Despite his confidence, he knows he has work to do leading to his in-ring debut.

“You have to put in the hard work because it’s not easy,” Lawal said. “It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to put forth the time and the full effort into it. I’m going to study film and learn as much as I can. Everyone thinks that pro wrestling is easy, but if it were easy, you would see more pro wrestlers last in the game. I’m going to take this all like I’m fighting. I’m going to be very serious about this.”

The response has been mostly positive for Lawal, and the ones who aren’t he tunes out.

“A lot of fighters want to do wrestling,” he said. “I don’t really trust what the fans say because they are fans for a reason. It’s because they watch. So why should I care what a fan says about me doing MMA and pro wrestling. If you can’t tell the difference between MMA and pro wrestling, then you’re an idiot.”

It helps his introduction to pro wrestling that he is a longtime fan.

“When I was growing up, I enjoyed Mid-South Wrestling, the NWA and WCW. I was more in that line. WWE was cool, but I was more of a WCW fan. I loved the Four Horsemen and Sting. I just saw Sting, and I almost fainted. He is bigger than I thought. He is like 6-4 or 6-5.

“I like Kurt Angle, James Storm and AJ Styles. Then I throw it back to the old school of watching Arn Anderson. I like the solid style wrestling. I watch a lot of wrestling. TNA has an immense pool of talent here. I watch it every Thursday [Spike TV]. The people here are no joke. I’m just hoping that I can blend in and stand out when I’m given the proper opportunity to.”

Despite not ‘officially’ starting his training, he has already been given advice from some of the best.

“Kurt Angle told me to try to learn as much as I can but take care of my body because it’s not easy,” Lawal said. “They gave me some other things, personal advice, and I’ve been listening to it.”

King Mo has been formulating his pro wrestling persona. That includes ideas for potential signature moves.

“One is a submission called the Royal Pain, and the other is going to be an impact move called the Royal Flush,” Lawal said.

For the fighter, his offense won’t be that far off from his MMA style.

“It’s like this. I’m an MMA fighter, King Mo,” Lawal said. “You don’t see King Mo doing high-flying moves in the cage, do you? So don’t expect it in the squared circle.”

Lawal hopes Mo can hold up the high standard of other kings of the ring and make wrestling royalty proud.

“Jerry “The King” Lawler, King Booker, if I have a chance to be half as good as those guys, I will be satisfied,” Kawal said.

“Even just a quarter as good as those guys. Those guys are legendary. Like Booker T., King Booker, I loved him. King Harley Race was a beast. Lawler was a beast. So if I can be half as good as them or even a quarter as good as them, I would be satisfied with my career.”

Lawal is counting the days before he steps through the ropes for TNA.

“I’m very excited,” Lawal said. “I can’t wait to take my first chair shot. I can’t wait until I take my first bump. I can’t wait until I pin somebody. I can’t wait until I get pinned and being thrown headfirst in the turnbuckle. I’m just excited to get the opportunity to entertain. I entertain in MMA, and now I get to entertain in TNA Wrestling.”

• Follow Lawal’s journey in Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA Impact Wrestling with him on Twitter: @KingMoFH.

• For information on Bellator, including its partnership with Spike TV, also home of TNA Impact Wrestling, visit www.bellator.com.

• TNA Impact Wrestling is live 8 p.m. EST Thursdays on Spike TV from Universal Studios Orlando.

• TNA’s No Surrender pay-per-view is 8 p.m. (EST) Sunday, Sept. 9 at Universal Studios Orlando. Visit www.impactwrestling.com.

• Follow me on Twitter @smFISHMAN, http://twitter.com/#!/smFISHMAN, where I post links and information. Opinions expressed reflect no other entity. I can also be found tweeting incessantly during wrestling shows weekly.