[2000-09-22-JAPW-September Slaughter] Low Ki vs Billy Reil

[soup23]

A brutal match full of insane strikes and hard suplexes. Low Ki is wearing his black shorts and no shoes and he really raises Reil’s cred by Reil being able to hang mano y mano with Ki. 90’s US indies were notorious for matches with no flow and constant blown spots. This had some flow problems but the execution was great and the stiffness factor was there. The two ref bumps thing was really gimmicky and the finish is certainly done in a way for Reil to win but to make it look flukey and to help Ki. Ki shakes Reil’s hand after the match. Low Ki is legitimately having one of the best rookie type years I have seen and he isn’t even my pick for Rookie of the Year due to Murahama. ***1/2 (7.2)

[Migs]

Reil is one of the lingering late-90s indy dudes, but he hangs here with Ki. Love Ki's version of the tarantula with the legs wrapped around the head. Reil is willing to accept Low Ki's stiffness and fires back with some really nice suplexes. The finish was super confusing, though. Solid match, and another in a series from Ki.

 

I was wondering what happened to Reil, and apparently his career got derailed when he had a pretty bad shoulder injury later this year. I love this line from his Wikipedia page, though - "By this time, Reil was single-handedly responsible for establishing the careers of Low Ki, Trent Acid, Homicide and Nick Berk." Yeah... sure, pal. He also had a Twitter account named "BillyReilWWE" that has apparently been suspended. But if you have some desire to see what Billy Reil says on twitter to get people to talk to him... https://twitter.com/thebillyreil

[AstroBoy]

In a way, I wish they would have stayed with the shoot elements for just a bit longer but what they had here worked magnificently. Reil comes across as a super tough guy for taking the amount of punishment he takes from Ki and always finds a way to hit a big move and keep himself in the match. I would have liked for some more defined roles, particularly Reil to be more heelish and underhanded, but for a match built on big spots and battling for respect, this was really good.

 

***1/2

[GSR]

Ki tells Reil that the last time they were here in this building he bruised his ribs, partially fractured his elbow and cost him his match against Homicide.  “You hurt me, now I hurt you” as he then strips out of his gi and down to his MMA shorts, barefoot and ankles taped.  The crowd know what that means, straight on it with the “shoot fight” chants.  Ki with some hard kicks to the lower leg and I especially like the front kick he throws out, something you do see in real MMA fights as the fighters look to gauge distance.  Reil is already backed up against the ropes and as Ki throws some knee strikes the referee is in between the two trying to separate them.  The Light Heavyweight champion spots an opening, raking Ki in the eyes before throwing him to the outside.  Springboard plancha.  Back inside Ki nails Reil with a koppu kick to the back.  ‘Dragon clutch’ but they’re too close to the ropes.  Reil rolls through to escape the Fujiwara armbar and a release overhead throw looks to have bought him some time.  After a springboard legdrop a confident Reil calls for the finish, however Ki counters into a variation of the Tarantula.  This looked way more painful than Tajiri’s version, what with his legs crossed across Reil’s jaw and putting pressure on it.  The physicality continues with some hard crossfaces, Ki even hooking two of his fingers up Reil’s nostrils and pulling them back.  Reil dead-weights on the ‘Ki Krusher’ and hits a German suplex for a two count.  ‘Shooter Clutch’ (Shooter Schultz’s full nelson camel clutch, something I’m surprised more people haven’t stolen because it’s a cool little move/submission).  Ki wriggles over to the ropes for the break and not too long later lands a quality Dragon suplex.  A second ‘Dragon clutch’ and as Reil is waving his arm about he accidentally claws the referee in the face.  The champ taps but the official doesn’t see as he’s in the corner rubbing at his eyes.  It’s not his day as he then gets squashed courtesy of a ‘Krush Rush’.  A replacement slides into the ring to take his place, but the additional few seconds has given Reil time to recover and he kicks out of the cover following a ‘Ki Krusher’.  Reil catches a kick, puts Ki over his shoulder and starts spinning, only for Ki’s trailing leg to wipe out the replacement.  That was one of the best looking ref bumps of the year, shame it wasn’t needed or wanted.  Oh great, here comes the scruffy hammy over actor!  Cradle piledriver for a near fall.  He sits Ki on the top turnbuckle but the challenger fights back and just as it looks like we’re going to have ourselves a new champion, Reil counters the super ‘Ki Krusher’ into a small package.  Two of the referees both count to three and I’m convinced we’ve got a double pin scenario until the ring announcer confirms that Reil has retained his belt.  The crowd, who have been ungodly smarky all match (we’ve had “suicide dive”, “kick him in the head” and “tables” chants at various points), start a “shake his hand” chant, Ki offering his which is accepted, the two showing their mutual respect for one another.

Ki is so on point with everything from the moment he steps through the curtain, the way he carries himself, the aura he gives off, you really do think he’s going to deliver an ass kicking.  When the bell rings that continues and Reil gets beaten with stiff looking offense while his body is tortured and contorted with various submissions.  You think it’s only a matter of time before the title change but that finish was nicely done and caught me off guard.  One referee bump wasn’t necessary, then we go and get a second!  That’s my lone criticism here (oh and I suppose the annoying crowd) in what was a very good match. (Note: I watched this after the Main Event)