Low-Ki Straight From the Ave of Trinity

Low-Ki/Homicide vs. Samoa Joe/Jay Lethal ROH 5/7/05 - EPIC

PAS: This was an impromptu main event, and a total balls to the wall sprint. Everyone in this match is throwing the kitchen sink. This version of the Rottweilers was one of my favorite acts, with Ki in full asskicker heel mode, Homicide as a psycho and the great Julius Smokes on the floor. Joe was great in this era too, and he is throwing huge bomb. All time great hot tag where he wastes Ki with an STO and hurls Cide to the Bronx with a belly to belly. His muscle buster gets cut off though, and he eats a huge double stomp while being draped in the ropes. The finish is an all time brutal classic, with the Rotts debuting the double stomp/cop killer combo which really looked like it might have crippled Lethal. I think I may have missed this match in 2005, but I loved it, four guys close to their peak unloading on each other for 10 minutes, great stuff.

ER: I'd never seen this match before, and it's a crazy twist ending because for the last 13 years I didn't realize I have been watching Jay Lethal's ghost. I don't know how he did not die during a couple moments of this match. Lethal's all-timer of a beating is the important meat to this match, with Homicide and Ki keeping Joe on the floor and murdering a not-able-to-legally-drink Lethal in the ring. Joe and Lethal jump them to start and hit a couple of huge dives into the entryway, but it soon settles down into Lethal getting demolished, which gives us our great Joe rampage. Joe is an absolute ball of energy here, and that corner charge STO slam was something in that era that always looked like it would knock a guy out, or knock a guy's teeth out, or both. Ki taking Joe offense is always going to be spectacular, as there's nobody maybe in wrestling history who has the body control Ki has. Joe crushes him and Ki goes superballing across the ring, and Homicide was a nice explosive bumper around this time too. Joe was such a force of nature around this time, that it's a testament to 2005 Ki and Homicide that they look like equals and not just like tiny guys who Joe has to sell for because that's how it's done. I love how they take Joe out of the match and the palpable tension when you realize they're going to wreck Lethal. Lethal gets a couple nice non-dying moments, loved his big falling clothesline to Ki, showing he was contributing more than just his own lifespan. Julius Smokes was distractingly great on the floor, just being the absolute worst annoying little brother, just teasing a fully beaten down Lethal. Smokes had his baseball bat and kept raising it up and bringing it down with violent axe blows, but not actually touching Lethal. Then he started treating Lethal's head like a cue ball, lining up his cue shot with the bat like he was the Hustler, about to take out Lethal's eyeball. It really felt like he was the annoying brother in the backseat, and his parents were yelling at him to not bother his sister, and he was going "I'm not even touching her!!!" It was amazing. The finish is disgusting, and Lethal looked like he would have a permanent kink in his neck after having it stomped and driven straight into the mat, just a wild and violent 10 minute match, totally what you'd want with these four in this era.

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE LOW-KI