Low-Ki v Samoa Joe (ROH Glory By Honor, 10/5/02)
Pretty spectacular US indie approximation of a Battlarts murderfest. It's billed as a fight without honour, which I guess at the time meant it was a street fight, or a match without any rules, or maybe just a match where they didn't need to shake hands first. Either way they absolutely leathered the tar out each other. Some of the striking was outrageous. Everything was nasty right from the start, but it was more niggly than full on in your face "why would you willingly be hit like that in a fake fight?" type stuff. They work the guard with some sharp elbows and headbutts, then Joe grabs a leg and applies a disgusting half crab where Ki's neck is trapped under Joe's knee. Then they stand up, slap each other really hard across the face and the violence continues to escalate from there. Ki was a cyclone of kicks and forearms and he made it his mission to chop every bit of skin on Joe's upper body. A few times he'd just latch onto Joe and try to secure an armbar or choke and Joe reversing a dragon sleeper into a death valley driver was incredible. I don't know if it was a conscious decision for Joe to sell exhaustion the way he did or he was legitimately being worn down (by the sort of punishment it very definitely would've sucked to be on the receiving end of), but I liked how it came across. Where his size would normally be advantageous, at least in that he could outhit most guys, nobody can outhit Low-Ki and so it almost ends up having the opposite affect. Can't outhit him, can't match his engine...what chance have you got? By the end he looked about on his last legs and you can't blame him for it one bit. I could've done without the ropey no-sell strike exchange towards the finish, but I guess it had a payoff, if you count Low-Ki unloading with about fifteen absurd punts to the face before dropping Joe with an overhand club the the back of the head as a payoff. And I mean, why wouldn't you?
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