[2001-03-23-JAPW-March Madness: Night One] Homicide vs Monsta Mack

[GSR]

Jersey All Pro Heavyweight title match, Mack, half of Da Hit Squad, challenging Homicide.  The commentators (one of whom is Rob Feinstein) talk about Homicide involving himself in Mafia’s match against Skinhead Ivan earlier in the night and how he’s wanting Mack to get some revenge.  Great stuff from the off as Homicide is in for the lock up, only for Mack to drop to one knee and give him a Fireman’s carry takedown.  I always like it when wrestlers differ from the norm or do something a bit out the box.  Wow, Cide counters the tilt-a-whirl with an arm drag.  Monkey flip by Mack!  This is not what I was expecting.  Mack runs into a big boot but Cide then eats a clothesline and takes a powder to the outside.  On returning to the ring he reverses the whip to the corner and lands a running forearm smash.  One to the back of the head followed by a Mafia kick and now it’s Mack circling around ringside trying to get his gather his bearings.  Mack blocks the tornado DDT, he goes for a kick but Homicide snatches the leg, rips the knee with the Dragon screw and then applies an STF.  The ropes come to Mack’s rescue so Cide drags him into the centre and locks in another variation of the hold, this time trapping the left arm with his own leg.  When that looks as though it’s not having the desired effect he transitions to a crossface.  Cide gets caught with a powerslam on the leapfrog.  Big press slam, Homicide coming down chest first to the mat.  A second big powerslam, he then backdrops Cide over the top rope to the unprotected floor.  He blocks being whipped into the ring post and runs Mack’s head into it.  Cide sits him in a chair, hops inside for a tope con hilo but Mack smartly rolls off it foiling his plans.  Back inside Mack reverses the Irish whip and hits a Sky High.  He lays a chair across the top turnbuckle and although Cide blocks the attempted German with a low blow, he still ends up crashing into it.  Rikishi Driver for a near fall.  Cide fires off some elbows to escape the Cobra clutch and then lands a Fameasser off the second rung, Mack once more taking to the floor.  Again he ends up sat in a chair and again he avoids the tope con hilo, this time though Homicide wasn’t able to stop himself in time and goes flying into the metal railing.  “Holy fuck” indeed!  Feinstein is awful on commentary, suggesting they give Homicide some Viagra because he’s out of it!  A brutal clothesline and Cide just smiles.  Powerbomb.  Mack is up to the middle when out runs Skinhead Ivan, attacking everyone, including the referee with a chair.  Cide no sells a chair shot and then destroys Ivan with the chair, Feinstein claiming that what we’re seeing is a “shoot”.   The match ends in a non-decision.

It wasn’t as hard hitting as I was expecting and I especially enjoyed the start where we got something completely different out of them with Mack being all light on his feet doing monkey flips while Homicide was countering tilt-a-whirls.  The less said about the non-finish the better and it still grates to watch a fifteen minute plus match end like that.  Have to admit that it never felt like we were getting a title change, even though Cide was in big trouble when the interference came.

[soup23]

This match showed off Homicides strengths well. His matwork was logical and violent and he was way undersized but compensated for that with his arsenal of offense. Agree that the finish is terrible but the forethought and positioning Homicide interjects in makes him feel like he is still ahead of the promising young indie stars breaking out that are just spots first.