Low-Ki Was Just About to Find God, Now Ma$e is Back He'd Rather Find a Menage

Low-Ki vs. Konnan MLW 12/14/18 - GREAT

PAS: This was less of a wrestling match then an angle, but it was a pretty great angle. This was no DQ and they start off nose to nose talking shit and the Ki decks the ref. Konnan pulls out a loaded sock and knocks Ki silly, busts him open and would have won the title if Ricky Martinez didn't pull him out. We get another couple of Konnan near falls until he just gets double teamed by Ki and Martinez, they throw a bottle into the ring and Ki puts it under Konnan's head and stomps the bottle, he uses the broken bottle to carve up Konnan and Martinez and El Hijo Del LA Park hold Konnan, while Ki beat on his kidney's (Konnan had Kidney replacement surgery.) Then Salina tosses Ki a shank and he stabs him right in the kidneys. They have done this meta angle about Ki's unprofessionalism for a while, with the ripping of Daga's ear and Strickland's hair, having him straight try to murder Konnan was a fun, if pretty crazy twist. Konnan wasn't a good wrestler before the kidney transplant and hip injury, but he played his role great and I dug him as a Miami native son (Guantanamara as entrance music and Wade Miami Vice, Heat City Jersey.) Love this feud between Konnan and Salina to dominate the lucha pipeline into MLW and love psychotic Ki.

ER: I'm not really a fan of the angle itself, as someone getting literally stabbed in the kidneys is a bit much. Sure it's a No DQ match but I don't actually want to see someone get shot in the stomach and bleed out for the next half hour in silence. Bringing a knife or a shiv into a wrestling setting, inside a ring, in front of people and cameras...I just can't imagine it not coming off incredibly stupid to me. And if I don't think it worked here, I'm really not sure how it could work, because the execution from all involved was absolutely top notch. The match was structured excellently considering one side had the most athletic wrestler maybe ever, and the other side had a mostly immobile man in his mid 50s who moves like a man who never actually ended up getting that hip surgery. Ki shoves the ref, Konnan blasts him with a loaded sock, Martinez drags Ki out of a pinfall, and Ki spends the next several minutes doing an awesome job of selling that loaded sock and also beating the piss out of Konnan's wrestling fan megamark kidneys. I was wondering before the match if Ki was going to go after the kidneys and holy lord did he go after the kidneys. This seems like a HORRIBLE idea, as in even worse than "let's work over Kobashi's knees in his comeback match" bad. WAY worse. He hits the running dropkick on Martinez by mistake, Konnan gets a low blow and another good nearfall, really loved the selling from everyone. And dammit I really love Salina de la Renta. I think she's my favorite current non-wrestling character. She has great presence, looks like a star, acts like a star, and is maybe the greatest fashionista in pro wrestling history. What other manager in wrestling would ever have the sense to pull off a gorgeous $3,390* Fendi jumpsuit? Paired with that draped belt!! Fucking megastar. If this wasn't No DQ and she threw in a glass bottle wearing that jumpsuit, she could probably convince the ref it's fine. Ki curbstomps Konnan on the bottle and shatters it, Konnan gets great color (Ki had a cool hardway-looking cut from Konnan's sock shot so we get duel color), and then we get the shiv spot. I don't think anyone in that ring could have played it better, and I'm sure I'm gonna love the violent Ki payoff match, but knife stuff is dumb and nobody in the crowd was buying it either. I feel bad for an announce crew trying to get over someone being stabbed in the fucking kidneys while also having to sell Tommy Dreamer as violent. How will they explain Low-Ki not doing hard time? Will his lawyer present a "Your honor, my client was wrestling in a NO DISQUALIFICATION match" defense? Stabbing aside, I cannot wait for more Salina and Ki all over my MLW.

*per Salina, magnificently

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE LOW-KI