That Was Then, Is This Too? 02.16.10: The Warrior and the Dragon

Welcome to yet another installment of That Was Then, Is This Too?, the column that looks for parallel lines in all the right places. As usual, we have comments:

Bryan Danielson and Low-Ki. Put these names on your posters, and you’re guaranteed to sell out bingo halls and high school gyms across the country. They’re part of the absolute best the American indy scene has to offer, working all over the world, winning titles and tournaments wherever they went. These days they’re both under WWE contract, and probably the biggest independent talents to be signed since CM Punk.

The match between the two would be on the top of the card in pretty much every indy company in America, but on FCW TV it was “just” a midcard match, going on before the FCW championship match between Justin Angel and Michael Tarver but after the three on two handicap match for the FCW tag team champions between the Dudebusters and the Fortunate Sons and a divas match. Still, it was an important match for both men. Kaval was coming back from a knee injury that had kept him out of the ring for nearly a year, and Bryan Danielson was making his WWE television debut.

Bryan Danielson came out to the ring first, wearing his classic ring robe and hailing from Aberdeen, Washington. He came out to stock synthesizer music, but it was still miles ahead of what he used in Ring of Honor after they stopped using licensed music. The commentary team immediately pointed out Danielson’s achievements, and the crowd definitely who he was. Kaval, who now wears the World Warrior nickname, actually cracked a smile as he came through the curtain, something I honestly can’t remember ever seeing him doing.

As the commentators continued to discuss both their accolades and the classic matches these two have had, the match started with an intense lockup. After being forced to break because of the ropes they went Greco-Roman, with Kaval forcing Danielson to the mat for a few near falls. Danielson eventually wrestled out, taking control of Kaval’s arm until he managed to break free by kicking him in the face in the middle of a headstand. Danielson’s facial expression here was spot on, as it clearly showed he had just decided to stop playing nice.

As the commentary reminded us of Danielson’s training, the crowd actually broke out a “This Is Wrestling” chant. Danielson quickly showed his vicious side, nailing a European uppercut and a vicious kick to the ribs in rope break situations. Kaval meanwhile continued to find new and innovative ways to kick Danielson’s face in. Danielson got rocked with some strikes in the corner, but he managed to sneak in another kick to the face as the referee tried to force the break, which gave him the opening to go after Kaval’s arm, breaking out some of the innovative submission moves that made him a star.

Kaval managed to catch a break by backdropping Danielson out of a tiger driver attempt, and the crowd busted out some ROH-style dueling chants as Kaval rocked Danielson with some of his signature kicks. Danielson used his intimate knowledge of Kaval’s offense to his advantage however, grabbing Kaval’s foot as he headed for the top rope to hit the Warrior’s Way and taking control of the arm again. It didn’t last long however, as Kaval managed to hit a double stomp from a sunset flip. Both men regroup in the corner, and Danielson managed to hit a butterfly suplex into an armbar to draw out another “This Is Wrestling” chant. Danielson pressed his advantage too far however, eating Kaval’s boots on a swandive headbutt attempt. Kaval looked for the Warrior’s Way again, but Danielson managed to nail him. His second rope butterfly suplex attempt was blocked however, and a headbutt from Kaval gave him the room to hit the Warrior’s Way for the three count.

All in all, it was a pretty good match for what it was. It reminded the audience of who Kaval was and it showed them what to expect of Danielson. While it certainly wasn’t the five star classic the commentary team claimed it was, you simply can’t argue with the standing ovation it got from the crowd. With that being said, what does this match tell us about both men’s future in WWE, and the skills that made them two of the absolute best wrestlers to ever work on the American independent scene?

That Was Then…

Low Ki, who originally got his ring name from a Blackstreet song, made his wrestling debut in the late nineties, wrestling in small promotions all over the east coast. He got his first big break working as a jobber on several tertiary WWF shows, such as Jakked and Metal. Nothing ever came of it however, and he soon returned to the indy scene, where he became the focal point of the newly formed promotion Ring Of Honor, which was started as a way for the company RF Video to fill the gap in its revenue that was left behind after ECW closed its doors. He would defeat Bryan Danielson and Christopher Daniels in a three way match at The Era of Honor Begins, and would go on to win the four way iron man match at Crowning A Champion to become the company’s first champion.

He was dethroned by Xavier at the Unscripted show, but he would continue to be one of the major players in the company until his departure in 2006. He would take a brief from the company during the infamous Rob Feinstein incident, but would return with a vengeance as part of the Rottweilers, joining their feud with ROH champion Samoa Joe before moving on to feud with Bryan Danielson. He also had memorable feud with Jay Lethal and a match for the GHC jr. heavyweight championship with KENTA. In 2006 he would leave the company on bad terms however, which was covered up with Cornette banning Low-Ki for life for injuring him during a brawl between ROH wrestlers and CZW invaders.

While working in ROH, Low-Ki also spent a lot of time in NWA: TNA, where he quickly established himself as one of the cornerstones of its X-division. He also won the company’s tag team titles with Triple X stablemate Elix Skipper. He took an extended leave of absence fron the company to tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, mainly competing in random tag matches with other gaijin. He’d eventually return as Senshi, continuing to work in the X-division before eventually being released. From there on he would make a few more indy and Japanese appearances, winning PWG’s 2008 Battle of Los Angeles tournament and their world title, as well New Japan Pro Wrestling’s IWGP junior heavyweight championship.

Over the years, Low Ki managed to develop a strong fan following with his unique in ring style and intensity. He can bring what Paul Heyman describes as a “big fight atmosphere”, becoming one of the first wrestlers to blur the line between professional wrestling and MMA. However, over the years he has also developed somewhat of an ego, refusing to put over other wrestlers on several occasions. Still, he has become one of the top independent wrestlers, and like many others I’m eagerly awaiting his WWE television debut.

Bryan Danielson meanwhile started his career at the very lowest rung of the wrestling ladder, competing in backyard wrestling federations. He soon left these humble beginnings behind us however, signing up to train at Shawn Michaels’ Texas Wrestling Academy where he trained under the Heartbreak Kid himself. Soon after he was signed to a WWF developmental contract, wrestling in their Memphis Championship Wrestling developmental territory. There he trained under William Regal. The man from Blackpool proved a perfect trainer, and to this day he continues to show a lot of Regal’s vicious edge in his in ring style.

Like Low Ki, Danielson was one of the founding fathers of Ring of Honor. He quickly made his name for himself with some brilliant matches against the likes of Paul London and AJ Styles. He took a brief break from the company in 2003 for his second WWE run, working as an enhancement talent on SmackDown’s B show, Velocity. Eventually he returned to the company, where he continued to make a name for himself with incredible performances, such as his 74 minute two out of three falls match with Austin Aries.

Danielson would finally reach the top of the mountain in 2005, defeating James Gibson for the ROH world championship. He would shape up to be one of the best champions in the company’s history, sparking a memorable rivalry with Nigel McGuinness that would last until both men left the company. He also began sending out open contracts, which drew wrestlers like Sanjay Dutt and Lance Storm to the company. One of the wrestlers to answer the call was Chris Hero, and his arrival would spark a months long feud between ROH and Hero’s home company, Combat Zone Wrestling.

Danielson’s reign would come to an end at the 2006 Final Battle show, when he was beat by ROH mainstay Homicide. After taking time off to recover from a series of injuries, he returned in time for ROH’s PPV debut, rekindling his rivalry with McGuinness. In the next two years he would also have an epic feud with Takeshi Morishima and capture the prestigious GHC world junior heavyweight championship during one of ROH’s tours of Japan. In the final months of his ROH run he was involved in grooming several of the company’s future stars, which included a spectacular series of television matches with Tyler Black.

In many ways Danielson is similar to Low Ki, integrating many aspects of mixed martial arts into his in-ring style. However, where Low Ki mainly relied on vicious kicks, Danielson made his mark with a series of innovative submission manouvers that borrowed heavily from William Regal’s vicious brawling style. Like Low Ki, he travelled the world over, learning wherever he went and improving every time he stepped into the ring. Now it seems like he’s finally taken the plunge, looking to make it big in the world’s largest wrestling company. The question is, do he and Low Ki make a chance in the highly competitive WWE environment?

…Is This Too?

Judging from their appearances in FCW so far, it seems that both Danielson and Low Ki have retained much of the gimmicks that made them popular on the independent scene. While Low Ki has recieved both a new name and a new monniker, he’s still wrestling under his warrior gimmick and still throwing kicks like there’s no tomorrow. Danielson’s name meanwhile has been given the Shawn Michaels treatment, as he now wrestles as Daniel Bryan. He’s still the American Dragon however, and even recieved an entrance theme that closely resembles The Final Countdown. The crowds are definitely paying attention too, as evidenced by their response to the match.

Of course that’s no guarantee, as we’ve been disappointed by WWE’s treatment of independent wrestlers in the past. Look no further than ROH wrestler Colt Cabana, who worked as Scotty Goldman. WWE was obviously aware of what he had to offer, as he worked on commentary and as a backstage interviewer in FCW, and was even given his own web show on WWE.com. However, he only made a handful of appearances on SmackDown before being released, supposedly because the creative team couldn’t find anything to do for him.

For now, I’m sticking with cautious optimism. So far, both men have been allowed to work in the style that they’re comfortable with, as evidenced by their FCW match. The fact that WWE decided to keep Kaval employed throughout his lengthy injury speaks volumes for their faith in him, and they’ve even gone as far as to make him the new number one contender for the FCW heavyweight championship at the latest set of tapings. Meanwhile, Danielson’s history with Shawn Michaels and William Regal can only help him. CM Punk has proven that WWE can occasionally employ independent wrestlers properly (although he obviously lucked out with Paul Heyman’s involvement in his development), and I think that Low Ki and Danielson are both talented enough to make an impact on the WWE universe.