10 Holy Sh*t Wrestling Moments You Didn’t Know About

8. The Matrix Minute

Darby Allin
Ring Of Honor

After Low-Ki and the Amazing Red exchanged a sequence so white hot at an early Ring Of Honor show that the crowd received a worked contest as a real bloodsport, the entire rhythm of a professional wrestling match changed in its wake.

This is not hyperbole; the 'Matrix Minute' was such a phenomenon that every worker who borrowed from it learned a new trick.

Low Ki attempted to blast Red with a kick after feigning a collar-and-elbow tie-up. Red was smart to it, evaded it, and caught the striking specialist with one of his own. Outwitted and enraged, Ki charged forward with a hailstorm of fists so rapid that the crowd became unglued. If Red was just a millisecond off, he'd have taken several very real blows to the mush.

Ki was so fired up and he exploded so quickly that this felt like a shoot in the magic of the moment. The man looked unbridled in his fury. He tried to blast Red with a lunging back fist; Red avoided the impact and a series of stomps with his new breed of springing athletic endeavour. The timing and energy was so combustible that the fans rose to their feet like a Vegas crowd smelling the blood of a knockout. And then, registering its awesomeness, Ki stood there and roared in Red's face.

The fans didn't even know to chant "This is awesome" yet. This sequence arranged its moves so well that the wrestlers who watched it would soon learn to generate the standing O with this intoxicating new formula.

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Darby Allin
 
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Contributor
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!