[2018-07-22-Impact-Slammiversary XVI] LAX (Ortiz & Santana) vs OgZ (Homicide & Hernandez)

[klhare]

This was a lot of fun. It was a hardcore style brawl done very well. Homicide and Hernandez both brought their A-game. The sequence with Hernandez's huge pounce followed by the crazy Homicide tope through the table looked really great. They were able to weave together big spots, high energy and the story all together. I thought it all came together pretty perfectly. 

 

****1/4

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Once K-Dawg quoted Huey P. Newton in the promo package before this match, I became an Impact fan.  This match was really fun.

[SmartMark15]

Lots of fun with the big table spots and Hernandez looking absolutely amazing after all these years. These guys brought a lot of energy and a lot of excitement with this garbage brawl and I thought all the spots were really quite well executed. Good stuff.

****

[Stiva]

Great brawl and the first of the three mains that delivered at this show. Homicide has always been one of the GOAT hardcore brawlers and he hasn't lost a step. He was taking nutty bumps onto tacks, getting awesome hits in with tame weapons and delivered the spot of the match with the crazy looking tope through the table. Hernandez looked like his old self and he and Homicide both had the air of older guys who you still would absolutely not fuck with. Current LAX held their own too with wild dives and their double team moves are super great. Solid finish that leads to more, complete with a great Kingston beatdown at the end. If Konnan was in anyway mobile, they could absolutely run another brawl with Konnan and Kingston in the mix. Great stuff.

[ShittyLittleBoots]

They brought a good amount of hate to this one, haven't seen Hernandez in action in ages, but he looked absolutely fantastic w/ his power moves & brawling, Homicide of course always rules in a setting like this & the new LAX really impressed me; they were great dishing out a beating on the OG's & they were maybe even better at taking a beating from them. Very good stuff. ***3/4

[TonyPulis'Cap]

Fantastic energy to this, just one of those crazy, plunder brawl where everything comes off and you feel the intensity and chemistry between all the guys. Thought the original LAX looked really good here, reminiscent of their 2006/07 days. It's funny, in any other setting and by himself Hernandez is such a bland performer who offers vert little, but when teamed with Homicide and involved with Konnan he just seems like a star. The storyline going in and the presence of Eddie Kingston and Konnan on the outside made this more than just the spots, and I thought the current LAX with their double teams continue to look like one of the best tag teams in the world. **** 1/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs OGZ (Homicide & Hernandez) - Slammiversary 2018 Street Fight

I have a new idea for a project so I will finally be reviewing post-2014 pro wrestling. Probably a weird place to start, but here we are. 

Basic gist is Konnan managed a hot new tag team, Santana & Ortiz, and continued using the name LAX. So the OGz (Homicide & Hernandez), an apt name, were pissed about it. It looks like Eddie Kingston maybe wanted a piece of the LAX action but got shut out by Konnan so he brought back the OGz. 

Unfortunately, this is a 21st Century Street Fight which means more Feng Shui furniture rearrangement than actual hate, oh well. I really liked the original incarnation of LAX back when I was a teenager and Hernandez still hit his big spots really well. I dont think Hernandez was a miss by TNA, but I would have liked to seen him have a better career, great combination of power & agility.  Homicide has more aura than Santana & Ortiz. Honestly, I didnt get much out of Santana & Ortiz. It seems like Santana & Ortiz are the babyfaces. They clear the ring and the ones that shine with the dives to the outside. After that, they decided they didnt like the Feng Shui of the ring and thats when extended furniture rearrangement went down. OGZ beat them down by hitting him in the head with metal objects. HERNANDEZ DID HIS MASSIVE DIVE! Big Man still got it! Draino got involved but didnt go anywhere. They did a very boring overwrought middle section where nothing meaningful happens. So much choreography...

The finish stretch was GANGBUSTERS! Really good, high octane shit. Hernandez hits that big Shoulder Tackle/Pounce like move of his. He is the Real MVP of this match. This knocks Santana out of the ring. Homicide hits his classic Somersault Tope Suicida wiping Santana out through a table. Homicide looks like he was shot through a canon! Ortiz Death Valley Drivers Homicide through a table. Hernandez retaliates with a Border Toss through a table! I love Hernandez! Hernandez eats a suprkick I cant believe thats the end of him. Santana (who based on my Beyond Wrestling attendance, Dynamite watching is the better of the two) ends up in a glorified fighting spirit contest with Homicide. Homicide goes for the Cop Killa but gets distracted by Konnan. Konnan goozles him and throws a bag of tacks to Homicide. Santana throws a fistful of tacks at Homicide! WOW! That was the first time this "street fight" got violent! Powerslam and Frogsplash 1-2-3! I LOVED THE EFFICIENCY! 

Too 21st Century for my tastes not enough hate and violent. Too much furniture rearrangement spot setup. Hernandez looked like a million bucks! I dont want to go long but he was the best part. The finish stretch was really well-done, simple, energetic and effective. ***1/2 

[Clayton Jones]

For a match with a lot of plunder I never thought this spent too much time setting up its spots except for maybe when Konnan brought the thumbtacks into the equation. But I liked the element that brought to the match so I'll allow it. I watched this to catch up on some Homicide but everyone in this match brought it. Great out of control brawl with big spots that never feel like they're the focus over the struggle. Overall I loved this match and would gladly watch it again. Excellent violent exciting stuff here.