After competing extensively in mixed martial arts, including for the UFC, Lawlor transitioned to the pro wrestling ranks in 2017, and quickly won the MLW World Heavyweight Championship, building a fight team around himself known as Team Filthy. When he arrived in NJPW in 2020 for Lion’s Break, and then NJPW STRONG, Lawlor followed the same pattern, recruiting hard hitters like JR Kratos and Danny Limelight.

Showing a ruthless edge, Lawlor would become the first ever STRONG Openweight Champion in 2021, going on to become the longest reigning champion in NJPW for a time. He held the STRONG gold for well over a year and defended nine times before finally falling to nemesis Fred Rosser in June 2022. Quickly refocusing, Lawlor would set his sights on his first tour of Japan, and entered G1 Climax 32, before ending his year battling Katsuyori Shibata in a UWF rules match to commemorate the legendary Antonio Inoki. 

While respected in Japan, he had no respect for his competition in the States. That included Homicide; starting 2023 true to form, he promised to put the Notorious 187 in his place, with no DQs and no ropes in a Filthy Rules Fight at Battle in the Valley.