Coming at you: Muhammed Lawal
Born in Tennessee and raised in Texas, Muhammed Lawal of the Oklahoma Slam was the oldest sibling in a family of three, raised by his mother.
Growing up in a single-family environment and being the oldest (he has a brother and sister) forced Lawal to grow up fast. That’s why to him wrestling is stil a kids sport, and something he does to have fun, let out his aggressions, frustrations and in his case, his true personality.
Lawal gained some fans with his energetic and charismatic performance in Sunday’s episode of Real Pro Wrestling. He also lost some fans, who thought
Lawal was showboating, taunting, and acting cocky, especially in his heated match against Fullhart.
“To me, wrestling is fun,” said Lawal. “Some people eat, breathe and sleep wrestling, it’s like a job. Don’t get me wrong, I work hard at this sport and want to be the best, but I keep things in perspective. I’m about having fun, letting loose, being me. But you know what? I grew up in an environment were I was forced to be a father figure, I had to grow up fast. Wrestling is an outlet for me. Something kids do, something I do that let’s me still be a kid”.
Lawal, who was the #4 seed in his weight class, advanced to the Real Pro Wrestling 84kg/185 pound finals with wins over fifth-seed Quincy Clark of the Pennsylvania Hammer (16-7), and #1 seed Lee Fullhart of the Iowa Stalkers (7-3). Lawal will now face Brad Vering in the RPW 84kg/185 pound finals May 25.
Lawal”šs upset of Fullhart was just another step forward for the 24-year-old who grew up in Plano, Texas. After competing for three years at Division II Central Oklahoma – where he was a two-time national finalist – Lawal transferred to Oklahoma State where he became an All-American at 197, finishing third his senior year and getting a chance to wrestle for the Cowboys and legendary coach John Smith.
While still fairly new to the rigors of international competition, Lawal placed second at the Clansmen International in Burnaby, Canada, in November. Wrestling up at 211 pounds, he finished second to Tommy Rowlands (now of the New York Outrage) at the NYAC Christmas International in the winter of 2004. Lawal then competed at 211 at the Dave Schultz Memorial, finishing second behind another RPW competitor, Dawid Rechul of the Chicago Groove.
Lawal grew up understanding what it was like to be a father figure, but he never really knew his dad, who committed suicide while Lawal was in college. Lawal looks at that as another obstacle to overcome in a long line of roadblocks.
“People don”št know a lot of things about me, about where I came from and my past,” said Lawal. “But that’s okay, I am who I am. To me, wrestling can be boring for those who don’t know about it. If I entertain them by just being me, then that’s cool. I wasn’t trying to showboat. I’ll shake hands with a guy after I beat him, and then I will celebrate. If you want me to be reserved, that”šs not me.”
Lawal is thankful for the opportunity to compete for RPW, and to be a part of a fast-growing new professional sports league.
“It’s a blessing to have this opportunity,” he said. “I am just thankful I can perform and help wrestling grow. It’s cool to be on TV. It was cool to be a part of everything. But I didn’t change the way I am because of that. I’m pretty much in your face, coming at you, coming strong”. Now we may know where Mo Lawal is coming from.
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