JUSTICE PAIN vs. NICK MONDO
- The feud between these two premiere indy performers has provided CZW fans with some of the most scientifically-sound matches in the history of the promotion.
- Justice Pain and Nick Mondo first wrestled eachother at They Said It Couldn't Be Done, on June 25, 2000. This one-on-one match began with Mondo diving out of the ring and catching Pain with a plancha. After some brawling on the ringside grass (as the show occurred outdoors) for a few minutes, using a ladder as a weapon, and then re-entered the ring. There, they continued to use the ladder, along with a steel chair and a table, as a weapon. One of the highlights of the bout occurred when both men climbed to the top of the ladder and Pain suplexed Mondo off of it, causing both to plummet several feet down to the ring mat below.
The finish came soon after, as Mondo took a sick bump that saw Pain Dragon Suplex him off of the top turnbuckle and through a table. There was no kicking out for Mondo, and it was Pain who had come out on top of their first one-on-one match ever. Both men were very green in this bout and would go onto become far more talented workers over the next few years. This match was about *3/4.
- On September 29, 2000 at CZW Cage of Death 2...After Dark in Sewell, NJ, CZW World Heavyweight Champion Lobo was forced to fight two matches in one night, both with his title on the line. Both of them were "Cage of Death Matches." In this type of bout, the steel cage surrounding the ring is half mesh, half steel bars with barbedwire. There are weapons inside it, such as trash cans, panes of glass, and even light tubes that are stuck to the ropes on one side. Some sides are rigged to explode. There are tables and barbedwire boards around the outside of the cage, and there is a scaffold on top of the cage.
In his first Cage of Death Match that night, Lobo defended his title against CZW owner John Zandig. Less than three minutes into the bout, BJPW (Big Japan) star Ryuji Yamakwa ran out and attacked Zandig, allowing Lobo covered his foe at 2:57 to win the match and retain his title. After the bout, Justice Pain came out and confronted Lobo, prompting a second Cage of Death Match with Lobo's title on the line to ensue between the two. In what was a tremendous bout (about ****), Pain hit a Pain Thriller, slamming Lobo through a pane of glass that was layed up against the ring ropes, for the 1-2-3 victory at 10:12. Pain was the NEW CZW World Heavyweight Champion.
- At CZW's next show, Rules Were Made To Be Broken, (10/10/00), Ric Blade & Nick Mondo defended their CZW World Tag Team Titles, which they had won from The Backseat Boyz (Johnny Kashmere & Trent Acid) at Blood, Sweat & Violence (8/12/00), against the duo of Justice Pain & The Wifebeater. That night would belong to Pain and Wifebeater, as they unseated Blade and Mondo to become the NEW CZW World Tag Team Champions.
- For the next five months, both Mondo and Pain went their separate ways and wrestled various opponents, but on March 17, 2001 at Enter The Zone, the two finally encountered one another again. At this show, the teams of Pain & Reckless Youth (the faces) and Blade & Mondo (playing the heels in the match) battled in the show's main event. After a short ringside brawl between each team, the action moves into the ring and Pain and Youth rotate in and out, working over their foes and retaining control for awhile. Acid & Mondo then gain the advantage and rotate in and out themselves, working over Youth. Pain is soon tagged in and he and Youth regain control for a short time until Mondo slips out of Youth's attempted Northern Lights Bomb 2K and nails a modified version of Ric Blade's Drug Bomb. Mondo hits an awesome Springboard Leg Drop, driving a steel chair down into Youth's throat. Soon thereafter, Pain & Youth take control for awhile with some very innovative moves.
Z-Barr tries to interfere, but Pain Superbombs him and then backdrops Acid out of the ring and through a ringside table. Pain botches a Pain Thriller on Mondo, so they have to repeat a short sequence before he successfully nails another for the 1-2-3 win for him and Youth. This match was about **1/4.
At CZW Payback (4/4/02), Pain and Wifebeater reunitied to defend their tag team titles against the monsterous heel team called, "The H8 Club" (comprised of Nick Gage & Nate Hatred). During the bout, John Zandig and Z-Barr ran in and Z-Barr tossed powder into Pain's eyes. A blinded Pain became unaware of his surroundings and planted his own partner, Wifebeater, with The Pain Thriller. With Wifebeater, down Gage leaped off of the top-rope onto him with his signature Frog Splash for the 1-2-3, winning the CZW World Tag Team Titles from himself and Hatred. This match was about 3/4*.
At CZW The Boss Is Back (4/7; just three days after The H8 Club won the tag titles), The H8 Club defended their newly-won CZW World Tag Team Titles in a rematch against Pain & Wifebeater. Towards the end of the bout (which was about 3/4*), John Zandig and Big Japan star Jun Kasai run down and attack the challengers, causing a Disqualifaction title retention for the H8's, as titles can't change hands on DQ's. Zandig & Kasai and Pain & Wifebeater brawl with eachother for a short while before Kasai lays Wifebeater down on a table, climbs up onto a balcony so that he's at the very top of the building (he can touch the ceiling), and leaps off, plummeting down onto Wifebeater with a splash!
The H8 Club then return and spike Pain on his head with their signature Double Brainbuster Suplex. They then cover Pain for the 1-2-3, but it doesn't matter, as it wasn't an official match. Much of the lockerroom empties to help the H8's beat down the faces (Pain & Wifebeater). Zandig announces that, at CZW's next show, there will be a "Fans Bring the Weapons Match."
Match Results:
CZW They Said It Couldn't Be Done (6/25/00; Sewell, NJ): Justice Pain pins Nick Mondo.
CZW Rules Were Made To Be Broken (10/10/00; Sewell, NJ): Justice Pain & The Wifebeater d. Ric Blade & Nick Mondo (c's) to win the CZW World Tag Team Championships.
CZW Enter the Zone (3/17/01; Sewell, NJ): Justice Pain & Reckless Youth d. Nick Mondo & Trent Acid.
CZW UnF'nBelievable (4/14/01; Smyrna, DE): In a "Fans Bring the Weapons Match," Jun Kasai & Nick Mondo d. Justice Pain & Johnny Kashmere.
CZW Best of the Best (5/19/01; Sewell, NJ): Lobo, Justice Pain, & The Wifebeater d. The H8 Club (Nick Gage & Nate Hatred) & Nick Mondo.
CZW H8 Club: Dead? (6/14/01; Smyrna, DE): In a "Fans Bring the Weapons Match," Justice Pain & The Backseat Boyz (Johnny Kashmere & Trent Acid) d. John Zandig, Nick Mondo, & The Wifebeater.
CZW A Higher Level of Pain (4/13/02; Philadelphia, PA): Justice Pain pins Nick Mondo to retain his CZW World Heavyweight Championship.
*CZW High Stakes (5/11/02; Philadelphia, PA): In a "High Stakes Match," The Messiah pinned Justice Pain (c) to win Pain's CZW World Heavyweight Championship and Nick Mondo pinned Adam Flash (c) to win Flash's CZW Ironman Championship. The match lasted exactly 60:00 long.*
CZW Best of the Best 2: Lobo Invitational Junior Heavyweight Tournament (6/8/02; Philadelphia, PA): Justice Pain d. The Messiah & Nick Mondo by pinning Mondo. Pain wins Messiah's CZW World Heavyweight Championship and Mondo's CZW Ironman Championship, thereby making him a double champion. Adam Flash was the match's special guest referee.
*" "* = High Stakes counted as 1/2 of a win for Mondo, as he didn't pin Pain, but instead pinned Adam Flash.
FINAL TALLY:
Justice Pain: 7 wins; Nick Mondo: 1 1/2 wins
UNDISPUTED WINNER of the JUSTICE PAIN vs. NICK MONDO feud:
Justice Pain (7 wins)