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LAX has been at the centre of TNA and Impact Wrestling for a long, long time, with people growing up to 'OGz' Homicide and Hernandez in the tag-team division. Now there are new boys on the block with Ortiz and Santana owning Impact's tag-team division as the Impact World Tag Team Champions.
Now the two teams, the LAX of old and the LAX we see today are at the centre of Impact Wrestling's upcoming pay-per-view Bound for Glory. The four men find themselves on opposite sides of a literal gang war led by Konnan and Eddie 'King' Kingston and will battle for supremacy at Bound for Glory.
I managed to chat to Homicide from the OGz and Ortiz from LAX as part of Impact Wrestling's new live 'Press Pass' Podcast where the pair discussed the animosity between them, their upcoming and incredibly important Bound for Glory Match and whether or not they think they're the best tag-team in the world.
Here are some of their answers to the other questions, and what they had to say to mine!
Sean Ross Sapp (Fightful.com): We've seen Diamante in and out of LAX and the connection there. If each of you could expand LAX, or the OGz, from the female perspective, who would you pick?
Homicide: Diamante be my number one, she's the craziest one, she's the top girl on the team out there. We go to a club and somebody's talking to us she tell us you talking to much, she's going to punch somebody out. I'll be honest I don't even know what side she's on, hopefully it's the OGz' side if she's smart!
When it comes to girls man, this is my girl, she's a legend in the streets. Her name is Mercedes Martinez. She's awesome, to me she's a legend.
Ortiz: Oh yeah Diamante all the way! I would have to agree.. (inaudible).. She's a true veteran of the game.
Sean Ross Sapp: Josh which female do you want in the broadcast booth with you?
Josh Mathews: Not in the broadcast booth but what Homicide said there about Mercedes Martinez. My wife just had a match with her and I thought Mercedes broke her neck. So, very dangerous inside the ring but very technically sound as well. I'd love to see that at Impact
Ryan Boman (thegorillaposition.com): Both sides, LAX and OGz have obvious ties to New York so next month you guys are going back to your roots. Even though it's going to be a hell of a fight between both sides. How special will be it be, personally and professionally, for Bound For Glory to take place in there in the biggest city in the world.
Homicide: I was born and raised in New York City in Brooklyn, I've been doing this wrestling gig for 24 years, I've been travelling all over the world. I'm in Philadelphia right now even though a lot of people don't like me because I'm a Hawk or a Yankee fan, but that's another story!
But when it comes to Bound for Glory at New York City it's home, it's home! You've got a lot of people who are great supporters, especially the Latina culture coming through. I think It's going to be a great, great day and I hate Sundays but that Sunday is going to be phenomenal, it's going to be fantastic.
To come back home is going to be sweet. I always say, man, that the best place to go is to go back home and perform in front of people that know you. You've got your friends, you've got your family, you've got your fans, you've got people that don't even like you. In the end, they can be like 'man I don't even like that guy but he's so good, or so tough, or whatever.'
It's going to be awesome that day, like I said, I hate Sundays but that Sunday, October 14th at the Melrose Ballroom is going to be special, especially we're coming back for the Hell's Kitchen, the concrete jungle, the empire state, it's going to be home.
Ortiz: Man I mean New York City is home it's going to be awesome to finally do a pay-per-view back at home. No matter our differences and all the drama that's going on with us and the OGz, the fact that we're going to be in that ring, and the fact that, I give you my word right now, we're going to steal the show in New York City. It's our home and we're going to show you why it's our home.
We're going to take them to the limit, and of course, LAX all day, we'll be on top, like Homicide says he doesn't care about that W but we do, but when we get that W it's all said and done and we don't need to worry about them anymore, unless King wants to hit another little kid, then we'll see what happens.
Me: LAX are wrestling all over the world, they wrestled the Mack and Killshot in the Lucha Underground show and there was the Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm match at Wrestling MediaCon in the UK. As a result, you're sort-of being pushed up there with some of the best tag-teams in the world. Do you guys think that is justified, do you think you are one of the best tag-teams in the world?
Ortiz: 100%. We've been putting in the work. Santana and I are seven years as a tag-team, three years separately, we're both about ten years in, if not eleven. We've put in the work and that's a testament to our mentors. As much as I have an issue with Homicide right now we got probably trained by some of the best people.
We've done a million seminars, we've wrestled, like you said, lots of the top tag teams in the world and that experience as well has been really good. We consider ourselves hybrid wrestlers, we can do comedy, we can do lucha, we can do strong-style. We try to show that every time we go out.
Yeah, 100% I would have to agree with you, that's our goal. We have a hashtag when we need it which is 'we're on a quest to be the best'. We want to be considered when it is all said and done, forget about championships, forget about making a million dollars, which I do want to make, it's for 20 years from now for someone to go back and say 'oh man those LAX boys they were something else' and hopefully we'll still be doing this twenty years from now if our bodies hold out.
We've got the Young Bucks coming up soon, who a lot of people do consider to be one of the best tag-teams, on the Jericho Cruise. You're going to find out, we're trying to take their spot, we're coming for their spot!
Me: Homicide do you agree?
Homicide: I agree that Homicide and Hernandez are the best in the world. We were the first Latino NWA Tag Team Champions, we beat Hall of Famers. If you go to the App we beat Team 3D, we beat your favourite wrestlers AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. The list goes on and on and on, we beat the best and will continue to beat your favourite wrestlers, that's our game, that's our motto!
Ortiz: I'm just going to throw it out there we also beat Team 3D and we beat the Hardy Boyz in the same night, just throwing it out there.
Homicide: And it wasn't actually on tv so stop it kid!
Ross Forman: Konnan hasn't wrestled in a long time, we all know that, do we expect him to use more weapons? What do we think is the game plan that Konnan brings to the table?
Ortiz: Konnan is a veteran, he's forgotten more things about wrestling than probably most people will ever know. Of course, who knows what he has up his sleeve. Half the time me and Santana don't know what's going on and boom he surprises us and we're like, oh there it is! He teaches us a lot but doesn't teach us everything and that's why, because he's a crafty veteran I would say
And yeah, of course weapons, whatever he can get his hands on. This is personal and I'm sure he's going to want to make King pay for all the stress and all the anger that he's been putting us through. I wouldn't want to be King on October 14th.
Homicide: It'll be great for myself and King and Hernandez, first of all, it'll be awesome if Hernandez throws the Border Toss on Konnan, or I give him the Tequila Sunrise with his lucha legendary mask on or King hit him with the Flapjack in his face.
We don't need no weapons. All we're going to do is, we're going to hurt the two guys that are the tag champions for Impact Wrestling and we're going to teach Konnan a lesson. The biggest mistake that Konnan made in his legendary career is sign a contract to be involved in this match.
Those people out there don't know what's going to happen. Everyone thinks it's so sweet Konnan's a veteran, I don't care about. He's doing the biggest mistake of his life. You know in Mexico they some kind of tradition it's called the Mexican Halloween, that day is going to be the Dia De La Muerte when it comes to Konnan. He's going to be praying for Santa Maria or Jesus Christ. That's his biggest mistake.
So if I was him, please Ortiz and Santa, give him some guidance that when he comes to the Melrose Ballroom he's going to get hurt very badly, he knows the way I am, he knows the way Hernandez and King is, he's going to get hurt. Ya'll two better protect him because if you don't protect him I'm telling you that day, that very day, October 14th will be the end of Konnan's legendary career. We should get some kind of bag, people should come and get autographs because that day is going to be the last day of Konnan.
That wraps up the interview with Ortiz and Homicide who prepare to do battle as part of their respective teams LAX and the OGz at Bound for Glory. If it's anything like their Slammiversary Match or this interview suggests it's going to be a great match!
Are you looking forward to OGz Vs. LAX at Bound for Glory? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
