young Bucks’ legs, so they won’t be hitting any superkicks on reDRagon.”
“I am going to make sure it is a fair fight and that the other team isn’t greased up and that the Young Bucks don’t take advantage of this modified rule set…reDRagon are the best fighters in Ring of Honor, bar none. They have the best Mixed Martial Arts training, and we all know that that is the top style that can be employed in any fight. I’m teaching them new submissions. They are going to attack the Young Bucks’ legs, so they won’t be hitting any superkicks on reDRagon.”
Lawlor has used wrestling influences in his walkouts and weigh-in attires, including an infamous appearance as “The Shockmaster”. Lawlor also gave up tickets to WrestleMania last year in order to appear on a UFC card in Sweden on the same weekend.
The UFC middleweight is scheduled to fight Ilir Latifi in July at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin. While he has promised to stop his team’s opponents from any nefarious tactics, Lawlor will not be getting involved physically with the wrestlers during this one-time appearance.
Saturday’s iPPV is one of the biggest events in Ring of Honor’s history as they team up with New Japan Pro Wrestling for a co-promoted show. In the main event Michael Elgin will challenge AJ Styles for the IWGP Championship, a title previously held by Brock Lesnar, Bob Sapp and others.
