[2003-08-01-IWA-King of the Death Matches Night One] Chris Hero vs Homicide

Phil Schneider mentioned the other day that he prefers Homicide to work bloody brawls, and can take or leave workrate Homicide. I haven't watched nearly as much Homicide as Phil or others, but personally, I was introduced to Homicide through his JAPW matches against Low Ki, and I kinda prefer East Coast representing, indy invader, Homicide to brawling Homicide. Ian Rotten refers to Homicide's work as "strong style," which may grate on people's nerves, but let's accept it for what it is -- hard hitting, stiff wrestling. Chris Hero is a cool dude, and a fine professional wrestler, but it felt like he was trying to wear too many hats at the same time by incorporating so many of his influences into his matches. He was this dude with an early Barry Windham build who was trying to copy all this cool stuff he'd seen on tape whereas Homicide felt like the finished article. Everything about Homicide, from his move set to the way he moved in the ring, matched his in-ring persona and the identity he'd cultivated for himself. That said, this was still a really good match even if Chris Hero was a bit over-exuberant about his stylistic influences. If it had one flaw, it was probably Hero's resurrection after Homicide killed him, but that's a hard thing to pull off unless you're a wrestling Jesus. Aside from the miraculous comeback, this was solid.