Homicide prepares for his final ride.
On Thursday, Homicide will wrap up his in-ring career with a tag team match at Victory Pro Wrestling’s “End of an Era” event. There, the 30-year veteran will partner with Bull James to take on Afa Jr. and Mike Santana, who previously cited Homicide as a mentor.
According to Homicide, the reason for his retirement stems from a medical condition, namely a brain cyst, that began affecting his vision and speech.
“Can’t believe I saying goodbye, not only a job the passion the sport of pro wrestling,” Homicide wrote on Facebook. “Myself and Bull James vs Mike Santana and ‘I hate everyone’ Afa jr. Reason I’m leaving cause I went to my Doctor and found cyst my brain. Had it for months, getting worst. My vision, speech is bad. Cause the hard hitting getting knock out and hitting a plane to travel. March 20, Outlaw Wrestling means A lot. I want people to party, and smile, [except] for Afa jr. I’m survivor, I always win bS battles. Bottom [of] my heart, Thank you for your support. This not a goodbye. This is [a] I see you later.”
Homicide walks away from pro wrestling as a former GCW World Champion, ROH World Champion, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and TNA X-Division Champion. In 2022, he took place into the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Mike Santana on Homicide
Santana spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about Homicide’s influence on the independent professional circuit, especially those in New York City. Santana considers him a “forefather” of the indie style.
“He’s worked with everyone you could imagine, from the CM Punks to the Samoa Joes to American Dragon [Bryan Danielson]. He’s had classics with all of them. I even say he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves because he’s had such a huge impact on so many guys. He’s been responsible for so many guys breaking into the business and being trained by him. He’s a special individual, and he was always such a huge representative for the New York City independent movement.”
“His whole story is very interesting,” Santana added. “[Homicide] literally started wrestling. He went to wrestling school maybe the day after he came out of jail, like something crazy. He gets off the bus from Rikers Island, he sees a flyer, and he starts wrestling school. For me, he was the first guy in wrestling that taught me that it doesn’t matter where you come from, how you grew up, what you’ve been through, you can make something of yourself. We both come from similar backgrounds as far as being born and raised in the Projects in New York City and growing up on the street and stuff like that.”
