American Dragon vs. Low Ki

[8.0] "Excellent proto-ROH stuff from these two, they're already so good this early into their careers. Steamboat makes for a great special ref too with some great reactions here. Top notch, downright innovative stuff for the time. ****"

[7.0] "Good match. It was a technically sound as you'd expect from a bout featuring Bryan Danielson and Low Ki, and just as hard hitting too. Ricky Steamboat as the special guest referee added a touch of star power to the proceedings too, especially given that this wasn't exactly a major show. Bryan was especially great working over Low Ki, ruthlessly targeting his arm at every opportunity. That being said, while I enjoyed it well enough, it did start to feel a little overcooked by the end so to speak. It has the same problem that more than a few indy matches from this time period have, which is that both guys do a little too much and nothing is given enough time to breath. While it is always enjoyable to see two well conditioned wrestlers go balls to the wall, it does help to pace things a little better so things are a tad more memorable. As it stands, it was a good match that because so much happened so quickly I will probably not remember much about it in a week's time other than Steamboat being the guest ref. Nevertheless, a fun match to watch if you're a fan of either guy and want something to see from them that is not usually talked about in a discussion of their greatest matches. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Another really cool match between these two. This feud really made them both names as an indie attraction. You can really aee their progress even from the Super 8 finals in February 2001. They wrestle with incredible stiffness and we get looks into Dragon working the crowd, Low Ki with his stiff offense, and the handshake at the end. Steamboat puts in a great performance as the ref, not overshadowing anything but lending gravitas and having great reactions throughout.****1/4"

[8.0] "Awesome match, definitely one of their best. Low K's kicks looked nasty. Plenty of great nearfalls from the Ki-Krusher, Phoenix Splash and Bryan's german suplex rolled back into a dragon suplex - ****1/4"

[9.0] "They already met within the walls of this promotion as tournament finalists earlier this year. And if their last match was a kind of acquaintance where they clearly demonstrated their strengths trying to surprise the opponent, then here they already used the experience of the last meeting and acted as rivals who know each other well, hungry for victories with obvious echoes of King's Road. It is also worth noting the work of Ricky Steamboat as a specially invited referee, who perfectly fit into what is happening, but in no case took all the attention to himself. ****1/2"

[9.0] "This is an excellent early Bryan/Low Ki match from ECWA. There's great chops, great mat stuff and a superbly timed spot where Bryan dropkicks Low Ki's arm just as he's about to hit the handspring elbow. Sensational clinic."