Samoa Joe v Low-Ki v Dan Maff v BJ Whitmer (ROH Second Anniversary Show, 2/14/04)
This was way the fuck better than I was expecting it to be. I figured I'd watch it anyway for the potential Joe/Ki stuff, and the Joe/Ki stuff ruled, but so did everything else and to a fairly surprising degree. You can tell Joe and Ki are the money match-up and everyone is super hot for it. They smartly limit their interactions for what I guess would've been an actual title match down the line, but I'm assuming Ki pissed somebody off too many times and it never happened. The Maff and Whitmer involvement was the most surprising part of this. They're both Prophecy members but don't actually like each other, yet they need to try and coexist for the sake of the Prophecy. Also because they'll probably be murdered by one of the other two if they don't. They don't REALLY work as a unit for a lot of this and it means BJ especially gets stomped out. Joe and Ki obliterate him for a spell and Ki just lights him up with chops. When Maff tries to step to Joe he gets hit really hard in the neck. It was good stuff. Then they do a short bit on the floor with everyone getting chucked into the barricade and at some point Joe cuts his hand open. Don't know what did it but the gash was NASTY and there's a close-up shot of blood just streaming from a wound. I'm not sure if they decided to audible the whole thing then or at least some of it was planned beforehand, but from there they go into an extended segment of Joe in peril and that ruled as well. Maff is especially great here as he starts biting the hand and Pirata Morgan style spitting the blood in the air. He and Whitmer stomp the hand, whip it into the mat, just a bunch of fun work to capitalise on something that couldn't have been part of the plan (the ref' trying to seal it up with duct tape suggests even he was thinking on the fly). Finishing stretch was red hot. Ki does a springboard onto the middle rope and as he lands Joe fucking nukes his face off with a slap to tag himself back in. The Ki/Joe showdown was honestly incredible. It wasn't the longest but sweet baby Jesus did they hammer each other. Ki initially breaks up an STF by full force booting Joe in the face, and they basically do a two-minute Ikeda/Ishikawa showdown. I guess I could've done without them having a sort of fighting spirit dick-swinging contest in the middle of it, but I can forgive them considering the rest of the exchange was so good. Finish was great too. In Ki's last ROH appearance he knocked out Maff (whether legitimately or in kayfabe terms I'm not sure, but it's Low-Ki so it could've been either or both), so when it looks like Joe and Ki are going to have their final showdown to settle the match, Maff comes barrelling into view and spears Ki to the floor. Joe then quickly turns to Whitmer and of course Whitmer has no chance, going down in short order to the choke. This might be one of the best US 4-way matches I've seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment