A popular name has all but confirmed his retirement, saying the chances of him stepping inside the squared circle again were very less. In a recent chat, former NJPW star Tom Lawlor shared the grim update on his wrestling future.
The 34-year-old began his career in MMA by joining the UFC in 2008. He remained with the company for over a decade until his departure in 2018. Though Tom Lawlor had debuted in professional wrestling in 2014, he fully transitioned into the business following the end of his MMA career. Lawlor went on to work with MLW and NJPW, and even made a handful of appearances for AEW.
While he last competed just a couple of months back in May, in a recent chat with Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, Tom Lawlor stated he had been dealing with issues in his back and leg, so much so that he had a hard time even walking.
“I had some scans done and unfortunately, its sounds as if I’m heading towards… What I’ve been told I need to have done is have a hip replacement on my left hip and some sort of spinal surgery. The L5-S1 vertebrae in my back, down at the bottom, I have herniated discs, there’s no discs there anymore. And the spinal column, that portion is out of place and is pinching a nerve in my back and that’s why I’ve lost a lot of feeling in my left leg, some size, was atrophied. And really, I have a hard time walking.” (H/T – Wrestling Observer Online)
Furthermore, Lawlor added that he had no idea how long it would take for him to recuperate, suggesting that he might be staring at a potential retirement.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be on the shelf, I don’t know if I’ll ever wrestle again.”
Wade Barrett also quietly confirmed his retirement recently on SmackDown
Barrett, who hasn’t ever officially confirmed his retirement, made a passing remark at last week’s SmackDown that got the fans buzzing. Following Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton’s brutal Last Women’s Standing Match, Barrett said he was glad to be retired and merely watch such gruesome violence from a distance.
“Matches like that make guys like me feel so happy to be retired and watch from the relative safety of this booth,” Barrett said.
Wade Barrett seems to have fully embraced his announcer’s role in WWE, and it’s quite unlikely he’ll ever come out of his retirement to wrestle again.
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