It's wild that this is the first time Bryan Danielson and Low Ki squared off against each other. From the outset, their chemistry is rock solid, with both men mixing stiff chops and strikes with the occasional high spot, such as an early Tidal Krush from Ki that sends Danielson reeling, or Danielson countering an Irish whip by flipping Ki onto the apron before kicking him down and hitting a tope. The selling by both men is great even before they take the real fight to each other, their weariness putting over their previous matches in the Super 8 tournament and adding heat even to the early exchanges by stressing how much every hit hurt. But things really get interesting when Dragon goes after Ki's leg, including an absolutely sick-looking hold where Danielson wrenches the poor guy's foot all the way up and over his head.
It's utterly, bewilderingly breathtaking how good these men were here. Not "good for their age" or "good for an indie" but good enough to steal a major promotion PPV. There's one spot alone in which Danielson catches a Tidal Krush and converts it fluidly into a bridging dragon suplex that is just divine. It's obvious that Danielson is a future star, but I came away most impressed with Low Ki, who comes off as both resilient and a quick thinker, capped off by a great spot in which he manages to hop up the turnbuckles with his one good foot to set up a phoenix splash. Ki takes the trophy home with a brutal dragon clutch that he wrenches so deeply that you think he might rip Danielson in half. This is all terrific stuff, but the most rewarding aspect of the match is the chance to see, almost in real time, independent wrestling change and evolve, laying the seeds for the careers of both men and the scene that developed around them and a handful of other emerging talents. It's hugely important, but even setting that aside, this is the kind of match you hope to be able to put together after years in the business, not two years out of training school.
Match Rating: ****1/2
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