Black Widow
06-26-2009, 10:36 PM
Yes, it is scripted. And as a professional wrestler currently working on the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Thomas James Laughlin is, in many ways, an actor.
But in the four-sided ring that has become his stage, in the world where people refer to him as the one and only Tommy Dreamer, he doesn’t have the luxury of stunt doubles. Whenever he goes through his regular agenda of doing things that people “should never try at home,” his only guarantees of survival are two decades worth of experience, a body hardened to take the beating and a little bit of luck.
But as he said during a phone interview with The Manila Times, the stunts may be unsafe and the pain may be real, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I don’t get scared much,” Laughlin told The Times. “I love this job. I get to see the world and show people what I can do physically. A couple of times when I was wrestling, I got hit so hard that I couldn’t feel certain parts of my body. But I love it.”
Laughlin’s wrestling career started during the late 1980s. After wrestling in independent promotions, he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) back in 1993. While fans initially disliked him for his “pretty boy” gimmick, he soon became a crowd favorite when they saw how much punishment he was willing to take. In the early days of his career, Laughlin made a name for himself by being one of the prime movers in “hardcore” pro-wrestling. In these types of matches, pro-wrestlers were allowed to use pretty much everything as a weapon—including the kitchen sink.
“We don’t really get a lot of time to prepare for one match,” Laughlin said. “A lot of times, you don’t know who you’re up against before you get there so you have about a few hours to determine what you’re going to do. Most of the time, you have to improvise and that’s what we do best.”
Blood stained memories
During his tenure with ECW, he was booked to have rivalries with pro-wrestlers like Scott Anthony Levy, better known as Raven, and James Fullington, also known as The Sandman. In their matches, he created “blood stained memories” with cheese graters, Singapore canes, trash cans and whatever he could get his hands on. But according to Laughlin, who has great respect for both Levy and Fullington, he wouldn’t have traded those memories for anything.
“Too many of them,” was all he could say when asked to name one favorite match. “So many of them stand out.”
But in this business where your body is taken to the limit, tragedy inevitably occurs. And while a lot of pro-wrestlers, like Laughlin, have survived long enough to tell their tales, others were not as lucky.
Back in 1999, when the WWE was still known as the World Wrestling Federation, pro-wrestler Owen Hart literally fell to his death. Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and rappel line into the ring. He was supposed to be lowered just above ring level and fall flat on his face for comedic effect. But the release mechanism was triggered early and Hart fell 78 feet landing chest-first on the top rope.
In more recent news, Japanese pro-wrestling legend, Mitsuharu Misawa, died after being subjected to a back suplex—a move which involves a wrestler picking up his opponent and dropping him onto the mat. According to reports, Misawa, 46, suffered a cardiac arrest after the move was carried out on him.
But even as death looms around them, Laughlin, continues to do what he does best. And since the WWE decided to bring back ECW as one of its three major programs—the other two being Smackdown! and Raw—he is back in the limelight. Now booked as the current ECW Champion, he states that he is continuing to live his dreams while getting “beaten up” at work.
“Basically, I feel more people are able to see me now. With ECW now being on national television and being known world wide, I get to defend the ECW title in places that we never really go to,” Laughlin told The Times.
Bound for Manila
Currently, Laughlin, along with the rest of the WWE pro-wrestlers from ECW and Smackdown!, are on their way to Manila . They will be here for a one-night show at the Araneta Coliseum on July 10. But even though he has been all over the world and has experienced different cultures “like a sponge,” he expects to be overwhelmed by Filipinos.
“I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity to come down and ‘defend’ the title for the first time ever in Manila,” Laughlin told The Times. “I don’t know what to expect but I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard that Filipinos are big wrestling fans so I’m really looking forward to their energy and their support.”
That being said, he wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of Filipinos, like fellow WWE wrestler Dave Batista, decide to get into this dangerous business. To all of them, he has but a few simple words of advice.
“Finish school just in case you realize that it’s not for you,” said Laughlin. “But in case it is, work hard. Oh, and work with professionals. Don’t try it at home.”
manilatimes
But in the four-sided ring that has become his stage, in the world where people refer to him as the one and only Tommy Dreamer, he doesn’t have the luxury of stunt doubles. Whenever he goes through his regular agenda of doing things that people “should never try at home,” his only guarantees of survival are two decades worth of experience, a body hardened to take the beating and a little bit of luck.
But as he said during a phone interview with The Manila Times, the stunts may be unsafe and the pain may be real, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I don’t get scared much,” Laughlin told The Times. “I love this job. I get to see the world and show people what I can do physically. A couple of times when I was wrestling, I got hit so hard that I couldn’t feel certain parts of my body. But I love it.”
Laughlin’s wrestling career started during the late 1980s. After wrestling in independent promotions, he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) back in 1993. While fans initially disliked him for his “pretty boy” gimmick, he soon became a crowd favorite when they saw how much punishment he was willing to take. In the early days of his career, Laughlin made a name for himself by being one of the prime movers in “hardcore” pro-wrestling. In these types of matches, pro-wrestlers were allowed to use pretty much everything as a weapon—including the kitchen sink.
“We don’t really get a lot of time to prepare for one match,” Laughlin said. “A lot of times, you don’t know who you’re up against before you get there so you have about a few hours to determine what you’re going to do. Most of the time, you have to improvise and that’s what we do best.”
Blood stained memories
During his tenure with ECW, he was booked to have rivalries with pro-wrestlers like Scott Anthony Levy, better known as Raven, and James Fullington, also known as The Sandman. In their matches, he created “blood stained memories” with cheese graters, Singapore canes, trash cans and whatever he could get his hands on. But according to Laughlin, who has great respect for both Levy and Fullington, he wouldn’t have traded those memories for anything.
“Too many of them,” was all he could say when asked to name one favorite match. “So many of them stand out.”
But in this business where your body is taken to the limit, tragedy inevitably occurs. And while a lot of pro-wrestlers, like Laughlin, have survived long enough to tell their tales, others were not as lucky.
Back in 1999, when the WWE was still known as the World Wrestling Federation, pro-wrestler Owen Hart literally fell to his death. Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and rappel line into the ring. He was supposed to be lowered just above ring level and fall flat on his face for comedic effect. But the release mechanism was triggered early and Hart fell 78 feet landing chest-first on the top rope.
In more recent news, Japanese pro-wrestling legend, Mitsuharu Misawa, died after being subjected to a back suplex—a move which involves a wrestler picking up his opponent and dropping him onto the mat. According to reports, Misawa, 46, suffered a cardiac arrest after the move was carried out on him.
But even as death looms around them, Laughlin, continues to do what he does best. And since the WWE decided to bring back ECW as one of its three major programs—the other two being Smackdown! and Raw—he is back in the limelight. Now booked as the current ECW Champion, he states that he is continuing to live his dreams while getting “beaten up” at work.
“Basically, I feel more people are able to see me now. With ECW now being on national television and being known world wide, I get to defend the ECW title in places that we never really go to,” Laughlin told The Times.
Bound for Manila
Currently, Laughlin, along with the rest of the WWE pro-wrestlers from ECW and Smackdown!, are on their way to Manila . They will be here for a one-night show at the Araneta Coliseum on July 10. But even though he has been all over the world and has experienced different cultures “like a sponge,” he expects to be overwhelmed by Filipinos.
“I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity to come down and ‘defend’ the title for the first time ever in Manila,” Laughlin told The Times. “I don’t know what to expect but I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard that Filipinos are big wrestling fans so I’m really looking forward to their energy and their support.”
That being said, he wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of Filipinos, like fellow WWE wrestler Dave Batista, decide to get into this dangerous business. To all of them, he has but a few simple words of advice.
“Finish school just in case you realize that it’s not for you,” said Laughlin. “But in case it is, work hard. Oh, and work with professionals. Don’t try it at home.”
manilatimes