 Dreamer in 2008 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas James Laughlin (1971-02-13)February 13, 1971 (age 54)[3] Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
Spouse | Beulah McGillicutty (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | T.D. Madison Tommy Dreamer |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | "Dreamland, USA" Yonkers, New York[2] |
| Trained by | Johnny Rodz[3] |
| Debut | October 29, 1989[4] |
Thomas James Laughlin[5] (born February 13, 1971)[3] is an Americanprofessional wrestler andpromoter better known by thering nameTommy Dreamer. He is signed toTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former one-timeTNA Digital Media Champion, and was the owner and promoter of theHouse of Hardcore (HOH) promotion.
Dreamer is best known for his tenures withExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the 1990s and early 2000s and withWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (previously the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)), primarily from 2001 to 2010. During this time, he held numerouschampionships including, theECW World Heavyweight Championship (which he held twice, being the only man to capture the title in both the original ECW and WWE'sECW brand). He has also held theECW World Tag Team Championship andWWF/E Hardcore Championship. Dubbed the "heart and soul" of ECW, Dreamer regularly featured in prominentstorylines for the promotion as well as holding manyback office roles.[6][7][8]
Dreamer has also appeared in notable promotions such as Impact Wrestling/TNA Wrestling,Ring of Honor (ROH), andAAA. After departing from WWE in 2010, Dreamer joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and was a part of an ECW-inspired stable known asEV 2.0. In 2012, Dreamer started his wrestling promotion called House of Hardcore, named in honor of ECW's former wrestling school of the same name. Since then, Dreamer has made sporadic appearances with WWE in 2012, 2015, and 2016, as well as wrestling on theindependent circuit.
Laughlin was trained in professional wrestling byJohnny Rodz.[3] His first notable foray into the business came when he worked inInternational World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW) under the name T.D. Madison.[9] While there, he and hisstoryline brother, G.Q., held theIWCCW Tag Team Championship three times in 1991.[10] He changed his name to Tommy Dreamer, reportedly after taking his given first name, and adding "Dreamer" in tribute toDusty Rhodes, in 1992 while working in theNew England basedCentury Wrestling Alliance (CWA). While in the CWA, he became its first Heavyweight Champion by defeating"Mr. USA" Tony Atlas in a tournament final held inWallingford, Connecticut, on November 5, 1992. He held the title for over four months (March 1993) before losing it toThe Iron Sheik inBurlington, Vermont.[11] On August 17, 1993, Tommy Dreamer wrestled a dark match at a WWF Superstars taping in White Plains, NY, losing toThe Brooklyn Brawler.[12]
Dreamer joinedExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in October 1993 atNWA Bloodfest. His first majorgimmick in the company had him wrestling in matches in garish greensuspenders and acting as something of a "pretty boy" – at least about the rest of the ECW roster. This gimmick got him soundly booed by crowds, even when he became the first person in wrestling history to kick out of thepin that follows theSuperfly Splash ofJimmy "Superfly" Snuka atThe Night the Line Was Crossed.[13] He teamed withJohnny Gunn to capture theECW Tag Team Championships. They captured the titles fromJohnny Hotbody andTony Stetson in only nine seconds. Less than a month later, the pair would lose the titles toThe Tazmaniac (laterTaz) andKevin Sullivan. Gunn suffered an injury and was replaced withShane Douglas for a night, who turned on Dreamer to cost them the tag belts.[14]
AfterMichael Fay was arrested in Singapore and sentenced to acaning, ECW headbookerPaul Heyman decided to capitalize on the publicity by holding aSingapore Cane match between Dreamer andthe Sandman – with the loser having to take ten lashes. After losing the match, Dreamer took his lashes, then asked the Sandman for another, causing the crowd to feel sympathy for him as he took the extra and another. This was a launching point to anangle that ended up blurring the divide betweenfaces andheels in wrestling, as well as start a new way ofworking the fans, especially the "smarks" – fans with some amount of inside information. In a later match, Dreamerkayfabe accidentally blinded the Sandman, first by knocking a lit cigarette into his eye, then hitting the other with aSingapore cane. Immediately after, Dreamer seemed to break kayfabe and started aiding the Sandman. He professed that he "didn't mean to do it" and that it was "an accident" as other wrestlers – face and heel – swarmed out to help. The feud continued with Sandman planning to announce his retirement at an ECW show, only to attack Dreamer and reveal he was never actually blind.[15] The feud ended when Dreamer defeated the Sandman in a No DQ/No-Holds-Barred match.
Though the blind Sandmanangle was his first "major"feud in ECW, his later, years-long feud againstRaven that started in January 1995 is arguably his most memorable. The two were portrayed as childhood friends who had been competing in different ways their entire lives. Raven's entrance into ECW had him accompanied byBeulah McGillicutty, an overweight girl from theirkayfabe childhood who had a crush on Dreamer and was now aPenthouse Pet. Dreamer and Raven (andRaven's Nest) feuded for two years, with Dreamer never getting a win over Raven until Raven's last match in ECW, and aLoser Leaves Town match at Wrestlepalooza 1997. During the feud, Beulah had left Raven and was Tommy'svalet.
Throughout 1996, during the feud with Raven, Dreamer was also involved in an additional feud with"Prime Time" Brian Lee, who was brought in as Raven'sbodyguard. The two had several encounters that ended with Dreamer beingchokeslammed through tables. During other fights, the pair brawled outdoors onto the street and into traffic. The feud culminated in ascaffold match atHigh Incident in October 1996, where Dreamer sent Lee off the scaffolding through several tables in the ring below. On February 24, 1997, Dreamer appeared on WWFMonday Night Raw defeatingD-Von Dudley during ECW's invasion in WWF.
After Raven went toWorld Championship Wrestling, Dreamer began a feud with theWorld Wrestling Federation'sJerry "The King" Lawler. The feud was largely symbolic, with Dreamer representing Extreme Championship Wrestling's "new school" style of wrestling as a concept and Lawler (withJames E. Cornette) representing the World Wrestling Federation andUnited States Wrestling Association's more "old school" way of doing things.[16]
In 1998, Dreamer had a shortfeud withDudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray andD-Von), during which they "broke" Beulah's neck.[17] In August 1999 atthe Last Show at the Madhouse, on their last night in the company, they cited this incident to get Dreamer to accept a challenge for theECW Tag Team Championship they had won earlier in the night. He did accept, and got the title, but was paired with the unexpected partner Raven, who slid into the ring at the last second and made thepin. The team only lasted a short time before it dissolved, with Raven taking the title and choosingMike Awesome as his new partner.[18] He also, begrudgingly, becameWorld Heavyweight Champion in 2000[19] by beatingTazz atCyberSlam, only to lose it toJustin Credible just 30 minutes later.[20]
When speaking of his title reigns onThe Rise and Fall of ECW documentary produced byWWE Home Video, Dreamer is quoted as saying:[21]
I was actually pissed off. I wanted to go my entire ECW career without winning titles. The only reason I won titles is because guys left.
Dreamer stayed with ECW until it folded in 2001, defeatingC. W. Anderson in an"I Quit" match atGuilty as Charged[22] – the final pay-per-view – andteaming withDanny Doring in a win overJulio Dinero andE. Z. Money in the final independent ECW show.[23]
After ECW closed its doors, Dreamer spent time in variousindependent leagues throughout the country, such asJersey All Pro Wrestling andCombat Zone Wrestling before he signed with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was introduced to WWF audiences on the July 9, 2001, episode ofRaw as a member ofthe WCW/ECW Alliance duringthe Invasionangle.[24] When the angle ended in November, Dreamer was sent to the WWF's "farm territory"Heartland Wrestling Association.[25]
He was brought back to the main roster of the WWF (later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment) in March 2002 and placed on theRawbrand. There, he turned face and was given agimmick that saw him proclaim that he was "Just a Regular Guy", for which he was featured invignettes and backstage segments showing him in normal situations that were then augmented by "disgusting" antics such asbrushing his teeth and his dog's teeth with the same brush[26] and eating food from the floor.[27] However, this angle was short-lived. He soon reverted to his "Innovator of Violence" gimmick in the summer and amassed fourteen reigns asHardcore Champion.[28] During this time, he was the final person to hold it before it becameunified with theIntercontinental Championship in a match withRob Van Dam atMadison Square Garden.[29] After losing the Hardcore Championship, Dreamer renewed his feud withRaven, defeating him in aLoser LeavesRaw match on June 24 to send him toRaw'ssister show,Heat.[30] Dreamer (with a variety of partners) would feud in the fall withLance Storm andWilliam Regal as he sought revenge for his jaw being broken. Dreamer competed in his firstRoyal Rumble match at theRoyal Rumble on January 19, 2003, bringing weapons with him and breakingBill DeMott's hand during the match.[31]
As 2003 and 2004 went on, Dreamer was used less and less on WWE television,[9] and they began allowing him to takeindependent bookings and work ascolor commentator for theirdevelopmental territories,Ohio Valley Wrestling,Deep South Wrestling and on occasionHeat. He was taken off the main roster in January 2004. When his performer's contract expired, he took a succession of office jobs inside World Wrestling Entertainment, including being the number two person in Talent Relations.[32] During this time he continued to work in the independents and Ohio Valley Wrestling.
On June 12, 2005, Dreamer was a major part of theECW One Night Stand reunion showpay-per-view held under the World Wrestling Entertainment banner. He, along with a number of former ECW stars, took part in promotional hype for the event on episodes ofRaw and, withThe Sandman, he wrestled the Dudley Boyz in the main event.[33] For the secondECW One Night Stand on June 11, 2006, he was placed into an angle that had him andTerry Funk – who had been his "mentor" in the early days of the original ECW – at odds with then-heels,Mick Foley andEdge over the meanings of "extreme".[34][35][36] The angle ended with a six-person-intergender-tag team match at ECW One Night Stand where Dreamer, Funk, andBeulah McGillicutty lost to Edge, Foley, andLita.[37]
When theECW brand officially launched on theSci Fi channel, Dreamer and the Sandman were put into one of the brands firstfeuds, an "old school versus new school" feud, againstTest andMike Knox.[38][39] In November and December he engaged in a short feud withDaivari andThe Great Khali, but Khali was sent to the Raw brand before it could come to a conclusion.[40][41] Not long after Khali left ECW,The New Breedstable was established, consisting of wrestlers new to ECW: Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn. In response, a stable ofECW Originals was created, and the teams continued to clash in singles andtag matches, trading wins on the weekly ECW show throughout the spring of 2007, while both sides tried to getCM Punk to side with them. The Originals won a standard-rules four-on-four match atWrestleMania 23 on April 1, which would be Dreamer's first and only match ever on the main card of a WrestleMania. The Originals lost anextreme-rules rematch on the following episode ofECW. The feud continued until a number of roster moves left both sides nearly barren, with it ending atOne Night Stand on June 3 when Dreamer, Sandman, and Punk beat Burke, Cor Von, and Striker in a Tables match.[42]
In late 2007, Dreamer took part in the ECW brand'selimination chase to name a number one contender to theECW Championship. During the series of matches, also involvingStevie Richards,Elijah Burke, andKevin Thorn he added abandana, worn on his head, to his ring gear. He received the original one from a young boy with a brain tumor, and from then on began wearing one as a sign of solidarity and strength to anyone going through that struggle.[43][44] Dreamer emerged victorious in the final match against Burke, only to be surprised byECW's general managerArmando Estrada forcing him to faceBig Daddy V, who promptly beat him for the number one contenders.[45]
In early 2008, Dreamer would have one of his career highlights. Despite not being featured on television leading up to theRoyal Rumble, Dreamer would receive a loud ovation and chants from his hometownMSG crowd even withShawn Michaels andThe Undertaker in the match.[31] In February, Dreamer was paired with ECW brandenhancement talentColin Delaney as a sort of mentor after Delaney wasconsistently and easily defeated on the weekly ECW television show. They challengedJohn Morrison and the Miz for theWWE Tag Team Championship after they defeated them in a non-title match, but they lost the title match in an Extreme rules match in March. AtWrestleMania XXIV, he participated in a pre-show 24-man battle royal to earn an opportunity for the ECW Championship in the event, a match that was won byKane. Dreamer qualified for the five-way Singapore cane match atOne Night Stand to determine a number one contender for the championship; Big Show would win the match.
Following Mark Henry's ECW Championship win atNight of Champions, Dreamer was named his first challenger. AtThe Great American Bash, Dreamer was defeated by Henry for the championship after Colin Delaney turned on him and cost him the match. On the followingECW, Dreamer defeated Delaney and again on August 12, 2008, in an Extreme Rules grudge match which would be Delaney's final match in the WWE. Dreamer then turned his attention to the debutingJack Swagger, who made disparaging remarks about Dreamer and ECW. They first faced off in an amateur wrestling match, which Dreamer was disqualified from for using his DDT on Swagger. Then Swagger defeated Dreamer in an Extreme Rules match, ending the feud.[46][47][48]
On the January 13, 2009 episode ofECW, Dreamer announced that if he failed to win the ECW Championship by June 6, when his WWE contract was to expire, he would no longer wrestle for ECW. The storyline saw Dreamer start a losing streak that ended when he defeatedPaul Burchill on the February 24 episode ofECW.[49] On the April 28 episode ofECW, Dreamer received a match for the ECW Championship against then-championChristian, which went to a no-contest whenJack Swagger interfered.[50] On the May 21 episode ofSuperstars Dreamer had another title match with Christian which once again went to a no contest when Swagger interfered, believing he ruined Dreamer's last title chance.[51] Dreamer was granted a one-day extension on his contract, allowing him one last chance at the ECW Championship, challenging the champion Christian and Jack Swagger in a triple threat match atExtreme Rules, where Dreamer pinned Jack Swagger in a hardcoretriple threat match, capturing his second ECW Championship almost a decade after he claimed the title in the original ECW, being the only man to hold the belt in the original ECW and in the ECW brand of WWE.[52]
After successfully defending the title against Christian on the June 15 episode ofRaw, Dreamer successfully defended the title in aChampionship Scramble match atThe Bash, before eventually losing the title back to Christian atNight of Champions. On the July 28 episode ofECW, Dreamer announced he would exercise his rematch clause against Christian the following week. The two faced off in an Extreme Rules match, in which Christian retained the championship.
After his championship pursuit had ceased, Dreamer began teaming up with Christian,Yoshi Tatsu andGoldust on various occasions to take onWilliam Regal and his alliesVladimir Kozlov andEzekiel Jackson, exchanging victories and losses. On the December 29 episode ofECW, Dreamer wrestledZack Ryder and lost. If Dreamer was to lose the match then he would be (kayfabe) forced to retire from in-ring competition. After the match, Dreamer made a farewell speech in which he thanked the fans before exiting the ring with his two daughters. A few days later on January 4, 2010, Dreamer was officially released by WWE, ending an eight-year tenure with the company.[53]
On June 13, 2010, atSlammiversary VIII Dreamer made his debut forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), appearing in the crowd and thus distractingBrother Ray and costing him his match againstJesse Neal.[54] On the June 24 episode ofImpact! Dreamer appeared in the crowd of the Impact! Zone, beside fellow ECW alumni Raven and Stevie Richards.[55] The following week the three were joined byRhino.[56] On the July 15 episode ofImpact!, Dreamer, Raven, Richards,Rhino,Brother Devon,Pat Kenney andAl Snow, led by Mick Foley, aligned themselves with theTNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam by attackingAbyss and the rest of the TNA locker room.[57][58][59] The following week, TNA presidentDixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event,Hardcore Justice: The Last Stand, as a celebration of hardcore wrestling and a final farewell to the company, while also placing Dreamer in charge of the show.[60] Dreamer made his TNA in–ring debut on the July 29 episode ofImpact!, losing to Abyss in a No Disqualification match. After the match Raven reignited his old feud with Dreamer by turning on him, laying him out with a DDT on a chair, and licking his face.[61] The following week Raven explained his turn by saying that he had not forgotten how Dreamer had "stolen" his girlfriend Beulah McGillicutty back in 1996; also on that show Dreamer teamed with Van Dam to beat Abyss and Raven.[62] On August 8 at Hardcore Justice, Dreamer was defeated by Raven in a "Final Showdown" (Final Singles match) match refereed by Mick Foley and featuring appearances byBeulah McGillicutty,"Lupus",The Blue Meanie andHollywood Nova.[63]
On the following episode ofImpact!, the ECW alumni, known collectively asExtreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted byA.J. Styles,Kazarian,Robert Roode,James Storm,Douglas Williams andMatt Morgan ofRic Flair'sFourtune stable, who thought they did not deserve to be in TNA.[64][65] The following week TNA president Dixie Carter gave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with Fourtune.[66] AtNo Surrender Dreamer lost an"I Quit" match to A.J. Styles due to Styles putting a fork into his eye.[67] Dreamer admitted EV 2.0's defeat on the following episode ofImpact! and tried to reach a truce with Fourtune, but was beaten down.[68] The following week he returned with Raven, Stevie Richards,Sabu and Rhino and announced that Dixie Carter had given the five of them aLethal Lockdown match against Fourtune atBound for Glory.[69] At Bound for Glory Dreamer, Raven, Rhino, Richards and Sabu defeated Fourtune members Styles, Kazarian, Morgan, Roode and Storm in a Lethal Lockdown match, when Dreamer pinned Styles.[70] After weeks of dissension between Rob Van Dam and the rest of EV 2.0, caused by Van Dam's belief that there was a traitor within the group, Dreamer challenged him to a match.[71] AtTurning Point Van Dam defeated Dreamer and afterwards made peace with him.[72] On the following episode ofImpact!, Rhino turned heel by attacking Van Dam and Dreamer, revealing himself as the traitor Van Dam had been looking for.[73] The following week Dreamer defeated Rhino in a Street Fight, but he suffered an injured wrist during the match.[74] After spending some time off television, Dreamer returned on the February 24 episode ofImpact!, becoming entangled in the feud between former tag team partners Bully Ray and Brother Devon.[75] On March 13 atVictory Road, Dreamer defeated Ray in a Falls Count Anywhere match, following interference from Devon.[76]
On the May 5 episode ofImpact!, Dreamer was forced to attack A.J. Styles and to joinImmortal in order to save his job in TNA.[77] Dreamer was later confronted on his choice by A.J. Styles, which led to a match atSacrifice, where Dreamer was victorious following interference from Bully Ray.[78] On the following episode ofImpact Wrestling, Dreamer officially turned heel, citing the first time he attacked Styles was due to being forced by Ray, before willingly attacking Styles because he wanted to and proceeding to berate the crowd by calling them "pieces of crap" for not sympathizing with his job situation. This is also the first time that Dreamer has wrestled as a heel since being a member of the Alliance during his WWF/E career.[79] On the May 26 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Styles andChristopher Daniels defeated Dreamer and Ray in a no disqualification street fight.[80] On June 6 Dreamer confirmed that TNA'shouse show inMemphis, Tennessee on June 11 would be his final appearance for TNA.[81] In his final TNA match, Dreamer teamed with Bully Ray in a losing effort against A.J. Styles and Brother Devon. After the match Bully berates Dreamer, causing Dreamer to turn on him and make up with Styles and Devon.[82]
Dreamer appeared at the inaugural event ofEvolve on January 17, 2010, in a non-wrestling role, getting involved in a match which led to him brawling withJimmy Jacobs.[83] Later that month, on January 23, Dreamer debuted forDragon Gate USA, saving Jacobs andLacey from a beating at the hands ofJon Moxley.[84] On March 27, Dreamer made hispay-per-view debut for Dragon Gate USA inPhoenix, Arizona, where he lost a hardcore match to Moxley, which was taped for the Mercury Rising pay-per-view.[85]
On April 25, Dreamer made his debut for Philadelphia-basedChikara, challengingEddie Kingston to a match at the Anniversary show on May 23.[86] Kingston won the match via disqualification whenAres andClaudio Castagnoli of theBruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK) attacked him. Dreamer assisted Kingston in taking care of BDK and then made a challenge for a tag team match on July 25 atThe Arena in Philadelphia.[87] Earlier that same day, Kingston inducted Dreamer into theHardcore Hall of Fame.[88][89] BDK ended up defeating Dreamer and Kingston, when Castagnoli pinned Dreamer.[89]
Dreamer returned to Chikara on November 13, 2011, at the promotion's first ever internet pay-per-view,High Noon, accompanying Eddie Kingston to hisChikara Grand Championship match.[90] On July 28, 2012, Dreamer wrestled forFamily Wrestling Entertainment in which he defeatedBrian Kendrick,Carlito and championJay Lethal in a four-way Elimination match to become the newFWE Heavyweight Champion.[91] On September 14, 2012, Dreamer returned to Chikara, when he,Jerry Lynn andToo Cold Scorpio entered the2012 King of Trios as "The Extreme Trio", defeating Team WWF (1–2–3 Kid, Aldo Montoya andTatanka) in their first round match.[92][93] The following day, The Extreme Trio was eliminated from the tournament by TeamROH (Mike Bennett,Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson).[92][94] On October 4, 2012, he retained the FWE Heavyweight Championship against Rhino in the first PPV of the company.[95]
On November 25, 2012, Dreamer returned to Japan to take part in an independent event produced by The Big Guns. During the event, Dreamer andMakoto defeatedAkira andSyuri in a mixed tag team hardcore match.[96] The following day, Dreamer made his debut forWrestling New Classic (WNC), the follow-up promotion to Smash, entering theWNC Championshiptournament and defeatingYusuke Kodama in his first round match.[97] Two days later, Dreamer was defeated in his semi-final match by Akira.[98]
Tommy Dreamer worked withRing of Honor during 2017 coming to the aid of Bully Ray who had been attacked by former alliesThe Briscoe Brothers. Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray teamed against The Briscoe Brothers in a losing effort atROH Final Battle 2017. He made his debut inLucha Underground in Aztec Warfare IV, Episode 1 of Lucha Underground's fourth season on June 13, 2018, at number 7, and was pinned and eliminated byPentagón Dark.
In 2012, Dreamer opened his own wrestling promotion and wrestling school,House of Hardcore, which is the name of the former ECW wrestling school. The promotion made its debut on October 6, 2012, at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.[99] In the main event of the first show, Dreamer lost the FWE Heavyweight Championship toCarlito in a three-way match, which also includedMike Knox.[100] On June 22, 2013, Dreamer defeated Lance Storm in the main event at House of Hardcore 2.[101]
On November 9, 2013, Dreamer participated in the main event of House of Hardcore 3. Dreamer andTerry Funk defeatedSean Waltman andLance Storm. The match was promoted as the last time of Funk and Dreamer as a tag team. After the match, Dreamer was assaulted by TNA wrestlers Team 3D, Bully Ray (formerly Buh Buh Ray Dudley) and Devon (formerly D-Von). Ray challenged Dreamer to a match atTNA One Night Only – Old School.On June 6, 2014, Dreamer was scheduled to face Team 3D along with Abyss. However, Bully Ray was pulled out of the event, so the main event was Devon and Dreamer vs Rhino and Abyss. Dreamer and Devon won the match.[102] At House of Hardcore VII, Dreamer wrestled against Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but he was defeated.[103] Dreamer now owns his House of Hardcore promotion. He has made various touring tours across the United States and over the years at his owner's level he is still fighting and defeating his opponents in hardcore matches. On December 2, 2017, House of Hardcore 36 Abyss defeated Dreamer. On January 27, 2018, House of Hardcore 37 Team of Tommy Dreamer andBilly Gunn beat the team ofJoey Mercury andNick Aldis. On March 23, 2018, in the 38 episode of House of Hardcore Tommy Dreamer beat Joey Mercury in one very brutal street fight match; the day after this match, Dreamer was a contender for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship against Nick Aldis, but he failed to win the title.
On January 17, 2013, Dreamer made an appearanceImpact Wrestling as one ofBully Ray'sgroomsmen during his wedding toBrooke Hogan. He was assaulted byAces & Eights after they crashed the ceremony.[104] Dreamer returned to TNA in late 2013. He facedEthan Carter III at two house shows and on December 29, 2013, at TNAHardcore Justice 3, Dreamer was defeated by Ethan Carter III in a Tables match. The next day, Dreamer was defeated by Bully Ray at TNA#OldSchool in a Falls Count Anywhere match that happened due to Bully Ray attacking Dreamer andTerry Funk atHouse of Hardcore III.
At Lockdown in January 2014, Dreamer returned to the company as a road agent.[105] on the July 17 episode of Impact, Dreamer and Bully Ray facedEthan Carter III andRhyno in a losing effort. on the July 24 episode of Impact, Dreamer andTeam 3D faced Ethan Carter III, Rhino, andRockstar Spud in a 6-man New York City street fight in a losing effort after a run in by Snitsky and Rycklon. On the August 7 taping of Impact Wrestling, Dreamer, Team 3D, andAl Snow defeatedTeam Dixie (Ethan Carter III, Rhyno,Rycklon Stephens, andSnitsky) in a hardcore tag team war. Shortly afterward,Bully Ray powerbombed Dixie Carter through a table.
On the August 27 episode of Impact Wrestling, Dreamer was defeated byTNA World Heavyweight ChampionLashley in a non-title New York Citystreet fight. The day beforeBound For Glory Dreamer would inductTeam 3D into theTNA Hall of Fame and atBound for Glory, Dreamer teamed up with Abyss to face Team 3D in a losing effort. On the October 29 episode of Impact Wrestling, Dreamer helped Devon brawl with Bram and Magnus. On the November 5 episode of Impact, Dreamer andDevon defeated Bram andMagnus in a hardcore tag team match. On the November 19, 2014, episode of Impact, Dreamer facedBram in a hardcore match but lost. on the February 20 episode of Impact, Dreamer facedEric Young in a Hardcore match but lost the match. AtBound for Glory, Dreamer competed in the 12-man Bound for Gold Gauntlet match which was won byTyrus. Bound for Glory turned out to be Dreamer's final appearance with the company. Dreamer was reportedly fired due to an argument with fellow producers after cancelling the India Tour.
On the December 17, 2012 episode ofRaw, Dreamer made a one-off appearance as the surprise tag team partner ofThe Miz andAlberto Del Rio, defeating 3MB (Heath Slater,Drew McIntyre andJinder Mahal) in a six-man tag team match. Later on in the night, Dreamer was attacked backstage byThe Shield.
On the November 30, 2015 episode ofRaw, Dreamer returned, teaming with TheDudley Boyz in a six-man tag match againstThe Wyatt Family which ended in a no contest.[106] The following week onRaw, Dreamer and The Dudley Boyz would be joined byRhyno, formingTeam Extreme, competing in a 16-man elimination Fatal 4-Way tag team match, where Dreamer would pinErick Rowan to eliminate The Wyatt Family before Team Extreme would be eliminated byThe League of Nations. Later, Dreamer lost toBraun Strowman. AtTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Team Extreme was defeated by The Wyatt Family in an 8-man elimination tag team tables match. The following night onRaw, Team Extreme would challenge The Wyatt Family to a rematch, this time in an 8-man Extreme Rules match, in a losing effort. Dreamer continued to make live event appearances for the WWE in 2016 while becoming a regular guest on theWWE Network exclusive series, TheEdge & Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness, alongside the show's hosts,Edge andChristian. In November 2016, Dreamer began filming an ECW show for the WWE Network alongsidePaul Heyman,Tazz andBubba Ray Dudley.
Dreamer returned to Impact Wrestling on the April 12 episode ofImpact when he helpedEddie Edwards andMoose from an attack fromOhio Versus Everything and challenged them to a House of Hardcore Match atRedemption, in which he lost. On the June 14, 2018, episode ofImpact, Edwards brutally hit Dreamer with a kendo stick because of their loss at Redemption. Edwards and Dreamer would later start an intense feud which ended when Edwards beat Dreamer in a street fight in a match atSlammiversary. AtBound for Glory, Dreamer saved Edwards from an attack fromKiller Kross andMoose. This led to a tag team match in which the team was victorious.
On January 23, 2019, it was revealed that Dreamer would now be working as a member of the creative team for Impact Wrestling.[107] He had already been serving as aproducer for some time.[108] AtSlammiversary, Dreamer unsuccessful challengedMoose in anOld School Rules match for the unsanctionedTNA World Heavyweight Championship.[109] AtVictory Road, he was defeated byBrian Myers. On the October 27 episode ofImpact,Swoggle helped Dreamer in defeating Brian Myers in ahardcore match by hitting Myers with a low blow. AtNo Surrender on February 13, 2021, his 50th birthday, Dreamer unsuccessfully challengedRich Swann for theImpact World Championship.
On September 17, 2021, Impact officials announced that Dreamer had been suspended indefinitely due to the comments he made on an episode ofDark Side of the Ring, which saw Dreamer defendRic Flair concerning the allegation that Flair made multiple unwanted sexual advances towards a flight attendant on a flight fromEngland to the U.S. in 2002.[110] He left Impact in November 2021.[111] In December, Dreamer returned to Impact both as a producer and semi-active wrestler.[112]
AtVictory Road on September 8, 2023, he won theImpact Digital Media Championship by defeatingKenny King in aTitle vs. Career match. He would hold the title until January 13, 2024, atHard To Kill, when he lost the title toCrazzy Steve.[113]
Dreamer joinedMajor League Wrestling in 2018 as a wrestler and in a backstage role as anagent for matches.[114] His first match for the promotion would be at MLW War Games in September 2018. Dreamer would be on the winning team in theWar Games match as himself,John Hennigan,Shane Strickland, Barrington Hughes and Kotto Brazil defeated Abyss,Jimmy Havoc, Sami Callihan and his team The Death Machines. In his match at the next set of television tapings, he would be defeated byBrody King.[115] He then entered a feud withBrian Pillman Jr. over his lack of respect for veterans such asKevin Sullivan and himself. He beat Pillman in their first encounter, but three weeks later, Pillman would pin Dreamer in a tag team match on the December 21, 2018 episode ofMLW Fusion.[116][117] On January 11, 2019, episode ofFusion, Pillman defeated Dreamer in aSingapore Cane match.[118]
Dreamer participated inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW)'sCasino Battle Royale at their inaugural pay-per-view eventDouble or Nothing on May 25, 2019. He failed to win as he was eliminated byJimmy Havoc.[119] At their following PPVAll Out, Dreamer worked backstage as a producer during the event.[120]
Dreamer appeared along with fellow ECW wrestlerNew Jack in the "Mel Schwartz, Bounty Hunter" episode of the TV seriesEarly Edition as a biker.[121] In October 2011, Dreamer started his own YouTube series, titledThe Tommy Dreamer TV. The show is produced by Brooke Platzner with graphics and music by Jason Platzner.[citation needed] He is a playable character in various video games includingECW Anarchy Rulz,ECW Hardcore Revolution,WWE Raw 2,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010,WWE Legends of WrestleMania,TNA Wrestling Impact!, andRetroMania Wrestling.
Dreamer appeared on an episode of theTruTV television showImpractical Jokers in 2014, as one of the show's main members,Brian "Q" Quinn, had to wrestle him as part of his punishment for losing the most challenges on that episode. He had another cameo on the show in 2017, in a challenge where he had to take Q's pants off, before a stranger untangles his earphones.[122]
In 2013, he portrayed Officer Carpoza in the horror filmArmy of the Damned.[123] Dreamer also has a cameo, alongside fellow wrestlersDiamond Dallas Page,Jake Roberts andRoddy Piper, in the comedy filmThe Bet.[124]
In 2017, he starred as Detective Marx in the drama-thriller 'The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson', where he was credited as "Tom Dreamer".[citation needed]
Dreamer is also a co-host for theSirius XM programBusted Open, a wrestling-based radio show. Other hosts include Dave LaGreca,Bubba/Bully Ray Dudley,Mark Henry,Nic Nemeth,Thunder Rosa, Denise Salcedo, Johnathan Hood, Justin LaBar andBishop Dyer (formerly known as Baron Corbin).Busted Open is found on SiriusXM Channel "Fight Nation" Monday through Sunday 7 days a week from 9am-12pm.
Dreamer is of Irish and Italian descent.[citation needed]
On October 12, 2002, at the Lake Isle Country Club inEastchester, New York, Laughlin married Trisa Hayes, known as ECW wrestler/managerBeulah McGillicutty. The two have twin daughters, Brianna Laughlin and Kimberly Laughlin.[citation needed]
On a November 2011Art of Wrestling podcast, Dreamer told hostColt Cabana his family is "connected" to theNew York mafia.[125] He recounted an incident after one of his first matches in Brooklyn, which was attended by various of his local relatives, in which he was attacked from behind and beaten down byBill DeMott, wrestling at the time under the name Sweet William. Unaware of wrestling's scripted nature, several of his relatives at ringside got angry; aside from his grandfather jumping over the railing and trying to fight off security guards, his aunt told DeMott as he passed that she would "put a hit" on him. The misunderstanding was later peacefully resolved.[125]
In 2020, Dreamer claimed that he had planned to assassinatePaul Heyman atWrestleMania X-Seven due to Heyman's financial mistreatment of both Dreamer and other ECW wrestlers.[126]
With the ECW faithful in the thriving metropolis of Peoria, Ill., chanting "Thank You, Tiglewiggles," Dreamer – the Heart and Soul of ECW – fought his way back to his feet
Tommy [Dreamer] was in charge of...he did a lot of booking and, and, you know, behind the scenes stuff.
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