Low Ki

Low Ki in June 2012

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Brooklyn, New York, United States

**Brandon Silvestry** (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name **Low Ki**. He is best known for his time as Low Ki and Senshi with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and WWE as **Kaval** and has won a number of tournaments and other championships on the independent circuit, and was the winner of the second season of *NXT* in 2010.

Silvestry has also worked extensively in Japan, most notably for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and Pro Wrestling Zero-One (Zero1), where he was a one-time International Junior Heavyweight and NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champion.

## Professional wrestling career

### Early career and training (1998–2002)

Silvestry began wrestling in late 1998 under the ring name Low Ki, which he derived from the lyrics of the song "No Diggity". He began wrestling for Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) in 1998, challenging Homicide and Kane D for the JAPW Tag Team Championship. The following year he challenged for the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship twice, unsuccessfully, but defeated Crazy Ivan and Judas Young to win the second Best of the Light Heavyweights tournament.

In 2000, he began making several appearances in the World Wrestling Federation on their programs *Metal* and *Jakked*, where he competed against the likes of Raven, Crash Holly, Christian and Essa Ríos. The following year he made it through to the finals of All Pro Wrestling's King of the Indies tournament, losing the crown to American Dragon. It was also during 2001 that he defeated Nick Berk and Homicide in separate matches on the same evening to win both the JAPW Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Titles; he would successfully defend both titles in separate matches at their Fourth Anniversary Show later that month in July. He lost both titles in a Three Way match the following month to Homicide, with Xavier as the other competitor.

### Japan (2002–2009)

Low Ki made his first trip to Japan with Pro Wrestling Zero-One in 2002. On September 16, he defeated Leonardo Spanky for the International Junior Heavyweight Championship from him. He held the championship until August 31, 2003, when he lost it to Wataru Sakata. During 2003, Low Ki also made several appearances for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).

Low Ki left Zero-One in mid-2004 to join Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he was instantly given a title shot against then-GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru, which he was unable to win. During this period, he represented Noah in MXW Pro Wrestling's Gaijin Battle Series. He later joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and joined Shinsuke Nakamura's stable RISE, replacing the injured Milano Collection A.T.; in his first match back, he suffered a knee injury, which required surgery. Low Ki returned to the promotion in September, defecting from RISE to join New Japan's main villainous faction, Great Bash Heel (GBH).

After joining GBH, he captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Tiger Mask on September 21, 2008 on NJPW's Circuit 2008 New Japan Generation tour. He subsequently lost it back to Tiger Mask on NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 3 on January 4, 2009. After losing the championship, Low Ki made several appearances for HUSTLE.

### Return to NJPW (2011-2O13)

On May 13, 2011, Silvestry, under the name Low Ki, made his return to NJPW, during the Invasion Tour 2011, the promotion's first tour of the United States, teaming with Homicide in a tag team match, where they defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask. The following day, Low Ki unsuccessfully challenged Prince Devitt for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. On the third and final day of the tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Low Ki and Homicide unsuccessfully challenged Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

On April 21, 2012, Low Ki returned to NJPW, aligning himself with the CHAOS stable and teaming with Gedo, Jado and Rocky Romero in an eight-man tag team match, where they defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mask, with Ki pinning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Devitt for the win. On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2012, Low Ki defeated Devitt to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time. On May 27, Low Ki entered New Japan's 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. When the round-robin stage of the tournament concluded on June 9, Low Ki finished with eight wins out of his eight matches, winning his block and advancing to the semifinals of the tournament. The following day, Low Ki defeated Devitt in the semifinals, before losing to Ryusuke Taguchi in the finals of the tournament. On June 16 at Dominion 6.16, Low Ki defeated Taguchi in a rematch to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. On July 29, Low Ki lost the title to Kota Ibushi in his second defense. Low Ki regained the title from Ibushi on October 8 at King of Pro-Wrestling. On October 21, Low Ki and Brian Kendrick entered the 2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament as "Chaos World Wrestling Warriors". However, the team was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi). On November 11 at Power Struggle, Low Ki lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Prince Devitt in his first title defense.

On January 4, 2013, at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Low Ki unsuccessfully challenged Devitt for the title in a three-way match, which also included Kota Ibushi. Low Ki wrestled the entire match in a suit. The following month, New Japan removed Low Ki's profile from its official website, signaling the end of his run with the promotion. Low Ki had told New Japan office that he did not want to wrestle at an upcoming event in Fukushima because of health and safety reasons stemming from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Low Ki wrestled the Wrestle Kingdom match in the suit in protest. NJPW was reportedly "furious" over Low Ki wrestling a title match in a suit without clearing it with them first to the point that even years later, the company was said to be open to bringing anyone back "with the exception of Low Ki".

### Return to AJPW (2013)

On August 11, 2013, AJPW announced that Low Ki would be returning to the promotion the following month to take part in the 2013 Ōdō Tournament. Low Ki entered the tournament on September 11, defeating Dark Cuervo in his first round match. Five days later, Low Ki was eliminated from the tournament in the second round by Akebono. Following the match, Low Ki was sidelined with an abdominal injury for the rest of the tour. On October 14, Silvestry announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to All Japan supposedly not honoring their contractual obligation of medical care following his injury.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Dragon Clutch* (Grounded dragon sleeper)
	+ *Ghetto Stomp* (AJPW) / *Warrior's Way* (NJPW) (Diving double foot stomp)
	+ *Ki Krusher '99* (Fisherman driver, sometimes from the second or top rope)
	+ *Warrior's Wrath* (Diving double foot stomp to a tree of woe hung opponent)
* **Signature moves**
	+ *Bite of the Dragon*
	+ *Dragon Wing* (Double underhook suplex floated over into a double underhook submission hold)
	+ *Final Four* (Elevated cloverleaf)
	+ Fisherman suplex
	+ Headbutt
	+ *Ki Krusher '00* (Lifting leg hook front facelock slammed into the turnbuckles before dropping down into a fisherman driver)
	+ *Iron Octopus* (Headscissors armbar)
	+ Knife-edged chop
	+ Matrix
	+ Mongolian chop
	+ Multiple kick variations
		- *Black Magic* (Feint shining wizard transitioned into a reverse roundhouse) - Innovated
		- Drop
		- *Krush Kombo* (Two shoot to the opponent's chest followed by a roundhouse to the head of a kneeling opponent)
		- Rolling wheel
		- Shoot
		- Springboard jumping high
		- *Tidal Crush* (Cartwheel jumping high to a cornered opponent)
		- *Tidal Wave* (Springboard roundhouse)
	+ Phoenix splash
	+ *Powerdrive Elbow* (Twisting elbow drop)
	+ Rope-hung crucifix armbar
	+ *Scorpion Fire* (Rope-hung figure four necklock)
	+ Snap suplex
* **Nicknames**
	+ "The Warrior"
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Born in China" by The Immortals (NJPW; September 7, 2008 – January 4, 2009, May 13, 2011 – January 4, 2013)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **New Japan Pro-Wrestling**
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
* **Pro Wrestling Zero-One**
	+ NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Leonardo Spanky
	+ International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ Ranked No. 26 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the *PWI 500* in 2003
* ***Wrestling Observer Newsletter***
	+ Most Underrated (2010)
	+ Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact!