[2002-06-22-ROH-Road to the Title] Low Ki vs Amazing Red

[Superstar Sleeze]

Low-Ki vs Amazing Red - ROH 6/22/02

Save me Low-Ki! The first five minutes of this match are FUCKING GLORIOUS! Just super high-end balls to the wall pro wrestling. I have seen their matches in random indys and TNA prior to this. I want to say it is UCW, they do this matrix sequence that they do here, but they do it better in UCW. So check that out. It still comes off cool & fresh, but that UCW one is crazy. Ricochet & Ospreay eat your hearts out.  The work is tight and it is urgent. I loved the knucklelock spot where Ki is just overwhelming Red with elbows while holding onto the knucklelock then how he sends Red flying is great. Red's desperation leg sweep and standing Shooting star is awesome. That reversal into a Kappo Kick POPPED ME HUGE and the ROH fans lost it too. Red got a great dropkick as a comeback to Ki's back handspring leg kick. They lost a little steam in the middle in part due to a couple miscues (back handspring leg kick should have connected it didnt Red, Red didnt bump, right decision, re-fed and Ki hit a kappo kick. It took the wind out of the sails of the spot and a dragonrana went off the rails too) and I thought Ki started to hit Red too hard in the head so it made Red's comebacks incredulous. That Ki Krusher into the corner and Red just fucking fell to the outside. Everyone was chanting Holy Shit to the Super Ki Krusher that finished that match, but brutha the first one was the real insane one. Red was crazy! Incredibly fun sprint! Check this out. ***3/4 

[ShittyLittleBoots]

THE Matrix sequence that we see in the opening minutes is still pretty insane. Rest of the match is just great w/ Ki mostly being on top, roughing Red up, while Red busts out some hope spots & comeback bursts. It's such a natural dynamic between the two, because Ki was (& still is) such an ass-kicker, and Red looked small even compared to him. Some highlights for me were Ki just murdering Red with that rolling kick to stop his hot-streak, Red countering Ki's Tidal Wave attempt with an explosive dropkick, Ki stopping Red's dive-to-the-outside attempt with a KNEE to the head, Ki just aggressively smashing Red into the corner, making him spill to the outside, and of course then that finish w/ that sick SUPER Ki Krusher. Ki is at his best when he is eating his opponents lunch, and that's what he did here, for the most part. And the parts where he didn't do that are also great, so it's definitely a superb match all in all. Easy MOTN. ****

[ohtani's jacket]

This was awesome. Probably their best match yet. I could see that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets The Matrix sequence being loathsome if other workers began copying it, but it's something else when Low Ki and Red do it.