Nelson Erazo (born March 20, 1977) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

, better known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Homicide. He is currently competing for both

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

(NWA), where he is a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

(ROH) where he is a member of the faction VLNCE UNLTD. He is best known for his time in

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

, where he is a one-time X Division Champion and three-time World Tag Team Champion, having won the

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...

twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...

and the

TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

once Once means a one-time occurrence. Once may refer to: Music * ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten'' * ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper * ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...

with tag team partner Hernandez. He is also known from his time in

, where he held the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...

once each, as well as

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...

(PWG), where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion and winner of the Tango & Cash Invitational tournament alongside B-Boy, and

Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...

(JAPW), where he has held both the Heavyweight Championship and the

Tag Team Championship A championship or title in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rivalri ...

seven times each.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1994–1997)

A native of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Erazo was a wrestling fan from the age of five and decided that he wanted to become a wrestler at the age of fifteen. After amassing a series of athletic qualifications including

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

, he was offered a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

to the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, which he rejected, preferring to pursue "fast money". Erazo trained himself as a wrestler in a bodega, debuting on March 5, 1994. After wrestling for three years without any formal training, Erazo attended a

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

operated by Manny Fernandez. Erazo worked on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

throughout the 1990s. In 1997, Erazo was part of faction called The Wrecking Crew in Bobby Lombardi's Long Island Wrestling Federation (LIWF). Then while on a year-long hiatus from wrestling, he operated a training school in Cypress Hills

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

known as LIWF's "The Doghouse" along with Laithon and Lowlife Louie. The Doghouse/LIWF produced approximately 22 graduates, including a number of ROH wrestlers, such as

Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestlin ...

. Erazo also formed a tag team called The Natural Born Sinners with Boogalou (which saw Boogalou wear a

Leatherface Leatherface is a fictional character in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. He first appears in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' as a disfigured, cannibalistic and mentally unstable mass murdere ...

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

and Homicide wear a Michael Myers mask).

Jersey All Pro Wrestling

The Nation of Immigration (1997–1999)

Homicide joined

on September 7, 1997, and quickly became a mainstay of the promotion. He formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with Kane D known as The Nation of Immigration (N.O.I.), and on March 22, 1998, The N.O.I. defeated The Sickness and The Blood Angels in a three-way tag match for the

JAPW Tag Team Championship The JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when The Blood Angels (Diablos Macabre and Lucifer Grimm) defeated Don Montoya and Homicide in a tournament fi ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. They lost the title to The Skin Head Express on May 20, but regained them on August 25, defeating

Russ Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell, and also a surname. People Given name or nickname * Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian and actor * Russ Adams (born 1980), American retired baseball player * Russ ...

and

Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...

in a weapons match. Their second reign lasted until January 29, when they lost to D-Sex. Homicide would later hold the title twice more, with Don Montoya and with

B-Boy Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

Heavyweight Champion (1999–2005)

Homicide won the

JAPW Heavyweight Championship The Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in the American independent professional wrestling promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling. It became an official title on October 31, 1997 when ...

for the first time on July 9, 1999, by defeating Don Montoya in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

. He lost the title to Chino Martinez on August 29. His second reign began when the champion,

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

, vacated the title on November 18, 2000, by no-showing the event. Homicide defeated Jay Lover for the vacant title that same night in the

ECW Arena 2300 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Originally known as Viking Hall, the venue has since been named Alhambra Arena, The ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He lost the title to one of his students, Low Ki, on July 7, 2001. Three more Heavyweight Championship reigns followed in 2001 and 2002, with Homicide firmly establishing himself as a dominant player in JAPW. Homicide's increasing commitments, including tours of Japan with

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagasak ...

and ZERO-ONE, led to a decline in his involvement in JAPW after late-2002.

Dan Maff Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH). Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling ...

, another student of Homicide's, won the JAPW Heavyweight Championship on December 13, 2003. He held the title throughout 2004. In March 2005, however, Homicide and Maff had a legitimate falling-out, with Homicide announcing that Maff had betrayed him, and that he would refuse to work for any

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

which employed Maff. This effectively led to Maff being

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

ed from the professional wrestling indy circuit. As a result, the JAPW Heavyweight Championship was vacated.

Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time ROH World Champion, ...

had pursued the JAPW Heavyweight Championship for several months and was widely expected to be the next champion. The title was put on the line in a match between Lethal and an undisclosed opponent on March 26. The opponent was revealed to be the returning Homicide, who defeated Lethal for an unparalleled sixth JAPW Heavyweight Championship. His reign lasted until May 21, when Lethal finally won the belt in a four-way match. The following week, Homicide announced that he was temporarily leaving JAPW, but promised to go on a " murdering spree" and become a seven-time JAPW Heavyweight Champion when he returned.

Return (2005–2012)

On October 22, 2005, Homicide teamed with his long-term nemesis

Teddy Hart Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He wrestled on a National scale for Major League Wrestling ...

to defeat the Backseat Boyz for the JAPW Tag Team Championship. Their reign lasted until November 12 of that year, when Kashmere and Acid regained the title. On June 9, 2007, Homicide and his

Latin American Xchange The Latin American Xchange (LAX) is a professional wrestling stable that has wrestled in various incarnations primarily for Total Nonstop Action / Impact Wrestling and currently in Major League Wrestling (MLW). The group achieved initial succe ...

partner Hernandez defeated Jay Lethal and Azrieal to win the JAPW Tag Team titles, which they would hold for over a year before dropping them to

The Full Blooded Italians The Full Blooded Italians (or F.B.I.) are an American professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from the mid-1990s to early-2000s and for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) during the mid-20 ...

Little Guido James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school footb ...

and

Tracy Smothers Tracy Stanton Smothers (September 2, 1962 – October 28, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Extreme Champ ...

on November 15, 2008. On October 27, 2007, Homicide made good on his word when he defeated Low Ki to win the JAPW Heavyweight Title for a record–setting seventh time. He would, however, lose the title back to Low Ki that same night when Teddy Hart attacked him during a tag team match between LAX and BLKOUT, where both the Heavyweight and the Tag Team titles were on the line. On May 22, 2010, Homicide wrestled one of his biggest matches in JAPW, defeating Japanese legend

Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...

in the main event of the show. Homicide returned to JAPW on April 14, 2012, when he and

Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Kingston started his wrestling career in 2002, and has wrestled for numerous ...

defeated Philly's Most Wanted (

Blk Jeez Darnell Kittrell (born April 25, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance under the ring name BLK Jeez (pronounced "Black Jeez"). Professional wrestling career Debut (2000–2003) Af ...

and Joker) to win the vacant JAPW Tag Team Championship.

Ring of Honor

Feud with Steve Corino (2002–2003)

Homicide's first main independent exposure came in 2002 when he was recruited by the upstart

(ROH) promotion. He and Boogalou wrestled on the first ever ROH show, ''The Era of Honor Begins'', on February 23, and were defeated by the Boogie Knights, by way of DQ. The Natural Born Sinners were a dominant tag team in ROH, beating

The Carnage Crew The Carnage Crew was a professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor. History The Carnage Crew of Loc and DeVito had their first ROH match together at ''Night of Appreciation'' defeating The Ring Crew Express. They were very hard-hitting and us ...

at the July 27 ''Crowning a Champion'' event, and also won at the August 24 ''Honor Invades Boston'' event, defeating

Tony Mamaluke Charles John Spencer (born July 19, 1977) is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Tony Marinara and with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrest ...

and

James Maritato James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school footb ...

. After Boogalou suffered an injury and then jumped ship to Rob Black's

Xtreme Pro Wrestling Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion owned by Rob Zicari. Zicari originally ran the promotion out of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2003. He appeared on shows as the on-camera owner under the name Ro ...

promotion, Homicide appeared alone at ''Glory by Honor''. Responding to a challenge from

The Backseat Boyz The Backseat Boyz were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere who competed in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, Combat Zone Wrestling, Assault Championship Wrestling, the Premier Wrestling Federa ...

, he invited anyone in the locker room to be his partner.

Steve Corino Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championship ...

responded to his offer, and Corino and Homicide faced the Backseat Boys later that night. In the course of the match, Corino turned on Homicide after Homicide accidentally hit him,

superkick Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

ing his partner and leaving the ring, enabling the Backseat Boyz to easily defeat Homicide. Homicide and Corino would begin a four-year

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

, with Corino criticizing Homicide's lifestyle and somewhat checkered past. The feud culminated in a match at the ''One Year Anniversary Show'' on February 8, 2003, in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

. Homicide was the hometown favorite, but lost to Corino following interference from The Group, Corino's entourage. After the match, Corino applied a cobra sleeper to Homicide, instigating a worked

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

. After regaining some momentum by defeating

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...

on the April 12 ROH event, ''The Epic Encounter'', Homicide defeated

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

in a match for the number one contendership on April 26 at ''Retribution: Round Robin Challenge II''. Homicide faced

ROH World Champion The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Claudio Castagnoli, who is in his second ...

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AEW ...

on May 31 at ''Do or Die'', hoping not only to win the title, but to gain revenge on Joe for helping Corino defeat him in his hometown. Despite the support of his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Julius Smokes The Rottweilers were a professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor led by Homicide. The Rottweilers were known for their disrespect towards the Code of Honor and often used cheap tactics to win matches. History The Rottweilers started out as ...

, and his close friend and former student, Low Ki, Homicide lost to Joe, after getting distracted by Smokes and Ki arguing outside the ring. Homicide was undefeated in ROH throughout June and July, and on August 16, 2003, at ''Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies'' he defeated Corino in a rematch of their February encounter. After twenty minutes of fighting which saw both men bleeding and carrying injuries, Homicide trapped Corino in a modified STF, prompting Corino's corner man, Guillotine LaGrande, to throw in the towel, awarding the match to Homicide. In the course of the match, Corino suffered a legitimate ruptured eardrum, and permanently lost most of the hearing in his left ear following a stiff slap to the side of the head from Homicide. Following high-profile victories over Samoa Joe and

B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestler, producer, trainer, and color commentator. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. He is bes ...

, Homicide faced Corino for a third time on November 29, 2003, at ''War of the Wire'' in a barbed wire match. This time Julius Smokes threw in the towel for Homicide after Corino throttled him with a length of

barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...

. Corino offered Homicide a

handshake A handshake is a globally widespread, brief greeting or parting tradition in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up-and-down movement of the grasped hands. Customs surrounding handshakes a ...

after the match, indicating that he finally respected Homicide, but Homicide refused to shake his hand.

The Rottweilers (2004)

Homicide faced

A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...

at ''The Battle Lines Are Drawn'' on January 10, 2004. After Styles was thrown from the ring, Homicide dove over the top rope in pursuit and landed in the third row of the audience, briefly knocking himself unconscious and injuring his shoulder and ribs. Styles quickly capitalized on Homicide's vulnerabilities, defeating him following a Styles Clash. After defeating CM Punk at ''The Last Stand'', Homicide took a hiatus from Ring of Honor to "find himself", sending word through Julius Smokes that when he returned, he wanted a shot at Samoa Joe and the ROH Heavyweight Championship. Homicide challenged Samoa Joe for the ROH World Championship once more at ''Reborn: Stage 1'' on April 23. Homicide showed signs of anger and frustration throughout the match, and after he scored what appeared to be a three count with a roll-up, but what the referee of the match ruled only a two count, he turned into a villainous character by knocking him out. As the recovered Joe went to attack Homicide, the lights in the arena went out and in the darkness Homicide threw a fireball at Joe, which led to him getting disqualified in the match. After the match, Homicide attacked referees and wrestlers who came to the ring to aid the badly burned Joe, before being apprehended by the rest of the locker room. In subsequent weeks, Homicide defeated fan favorites

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...

and Spanky, cheating and threatening referees in both matches. Homicide faced Joe for the ROH Heavyweight Championship for a third time on May 22 at ''Generation Next'', with Joe retaining in a match which saw him bleed for the first time in ROH. Homicide and Joe continued to feud throughout the summer of 2004, with Homicide recruiting a stable known as

The Rottweilers The Rottweilers were a professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor led by Homicide. The Rottweilers were known for their disrespect towards the Code of Honor and often used cheap tactics to win matches. History The Rottweilers started out as ...

(originally Low Ki,

Ricky Reyes Reyes Nunez (born August 28, 1978), better known by the ring name Ricky Reyes, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is known for his appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, World Wrestling Council, Lucha Underground and va ...

Rocky Romero John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...

and Julius Smokes) to help him defeat Joe. Despite the best efforts of The Rottweilers, Joe defeated Homicide to retain his title in a fourth match on July 23 at ''Death Before Dishonor II: Night 1''. The Rottweilers worked as a unit throughout the remainder of 2004, helping one another win matches.

Best of Five Series and feud with Jay Lethal (2005)

In January 2005 Homicide began a "best of five" series with American Dragon. Homicide was victorious in the first two matches, a

submission match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

and a taped fist match, but lost the remaining three matches - a

falls count anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, a

lumberjack match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

and a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

at ''The Final Showdown'' on May 13, 2005. Following his loss to American Dragon, Homicide and the Rottweilers began a feud with Jay Lethal. On May 7 at ''Manhattan Mayhem'', Homicide and Low Ki teamed together to defeat Lethal and Samoa Joe. Lethal was

stretcher A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...

ed from the arena wearing a

neck brace A cervical collar, also known as a neck brace, is a medical device used to support and immobilize a person's neck. It is also applied by emergency personnel to those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries, and can be used to treat chronic m ...

, apparently badly injured. With Lethal injured, Homicide turned his attentions to James Gibson, whom he defeated on June 12 at ''The Future Is Now''. After the match, The Rottweilers continued to attack Gibson until Lethal made his return and saved Gibson. This led to a match between Lethal and Homicide on July 9 at ''Escape from New York'', which Homicide won. On July 23 at ''The Homecoming'', Homicide and two fellow Rottweilers (Low Ki and

) defeated Samoa Joe, James Gibson and Jay Lethal in a six-man tag match. Low Ki fought Lethal to a no contest on August 12 at ''Redemption'', after Homicide came to ringside after the match to attack Lethal. His plan was foiled by

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...

, who intercepted Homicide and then defeated him in a scheduled singles bout. On August 13 at ''Punk: The Final Chapter'', Lethal and Samoa Joe defeated Homicide and Low Ki by disqualification after Homicide elbow-dropped the referee. From that point on, Lethal began feuding primarily with Low Ki.

Feud with Colt Cabana (2005–2006)

At ''Unforgettable'' on October 2 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Homicide teamed with Japanese wrestler

Kenta Kobashi is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1988, where he became one of the promotion's top stars, holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship three times, and winning the Champ ...

to defeat Samoa Joe and his stablemate Low Ki. Homicide teamed with Low Ki on October 14 at ''Enter the Dragon'' in a match that saw him lose to Cabana and his old rival Steve Corino, newly returned to the promotion. He faced Cabana in a singles match at ''Vendetta'' on November 5 that ended in a no contest. On November 19 at ''A Night of Tribute'', Homicide faced Cabana once again in a no disqualification rematch. Following interference from Julius Smokes and Grim Reefer, Homicide forced Cabana to submit by strangling him with a coat hanger. On December 3 in New York City at ''Steel Cage Warfare'', Homicide lost to Corino in a rematch from their feud of 2003. During the match, Homicide separated his shoulder, but opted not to have surgery. As a result of his injury, Homicide was unable to compete at the following show, ''Final Battle 2005''. He did show up, however, but with the intent on killing Steve Corino. Following Corino's match, Homicide ran down to the ring and attacked him. Colt Cabana ran down to the ring to save Corino, only to have Homicide pour

Drano Drano (styled as Drāno) is an American brand of chemical drain cleaner that is manufactured by S. C. Johnson & Son. Crystal Drano According to the National Institutes of Health's Household Products Database, the crystal form is composed of: * ...

down his throat. On January 14, at ROH's ''Hell Freezes Over'' Homicide lost the

Full Impact Pro Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the ...

Heavyweight Championship to Bryan Danielson in a three-way match which also included

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due to ...

, ending his reign of over 15 months. On February 25 at the ''Fourth Anniversary Show'', Homicide defeated Cabana in a " Ghetto Fight". Homicide went on to defeat Cabana once again on March 31. On April 1, in a Chicago Street Fight, Cabana finally defeated Homicide. Following the match, Homicide and Cabana embraced, with Cabana having won Homicide's respect.

Ring of Homicide (2006)

Throughout mid-2006, Homicide resisted

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling sh ...

's (CZW) invasion of Ring of Honor until May 13, 2006, when he defeated

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pro W ...

after a wild brawl in Edison, New Jersey, which involved over 600 chairs being thrown into the ring by the fans. He also challenged Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship on June 3, but lost due to referee stoppage, prompting Homicide to attack referee Todd Sinclair. After defeating

Chris Hero Chris Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of independent wrestling pr ...

, the leader of the CZW invasion, on June 17, Homicide said he would quit Ring of Honor if he did not win the ROH World Championship by the end of the year. His frustration with Ring of Honor grew when he was counted-out during an

ROH Pure Championship The ROH Pure Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participant ...

bout with

Nigel McGuinness Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1976), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English actor, professional wrestling commentator and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE where he worked as a color ...

on June 24. On July 15, Homicide took part in a five-on-five Cage of Death match pitting members of the Ring of Honor roster against members of the CZW roster, winning the bout for his team by pinning Nate Webb. Following the match, Homicide told Ring of Honor commissioner

Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...

that he wished to be rewarded with a shot at the ROH World Championship, a match with Steve Corino and the re-instatement of Low Ki, who Cornette had suspended several months earlier. After Cornette granted the first two "wishes" but refused to bring back Low Ki, Homicide spat in his face, prompting Cornette and his bodyguard,

Adam Pearce Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American professional wrestling executive and former professional wrestler. He is currently employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer, trainer, ...

, to beat Homicide down. A match was scheduled for August 5 between Homicide and Pearce, which eventually turned into a tag team match involving Homicide, B. J. Whitmer, Steve Corino and Adam Pearce. Homicide then began teaming with Samoa Joe against the Briscoes. His feud with Jim Cornette came to an abrupt end, when Cornette left Ring of Honor on November 4, 2006. On November 25, Homicide and Samoa Joe beat the Briscoes in a Street Fight, thus ending their feud. Homicide then focused on facing Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship at ''Final Battle 2006''. He stated that if he did not win the ROH World Title at Final Battle, he would leave ROH. On December 23, Homicide defeated Bryan Danielson in 29:12 to win the ROH title. Adam Pearce and Shane Hagadorn attacked Homicide at one point and it was stopped, but the ref refused to end it on a DQ. At another point, Danielson would not break on the ropes and again the ref refused to call a DQ. Danielson even managed to get his hand on the rope after a '' Cop Killa''. Homicide finally won with a

lariat A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

World Championship reign and farewell (2007)

Homicide defended successfully against Chris Hero and Samoa Joe on January 26 and 27. Homicide then successfully defended the championship against

Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Ear ...

on February 16 in the same building where he won the belt, the

Manhattan Center The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballroo ...

in New York City. The next evening, however, in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory, Homicide was defeated for the ROH World Championship by

Takeshi Morishima (born October 15, 1978) is a Japanese former professional wrestler. Morishima is best known for his work with Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a former three-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has also performed for Ring of Honor (ROH) in the Uni ...

, a Japanese professional wrestler visiting the United States. The two would compete against each other again at ''Fifth Year Festival: Chicago'', when Homicide teamed with Samoa Joe to face Morishima and Nigel McGuinness. On March 30, 2007, Homicide won a match against Christopher Daniels at ''All Star Extravaganza 3''. After the match, Jim Cornette returned alongside Adam Pearce and Shane Hagadorn and they delivered a beating to Homicide until Colt Cabana and Delirious made the save. The next night, Homicide in a surprise match teamed with Colt Cabana for the first time to defeat Brent Albright and Adam Pearce at ''Supercard of Honor 2''. On May 2, 2007, Ring of Honor announced on their website that they had signed a

Pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

deal with G-Funk Sports & Entertainment. Following the announcement,

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

pulled Homicide and

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrest ...

, both under contracts with TNA, from all Ring of Honor shows. Homicide competed in what was to become his final match at ''Good Times, Great Memories'' held on April 28, a Four Corners Survival match against

Brent Albright Brent Albright (born November 28, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, during which he appeared on ''SmackDown!'' as Gunner Scott. Aside from WWE, Albright is a o ...

, B. J. Whitmer and

. At Respect is Earned on May 12, the night ROH taped their first pay-per-view, Homicide returned to deliver a farewell speech in front of his hometown crowd of New York City.

The Latin American Xchange (2008)

Over a year later, Homicide returned to ROH as part of the TNA tag team

LAX Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...

, replacing

The Motor City Machine Guns The Motor City Machine Guns is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where they are three-time and current Impact World Tag Team Champions. The tea ...

who were originally booked. On October 24, 2008, in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, Homicide and his partner Hernandez won a four-way, non-title Iron Team match against

Kevin Steen and El Generico Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were a Canadian professional wrestling tag team. Prior to signing with WWE, El Generico and Kevin Steen teamed in Ring of Honor (ROH) and across the independent circuit, nicknamed "Steenerico" by fans. History Ring ...

, Sweet 'n' Sour Inc.'s

and Davey Richards and

The Age of the Fall The Age of the Fall was an American professional wrestling stable, primarily in Ring of Honor and its sister promotion Full Impact Pro, but also in other independent promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. History Ring of Honor 2007 Fo ...

(

Jimmy Jacobs Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He was recently signed to Impact Wrestling as a member of the creative team and producer. He is best known for his 1 ...

and

Tyler Black Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...

). The next night in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It is ...

, they lost to The

Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin "Jay" Pugh) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh). They are known for their 19-year tenure with the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). and ...

International Wrestling Association (2003, 2009)

Homicide has wrestled in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

for

Savio Vega Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1964) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion ...

and Miguel Pérez Jr.'s promotion, the International Wrestling Association (IWA), first in 2003 as a challenger to the

IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship was a title for wrestlers that weight 225 pounds and under that was being defended in the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico. The championship is generally contested in professional wr ...

, losing to titleholder Freddie "Blitz" Lozada. He subsequently returned in 2009, when LAX exchanged victories with Los Dueños de la Malicia, a tag team composed of Dennis Rivera and Noel Rodríguez, capturing the

IWA World Tag Team Championship IWA World Tag Team Championship is a Tag Team Championship defended in Puerto Rico.The titles were first introduced in the first incarnation of the International Wrestling Association, where they are defended. They also made a brief appearance i ...

once.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

The Latin American Xchange (2005–2009)

Homicide debuted in

(TNA) on December 31, 2005, helping

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...

and Apolo beat down

Bob Armstrong Joseph Melton James (October 3, 1939 – August 27, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. In the course of his career, which spanned five decades, Armstrong held numerous championship ...

. The trio, identified as

The Latin American Xchange The Latin American Xchange (LAX) is a professional wrestling stable that has wrestled in various incarnations primarily for Total Nonstop Action / Impact Wrestling and currently in Major League Wrestling (MLW). The group achieved initial succe ...

, then challenged Konnan's rivals, B.G. James and

Kip James Monty Kip Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, although he is currently finding renewed popularity under the ring name Daddy Ass, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wr ...

. At

Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...

on January 15, Konnan and Homicide defeated

The Naturals The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three-time NWA World Tag Team Champions. History ...

. At Against All Odds on February 12, Homicide and new LAX member

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lost to

The James Gang James Gang is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass), and ...

. At

Destination X Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches. It w ...

on March 12, the LAX were once again defeated by the James Gang in a rematch. On July 20, 2006, Homicide and his current LAX tag team partner, Hernandez, became involved in a feud with

A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels were recurring tag team partners in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), having won the NWA World Tag Team Championship two times in their regular run as teammates. In real life, A.J. Styles and Christopher Da ...

for the

. On the episode of '' Impact!'' aired on August 24, 2006, Homicide and Hernandez defeated Styles and Daniels in a border brawl to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship. On September 24, 2006, at

No Surrender No Surrender may refer to: Politics * "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England *No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans ...

, Homicide and Hernandez lost the NWA World Tag Team Championship back to Styles and Daniels in an

Ultimate X match The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling aka TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match format ...

. He and Hernandez regained the title from Styles and Daniels in a

Six Sides of Steel match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

at Bound for Glory after he hit Styles with ''Da Gringo Killa''. On November 19, 2006, LAX defeated

America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Alternative Entertainment division of Fox Corporation. At the time of i ...

(AMW) to retain the NWA World Tag Title at

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

. On December 10, 2006, LAX defeated AMW in a non-title flag match at

Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...

. LAX went on to defend the tag title against

Team 3D The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...

, without Konnan at ringside - who was beaten down by Team 3D (in a

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

angle to explain Konnan's absence for surgery) - and retained after Brother Runt, dressed like

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

and apparently drunk, gave a diving headbutt to Homicide, and caused Team 3D to be disqualified. On February 27 edition of ''Impact!'', LAX attacked

Johnny Rodz John Rodriguez (born May 16, 1941) is an American former professional wrestler. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz. Professional wrestling career World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling ...

as they were in New York. This was done in retaliation to the attack on Konnan, as was the attack on Brother Ray's uncle a few weeks previous. Johnny Rodz was the man who trained

Brother Devon Devon Hughes (born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works backstage as a producer. Hughes wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the WWF/E ...

to be a wrestler. Team 3D, in retaliation to ''that'', then made a challenge to LAX, offering to face them at

in a Ghetto Brawl. LAX accepted the offer and defeated Team 3D at the event. LAX later challenged Team 3D to an electrified steel-cage match at

Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

, at which LAX lost the NWA World Tag Team Championship to Team 3D. With the release of

and Hernandez on a hiatus, Homicide took part in the X-Division Gauntlet at Victory Road but was eliminated by

. On the July 26 episode of ''Impact!'', LAX defeated

and then come back to the ring to help the

Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team mad ...

when VKM and Team 3D started to choke them with the Puerto Rican flag, turning face in the process along with the Steiner Brothers. LAX and VKM faced each other in a tag match at

Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...

, which LAX won. At TNA's biggest show of the year Bound for Glory, LAX defeated Triple X in an Ultimate X match giving them a shot at the

. They got their shot on ''Impact!'', where they lost to A.J. Styles and Tomko. At

in 2008, LAX got back in the title picture by defeating The Motor City Machineguns and The Rock 'n Rave Infection (

Lance Hoyt Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Lance Archer. He also makes sporadic appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for ...

and

) in a number one contender's match. At

Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

, LAX won the vacant

after defeating Team 3D in the finals of the "Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament, Deuces Wild Tag Team Championship Tournament". Homicide and Hernandez then moved into a feud with Beer Money Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode), first defeating Beer Money in a ''Fans Revenge Lumberjack match'' at TNA's Victory Road (2008), Victory Road pay-per-view. A rematch however, took place at the August pay per view, Hard Justice (2008), Hard Justice where they lost their tag title to Beer Money Inc. and Erazo was (kayfabe) injured in the process. He made a return by beating on Beer Money with his eye still patched up after Beer Money's match against Shark Boy and Super Eric. At Final Resolution (December 2008), Final Resolution in the Feast or Fired match, Homicide won the briefcase containing a TNA X Division Championship shot, only to have it stolen by The British Invasion (professional wrestling), The British Invasion of Nick Aldis, Brutus Magnus, Doug Williams (wrestler), Doug Williams and Rob Terry on the April 30 episode of ''Impact!''. On the July 9, 2009, episode of ''Impact!'', Homicide defeated Williams in a ladder match to win back the briefcase containing the number one contender's contract for the TNA X Division Championship. On the July 16 episode of ''Impact!'', Homicide cashed in the briefcase on Suicide (character), Suicide to win the X Division Championship, winning his first singles title in TNA. At Hard Justice (2009), Hard Justice Homicide lost the title to Samoa Joe.

World Elite (2009–2010)

On the September 10 edition of ''Impact!'', Homicide turned heel by attacking Hernandez and joining World Elite (Eric Young (wrestler), Eric Young, Shawn Daivari, Sheik Abdul Bashir, Akira Raijin, Kiyoshi and the British Invasion), thus signaling the end of the Latin American Xchange. Afterwards Homicide's character became an uncontrollable loose cannon, attacking anyone from his opponents to announcers and referees after his matches, rarely being seen with the other members of World Elite. On the October 22 edition of ''Impact!'' Homicide defeated the X Division Champion Amazing Red to earn himself a return match for the title at Turning Point (2009 wrestling), Turning Point. At the Pay-Per-View Red defeated Homicide to retain his title. On the January 4, 2010, live, three-hour, Monday night edition of ''Impact!'' Homicide competed in an eight-man Professional wrestling match types#Thundercage, Steel Asylum match, which ended in a no contest, after he attacked his opponents, including his World Elite partner Kiyoshi, with a Baton (law enforcement), baton. After the match Homicide also attacked Jeff Hardy, who made his return to the company after a four-year absence, but ended up being laid out after a chair shot and the Cutter (professional wrestling)#Twist of Fate, Twist of Fate. This event would also mark the last time World Elite was mentioned on TNA television. After spending the next couple of months wrestling mainly on ''TNA Xplosion, Xplosion'', Homicide returned to ''Impact!'' on March 22, showing signs of a face turn when he came out to check on his former partner Hernandez, who was being helped by medics after he had been laid out by his new World Tag Team Championship partner Matt Morgan (wrestler), Matt Morgan. At Lockdown (2010), Lockdown Homicide defeated Brian Kendrick, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in a four-way Professional wrestling match types#Xscape match, Xscape match to earn the right to challenge for the vacant X Division Championship in a three-way match against Frankie Kazarian, Kazarian and Shannon Moore, later in the night. In the match for the title, Homicide was pinned by Kazarian. On the June 24 edition of ''Impact!'' Homicide turned face by attacking Matt Morgan, when he was calling out Hernandez, who was not present at the building. Morgan ended up kicking Homicide's head into the ring post, just like he did with Hernandez three months prior. In July Erazo was sidelined with a groin injury, which he tried to rehab without having to go through surgery. Erazo, who had been requesting for a release from TNA for over a year, was finally released from his contract on August 19, 2010.

Return to the independent circuit (2010–2021)

On September 10, 2010, Homicide made his return to the independent circuit at a Combat Zone Wrestling event, where he announced that his return match for the company would take place on October 9, when he would face Sami Callihan. The following day he appeared for Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve, confronting Johnny Gargano and Jon Moxley. On October 9 Homicide defeated Sami Callihan in the main event of CZW's ''It's Always Bloody in Philadelphia''. On November 20 Homicide made his in–ring debut for Evolve, losing to Jon Moxley via controversial referee stoppage. The following day Homicide made his debut for Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara, losing to Eddie Kingston in the main event of the evening. On December 11, 2010, at the Cage of Death XII pay-per-view, Homicide challenged Jon Moxley for the CZW World Heavyweight Championship, but was unsuccessful in dethroning the defending champion. On December 19 Homicide unsuccessfully challenged Wagner Brown, Slyck Wagner Brown for the 2CW Heavyweight Championship at a Squared Circle Wrestling event. In February 2011, Homicide travelled to Perth, Western Australia to compete at New Horizon Pro Wrestling's Battle of Honor event on February 11. He defeated Tama Williams in the main event to win the NHPW Art of Fighting Championship. On May 13, Homicide made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, during the NJPW Invasion Tour 2011, Invasion Tour 2011, the promotion's first tour of the United States, teaming with Low Ki in a tag team match, where they defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IV, Tiger Mask. At the following day's event, Homicide teamed with Davey Richards and Rhino (wrestler), Rhino in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Kazuchika Okada, Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe. On the third and final day of the tour in Philadelphia, Homicide and Low Ki, known collectively as the Strong Style Thugz, unsuccessfully challenged Apollo 55 (Fergal Devitt, Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. In 2011, it was revealed that Homicide had signed a contract to take part in a new hiphop/pro wrestling collaboration, the Urban Wrestling Federation, with tapings of the first three one-hour pay-per-views taking place on June 3. In the main event of the first PPV, First Blood, Homicide defeated Eddie Kingston to advance to the finals of the tournament to determine the first ever UWF Champion. In the main event of the third pay-per-view Street King, a four-way elimination match for the UWF Championship, Homicide managed to eliminate Bestia 666, Bestia, before being eliminated himself by Ricky Reyes. Eventually, Rasche Brown went on to become the inaugural champion. On June 29, 2012, Homicide took part in Extreme Rising promotion's first event in Corona, Queens, Corona, New York, defeating Crowbar (wrestler), Devon Storm. On November 17 at Remember November, Homicide was defeated by Rhino in the first round of the Extreme Rising World Championship tournament. On June 23, 2013, Homicide and Eddie Kingston were defeated by the Steiner Brothers at a House of Hardcore event. On November 9, Homicide and Kingston were defeated by Devon and Matt Hardy at House of Hardcore 3. On September 19, 2014, Homicide returned to Chikara, when he, Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero Jr., representing LAX, took part in the King of Trios#2014, 2014 King of Trios. They were eliminated from the tournament in the first round by the Golden Trio (Dasher Hatfield, Icarus (wrestler), Icarus and Mark Angelosetti).

Return to ROH (2010–2013)

On September 11, 2010, Homicide made his return to Ring of Honor at the live Glory By Honor IX pay-per-view, where he confronted Roderick Strong, who had just defeated Tyler Black for the ROH World Championship. On October 1 Homicide wrestled his first match since his release from TNA, defeating Tony Kozina at a ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' taping. On December 18 Homicide made his ROH pay-per-view debut at Final Battle 2010, where he defeated ROH World Television Championship, ROH World Television Champion Christopher Daniels in a non–title match to earn a shot at the ROH World Championship at the following pay-per-view. Homicide received his shot at the ROH World Championship on February 26, 2011, at ROH 9th Anniversary Show, 9th Anniversary Show, but was unable to regain the title from Roderick Strong in a No Holds Barred match. On March 19 at ''Manhattan Mayhem IV'', The Latin American Xchange wrestled their first match together in 19 months, when they faced the ROH World Tag Team Championship, ROH World Tag Team Champions, The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Antonio Cesaro, Claudio Castagnoli) in a losing effort. Homicide then began feuding with The Embassy (professional wrestling), The Embassy, suffering an upset loss against Tommaso Ciampa on April 2 at Honor Takes Center Stage, albeit following outside interference from Princess Mia. After the match Homicide threw a steel chair at the Embassy's barrister Robert Evans (wrestler), R.D. Evans. Homicide faced Ciampa in a rematch on May 6, but was defeated again following outside interference from Mia and a brass knuckles shot from Ciampa. Afterwards, Homicide took out his frustrations on Embassy member Ernesto Osiris. Following the event, R.D. Evans filed a storyline lawsuit against Homicide, accusing him of attempted murder, assault and battery, attempted sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. On June 26 at Best in the World 2011, Homicide defeated Embassy's newest member Rhino in a Street Fight. The event marked Homicide's final appearance for ROH as he had signed an exclusive contract with the Urban Wrestling Federation. Homicide returned to ROH on September 17 at the Death Before Dishonor IX internet pay-per-view, as his UWF contract prohibited him only from working television shows and regular pay-per-views. At the event, Homicide teamed with fellow TNA alum and ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Embassy representatives Rhino and Tommaso Ciampa, when Ciampa pinned Homicide. Homicide's next ROH appearance took place on March 4, 2012, at the ROH 10th Anniversary Show, 10th Anniversary Show, where he was defeated by Mike Bennett (wrestler), Mike Bennett. At the May 18 tapings of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Homicide returned to ROH, saving Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards from Mike Bennett and Bob Evans (wrestler), "Brutal" Bob Evans, before turning on him and laying him out with ''Da Cop Killa''. On June 24 at Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis, Homicide defeated Edwards in a singles match. As a result, Homicide was granted a shot at the ROH World Championship, but was defeated by the defending champion, Kevin Owens, Kevin Steen, on August 3. On August 17, 2013, Homicide returned to ROH, forming a new tag team with Eddie Kingston. In their return match, the two defeated Marshall Law (Q.T. Marshall and R.D. Evans). Following the main event of the evening, Homicide and Kingston attacked new ROH World Tag Team Champions, reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly), before announcing their intention of taking down "corporate ROH" and revealing their team name as "Outlaw Inc.". Homicide and Kingston, however, claimed that they had come to ROH to help Match Maker Nigel McGuinness and take out those they felt were bad for the promotion. As part of the gimmick, Homicide and Kingston wore suits and followed the Ring of Honor#Code of Honor, Code of Honor. After defeating The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) on November 16, Outlaw Inc. were named the next challengers for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Outlaw Inc. received their title shot on December 14 at Final Battle 2013, but were defeated by reDRagon. Post-match, Homicide announced that they were no longer going to play by ROH's rules.

Dragon Gate USA (2010–2011)

On October 29 at the Bushido: Code of the Warrior pay-per-view, Homicide made his debut for Dragon Gate USA, in a match, where he, representing the World–1 stable, defeated Rich Swann. Afterwards, Homicide was attacked backstage by Jon Moxley, a member of the rival Kamikaze USA stable. At the following day's tapings of Freedom Fight 2010, Homicide and his World–1 stable mate BxB Hulk defeated Kamikaze USA's Jon Moxley and Akira Tozawa in a tag team match. After the match both Homicide and Hulk were laid out by Kamikaze USA. On January 30, 2011, at ''United: Finale'' Homicide faced Moxley in a No Rules match. Homicide dominated the match, before suddenly allowing Moxley to pin himself for the win. After the match Homicide explained that he did not care about winning or losing and continued to attack Moxley, before he was saved by Akira Tozawa.

Return to TNA (2013–2015)

On March 17, 2013, Homicide returned to TNA to take part in the tapings of the 10 Reunion TNA One Night Only, One Night Only pay-per-view, teaming with Hernandez in a three-way tag team match, where they were defeated by Team 3D and which also included Bad Influence (professional wrestling), Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian). Two days later, LAX defeated The Disciples of the New Church (Nick Cvjetkovich, Sinn and Wolfie D, Slash) at the tapings of the Hardcore Justice 2 pay-per-view. Homicide made another return to TNA on July 18 to take part in the Destination X (2013), Destination X episode of ''Impact Wrestling''. Entering a tournament to determine the new X Division Champion, he was defeated by Sonjay Dutt in a first round three-way match, which also included Petey Williams. Homicide returned to TNA on June 26, 2014, to take part in the tapings of Destination X (2014), Destination X, losing to

in a three-way match, which also included Tigre Uno. Following the taping, it was reported that Homicide was back in TNA full-time going forward. On the April 10, 2015, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Homicide returned to attacking The Rising and joining The Beat Down Clan, most likely to replace Samoa Joe who had left the company. The following week on ''Impact Wrestling'', Homicide was assigned by Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP to attack Kurt Angle, which led to a backstage brawl spilling into the ring which caused both The BDC and The Rising to get involved. Then Homicide suffered a shoulder injury. During his injury, The Beat Down Clan was dissolved on July 15, 2015. Homicide's profile on the Impactwrestling.com roster page was moved to the alumni section on July 24, confirming his departure from the company.

Second return to Impact Wrestling (2017–2018)

On March 16, 2017, episode of ''Impact'', Homicide returned with

, reforming

(LAX) alongside newcomers Angel Ortiz (wrestler), Ortiz, Mike Draztik, Santana, and Diamante (female wrestler), Diamante. On the July 5, 2018, episode of ''Impact'', he turned on LAX by forming an alliance with Eddie Kingston, King and his former tag team partner Hernandez, turning heel in the process. They later became known as The OGz. At the Bound for Glory (2018), Bound for Glory on October 14, The OGz lost to LAX in a Professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations, Concrete Jungle Death match. After several months, Homicide was moved to alumni section of the website.

National Wrestling Alliance (2019–present)

Homicide debuted for the

(NWA) at their television tapings on September 30 for NWA Power. At the tapings he formed an alliance with Eddie Kingston. At the pay-per-view Crockett Cup (2022), Crockett Cup event, Homicide defeated

, Colby Corino, and Darius Lockhart to become the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title on November 12, 2022 at NWA Hard Times 3 to Kerry Morton, ending his reign at 237 days.

Second return to Ring of Honor (2021–2022)

On March 26, 2021, at ROH 19th Anniversary Show, Homicide made his

return, in a new faction called Violence Unlimited consisting of Tony Deppen, Brody King, and Chris Dickinson (wrestler), Chris Dickinson as they attacked Los Ingobernables, La Faccion Ingobernable.

All Elite Wrestling (2021)

On September 24, 2021, Homicide made his AEW debut at AEW Grand Slam, Rampage: Grand Slam coming to the rescue of Jon Moxley and

during their Lights Out match against Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer.

Personal life

Erazo is a member of the large Puerto Rican community in New York, colloquially known as "Nuyoricans". He initially wrestled as The Latin Terror, a reference to his Latin American ethnicity. However, Erazo grew bored with the Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick in 1995 and decided to create a new character based on his own past. He had been a gang member as a youth, and he incorporated this into the Homicide character, taking his ring name from an episode of ''America's Most Wanted'' where a man was arrested for the crime of homicide. Erazo has subsequently stated that he represents both "New York and Puerto Rico", frequently implementing the flag of Puerto Rico into his wrestling apparel and often carrying it unmodified to the ring. Outside of professional wrestling, Erazo was married in 1994 and is the father of two children, a son and a daughter.

Championships and accomplishments

*Assault Championship Wrestling **ACW Great American Championship (ACW Great American Championship#Title history, 1 time) *

**BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship (BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *Catalyst Wrestling **Catalyst Wrestling Heavyweight Champion (1 time) *Doghouse Championship Wrestling **DCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **DCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Grim Reefer *Eastern Pro Wrestling **EPW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) *

**FIP World Heavyweight Championship, FIP Heavyweight Championship (FIP World Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) **FIP World Heavyweight Championship, FIP Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2004) *Impact Championship Wrestling **ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Boogalou *Indie Hall of Fame **Class of 2022 * International Wrestling Association **

(IWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Hernandez **

(IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South **IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship (IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with

*International Wrestling Union **IWU Georgia Championship (3 times) *

(JAPW Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 7 times) **

(JAPW Tag Team Championship#Title history, 7 times) – with Kane D (2), Don Montoya (1),

(1),

(1), Hernandez (1) and Eddie Kingston (1) **JAPW Hall of Fame (2016) *Jersey Championship Wrestling **Game Changer Wrestling World Championship, JCW Championship (1 time) *Long Island Wrestling Federation **LIWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **LIWF Lightweight Championship (1 time) **LIWF New Jersey Championship (1 time) *

**NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *New Horizon Pro Wrestling **Global Conflict Shield Tournament (2011) **NHPW Art of Fighting Championship (1 time) *NWA Wildside **NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship, NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship (NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) – with Kory Chavis, Rainman *Outlaw Wrestling **Outlaw Wrestling Championship (1 time, current) *

**PWG World Tag Team Championship, PWG Tag Team Championship (List of PWG World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with B-Boy **List of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla tournaments#Tango & Cash Invitational, Tango & Cash Invitational (2004) – with B-Boy *''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **Ranked No. 54 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500 in 2007 *Pro Wrestling Unplugged **PWU Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

**ROH World Championship (List of ROH World Champions, 1 time) **ROH World Tag Team Championship (List of ROH World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) - with Chris Dickinson (wrestler), Chris Dickinson **Tag Wars Tournament#Trios Tournament, Trios Tournament (2005) – with

and

** #1 Contenders Trophy (2003) *River City Wrestling (San Antonio) **RCW Legends Championship (1 time) **RCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hernandez *

(List of NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2 times) – with Hernandez **

(List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Hernandez **TNA X Division Championship (List of TNA X Division Champions, 1 time) **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament, Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament (2008) – with Hernandez **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired, Feast or Fired (Final Resolution (December 2008), 2008 – Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired#Results, X Division Championship contract) **Match of the Year (2006) with Hernandez vs.

at No Surrender (2006), TNA Surrender on September 24, 2006 *USA Pro Wrestling / USA Xtreme Wrestling **USA Pro Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **USA Pro United States Championship (1 time) **UXW Xtreme Championship (2 times) *VIP Wrestling **VIP Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Warriors of Wrestling **WOW No Limits Championship (1 time) *''List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' **List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Gimmick, Best Gimmick (2006) with Hernandez as

**List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Tag Team of the Year, Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Hernandez as The Latin American Xchange *Other titles **MAS Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) **WMF All Borough Championship (3 times)

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Homicide 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Brooklyn American people of Puerto Rican descent American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from New York (state) Puerto Rican male professional wrestlers TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions ROH World Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers ROH World Tag Team Champions PWG World Tag Team Champions FIP World Heavyweight Champions Professional wrestlers from New York City BJW Junior Heavyweight Champions (original version) NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions NWA World Tag Team Champions NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions