Matches from HOG For the Glory 12/11/21

The Bollywood Boyz (Harv & Gurv Sihra) vs. The Mane Event (Jay Lyon/Midas Black)

ER: The Bollywood Boyz were actually one of my favorite tag teams to watch in the first half of 2021. They were two of the more unheralded guys on the WWE roster but stayed on the roster a really long time. Harv is the better tag worker, Gurv is better in singles and good at peril segments. In 2020 and 2021 they fit in really nicely on 205 Live, putting on several hidden gems and growing into one of my favorite tag acts. Check out their feud vs. Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari from earlier in 2021 to see Harv put on a Bret Hart-like performance, and check out Gurv's match against Alex Zayne. Gurv Sihra and Alex Zayne putting on a 6 minute Worldwide classic on WWE programming. 2021 WWE is just bizarre shit. 

This match was great, The Boyz working a more amped up indy version of their 205 Live style, and Mane Event building to a great Jay Lyon hot tag. Lyon is really fun, a short fat guy who can hit a big tope con giro and muscle around both Boyz with throws and a high slam backbreaker. The Boyz have great teamwork, smart tags and engaging apron work. they're both great smug pricks who will cheapshot you off the apron, and will wreck someone with a Powerplex (polished off with a Gurv top rope elbow instead of a splash). Both Boyz hit great top rope elbows, but my favorite bit of theirs the whole match was Harv laying in wait to waste Midas around the ringpost with a lariat. Mane Event had some cool double teams (including Black rolling off Lyon's back for a smooth reversal) and had great chemistry with the Boyz. I'd love to see Bollywood Boyz in AEW, their tight work would reign in a ton of AEW teams in really fun ways. 

57. Eddie Kingston vs. Low-Ki - GREAT

PAS: Very cool to see these two absolute icons match up 15 years after their only other singles match against each other, and although the match was hijacked by a dumb DQ finish, what we got was really building to something cool. Stiffness and Eddie Kingston selling is a great way to build a match, and this was mostly built around Kingston getting his chest caved in by stiff Ki chops and stomps and fighting his way through a smushed chest. Lots of cool crumpled sells by Eddie, and when he is able to power through the pain and fire back he hit really hard shots himself. It felt like a truncated match, as the Buddy Murphy run in happened before we really got a Kingston comeback, so it wasn't like Murphy ran in at the final moment to cause a DQ. Still I appreciate any chance I get to watch either of these guys, and a surprise match up is a mitzvah. 

ER: This is a real minimalist Ki/King match, 75% of this being mostly about two of the greats hitting each other with chops and then selling the impact of those chops. Kingston is the most compelling salesman in wrestling and I easily could have just watched him sell Low Ki's chops in different ways for 12 minutes, and in some ways I did! These two can make the most forgotten wrestling sequences look engaging, look no further than their opening match knuckle lock. Ki and Kingston are guys that work little stories with each movement, and I dug seeing Kingston fearlessly knuckle lock Ki to power him down, before Ki realized he'd be better off subduing King with strikes. Kingston knows how to make a crumpled sell mean something, and this was filled with moments where Kingston's brain was firing synapses to strike back before the pain caught up to his body. Kingston hits back hard when he can (like that running kitchen sink knee which landed like a cannonball and lead to Kingston briefly selling his own knee), but Ki can be a hard guy to consistently hit, so it turned into a cool battle of Kingston attempting to ground Ki and work body locks before trying to swing on him. I liked how Kingston dodged Ki's delayed kick to the back of the neck. It's Ki's one piece of offense that doesn't consistently read, doesn't have the visual impact of the rest of Ki's offense, so Kingston just takes it out of the equation and uses it to set up something bigger. The run in was poorly done and a major wet blanket, but I did get a kick out of Kingston crumpling Murphy with his backfist and then dragging his body into position for Ki to land a disgusting double stomp. 

2021 MOTY MASTER LIST

Read more!

2019 Ongoing MOTY List: Ki vs. Masada

78. Low-Ki vs. Masada HOG 12/7

PAS: Stiff, compact brawl which surprisingly saw Ki get thrown around for much of the match. I can't remember the last time (if ever) I have seen Ki get eaten like this. He is a great bumper and really good with his timing, so it's a fun role for him. Masada jumps Ki early and roughs him up, including press slamming him throat first on the guardrail. Ki fires back with chops and some nasty 12 to 6 elbows, but he's mostly selling. I especially loved Masada's quebradora, it looked like it broke Ki's tailbone. Masada goes for the skewers, which gives Ki the opportunity to hit the Woo Dropkick and double stomp combo (and that double stomp looked like it might have broken Masada's collarbone) for the win. This is as close to Ki vs. Necro as we are going to get in 2019.

ER: This felt like the kind of match every promotion for the past 20 years has wanted Low Ki to do, but can't actually get him to do. Low Ki is almost always the smaller man in a match, and yet he rarely works matches as if he's a Rey Mysterio underdog. Instead Low Ki has gone into every match like he is 20 lb. bigger than any opponent. Low Ki opposite Da Hit Squad? Low Ki is now 300 lb. You know there have been promoters who wished he would take a beating for 90% of a match, if only because they themselves want to see Ki take an extended ass kicking. But Low Ki is a guy who works so credibly that there hasn't been a size difference yet that hasn't been able to close. And yet here he makes Masada look massive, and gets beaten around the building. Low Ki is one of the most inventive bumpers of all time, so seeing him get bounced and angled off tons of surfaces is great fun. Masada hotshots him on the guardrail, drops him with a quebradora, and fills in the spaces nicely with awesome kneelifts and uppercuts that knock Ki onto his heels. Ki is really good at taking a beating, selling that beating, but also being constantly active. Some guys take a move and then wait around until being picked up for the next move, but Ki is always actively selling something, and always taking any shot he can. If he's down holding his ribs and Masada is approaching with something new, Ki is going to try to punch him in the throat or get in at least one sharp knee strike if he's going to eat two. I loved how Masada's obsession with his death match ways is what cost him, as he tries to stab Ki with BBQ skewers which gives Low Ki the only opening he needs. Low Ki could not have landed more on Masada's chest with his match finishing double stomp, just quick violent revenge paying back a surprise beating.


2019 MOTY MASTER LIST

Read more!

2018 Ongoing MOTY List: Red vs. Ki 2018!!

4. Amazing Red vs. Low-Ki House of Glory 2/3

PAS: I have made an argument that this could be the greatest juniors feud in wrestling history, so it is pretty awesome to see these guys face off fifteen years later. This is worked very differently then their matches in the early 2000s, here Ki is working straight vicious heel, and is this is more like a Tenryu match then Rey Jr. vs. Psicosis. Ki seems to be trying really new things in his big singles matches, the awesome Callihan match had all of the crazy spots around Sami's broken jaw, and this match had a crazy kung-fu battle on a stage. The didn't open with the Wushu, they built to this really cool showdown on a stage which not only had their cool martial arts feints and counters, but also had Ki and Red having a weapons battle with a pair of sticks and a chair. I did think the Ki beatdown went a little long, and the ref stuff seemed a bit unnecessary (although Ki punching the chair into the ref's head was awesome), but this was a nifty spectacle and both guys are still really great.

ER: A totally blown out epic take on the match they pioneered over 15 years ago. They go for something different, crazier in some ways, more reserved in other ways, and bizarre in ways their feud never has been. Ki makes offense look so spectacular and he immediately bumps huge to the floor and then into the guardrail, and nobody will make you look more devastating than Ki. A chair gets involved, and things get weird right out of the gate as Ki punches a chair right into the ref's face and the ref stays knocked out for the entirety of the match - over 20 minutes - so that man is clearly dead at this point. Low-Ki  killed a man and nobody removed his corpse from a ring while people are crash landing around him. But this allows the match to be No DQ-ish, and then it's Red's turn to take a crazy bump over the top to the floor. The crowd brawl is really cool, using their weird timing and understanding of the other's movements, and once Red gets backdropped onto the large stage of the venue, things get downright weird. The two of them basically break the 4th wall and put on a kabuki performance of their kung fu movie scenarios, right on the stage, only playing to one wall of crowd. It's so strange, like they're in 2D working as Street Fighter avatars. Things normalize once they get back to the ring, although Ki beats him down for a LONG time before Red starts coming back. But they put so many cool moments to build to the comeback that it's always satisfying. I love how big Ki hits, but I might love how big he misses even more, and the big miss in this match is Ki leaping for Red in the ropes, missing, and Ki bouncing off the ropes. I have no idea how this guy isn't a mess of knee and ankle injuries. Home stretch is really huge, with Ki hitting a couple brutal double stomps, and Red pulverizing him with a few tornado DDT variations (again, Ki makes a DDT look absolutely skull crushing). The knocked out ref was flat out stupid, and there's overdone drama with a new ref (why is this new ref counting so slow?), but everything between the two of them was gold.


2018 MOTY MASTER LIST

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE LOW-KI

Read more!

2017 Ongoing MOTY List: Ki v. Patron

86. Alberto El Patron v. Low-Ki House of Glory 2/18 

PAS: Low-Ki returning from semi-retirement is my favorite thing in 2017 wrestling, this was a first time showcase match and it felt like two big stars facing off. Opening part of this was relatively perfunctory, Patron isn't really going to mix up what he does, and first 8 minutes or so felt like a Smackdown Alberto Del Rio match. Kicked into gear during the end though. I loved how Ki got caught with the press slam german early in the match and then countered it with the double stomp when Alberto tried it again. I also liked how both guys went for top rope hanging double stomps, only to get countered. Finish was kind of nuts, Ki tapping out clean? What the fuck? I like the old Low-Ki who didn't do jobs, has he gotten professional in his old age? Lame.

ER: Ugh, noted shitbag Alberto el Patron comes out to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", really taking his time and letting that song play through, as if he's specifically marketing himself to drunk 20 year old college girls doing cruise ship karaoke. I've never wanted Ki to go stiff unprofessional on somebody more than I do right now. It does not get to that point, but it didn't keep me from really enjoying this match. Low-Ki is really generous here, and generous Ki is always a great things as I don't know if there's a wrestler out there who can make offense look more devastating. He's super smart about finding new and logical ways to set up opponents' signature offense, and that's helpful with a guy like AeP whose match we've seen a couple hundred times. Even something like putting AeP onto the top rope, then turning to tell the ref to back off, allowing AeP to lock on his armbar over the top rope; we've all seen dozens of matches where an opponent puts AeP on the ropes just to get armbarred, with no sort of lip service paid to doing anything else. Ki is a good details man, one of the best. Phil also pointed out the press slam German that AeP hits, but later when he goes for it again Ki flips out and double stomps him right to the sternum. Ki lands things so great, even a corner avalanche makes him appear way bigger than he really is. But then he'll take a move you've seen way too much like the backcracker, and he'll spring up and fold violently, gives new breath to a played out move. Both fights on the buckles were really good. Ki is unsurprisingly really great at occupying himself while either tied up in the ropes or fighting on the ropes. Them trading blows, before Ki gets knocked to the apron, leading to him leaping up and catching AeP with a rana, was incredibly well done. This whole thing did feel like a very good Smackdown match, and just made me think what a shame it was that we didn't get a longer run of Low-Ki TV matches.


2017 MOTY MASTER LIST

Read more!

2016 Ongoing MOTY List: Ki v. Galloway

47. Low-Ki v. Drew Galloway HOG 8/19

PAS: Ki debuted his 2016, world greatest Luchadore Sopressa gimmick here in House of Glory replacing Chris Dickinson (I liked Dickinson, but that is a huuuge upgrade) coming out in the Hitman suit and having a corker of a match with Galloway. Galloway is really great at using the ring and ringside and Ki takes some nasty bumps including getting flung ribs first into the ringpost. Match was fun with Ki sticking and moving and Galloway catching him with big throws. I especially liked Drew countering the Warriors Way by grabbing Ki by the suit lapels and overhead throwing him off the top. Loved the finish as Ki hogties Galloway with his tie and kicks him in the face and double stomps him in the small of the back. Really fun stiff battle, and I imagine how much fun it would have been to be in the crowd.

ER: Ki shows up so sparsely these days that it's always a treat when he does, and these two have styles that clash and mesh nicely. Galloway had probably the most notable match against Ki during the latter's Kaval run, and it's cool they keep matching up and adding twists to their stuff. Galloway thinks of some neat counters for Ki classics, and Ki flies around dangerously for some cool throws. Galloway works like a total monster here and Ki always lays out great on slams, especially loved the snap sit out powerbomb. The Warriors Way spot was especially cool, my favorite of the match, as Ki always makes sure to do little things so his opponent isn't just hanging out to dry like a nincompoop. The twist I like here is Ki is holding Drew down, and stomps right on his patella, but that causes Drew to lurch upwards in pain, and while up there he flings Ki ass over crown by the suit lapels. It was such a smart spot, and ended like someone getting their gi used against them in MMA. The hogtie spot also could have come across very cooperative, but Ki smartly grabs an arm in a sub while also burying a knee into Drew's back; any struggle from Galloway would have gotten his arm yanked more. The last bit of Galloway fighting with no hands was inspired, throwing headbutts but inevitably eating kicks to put him down for the most vicious double stomp.

2016 MOTY MASTER LIST

Read more!