Filthy Tom Lawlor Cites NJPW And AJPW Legend As 'Most Decorated' Star In History

After two years away, "Filthy" Tom Lawlor is returning to MLW at the upcoming One-Shot event on December 7 in a big way. Lawlor is scheduled to face puroresu legend Satoshi Kojima for the first time since defeating him to retain the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship in July 2021. As that match took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be the first time Lawlor and Kojima have faced each other with an audience.

During an appearance on "Under the Ring," Lawlor gushed about how much the rematch against Kojima means to him. And it's largely due to Kojima's decorated history, which includes being the first ever MLW World Heavyweight Champion in addition to being one of only four men to hold the IWGP, GHC, and Triple Crown Championships, and the first wrestler to hold the IWGP and Triple Crown simultaneously in 2005.

"Not only is he a decorated competitor, in a lot of people's minds, and in my mind, he is the most decorated competitor, really if you look at the history of professional wrestling," Lawlor said. "Not to segue away from our match a little bit, but he was one of the guys who was able to hold All Japan together at a time when that company was about to go under. That's something that I always really respected."

"He took a chance, he stepped away from what was the industry leader in New Japan, and he bet on himself. And years later, we're talking about this guy as a legend, we're talking about him as one of the all-time greats, the first man to hold both those titles simultaneously," he added. "And being able to face him is a huge, huge honor for not only 20-year-old Tom Lawlor, who was watching him wrestle then but the professional competitor that I am now."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Under the Ring" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription