What happens when a former UFC fighter clashes with everyone’s favourite murder grandpa? Warrior Wrestling finds out for us…
This one was streamed live on Fite.tv but is up on HighSpots’ streaming network – coming from Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, IL…
Tom Lawlor vs. Minoru Suzuki
THAT POP FOR SUZUKI. Chicago Kaze Ni Nare’d, but Lawlor didn’t seem overawed at all.
Lawlor took Suzuki down from the off, but Suzuki stays down and tried to draw Lawlor into his guard, eventually catching a stomp before he went for Lawlor’s ankle… thankfully for Tom, he’s right by the ropes as the break was called. After getting back up, Lawlor spins in with an overhead wristlock, but Suzuki countered with headscissors, clinging on despite Lawlor’s attempt to escape, as the pair went back-and-forth on cross armbars.
The pair head outside, where Suzuki boots Lawlor’s arm in the guard rails, before it was time for plunder. A chair’s jabbed into Lawlor’s gut before it was slammed on the back as Suzuki tried to blame the cameraman for doing it. HAH. They continue to trade shots on the outside, before Lawlor got rolled back inside as Suzuki offered himself up for chops. Suzuki throws some back though, before he upgraded to those clonking elbows, which had Lawlor on his haunches. Lawlor throws back, but another elbow took him down, where Lawlor caught a PK and began to fight back with elbows of his own and a spinning heel kick to boot. A back suplex is good for a near-fall, but Suzuki grabs a front headlock and tried to squeeze Lawlor out, only for Filthy Tom to do the deal with a Falcon arrow for a near-fall.
Knee strikes and chops take Lawlor back to the corner, ahead of a PK for another two-count for Suzuki, who began to intimidate the ref. Lawlor retaliates with a flurry of forearms and kicks, but Suzuki’s chops had more effect it seemed, before a rear naked choke from Lawlor seemed to catch Suzuki out. Minoru’s dragged to a knee, as the pair trade rear naked chokes, rolling in and out of the hold, with Suzuki eventually getting the win with the Gotch style piledriver. They didn’t outstay their welcome here, playing the hits… perhaps you could argue that Lawlor could have had a little more offence here, but given where they lay in the “indie food chain”, this was about as much as you’d expect. ***½
After the match, Suzuki tried to wring the ref’s arm… then went after a kid who tried to hgh-five him… only for the kid to chop Suzuki. That kid has a death wish!