Homicide Opens Up About Retirement Match, Getting Cyst Removed, Needing Eye Surgery & If He Wants To Wrestle Again

Candid comments from Homicide.

After 32 years as a wrestler, Homicide put a bow on his in-ring career and had what was billed as his final match. The former ROH World Champion opened up about his retirement during an interview with Counted Out.

His final match featured him teaming with Bull James to take on Afa Jr. and Mike Santana. Homicide explained why he chose those individuals to be part of the match and revealed that the original plan for his retirement bout was to have Low Ki involved.

“The original plan was supposed to be me and Low Ki, and the reason why because he’s one of my best buddies… But he’s going through a personal issue and couldn’t do it, and I said, out of nowhere, Bull James… loved him for years because he always believed in me… If you believe in me, I’m best friends with you. He gave me a promotion. I was gonna help him make the promotion bigger. Then we got Afa Jr., man, I love too much. It’s a funny story that I did his show in Pennsylvania and his father, Afa Sr., was the first major Hall of Famer name that booked me, and I wrestled one of the guys and just I kicked his butt. He loved it, and he’s like, ‘Yo, small dude, but I like the way you work.’ ‘Yeah, my trainer’s Manny Fernandez and so I need to do good.’ He loved it and he always treated me with major love. One day he was like, ‘I need to see you,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna see you real soon.’ Next day, he passed away. That was so heartbreaking for me, so, I had this guilt, this thing in my heart that I need to see him but, he left, he went to the pearly gates. So I did Afa Jr.’s show and K.C. Navarro who’s another great guy gave me the microphone… I did a speech and I got choked up. The reason why because it was the closure that I need for Afa Jr., and I was so happy to be there and gave my speech, and man, Junior, I love Junior. I love him so he’s part of my guys that I need to have a last match with him, and I also wanted Mike Santana. He’s like my kid in wrestling, and dude, Santana, he’s an ace now for TNA Wrestling. So, when we did the match — it didn’t hit me yet — but two days, it hit me. It really did. So I’m happy to have my match with Bull James, with Santana and Afa in Brooklyn, and it’s a blessing. It was good.”

Another name that Homicide inquired about for his retirement match was WWE NXT coach Steve Corino because of their rivalry from their time together in Ring of Honor.

“But some people got personal things. One of ‘em was (Steve) Corino but, he works for WWE, he’s a coach, and I did ask for permission, and it didn’t work out… I wanted Corino because first it was Low Ki, couldn’t happen. Then Corino, it couldn’t happen. I dropped some names and I said, ‘Let’s do the tag match. Santana and Afa against me and Bull James.”

One of the reasons Homicide opted to step away from in-ring competition was because of a cyst on his brain.

Homicide provided a health update and shared that the cyst has been removed. He added that he does need to undergo eye surgery.

“So people thought I had a cyst. It was very small but they told me that if I don’t treat it well, it become(s) a tumor and maybe cancer. So it’s one of those I gotta get this done. It was bothering my speech… Just imagine, it was drinking too much beer or liquor, and I was very normal with my ability but with this, it was kicking my — anyway, so they put the tube in my nose, they sucked the cyst out. To me, that’s great, great news for me. Now I gotta get my eyes surgery… My nose is bad. I’m going to a mental therapist. Just talk, I’ll be okay because sometimes I forget who I am and what I did. The 30 years I’d been wrestling, it was no breaks, it was just go. So think about Bret Hart as independent wrestler. He don’t take no breaks. So I did it for 30 years…. My eyes is not blurry. It shakes. Every time I walk, it’s shaking.”

The question of whether he would want to come back to the ring was brought up. He said his mind is telling him one thing while his heart is telling him something else. He has a ‘never say never’ mindset about the idea of returning to the ring.

“Well, it’s kind of funny because someone told me the same thing. They told me, ‘Dude, your idol is Terry Funk. You are the Puerto Rican Terry Funk’ and I get it. But I tell people, ‘My heart say I come back. My mind saying nope, you’re not…’ Not that I’m confused. It’s something like I do wanna come back. But, I got nothing to prove, and never say never. You never know but as of right now, I love to be an agent, producer or coach. That’s my thing right now… I’m still in shape when it comes to body cardio. I still work out. That’s kind of my therapy. Go to the gym, so I still got it. I’m 48, but I still got it.”

Homicide wrestled in over 1,300 matches throughout his 32-year career. He’s won titles in Big Japan, NWA, TNA, and PWG. In 2022, Homicide was inducted into the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame.

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Counted Out with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.