Low Ki

Brandon Silvestry
Brandon Silvestry
	File:Senshi.gif
Born	September 6, 1979; Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Kwik Kick; Quick Kick; Low-Key; Loki; Lo Ki; Low-Ki; Low Ki; Senshi
Billed height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Billed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Trained by	Homicide,; Jim Kettner
Debut	October 10, 1998

Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979), best known by the ring name, Low Ki, is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican and Italian descent. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Senshi. He is also performing in the American independent circuit, most notably for Jersey All Pro Wrestling and IWA Mid-South.

Career

Silvestry admits that the name "Low Ki", originally spelled Low-Key, came from the lyrics of the Blackstreet song, No Diggity. Low Ki is considered one of the top independent talents and athletes in the world and is known for his use of various brutal strikes. Because of this, many people assumed that he legitimately knocked out opponent Dan Maff early in their main event match at ROH's Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies in 2003 with his Tidal Wave springboard enzuigiri, causing the match to be stopped. He is also known for his intensity, focus, and serious approach to wrestling, which he calls his "art." Ki is also known for keeping kayfabe, even outside of the wrestling ring, as well as pumping himself up before matches by kicking walls.

Low Ki's attitude and conduct has come under scrutiny on several occasions; he was involved in a confrontation with Tammy Lynn Sytch in 2002 after he allegedly "took her chair", also that year at a New Age Wrestling Federation event in Connecticut, Low Ki was trying to inflict damage on his opponent, John Brooks. When Brooks retaliated a real fight broke out and sources say they also had a shoot fight in the parking lot, and in 2004 The Blue Meanie claimed that he became belligerent and punched a door, damaging it in the process, during a pay dispute.

Ring of Honor

Low Ki made his debut in Ring Of Honor in its first show The Era of Honor Begins. In that show's main event he defeated "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson and "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. On July 27, 2002, at Crowning a Champion, Low Ki became the first ever Ring Of Honor Champion by defeating Christopher Daniels, Spanky and Doug Williams in a Four Way Ironman match. On September 21, 2002, at Unscripted, he would lose the title to Xavier, who, after winning the title, became a member of Christopher Daniels stable The Prophecy. Low Ki left the promotion in 2004 due to the infamous Feinstein incident in ROH. He returned to Ring Of Honor in 2004 during the match, where Samoa Joe with Jay & Mark Briscoes fought against The Rottweilers (Homicide & the Havana Pitbulls). It looked like Low Ki would save Samoa Joe from the beatdown by The Rottweilers, but instead he spat on the ROH World Championship, which was then held by Samoa Joe, and joined the heel stable.

At "Weekend of Thunder Night 2" on November 6, 2004 he started a feud with Bryan Danielson, who was Low Ki's partner in a match against Samoa Joe and Jushin "Thunder" Liger. Ki & Danielson lost the match and Low Ki blamed his partner for that, so The Rottweilers started a beatdown on Danielson. On December 4, 2004, at All Star Extravaganza II, Bryan Danielson defeated Homicide of The Rottweilers. In that same event Low Ki wrestled Austin Aries in a #1 Contender's match to Samoa Joe's ROH World Championship. The match ended in a draw. ROH Officials extended the match, but Low Ki refused to wrestle, so the winner of the match became Austin Aries. Instead of facing Samoa Joe at Final Battle 2004, Low Ki wrestled Bryan Danielson, but Low Ki got himself disqualified and then attacked the referee. This was enough, for ROH Officials to suspend him indefinitely as a result.

Low Ki returned in 2005 and immediately attacked Jay Lethal at Manhattam Mayhem with his fellow Rottweiler Homicide. The impromptu tag team match was made: The Rottweilers vs Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal. Low Ki & Homicide won the match and injured Lethal with a Ghetto Stomp/Da Cop Killa combination. The feud continued at Death Before Dishonor 3, where Low Ki and Lethal faced each other in a singles match, but it ended in a no contest. They had a rematch at Redemption, but the ending was the same and Rottweilers beat Lethal down after the match. Finally, at Glory By Honor IV, a match between the two ended with Low Ki getting a pinfall victory over Jay. It looked like the feud was over, but when Samoa Joe went on to save Colt Cabana from a beatdown by The Rottweilers, Jay Lethal came out to even the odds and said that he wanted yet another rematch with Low Ki, which Lethal won this time, ending the feud. Later in the year, Low Ki helped Homicide in his feud against Colt Cabana. On December 17, 2005, at Final battle 2005, he challenged KENTA for his GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship, but came up short. Low Ki left ROH once again in January, 2006. He won his last match against Jack Evans. ROH covered his leaving by having the ROH commissioner Jim Cornette ban Low Ki from Ring of Honor for life after it was discovered that he was the one who knocked Cornette's tooth out at Tag Wars 2006.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Low Ki's first trip to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling was for its debut show. In NWA-TNA 2, on June 26, 2002, he attempted (in a losing effort) to become the first NWA-TNA X Division Champion. He would though, eventually go on to win the title from A.J. Styles on August 2 at NWA-TNA #8, but lost it two weeks later to Jerry Lynn. He would later form the Triple X trios with Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper as part of the Sports Entertainment Xtreme superstable later that year, and would hold the NWA World Tag Team Championships twice, once each with Daniels and Skipper. When Daniels's greed for the X-Division Title initially forced Low Ki out of Triple X, Ki would go on to battle Daniels in Ultimate X 2, but Low Ki's pursuit was unsuccessful. Low Ki would leave TNA in July 2003 to recover from a shoulder injury suffered in Ultimate X2 as well as to focus on his independent bookings.

At TNA Lockdown 2006, Christopher Daniels's mystery opponent was revealed to be the returning Low Ki, who wrestled under the name of Senshi (Japanese for "warrior"). Low-Ki didn't want to sign away the rights to his ring name Low Ki to TNA, so he was renamed. He signed a long-term contract with TNA later under the name Senshi.

Following Lockdown, Senshi was not seen in action for several weeks, completely missing the Sacrifice pay per view in the process. Instead, he was built up with a series of vignettes hyping his martial arts background, his intense training, and his desire to dominate the X Division once more, hinting at the possibility of challenging the incumbent X-Division Champion, the undefeated Samoa Joe. Senshi eventually made his TNA iMPACT! debut on May 25, 2006, defeating Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley, and Sharkboy in a four way match.

Senshi defeated Sonjay Dutt, Alex Shelley, Shark Boy, Petey Williams and Jay Lethal at TNA Slammiversary 2006 to become the #1 contender to the X Division championship. Senshi went on to become champion on the June 22, 2006 episode of TNA iMPACT! defeating Samoa Joe and Sonjay Dutt after he pinned Dutt. He defended the title on several occasions against various opponents until, 3 months later, he lost the title to Chris Sabin at Bound for Glory.

Senshi would go on to be involved in the first Paparazzi Championship Series during late 2006 and into 2007.

Japan

Low Ki first made his trip to Japan with the Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE promotion. It was in ZERO-ONE that Ki won his first singles title, the ZERO-ONE Light Heavyweight Title, which he held until late 2003. Ki left ZERO-ONE in mid-2004 to join Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he was instantly given a title shot against GHC Jr. Heavyweight champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Although he was unsuccessful in his challenge, Ki has been quickly establishing himself in the NOAH junior heavyweight ranks.

Wrestling facts

Finishing and signature moves

Ghetto Stomp / Warrior's Way (Diving double foot stomp, standing double foot stomp, diving double foot stomp to an opponent caught between the middle and top rope, or a top rope double foot stomp on an opponent caught in the tree of woe position)
Ki Krusher (Fisherman driver, also from the top rope on rare occasions )
Dragon Clutch (Inverted facelock camel clutch)
Phoenix Splash (Corkscrew 450° splash)
Bite of the Dragon (Inverted facelock with body scissors in the ropes)
Hanging Dragon (Inverted facelock with body scissors on opponent in The Tree of Woe)
Final Four (Modified Texas cloverleaf)
Iron Octopus (Head scissors armbar)
Krush Rush (Running fireman's carry throw onto the top turnbuckle)
Black Magic / Rewind Wizard (Feint Shining Wizard into a back heel kick combination)
Tidal Wave (Springboard enzuigiri)
Tidal Krush (Cartwheel followed by a jumping high kick to an opponent in the ring corner)
Trapped Armbar (Hung crucifix armbar in the ropes)
Dragon Wing (Double underhook suplex floating into a double underhook lock)
Powerdrive Elbow (Feint low roundhouse kick into elbow drop)
Stiff kicks
Backhand chop
Rolling wheel kick
Mongolian chop
Enzuigiri

Managers

Quotes

"It is not the size of the fighter, but the size of the fight he will bring. All you can do is be ready."
"I told you before, I do my talking out there..."
"I'm coming for you..."
"Senshi will rule the X Division once again..."
"I dare you to take what's mine..."
"Warrior."
"A warrior."
"It looks like a warrior."
"I am a warrior."