Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal Signs With TNA/IW

[Rayne]

Former Strikeforce Champion ‘King Mo’ Lawal to Compete for Bellator, TNA Wrestling

When Muhammed Lawal returns to competition, he will be a two-sport athlete.

Sherdog.com confirmed with sources close to the situation on Wednesday that “King Mo” is expected to sign with both Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the Bellator Fighting Championships in the near future. According to Sherdog’s sources, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion will likely perform simultaneously for the professional wrestling organization and the Chicago-based MMA promoter. Details surrounding the deals were not revealed.

It is currently unknown when Lawal will debut with the organizations, but any athletic participation from the fighter will likely come down the road, as Lawal is still recovering from knee surgery and a serious battle with staph infection.

Lawal is currently serving a nine-month suspension handed to him by the Nevada Athletic Commission after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following his Jan. 7 technical knockout of Lorenz Larkin. The former NCAA wrestling standout explained to the commission during his disciplinary hearing that an over-the-counter supplement was the cause of his positive test, but the explanation did not sway the commission’s verdict. In addition to his suspension, Lawal was also fined a total of $39,000 and saw his victory over Larkin changed to a no-contest.

During the proceeding, commissioner Pat Lundvall presented a line of questioning to which Lawal took exception, asking the fighter if he could read and understand English in regard to his signed pre-fight questionnaire, which required him to list any supplements taken or injuries sustained. Following the meeting, Lawal vented his frustrations with the query on Twitter, referring to Lundvall as a “racist bitch.”

In light of the comment, Lawal was released from his Strikeforce contract on March 27. Lawal later issued an apology to Lundvall for the comment. While it was rumored briefly that the 31-year-old might wind up back in the Zuffa fold, that hypothetical has gone by the wayside for now.

Now owned by Viacom, Bellator currently airs on MTV2 but will move to Spike TV in 2013. The promotion is currently wrapping up its ongoing sixth season and plans to hold its first Summer Series event on June 22. TNA Wrestling was founded in 2002 and airs programming every Thursday on Spike TV.

Source


Thoughts?

My first thought was to dismiss this. King Mo's no slouch in the world of MMA, but he's not exactly where he was last year, quickly rising through the ranks. He's currently serving a doping suspension, and got fired from Zuffa for the aforementioned 'racist bitch' comments. This isn't Bobby Lashley, leaving one career to try and make it in another- this is a guy who's trying to reconstruct his career and is taking up something he's always wanted to do in the meantime.

HOWEVER- SpikeTV will start airing Bellator next year. King Mo's down, but far from not out; when he starts fighting for them, he'll be their biggest draw. The cross-branding opportunities are drool-inducing; if there's an opportunity to get back some of that MMA audience that would have watched professional wrestling ten years ago, this is it. Gotta love Brock, but it seems anyone who watched MMA and never watched professional wrestling had this absurd, passionate hatred for the man. King Mo's never been famous; he doesn't have the disadvantage of a mass of people already having their minds made up on him.

I'm intrigued by this. It's not a game-changer for TNA/IW, but successful cross-branding helps both companies, which in turn will help SpikeTV, which will help everyone involved. Provided this doesn't turn into another abandoned concept, TNA/IW has some room to run with this ball.

 

[Masson26]

He is a disgraced MMA midcarder at best, so i really dont think its any bigger of a deal then them signing another WWE castoff, maybe even lesser so, however it all depends how he adapts and if he becomes anything. However the initial signing, not a big deal in anyway.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Unfortunately I don't know who he is, but I'm gonna assume he'll debut via Gut Check/Open Fight Night? And for someone to do MMA and pro wrestling at the same time, that is surely unheard of at least in the US right?

As for Bellator I can remember the owner (I think) came out one time months back and did commentary with Taz and Tenay, basically plugging Bellator on Spike TV. So it still hasn't debuted huh? Well I wish them all the best.

 

[Masson26]

Unfortunately I don't know who he is, but I'm gonna assume he'll debut via Gut Check/Open Fight Night? And for someone to do MMA and pro wrestling at the same time, that is surely unheard of at least in the US right?

As for Bellator I can remember the owner (I think) came out one time months back and did commentary with Taz and Tenay, basically plugging Bellator on Spike TV. So it still hasn't debuted huh? Well I wish them all the best.

Several people have done both at the same time, but the only people i can think of who did it at a national level where Bobby Lashley and Josh Barnett

 

[Rayne]

Unfortunately I don't know who he is, but I'm gonna assume he'll debut via Gut Check/Open Fight Night? And for someone to do MMA and pro wrestling at the same time, that is surely unheard of at least in the US right?

As for Bellator I can remember the owner (I think) came out one time months back and did commentary with Taz and Tenay, basically plugging Bellator on Spike TV. So it still hasn't debuted huh? Well I wish them all the best.

Bobby Lashley kind of did. I don't think he actually had an MMA fight during the time he was appearing for TNA/IW. His MMA career has been freak-show status at best; his record looks good because his promoters kept putting him against the weakest competition that state regulatory commissions would allow. Bobby Lashley's MMA experiment is more like Brock Lesnar's football experiment. He did better at it than you or I probably would, but no where near the level where expectations were for him.

 

[Masson26]

Bobby Lashley kind of did. I don't think he actually had an MMA fight during the time he was appearing for TNA/IW. His MMA career has been freak-show status at best; his record looks good because his promoters kept putting him against the weakest competition that state regulatory commissions would allow. Bobby Lashley's MMA experiment is more like Brock Lesnar's football experiment. He did better at it than you or I probably would, but no where near the level where expectations were for him.

He did do a few fights while with TNA, and was certainly given jobbers much like many crossover MMA stars are.z

 

[MB1025]

I don't know if this was planned or not, but he was calling out Rampage Jackosn during the press conference.

King Mo says Rampage can come fight him if he wants, or they can smack each other with steel chairs in TNA... It's up to him.

The part I quoted was from someone twitter covering the press conference.

 

[Pedigree1]

King Mo did indeed disgrace himself while in strikeforce. But that being said King Mo is a Helluva wrestler. He wrestler for Central Oklahoma winning a national title in 02 i believe! The dude is a legit beast IMO but has bad knees. It will be intresting to see him in TNA

 

[Rayne]

He did do a few fights while with TNA, and was certainly given jobbers much like many crossover MMA stars are.

Yeah, that doesn't mean I have to like the practice. I have a hard time calling Bobby Lashley an "MMA star". He drew crowds because he was a famous-ish former professional wrestler.

I understand the practice. People don't put on MMA events because they're curious who a better fighter is; they put on events because they want to get asses into high-priced seats. It's an old practice; shit, the Romans were doing it. I prefer my athletic competitions to have the appearance of being even, however. When the FSAC keeps coming back to you and saying "try again" when you're trying to select a paper bag for your fighter to hit, it ruins any appearance of legitimacy. It's like Jose Canseco vs. Danny Bonaduce; we aren't watching an athletic competition, we're watching a freak show.

 

[MB1025]

The Bobby Lashely deal is so different though. Lashely had to balance TNA and outside promotions that had no connection to TNA. In turn it made it hard for him to do both. Here you have a working relationship with 3 parties who are trying to find ways to expand their businesses.

I am just worried now Batista's big announcement has something to do with this.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd never heard of the guy so I looked up his info online. He's someone that got into the game fairly late in life as far as MMA goes. He only started competiting in MMA professionally back in 2008. He has a good record of 8-1 though, it would have been 9-1 if his last win hadn't been overturned as a result of him testing positive for Drostanolone. He won the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship in a fight against Gegard Mousasi in mid April but lost it in his first defense in the third week of August.

He has a very impressive amateur wrestling background:

He was all state in high school in 1997, 1998 & 1999 in Texas.
He won the high school Texas State Championship in 1999.
He was a three time NCAA Division II All American in 2001, 2002 & 2003.
NCAA Division II Runner-Up in 2001.
NCAA Division II Champion in 2002.
NCAA Division II Third Place in 2003.
USA University Freestyle National Champion in 2003.
The NYAC Senior Freestyle Christmas Championships Silver Medal in 2003.
The NYAC Senior Freestyle Christmas Championships Gold Medal in 2006
USA University Freestyle National Champion in 2003.
USA Senior Freestyle National Champion in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
USA Senior Freestyle National Championship Runner-Up in 2007.
Big 12 Conference Champion in 2003.

I'm not even gonna go into his international accomplishments. Needless to say, the guy's a legitimately great mat wrestler & technician.

As someone else said, however, this will not be some huge game changer for TNA. This guy isn't Brock Lesnar. He may have more amateur accomplishments than Lesnar, who was no slouch himself in the amateur world, but he's doesn't have Lesnar's fame.

A potential cross brand promotion could be a good thing for TNA in general, though that's no guarantee whatsoever that this guy will still be any good to watch. A good MMA fighter & amatuer wrestler doesn't mean that you'll be a good professional wrestler. Hell, you want proof of that, all you have to do is look at Tank Abbott. The guy was flat out awful as a pro wrestler, I mean shit STANK awful. I go so far as to say that even The Great Khali is better than this guy was.

 

[KNPKH2ster]

It's no game changer at all, but it's definitely cool to see Bellator and TNA cross promoting. It also breaks the stereotype that pro wrestling and MMA don't get along. From what I read, King Mo will appear on TNA first, then fight for Bellator in 2013 when Bellator moves to Spike .

As for King Mo, we shall see what happens when he makes his debut.

 

[Schuyler]

King Mo is a MMA fighter and not a pro wrestler, he said he signed with TNA cause of Hulk really? WWE wouldn't even give King Mo a look, this is another step in the wrong direction of TNA once again. Fighting in MMA and pro wrestling is different, don't get it twisted this is going to be another failed project, and more money going to another worthless fuck. TNA is the only place that would give this asshole the time of day.

This suck another guy is going to lose his spot to this worthless fuck, dam it TNA. Why can't you build on all the talent you have already, and people who have passion and want to be a pro wrestler. This guy, just wants a paycheck, and he can't get it anymore from MMA, cause he failed.