American professional wrestler Thomas Laughlin was born on February 14, 1971 in New York, and is best known by his ring name, Tommy Dreamer. He wrestles on the ECW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he works. Another thing worth noting about Laughlin is the time he spent in the promotion of the Philadelphia-based ECW. He was greatly involved in the company’s on-screen and off-screen activities, such as booking and business decisions.
Trained by Johnny Rodz, Laughlin’s first foray into the wrestling business was during the time he worked in International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW). While there, he took on the name T.D. Madison. In 1991, he and his storyline brother, G.Q., held the IWCCW Tag Team Championship title thrice. He eventually renamed himself Tommy Dreamer, and in 1992 worked in the New England based Century Wrestling Alliance (CWA). He became the CWA Heavyweight Champion once.
It was in 1993 that Tommy Dreamer joined ECW (Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling), and he came up with his first major gimmick: playing a sort of “pretty boy.” This, however, didn’t go well with audiences. He only got their sympathy when he contended with The Sandman, losing to him and asking for more than the 10 lashes required. Dreamer then got his first major feud in ECW, but was better remembered for his long feud against Raven, which began in 1995. This tied in with Dreamer’s feud with “Prime Time” Brian Lee, Raven’s bodyguard. His next major move was to fight with Jerry “The King” Lawler, which became symbolic as Dreamer represented ECW’s “new school” wrestling style. He stayed with ECW until it closed its doors, but wrestled in independent leagues afterwards. Soon, he signed with the WWF and was introduced in an episode of RAW during the Invasion angle. Upon its end, Dreamer was sent to WWF’s Heartland Wrestling Association.
His return to the renamed WWE was marked by his gimmick as “just a regular guy,” but was changed to his “Innovator of Violence” persona. This led him to amass 14 reigns as Hardcore Champion. In 2005, he became a major player of ECW’s One Night Stand reunion show. He was later put on ECW’s first major feuds, along with The Sandman, against Test and Mike Knox. After he defeated Colin Delaney, his “student,” in an Extreme Rules match in 2008, Dreamer started a new feud with Jack Swagger. This ended with Dreamer’s failure to win.