After 30 years in the business, Homicide feels he’s ready to wrap up.
In the 1990s, Homicide began his in-ring career and now at the age of 47 and with 31 years of experience to his name, he feels he’s on his last run.
He chatted with Piers Austin and provided an update on how his body feels and said it feels like ‘crap’. He does not know when his last match will be, but he feels he’s on his last run. Homicide went on to mention that he might have a bruise on his brain that affects his speech.
Oh, it’s crap (Homicide responded when asked how his body feels). It’s bad. I got a bad neck. Everything bro. My chiropractor is making money so…
Well, at first (I started having thoughts about retirement). But, let’s start at like 10 years ago. 10 years ago, my 20-hour thing and I’ve been telling my friends, ‘I’m done man’ but I was really burned out. Now, this is my last run. I don’t think when it’s my last match. I just go with the flow. But I feel like this is my last run. My body cannot take it because of all the years I’m wrestling. Like I said, I got a bad neck, my elbow, broken toe, my knee is dislocated. I might have a bruise on my brain that affects my speech so I hate doing promos and I never liked doing promos. I like to be like Dean Malenko, but I really hate doing promos. I’m going through a stage right now that I think it’s time bro. You’ve been doing so much. I think it’s really that time and mind you, 30 years, no breaks, on a high level. A lot of people say, ‘Well, 30 years, you might take breaks.’ Bro, I’ve been doing every weekend, high levels. If it’s not NWA, it could be New Japan Pro-Wrestling, it could be the travels but the travels really kick you in the butt. I went to PROGRESS in the United Kingdom like a couple of weeks ago and that travel was a pain in the butt. I’m very tired and everything. Come back home, then I do New Japan. I’m lucky they were in Chicago (for Windy City Riot) but, New York City to New Japan is like five hours so maybe less, four or three. But I’m still tired. Then you want me to do a match, like a Hardcore match and I’m very picky. It’s gotta be somebody who’s smart, who knows what they’re doing. If I get somebody who’s a rookie, who’s got a bad attitude or ego, then things are gonna happen bad. But I’m very cautious where I’m at right now but yeah man, I think it’s that time. I just don’t know when. It could be next week or it could be November. I don’t know but, I think it’s about that time.
While reminiscing about his career and the opportunities he’s had, he remembers Mick Foley being at a Ring of Honor show and giving him John Laurinaitis’ number.
Foley told Homicide to relay to Laurinaitis that he was calling, per a recommendation from Foley, about an opportunity with WWE. Laurinaitis was driving at the time and told Homicide to call him later. Homicide would go on to join TNA Wrestling.
I always remember, it was 2005? I remember I went to Puerto Rico and I wrestled Konnan. Konnan was telling me, ‘Hey man, I’m going to do a new project. It’s called the Latin American Xchange and I need you. It’s in TNA Wrestling.’ Next day, I wrestled in Ring of Honor. Mick Foley was there and I was wrestling Colt Cabana and Mick was like, ‘Vince would love this. I need you to come to the WWE and I’ll give you –‘ I think Johnny Laurinaitis’ number… Mick Foley was like, ‘Just tell him that Mick Foley recommended me. Let me know everything.’ Okay, so the next day, I called Johnny and he was driving and he was like, ‘Hey, can you call me back in a couple hours? I’m driving.’ Okay, hung up and after that, I called Konnan and I said, ‘Maybe I’m going with you’ and I wasn’t thinking. I was just happy, and that’s the closest I went to the WWE, when Mick Foley — and calling John Laurinaitis. He was driving and I was like, ah, screw that. I’m gonna call Konnan and become his project, the L.A.X, the TNA. But that was probably the closest I have with the WWE and that was back in 2005. Mind you, I got a lot of friends in the company, and yeah, I never had a tryout. Dude, I never went to the catering (he laughed). It was like, f*ck it, you know?… Never had a tryout, never did anything with WWE. I never visited my friends and mind you, my goal is Madison Square Garden and they know that. Not even visiting. I never did, I never did. So to me, if you hear Homicide is visiting at the M.S.G., to me, that’s big. That’s huge. But as (of) right now, the age, the mileage on my career, I don’t give a sh*t no more man. I’m just very blessed and really happy with where I’m at right now.
Circling back to the topic of his final run, Homicide wants one more go-round with Boogalou as The Natural Born Sinners. They have not teamed since 2012 and Homicide hopes it can happen in Ring of Honor. He also added that Boogalou has a great job and does not want him getting hurt.
Actually, I want to do it one more time… I’d love to do my final run and one of them is that; Natural Born Sinners and I need one more time with Boogalou but right now, Boogalou, he got a great job. He should not get hurt, because he got a great career right now. But like I said, we need to do this one more time and I’m hoping it’s Ring of Honor, for Tony Khan’s Ring of Honor and scare the crap out of the people so, I hope it comes.
In April, Homicide was in action at NJPW Windy City Riot. He was part of the Riot Rules match and teamed with Eddie Kingston, Jeff Cobb and TJP to take on Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, David Finlay and KENTA. He reflected on that experience.
One night, it was two or three weeks ago, I did New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I was the mystery partner for T.J. Perkins, Eddie Kingston and Jeff Cobb. That’s the BULLET CLUB, the new one, in Chicago and mind you, it was like 20, 30,000 people. One of the loudest chants. They knew who I was and it was a good feeling and I wrestled Gabe Kidd. We went all around the stadium. It looked like a Stampede match. It was cool.
Homicide is with the National Wrestling Alliance and is a producer for the organization.
The follow-up to the Riot Rules match was Eddie Kingston versus Gabe Kidd at NJPW Resurgence for the STRONG Openweight Championship. To read about the result of that bout, head over to this link.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Piers Austin with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
