Very few wrestlers have been able to walk away from the business on their own terms, and even fewer did it at the top of their game. In the world of deathmatch wrestling, the name “Sick Nick Mondo” is held in the highest regard and nearly 10 years after he shockingly walked away from the business, he remains a legend and his work inside the ring will live forever.
When Nick Mondo first entered CZW, he wasn’t known for his hardcore prowess. However, as John Zandig and CZW gained a global following for pushing the envelope, Mondo was right there to help lead the charge and take American Deathmatch wrestling to the next level. His matches with Ric Blade, Trent Acid, Nick Gage, Justice Pain, the Messiah and Zandig himself were innovative and groundbreaking and through his fearless approach, a legend was born. For Nick Mondo though, wrestling wasn’t his only goal in life and as injuries piled up and the risks became greater, Sick Nick began to envision an out and an end to a career so many could only dream of. Very few however, including Mondo himself knew what was coming on one July afternoon in 2003 when he entered CZW’s Tournament of Death in Delaware. That night, Nick Mondo and John Zandig took part in what may have been the most extreme, death-defying plunge in wrestling history when the duo went flying off the roof in one of the most iconic moments independent wrestling has ever seen. To this day, fans all over the globe still talk about it and it has garnered millions of hits on youtube as the legend of that afternoon continues to grow.
For the first time ever, RF Video is proud to sit down with ‘Sick’ Nick Mondo to discuss it all. From his unlikely start at Al Snow’s school in Ohio, his rapid rise in the midwest and his eventual move east to his debut in the Combat Zone. We ask Nick what it was like to be apart of the early days of CZW. What was John Zandig and the rest of the CZW Originals like behind the scenes? What happened when Mondo’s good friend Eddie Valentine robbed a bank and the FBI asked Nick for help? What does Mondo remember about the shocking incident involving his friend ‘The Messiah’ and the night his thumb was cut off by uknown assailants? What are Mondo’s memories about his first trip to Japan and being around all the legends in the Big Japan locker room? What made him decide to dive head first into the world of Ultraviolence? What was CZW original Justice Pain like to work with? What does Mondo remember about his matches in the midwest with CM PUNK? What really went down behind the scenes at TOD 2 when Nick Mondo and Zandig decided to go off the roof? Was it a mutual decision? Did he know that night he would wrestle his last match? And what led to his decision to return to CZW for one night only nearly 10 years later as he made a shocking appearance at Cage of Death XV?
And of course, everyone wants to know what Nick Mondo has been up to since he left the world of professional wrestling. What has he been working on and where is he living? Nick Mondo is a very unique individual and has a vision for what he wants to acheive and accomplish in life. For fans of CZW, deathmatch wrestling, midwest and west coast indy wrestling and everything in between, this is the shoot interview for you. We leave no stone unturned and bring you the answers you’ve always wanted to ask Mondo but never had the chance. This may be your first and last time to sit in on an interview with the man who inspired an entire generation of indy wrestling that followed in his footsteps. You also need to see the way this interview closes as we ask a question that everyone has wanted to ask but already thought they knew the answer too… however… Mondo’s answer just might surprise you and excite you at the same time…