Low Ki vs. Rey Mysterio: A Variation on a Dream
Not what you might have envisioned, perhaps for the better.
Timing is everything. It’s a quality that distinguishes performers like Low Ki and Rey Mysterio from the many, many pretenders that have tried to live up to their standards. No matter how close the mechanics work or how many sequences one memorizes, it’s just different when an actual master of the craft is at work. Low Ki and Mysterio have different approaches to how they’ve worked throughout the years. Mysterio’s work still primarily has its roots in the sort of feel good, pro-style working of lucha libre with a good mix of American TV expressiveness thrown in. Low Ki brought in influence from other sources: Japan and legitimate martial arts just to name a few.
Given the reputations that both men have, there’s a certain image that comes to mind when one pictures a bout between them. Speaking for myself, at least, the interaction of these two working at what might be considered their primes was entirely possible. Perhaps in 2002, as Low Ki was helping spark the era of the super indie and Rey Mysterio was still operating at his own physical prime. A match at that time would have heavily focused on fireworks, perhaps something akin to the Low Ki vs. Amazing Red matches of the time.
That’s not what we get though.
Instead, we get Low Ki vs. Rey Mysterio in 2015. At this point, Low Ki himself has gone through the WWE system, and isn’t quite the breathtaking innovator that he used to be. As for Rey, he’s at a point in his career where I recall a lot of talk of the physical limitations he was working against. Rey’s knees are famously shot at this point of his career, a fact of life that made his renaissance upon returning to the WWE all the more impressive in hindsight. On paper, it looks like we’re getting a match from two wrestlers past the prime of their notability in the industry.
And for some reason, it’s all the better for it.
Let’s start with Low Ki. I’ve not heard much about Low Ki’s injury history through the years, but there’s a pretty clear shift that occurs, even before he signs with the WWE. He’s not quite the full on, hard hitting force of nature in the 2000s. There’s a greater emphasis in later years around tighter matches, worked closer to the mat with only occasional bursts of the ferocity that made him so infamous.
Then there’s Rey Mysterio. I recall recently that there was tell of Rey getting in the ear of El Hijo de Vikingo and advising him to slow down his style. I know a lot of people heard that particular story, and some might have scoffed at the idea of Rey advising a luchador getting a lot of buzz to tone down their ring work, but it’s matches like this that lend a lot of credence to Rey’s advice. Rey Mysterio is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time not only because he was a cutting edge high flyer in the 90s, but also because when the physical capacity for that kind of work was taken away from him, he adapted to his own limitations brilliantly.
The match establishes its goals and tone immediately. These two don’t launch into immediate high octane sequences, but just grapple for control. It’s a segment that also acknowledges the realities of the situation. Low Ki repeatedly goes after Rey’s knee with holds and kicks, enough to force Rey to try to create some separation by rolling to the mat. When the action does return to the ring though, we get some snug mat work that transitions beautifully into some lucha inspired escapes and counters from Rey.
At one point, these two hint at the kind of frenzied bombfest that may have been with a quick series of moves running the ropes, countering each other, all culminating in a stand off. But it then refocuses so quickly on emphasizing steadily building action built around big transition pieces. That’s what I love the most about this match really, is that the action never just flows senselessly from one wrestler to the other but gets seized in these clever and often brutal transition points.
Many have written lovingly about the way that Low Ki anticipates and counters the 619 regularly throughout the match. It’s a big deal because it lends so much shape to the match. They’re also just these wonderful moments, and I love the creativity with which Low Ki approaches it. The most striking one is of course the second dodge where Ki pulls the second rope down to send Rey crashing down to the floor. It’s a fucking amazing spot, and the kind of thing that really speaks to the kind of match this is. It’s a spot that could fit easily in the more stereotypical version of what Ki/Rey could have been, but placed here in this more careful construction, it stands out with stunning effect.
There’s other great transitions too such as Low Ki getting Rey’s knee tangled up on the top turnbuckle. It’s not the biggest moment in the match, but it’s such a great visual given how the match highlighted Rey’s bad wheel to begin with.
There’s also more room for the two to explore character dynamics in this space as well. As the younger, and certainly meaner, of the two, Low Ki’s attacks of the mask feel right at home in the moment. It’s something that adds a lot of tension and struggle to an extended turnbuckle set up—something that so easily becomes tedious in lesser hands—all leading up to the pretty breathtaking rana Rey’s able to hit from the top.
Would a match between these two in their physical primes be better than this? I don’t know, maybe. But what we have instead is a fascinating match, one that draws you into its qualities instead of parading them in your face. I’m much happier to be writing about the one we got.
IS IT BETTER THAN 6/3/94? Both are matches that stand out best thanks to how they escalate towards their big moments. Rey vs. Ki has the edge in that I think they do better to make the more small scale segments feel more significant. The way Ki and Rey build to the big moments and let them breathe delight. However, Misawa and Kawada get by on sheer scale here, reaching emotional highs that a one-time dream match probably can’t quite live up to. Another point for the King’s Road on this one.
Rating: ****1/4
Anyone has any idea where to find the match? I’ve red both essays, would really like to watch it now.