This year, 2019, marks the 25th anniversary of the debut of professional wrestler Homicide. While he’s best remembered now as a multi-time tag team champion in LAX for TNA/IMPACT Wrestling and former Ring of Honor World Champion, the indie veteran is also a pioneer from the New York/New Jersey indie scene and beyond. To commemorate the occasion, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) is presenting 5150: A Tribute to Homicide this Sunday night, live on Fite.tv at 4pm EST, as many indie veterans and emerging stars come together to pay tribute to a legend of the US indie scene. Here’s a look at the announced card for this Sunday’s tribute to 25 Years of 187.
GCW – 5150: A Tribute to Homicide (7/14/19)
Philly’s Most Wanted (BLK Jeez & Joker ) vs. KTB & Steve Mack
Although he’s now associated more with the renegade faction BLK OUT in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), before that BLK Jeez was part of the tandem Philly’s Most Wanted, with Joker. Originally just Sabian & Joker from 2004 to 2010, they turned it up from 2010 to 2012 as Philly’s Most Wanted, with Sabian becoming BLK Jeez. PMW faced the original LAX on a few occasions back in the day, and in BLK OUT, BLK Jeez faced Homicide for years when 187 paired with Eddie Kingston. Homicide faced KTB back at GCW The Arrival in 2017, and Steve “Monsta” Mack is a Homicide pupil who, as part of Tha Hit Squad with Dan Maff, faced one of his mentors on multiple occasions in tag team wars. This will be a real throwback kind of match, of the kind of tag team wrestling that prevailed in the East Coast indie scene of the early 2000s.
Laredo Kid vs. Gringo Loco vs. Azrieal vs. Ophidian vs. Deranged vs. Ghost Shadow
While some of these names are only now finding an audience outside of their locals in Mexico and the US, this match is loaded with East Coast indie veterans and pioneers. Laredo Kid is a 16-year pro in Mexico who is just breaking into the US scene, appearing for IMPACT as well as All Elite Wrestling. Gringo Loco is now a regular on Major League Wrestling (MLW), but he’s been busting his butt as part of the vibrant Chicago indie scene for 19 years. Azrieal (as Angel Dust) and Deranged were both members of the early 2000s stable Special K, part of ROH’s earliest days and have fought throughout ROH and the Jersey indies. Ophidian is an East Coast veteran best known for his 12-year career with CHIKARA, and former Homicide student Ghost Shadow, a rising star on the Jersey indies in the mid-2000s, makes his return to the ring after nearly 15 years.
Jimmy Lloyd vs. Matt Travis
The “young guys” match, features two young stallions that are ready to become breakout stars in 2020. Jimmy Lloyd, at only 21 years old, is the new Prince of American Hardcore, who has risen through the ranks of CZW and is now a top star with GCW on most events. He recently headlined GCW’s buzzworthy Backyard Wrestling PPV last week. His opponent, Matt Travis, is one of the 24-year old sensations from House of Glory (HOG) Wrestling in New York City. Tough and skilled, these two are on the verge of greatness.
Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Dickinson
Two of the toughest men in the US indies and veterans who have helped shape part of the East Coast’s scene. Eddie Kingston, a former tag team partner of Homicide in Outlaw Inc., is a 17-year veteran and former CHIKARA Grand Champion and CZW World Champion. He’s facing one of the aces of Beyond Wrestling and former EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Chris Dickinson, who is one of the hardest hitters in the game. It’s the immovable object versus the unstoppable force, as these two wrecking balls collide on Sunday.
“Spyder” Nate Webb vs. Grim Reefer vs. Teddy Hart vs. Pinkie Sanchez
“Spyder” Nate Webb was one of the faces of IWA Mid South for 20 years, and the 2x IWA Mid South Junior Heavyweight Champion is a hardcore legend. Much like Nick Gage, he’s found a new lease on life and career as a regular with GCW and continues to entertain at a top level. Another 20-year veteran is New York’s Grim Reefer, who has been wrestling Homicide since their Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW) days in the early 2000s (JCW is the company that rebranded as GCW in 2015 under new management). Teddy Hart is into his 22nd year of pro wrestling, returning to tribute a man he’s wrestled since he headed to New Jersey from Calgary in the mid-2000s. He and Homicide fought each other in Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) for years. Another New York indie veteran, 15-year pro Pinkie Sanchez ran with JAPW early in his career, as well as CZW and CHIKARA.
Joey Janela vs. Low Ki
A huge indie match up, as “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela gets some dream matches out of the way before he heads full time to AEW in the fall. One of indie wrestling’s true rebels without a cause, Janela is facing one of the absolute pioneers of the New York/New Jersey indie scene, in former MLW World Champion, ROH World Champion, PWG World Champion, 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and 5x IMPACT X-Division Champion Low Ki. A 21-year veteran of the game himself, he was an early trainee of Homicide himself.
GCW World Championship: Nick Gage (c) vs. Low Life Louie
Nick Gage, the King of American Hardcore, puts his GCW World Championship on the line against 22-year veteran (and Homicide student) Low Life Louie. Louie is a former JAPW Suicidal Champion, who has re-established himself the past few years with Hardcore Hustle Organization (H2O) and GCW. If you want blood…you got it.
LAX OG’s (Homicide & Hernandez) vs. LAX (Santana & Ortiz)
It was inevitable. The OG’s vs LAX storyline ended in IMPACT Wrestling at last year’s Bound For Glory with that insane Concrete Jungle Deathmatch with no ring cover. And now, nine months later, they will have their rematch. In Homicide’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York. In a GCW ring. With absolutely zero network concerns, these four are going to go to battle for perhaps the final time (if rumors of LAX heading to AEW or WWE come to fruition). This will not disappoint.
