Hey guys,
Sorry for the lack of posts. I could use the "BUSY BUSY BUSY" holidays excuse, but my real reason is actually still because of what happened at Chapter 11. I know Lince has turned out to be fine, but that whole thing set me WAY back. I've barely watched any wrestling in general since then. No Raw, Smackdown, ECW, or DVDs. It really took me out of it. I think that the 1/27 show at Moravian College will help me get back into it a little more, though.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
"Stephen Colbert > Bill O'Reilly" and other news
Hey guys, I'm not going to disappear or anything, I just didn't feel like being on the computer much over the holiday weekend. But it's since been announced that there will be a final show at PSU Main Campus (my alma mater!) in the HUB on December 9th, and it's a free show! If you're complaining about a free show, something is wrong with you!
Also, over the next few weeks, I'll be making some Top-5 posts because lists are easier to write and I'm a lazy bum. I think my first list will be my favorite five shows from 2007. I'll get to work on that soon! I hope everyone's holiday was nice, and keep reading because I am awesome!
Also, over the next few weeks, I'll be making some Top-5 posts because lists are easier to write and I'm a lazy bum. I think my first list will be my favorite five shows from 2007. I'll get to work on that soon! I hope everyone's holiday was nice, and keep reading because I am awesome!
Monday, November 19, 2007
"Chapter 11" Results
As many of you know, Lince Dorado was injured last night. Check out ChikaraPro.com and the ChikaraFans.com forum for more information. Amazingly, Lince's injury was a severe concussion. It could have been 10,000 times worse than that from viewing it all live, so thank goodness it's not a broken neck or something like that. My recap of that whole situation will be posted at the end of this post. There was more of the show, though, and it was another great show, and deserves to be talked about as well.
Before the show while waiting in line, the awesomest thing ever happened. Remember how I said Equinox left the show with his suitcase after being unmasked in Hellertown? He walked down the sidewalk next to the entire line of people wearing only high tights, boots, and a towel, while dragging that suitcase behind him. It was like 35 degrees out, too! This angle just got extremely awesome.
Team FIST (Icarus, Gran Akuma, and Chuck Taylor) def. Los Donst Creams (Tim Donst and Los Ice Creams) via Icarus making Donst tap out to the Chikara Special -- This was a very good opener. Los Ice Creams did both a Sole Food and Grenade Elbow drop during the match. Chuck Taylor was turned up to 11 yet again, and REALLY freaked a kid out when he yelled at him. The kid threw a replica belt about two feet in the air when Chuck threatened him with a punch. At two points in the match, Donst missed an attack on one of his opponents, only to hit a member of Los Ice Creams accidentally. Los Ice Creams took great umbrage to this and left Donst to fend for himself. After a CT Awful Waffle and an Icarus Pedigree, Icarus put Donst in the Chikara Special to avenge his loss at Barnesville. Icarus got incredible heat and Donst got incredible pops the entire match.
Robbie Ellis def. the Hydra via a Burning Hammer -- Yep, a Burning Hammer. Hydra was on the top rope, Robbie grabbed him before he could jump, and landed a picture-perfect Burning Hammer for the pinfall. The place went nuts when he hit it, and tons of people stood to applaud. Like you wouldn't stand and cheer for a 60+ year old man doing a Burning Hammer. My brother said the other day that what makes him even weirder is that he's an old wrestler doing current indy moves (a spinning head-scissors, for example). UltraMantis Black did not knock out the Hydra in this match, however, as he did in Hellertown. Wow, Hydra lost in 3 minutes to a Burning Hammer by a 60 year old, but the previous night almost won a match against Shane Storm that went 10 minutes and lost because a spell was cast on him.
The Colony def. Player Uno, Stupefied, and Shane Storm via the triple-team splash onto Stupefied -- This was pretty much what you'd expect from these guys: fast-paced and high-flying. At one point, Player Uno was paused on the top rope, so Stupefied went in and took the tag. Uno stayed up there while Ants were tagging in and out, so when Stupefied unpaused him, he clotheslined and entirely different ant. I hope that, if there is a King of Trios tournament in 2008, the Colony progress far into the tournament, at least into the final 8. They have proven to be very strong this year as a unit, although they do have one flaw: they have one speed, and that's "ultra-fast." If their opponent(s) slow them down during tags and trios matches, their chances at winning a match drop exponentially. They use hot tags (yeah I know, Fire Ant etc.) very well, which are always a chance to pick a match's energy up, but they have to be careful that they don't overdo it. I'm excited to see where their 2008 takes them as a team. Also, the best part of this match was Equinox standing behind the ring-bell area while this match went on, angry at his comrades that kicked him out the night before (the Colony, Storm)! Shane Storm didn't even notice him on the way out. This is awesome.
Bryan Alvarez def. Larry Sweeney via Superkick for the ICW-ICWA Tex-Arkana TV Title -- I talked to Sweeney before the show and he said that he brought Buddy Lee Parker to ref the match, the same referee from the Sweeney/Alvarez match from March. Sweeney got mad at Parker a few times during the match, though, for not counting the 3 fast enough. Larry, I know he's your referee for the match, but don't push him around, man! When Sweeney was covering to win the match, Parker stopped his hand at 2 9/10ths and left the ring! Sweeney got up to argue, only to turn around into a nice Superkick by Chico for the 1-2-3. I can't believe Sweeney lost the title to Alvarez! I demand a rematch within the next 24 hours!
Delirious, Cheech & Cloudy def. MIYAWAKI, Passion Hasegawa & El Pantera via Delirious's move that I couldn't explain in the last set of results, either -- Poor Passion STILL had handprints all over his chest from the Brodie Lee match on Friday. This was another fun match that was too fast-paced to remember a lot of the action. Delirious sang the "meow meow meow meow" Meow Mix jingle at El Pantera for a good laugh; he also kept referring to Passion as "ladyboy." Cheech & Cloudy were dressed up as themselves tonight, and it was good to see both teams are still on good terms. MIYAWAKI was his normal awesome self. Great match to take us into the intermission. The show has been good, but mildly slow, just like the previous night in Hellertown.
Helios, Mike Quackenbush, and Trik Davis def. Hawke Like An Egyptian (Shayne Hawke, Amasis, and Ophidian) via a Helios standing SSP onto Amasis -- This match ws right after the intermission and picked the show up quite quickly, just like the post-intermission match in Hellertown. When Quackenbush came out, Hawke was standing in front of me and we were both startled that Quack had on about 6 titles. We figured out that 3 were the NWA Jr. Heavyweight title and the IWA-MS Heavyweight and J. Heavyweight titles, but we didn't know the other 3. Any help on that would be appreciated. I also told him I'd buy a shirt when I have money, and he said, "That's what they all say." I would have offered $13 and a pre-match shoulder massage to get the shirt, but that may have been weird seeing that I'm like, 7 years older than him.
The match was fast-paced. Trik has put on some muscle and looks tons bigger than any time I've seen him in Chikara. He looks a lot less goofy, actually. Helios was spot on at both shows I went to, and something about him actually seems different since he put on a mask. Somehow, his gimmick fits well and actually gives him something to do instead of being generic small indy wrestler that does flips #4,192. Oh, having the Young Lion's Cup doesn't hurt much, either.
Eddie Kingston def. Hallowicked via Backfist to the Future -- This was as hard-hitting as you'd imagine. There were three pretty sick headbutts. If you watch the DVD and hear a girl yelling for them to stop, that's Destiny; she hates the bowling-balls-colliding sound of headbutts. Kingston gave 'Wicked a nasty boot to the face right in front of us in the corner or the railings outside, breaking him through the barrier. They never left the arena, but they did some sick spots on the outside of the ring including a suplex by Hallowicked on the ramp, as well a a Michinoku Driver on the cement floor. No weapons were used, which made this more of a personal fight instead of just a pointless brawl. Great match by these two, and it's refreshing to see a rudo win the feud-ending match.
Lince Dorado def. Mitch Ryder via a Shooting Star Senton -- I'll get to the injury in a moment. This was an EXTREMELY emotional match. Sweeney and Hawke came out with Ryder, and El Pantera accompanied Lince. El Pantera ended up getting punched out by Sweeney with an illegal object. When Sweeney and Hawke were actually about to get into the ring and interfere with the ref's back turned, Quackenbush, Donst, and some masked wrestlers came out to even the odds. Then, the rest of the Kings of Wrestling (minus Hero) came out to outnumber the tecnicos, only for more masked wrestlers to come out to support Lince! The crowd was incredibly hot at this point, with everyone cheering on Lince very loudly. And then Lince got injured, and here's my recap that I posted on the message board:
When Lince came out, a HUGE contingent of fans was there to cheer him on. You could tell that it was definitely his family.
The match was going on VERY well with the help of the technicos and rudos coming out for each side. Lince went for a 450 senton (ie, an SSP with a senton landing) and apparently nailed his head/landed on his neck. I couldn’t see it because I was sitting across the corner from where it happened.
After the move, Mitch Ryder kinda rolled onto his side was shaking. I thought it was his reaction to the bump; in fact, I think I heard someone else from the PSU crew laughing at his reaction. Then Mitch rolled onto his back and Quack ran over the Lince and yelled “PIN HIM!!!” in his ear. It was then that I noticed that it wasn’t Mitch shaking, but actually Lince underneath Mitch while he was on his side. Mitch took Lince’s arm, placed it across his own chest, and Lince got the 3 count. The place exploded.
Lince kept shaking. He wasn’t breathing right at all; you could see him sucking his lower lip under his upper teeth over and over, really fast. Quack got into the ring really fast and was trying to get him to talk, but Lince said nothing. Lince eventually slowed his breathing down and stopped shaking; he wasn’t moving at all. NO ONE made a noise in the entire place. Daizee Haze ran down and tried to help Lince talk as well, but he didn’t respond.
They didn’t have a stretcher, so they got a table and managed to put Lince onto it to get him to the back. Quack took off his mask and covered his face with a towel, which was actually quite scary to see. The hair-shaving was REALLY surreal because it just seemed so extremely out of place. When it was quiet, I heard a woman sob loudly, and I looked over at an older woman covering her mouth. I feel certain it was his mom.
While everyone left the ringside area slowly and confusedly, you could hear a woman yelling from behind the curtain. She yelled, “MY BABY,” a couple times, so I’m pretty sure that it was his mom. That was what really hit me that I should get out of there, and I’m pretty sure Destiny had been thinking that for a few minutes by then.
We left and I wanted to go to my car, but someone told me not to go in because an ambulance was coming. I asked if I could just go to my car, and I did, but we didn’t leave because I didn’t want to block the eventual oncoming ambulance. There were many wrestlers out back; someone was trying to calm a woman down, and she may have actually fainted. I moved my car because it was pretty much where the ambulance would be pulling in. I called my brother to let him know the news, and we heard applause coming about 10 minutes after the ambulance had arrived. That probably means that he was alert, but I have no idea if he was walking or not. I tried to not look at the ambulance for privacy reasons. After the ambulance left, I left too.
It was really really REALLY weird and scary. I feel extra bad because his family was there. I left before they said that Hero/Claudio wouldn’t be happening, because I wouldn’t have felt right sticking around, and there’s no way I would have been able to get into it anyway. It seems that everyone else felt the same way about it, with the chant and all. Hopefully he’ll be all right.
Additionally, after I left, Quackenbush came out and said that Lince was responsive. He also said that Claudio/Hero would be canceled for the night, and for everyone to wait in the arena until the ambulance left (oops). ChikaraPro.com posted this today:
Hey Gang,
As most of you are well aware, Lince Dorado was knocked unconscious and lapsed into seizure while attempting a back splash on Mitch Ryder at tonight’s Chapter 11 card. He was taken a local Philadelphia hospital immediately thereafter, and we are pleased to report that after a CAT scan and a few hours to rest and gather himself, Lince was released just over an hour ago. While he has been diagnosed with a serious concussion, and is suffering some understandable stiffness in his back and neck, Lince was in good spirits on his way back to Hotel CHIKARA, and wants to thank everyone for their support and understanding after the injury. He will remain State-side for the next few days and make at least one more trip to be examined before he is cleared to return to Mexico.
We at CHIKARA would also like to extend our most sincere thanks and appreciation to the crowd tonight for their understanding in the matter, as all of you were truly first class in handling it, and made us even more proud to call you our fans. We promise that 2008 will see us make good on what we weren’t able to present tonight, and then some.
Thank you again,
CHIKARA
So that should make you feel a little better. And if that positive news doesn't make you smile, then maybe this will:
So concludes year 2007 for Chikara. It's a shame that the year ended like this, but the news that Lince suffered only a concussion when it looked much worse is good news. Hopefully we'll get Claudio/Hero to finally end this feud. This end-of-season report does not mean that I'll stop the blog, as I'm sure I'll find things to post about over the next couple of months. Thanks for reading, and here's hoping that Lince Dorado gets well soon!
Before the show while waiting in line, the awesomest thing ever happened. Remember how I said Equinox left the show with his suitcase after being unmasked in Hellertown? He walked down the sidewalk next to the entire line of people wearing only high tights, boots, and a towel, while dragging that suitcase behind him. It was like 35 degrees out, too! This angle just got extremely awesome.
Team FIST (Icarus, Gran Akuma, and Chuck Taylor) def. Los Donst Creams (Tim Donst and Los Ice Creams) via Icarus making Donst tap out to the Chikara Special -- This was a very good opener. Los Ice Creams did both a Sole Food and Grenade Elbow drop during the match. Chuck Taylor was turned up to 11 yet again, and REALLY freaked a kid out when he yelled at him. The kid threw a replica belt about two feet in the air when Chuck threatened him with a punch. At two points in the match, Donst missed an attack on one of his opponents, only to hit a member of Los Ice Creams accidentally. Los Ice Creams took great umbrage to this and left Donst to fend for himself. After a CT Awful Waffle and an Icarus Pedigree, Icarus put Donst in the Chikara Special to avenge his loss at Barnesville. Icarus got incredible heat and Donst got incredible pops the entire match.
Robbie Ellis def. the Hydra via a Burning Hammer -- Yep, a Burning Hammer. Hydra was on the top rope, Robbie grabbed him before he could jump, and landed a picture-perfect Burning Hammer for the pinfall. The place went nuts when he hit it, and tons of people stood to applaud. Like you wouldn't stand and cheer for a 60+ year old man doing a Burning Hammer. My brother said the other day that what makes him even weirder is that he's an old wrestler doing current indy moves (a spinning head-scissors, for example). UltraMantis Black did not knock out the Hydra in this match, however, as he did in Hellertown. Wow, Hydra lost in 3 minutes to a Burning Hammer by a 60 year old, but the previous night almost won a match against Shane Storm that went 10 minutes and lost because a spell was cast on him.
The Colony def. Player Uno, Stupefied, and Shane Storm via the triple-team splash onto Stupefied -- This was pretty much what you'd expect from these guys: fast-paced and high-flying. At one point, Player Uno was paused on the top rope, so Stupefied went in and took the tag. Uno stayed up there while Ants were tagging in and out, so when Stupefied unpaused him, he clotheslined and entirely different ant. I hope that, if there is a King of Trios tournament in 2008, the Colony progress far into the tournament, at least into the final 8. They have proven to be very strong this year as a unit, although they do have one flaw: they have one speed, and that's "ultra-fast." If their opponent(s) slow them down during tags and trios matches, their chances at winning a match drop exponentially. They use hot tags (yeah I know, Fire Ant etc.) very well, which are always a chance to pick a match's energy up, but they have to be careful that they don't overdo it. I'm excited to see where their 2008 takes them as a team. Also, the best part of this match was Equinox standing behind the ring-bell area while this match went on, angry at his comrades that kicked him out the night before (the Colony, Storm)! Shane Storm didn't even notice him on the way out. This is awesome.
Bryan Alvarez def. Larry Sweeney via Superkick for the ICW-ICWA Tex-Arkana TV Title -- I talked to Sweeney before the show and he said that he brought Buddy Lee Parker to ref the match, the same referee from the Sweeney/Alvarez match from March. Sweeney got mad at Parker a few times during the match, though, for not counting the 3 fast enough. Larry, I know he's your referee for the match, but don't push him around, man! When Sweeney was covering to win the match, Parker stopped his hand at 2 9/10ths and left the ring! Sweeney got up to argue, only to turn around into a nice Superkick by Chico for the 1-2-3. I can't believe Sweeney lost the title to Alvarez! I demand a rematch within the next 24 hours!
Delirious, Cheech & Cloudy def. MIYAWAKI, Passion Hasegawa & El Pantera via Delirious's move that I couldn't explain in the last set of results, either -- Poor Passion STILL had handprints all over his chest from the Brodie Lee match on Friday. This was another fun match that was too fast-paced to remember a lot of the action. Delirious sang the "meow meow meow meow" Meow Mix jingle at El Pantera for a good laugh; he also kept referring to Passion as "ladyboy." Cheech & Cloudy were dressed up as themselves tonight, and it was good to see both teams are still on good terms. MIYAWAKI was his normal awesome self. Great match to take us into the intermission. The show has been good, but mildly slow, just like the previous night in Hellertown.
Helios, Mike Quackenbush, and Trik Davis def. Hawke Like An Egyptian (Shayne Hawke, Amasis, and Ophidian) via a Helios standing SSP onto Amasis -- This match ws right after the intermission and picked the show up quite quickly, just like the post-intermission match in Hellertown. When Quackenbush came out, Hawke was standing in front of me and we were both startled that Quack had on about 6 titles. We figured out that 3 were the NWA Jr. Heavyweight title and the IWA-MS Heavyweight and J. Heavyweight titles, but we didn't know the other 3. Any help on that would be appreciated. I also told him I'd buy a shirt when I have money, and he said, "That's what they all say." I would have offered $13 and a pre-match shoulder massage to get the shirt, but that may have been weird seeing that I'm like, 7 years older than him.
The match was fast-paced. Trik has put on some muscle and looks tons bigger than any time I've seen him in Chikara. He looks a lot less goofy, actually. Helios was spot on at both shows I went to, and something about him actually seems different since he put on a mask. Somehow, his gimmick fits well and actually gives him something to do instead of being generic small indy wrestler that does flips #4,192. Oh, having the Young Lion's Cup doesn't hurt much, either.
Eddie Kingston def. Hallowicked via Backfist to the Future -- This was as hard-hitting as you'd imagine. There were three pretty sick headbutts. If you watch the DVD and hear a girl yelling for them to stop, that's Destiny; she hates the bowling-balls-colliding sound of headbutts. Kingston gave 'Wicked a nasty boot to the face right in front of us in the corner or the railings outside, breaking him through the barrier. They never left the arena, but they did some sick spots on the outside of the ring including a suplex by Hallowicked on the ramp, as well a a Michinoku Driver on the cement floor. No weapons were used, which made this more of a personal fight instead of just a pointless brawl. Great match by these two, and it's refreshing to see a rudo win the feud-ending match.
Lince Dorado def. Mitch Ryder via a Shooting Star Senton -- I'll get to the injury in a moment. This was an EXTREMELY emotional match. Sweeney and Hawke came out with Ryder, and El Pantera accompanied Lince. El Pantera ended up getting punched out by Sweeney with an illegal object. When Sweeney and Hawke were actually about to get into the ring and interfere with the ref's back turned, Quackenbush, Donst, and some masked wrestlers came out to even the odds. Then, the rest of the Kings of Wrestling (minus Hero) came out to outnumber the tecnicos, only for more masked wrestlers to come out to support Lince! The crowd was incredibly hot at this point, with everyone cheering on Lince very loudly. And then Lince got injured, and here's my recap that I posted on the message board:
When Lince came out, a HUGE contingent of fans was there to cheer him on. You could tell that it was definitely his family.
The match was going on VERY well with the help of the technicos and rudos coming out for each side. Lince went for a 450 senton (ie, an SSP with a senton landing) and apparently nailed his head/landed on his neck. I couldn’t see it because I was sitting across the corner from where it happened.
After the move, Mitch Ryder kinda rolled onto his side was shaking. I thought it was his reaction to the bump; in fact, I think I heard someone else from the PSU crew laughing at his reaction. Then Mitch rolled onto his back and Quack ran over the Lince and yelled “PIN HIM!!!” in his ear. It was then that I noticed that it wasn’t Mitch shaking, but actually Lince underneath Mitch while he was on his side. Mitch took Lince’s arm, placed it across his own chest, and Lince got the 3 count. The place exploded.
Lince kept shaking. He wasn’t breathing right at all; you could see him sucking his lower lip under his upper teeth over and over, really fast. Quack got into the ring really fast and was trying to get him to talk, but Lince said nothing. Lince eventually slowed his breathing down and stopped shaking; he wasn’t moving at all. NO ONE made a noise in the entire place. Daizee Haze ran down and tried to help Lince talk as well, but he didn’t respond.
They didn’t have a stretcher, so they got a table and managed to put Lince onto it to get him to the back. Quack took off his mask and covered his face with a towel, which was actually quite scary to see. The hair-shaving was REALLY surreal because it just seemed so extremely out of place. When it was quiet, I heard a woman sob loudly, and I looked over at an older woman covering her mouth. I feel certain it was his mom.
While everyone left the ringside area slowly and confusedly, you could hear a woman yelling from behind the curtain. She yelled, “MY BABY,” a couple times, so I’m pretty sure that it was his mom. That was what really hit me that I should get out of there, and I’m pretty sure Destiny had been thinking that for a few minutes by then.
We left and I wanted to go to my car, but someone told me not to go in because an ambulance was coming. I asked if I could just go to my car, and I did, but we didn’t leave because I didn’t want to block the eventual oncoming ambulance. There were many wrestlers out back; someone was trying to calm a woman down, and she may have actually fainted. I moved my car because it was pretty much where the ambulance would be pulling in. I called my brother to let him know the news, and we heard applause coming about 10 minutes after the ambulance had arrived. That probably means that he was alert, but I have no idea if he was walking or not. I tried to not look at the ambulance for privacy reasons. After the ambulance left, I left too.
It was really really REALLY weird and scary. I feel extra bad because his family was there. I left before they said that Hero/Claudio wouldn’t be happening, because I wouldn’t have felt right sticking around, and there’s no way I would have been able to get into it anyway. It seems that everyone else felt the same way about it, with the chant and all. Hopefully he’ll be all right.
Additionally, after I left, Quackenbush came out and said that Lince was responsive. He also said that Claudio/Hero would be canceled for the night, and for everyone to wait in the arena until the ambulance left (oops). ChikaraPro.com posted this today:
Hey Gang,
As most of you are well aware, Lince Dorado was knocked unconscious and lapsed into seizure while attempting a back splash on Mitch Ryder at tonight’s Chapter 11 card. He was taken a local Philadelphia hospital immediately thereafter, and we are pleased to report that after a CAT scan and a few hours to rest and gather himself, Lince was released just over an hour ago. While he has been diagnosed with a serious concussion, and is suffering some understandable stiffness in his back and neck, Lince was in good spirits on his way back to Hotel CHIKARA, and wants to thank everyone for their support and understanding after the injury. He will remain State-side for the next few days and make at least one more trip to be examined before he is cleared to return to Mexico.
We at CHIKARA would also like to extend our most sincere thanks and appreciation to the crowd tonight for their understanding in the matter, as all of you were truly first class in handling it, and made us even more proud to call you our fans. We promise that 2008 will see us make good on what we weren’t able to present tonight, and then some.
Thank you again,
CHIKARA
So that should make you feel a little better. And if that positive news doesn't make you smile, then maybe this will:
So concludes year 2007 for Chikara. It's a shame that the year ended like this, but the news that Lince suffered only a concussion when it looked much worse is good news. Hopefully we'll get Claudio/Hero to finally end this feud. This end-of-season report does not mean that I'll stop the blog, as I'm sure I'll find things to post about over the next couple of months. Thanks for reading, and here's hoping that Lince Dorado gets well soon!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
"The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence" Results
I was there live. Booya. Before I get to the matches, I just want to say that this show in an excellent example of how Chikara knows to pace a show and not get you burnt out too quickly.
Lance Steel def. Retail Dragon via Boston Crab -- This was a pretty decent opener. Retail Dragon hit a tope con hilo midway through the match, and then a senton to Steel while he was sitting on a chair. Retain went for a reverse diving lungblower from the top rope, and he held his knee in pain afterwards. This obviously set up for the Boston Crab finisher, although Steel didn't get it locked in the first time. He actually won it with more of a Liontamer as opposed to a sitdown crab.
Soldier Ant def. Shayne Hawke via TKO -- I was very surprised at this outcome. Shayne Hawke has had many victories this year, especially over higher-tier teams and wrestlers (Lince Dorado, Quack/Storm/Jigsaw). Before the match, Shayne was at ringside saying, "This is where he dives out of the ring before the match, right?" Hawke is awesome throughout the match, as expected. Fire Ant accompanied Soldier Ant to the ring and did a pretty incredible dance to Soldier Ant's theme music. He did it before and after the match, actually. Fire Ant is a very good manager for the Colony because he is full of energy. He would not stop moving at ringside. The crowd got into the match quickly, in large part due to Fire Ant.
Shane Storm def. the Hydra after shenanigans -- Maybe "shenanigans" isn't the right word here. In fact, it's entirely wrong. I don't know why I don't just hit backspace now, but it's too late. Don't tell me what to do -- it's too late. The end of the match saw the Hydra about to do a top-rope 1080 C4 to Shane Storm, but UltraMantis Black held up incense to his face. UMB then uttered the words, "Harvey Oswald Lee," a couple of times, before the Hydra fell backwards off the top rope, and Storm got the easy pin. After the match, Mantis came into the ring and snapped his fingers over the Hydra's head, immediately waking up the world's strongest man. It's hard to tell where this may be going; the only thing I can think of is that Mantis is trying to teach some sort of lesson to the Hydra.
Also, as I noted earlier this week, Shane Storm continues to be used to forward storylines of other wrestlers and factions. This time, he was just the guy who took advantage of UMB hypnotizing the Hydra. Storm's 2008 should be interesting to watch develop, as maybe he can break out of this slump with a fresh year ahead of him.
The Osirian Portal def. Lince Dorado & El Pantera after a Mitch Ryder distraction -- Well, I got Mucha Lucha's predictions reversed. The Osirian Portal is fun to watch. Amasis charmed Lince with Ophidian's help, and then got Lince to dance with him. My brother said that it was a popular dance seen in a "Soulja Boy music video." I don't know what this "Soulja" boy is, nor have I seen this music "video" but it still came off funny. This match was good, as Pantera always brings the awesomeness, but this show has been slightly slow up until now. Nothing has been bad, just a little sluggish. Mucha Lucha go back to 0 points, and I'm surprised that El Pantera wasn't more upset at this, as Lince was the one who was pinned.
Chuck Taylor def. Passion Hasegawa with an Awful Waffle -- This match was mildly sluggish as well, but the CT/Passion/PJ DRUMMOND dance-off was entertaining. Passion did a dive to the outside onto Chucky T, and then Taylor pulled a metal ring out of his hair. It turns out it was a part of a Shane Storm button that was on Nude Smurf's shoe. TRUE STORY.
Claudio Castagnoli def. MIYAWAKI via Ricola Bomb -- Hoooooly crap this match was awesome. Claudio is probably the best guy at kicking out at 2 999/1000ths in Chikara, and maybe in the indies. On Wednesday I said that I was excited to see MIYAWAKI again, and I was not disappointed at all. It's odd that I don't remember many details from this match, but maybe that's because it was so fast-paced. It was a perfect match to put on before the intermission.
Hey, I'm remembering things. Pre-match, Claudio was getting his pads checked by the referee. When he would go to pat down an elbow, Claudio would put his arm behind his head a la the Alex Wright dance. He did this 3 or 4 times, and it was hilarious. Later in the match, Claudio did the lift-and-European-uppercut move. I had never seen him do it to someone heavy like MIYAWAKI, but it was done to perfection here. Great match, and I'm looking forward to the DVD for this one.
Gran Akuma, Icarus, Mitch Ryder, and Robbie Ellis def. Stupefied, Player Uno, Tim Donst, and Mike Quackenbush after a Mitch piledriver on Player Uno -- This match was also perfectly placed, after the intermission. Someone in the crowd asked Mitch if he ate cigarettes, and Ryder couldn't help but crack a smile. He actually had nothing to say back to the guy. The match was fast-paced and well put-together. Toward the end, the match kinda fell apart and everyone paired off. Akuma and Stupefied tied it up on one side of the ring; Donst had Ellis in an Ankle Lock on the other side; Quackenbush chased Icarus to the back, and then they came back out to the merchandise table, where Icarus hid underneath; and Mitch ended up winning by, of course, piledriving the masked Player Uno. He's from Canada, but he's still not from this country!! I guess that makes sense! This match will be triply good on the DVD because Hawke and UMB were on commentary.
Helios (c) def. Fire Ant via Standing SSP -- Shayne Hawke was on commentary, and was shaking his fist so hord at Soldier Ant as he accompanied Fire Ant to the ring. There wasn't anything too memorable from this match, other than the expected spots (Fireman's Carry from the top rope), "The Sky is Falling" double knees, and the standing SSP. This was a solid match.
Chris Hero def. Equinox via the Chikara Special, making Equinox have to remove his mask -- This was an incredible match. The crowd was so hardcore behind Equinox -- we erupted when he put the Chikara Special on Hero. But Hero broke out of it this time!!! I think I'll have to check it out on the DVD to see why it happened, but I think it's because Equinox locked the wrong leg of Hero. Since the wrong leg was hooked, Hero had move movement with his leg, and was able to kick Equinox in the back of the head to get out of the hold. Hero eventually won the match with a Chikara Special of his own. Also, during the match, Hero tore a huge hole in the side of the mask, but all we could see was Equinox's hair sticking out of it.
Everything post-match was pretty harsh. Hero went on about how Equinox had embarrassed him before, but now Equinox would have to feel the humiliation. Equinox was sobbing the entire time, and holy crap we felt bad for him. He eventually took of his mask, with Hero taking it for himself. Then Hero went on to say that he knew who this guy was -- someone who tried to become a wrestler at the Chikara Wrestle Factory, but he failed. He would miss many days of training over a month, but would still be upset that he didn't have a spot on the Chikara roster. So Hero said that Equinox went under a mask and proclaimed to be Mexican, trying to solidify a spot on the roster that way. Hero called him a liar, leaving with his mask. Everyone stood up and clapped to support Equinox, especially after the awesome match we had just seen. When he got to the stage, Lince, El Pantera, Shane Storm, and two others came out with Equinox's suitcase in hand. Lince threw it to Equinox in disgust, and 'Nox left the building immediately. This was pretty emotional and was a huge downer for the crowd. We'd need something extremely funny and high-paced to get us back into the show.
Incoherence def. Cheech & Cloudy, 2 falls to 1, to retain the Campeanatos de Parejas -- Well, that'll do it. C&C's music hit, only for it to fade out and have Delirious's music fade in. C&C came out dressed as (as Nick Papagiorgio put it) "Hallowickedicta" and "Deliriocita", "Incoherencita". Yes, putting an "a" at the end of a Spanish word usually makes it a feminine word. The confusion during the first fall was amazing. The best thing Delirious said was, "I don't like thiiiiiiis." At one point, Delirious tagged out to "Little Stem," as he kept calling Cloudy, and Deliriocito tagged to Hallowicked, and Bryce, although confused, allowed it. Eventually, Hallowicked and Delirious were shoving each other, Incoherencito were shoving each other, and I think Bryce shoved someone as well. The fan in the crowd wearing a Delirious mask didn't help much, either. For most of this fall, one wrestler would do a series of moves, only to have his opponent follow up with the identical series of moves. This proved costly, though, and Cloudy tried to scoop slam Hallowicked, only for 'Wicked to fall on Cloudy and get a three count!
During the break between falls, everyone ended up running backstage; I actually don't remember why this happened. And then on the stage, Cloudy and Cheech appear without their Incoherencito tights on! When they get to the ring, they're upset that they're already down a fall, but they have to wrestle like that. This was a great fall as well, with I believe Cheech getting the pin on Delirious. This was very fast paced, so I don't remember too much about it.
The third fall was extremely exciting. There were many many 2 3/4 counts that really could have gone either way. Most of us weren't even that sure of who we wanted to win. Either way, the crowd would have been happy with the outcome. Again, VERY fast paced, with a good final sequence. Delirious went for that arms-through-the-legs bomb thingy, only for Cloudy to reverse it into a pinning combination, which was then reversed back into Delirious's move. Hallowicked followed it up with a Graveyard Smash, and that was it.
Great show, and I'm so pumped for today's Philadelphia show! Have fun everyone!
Lance Steel def. Retail Dragon via Boston Crab -- This was a pretty decent opener. Retail Dragon hit a tope con hilo midway through the match, and then a senton to Steel while he was sitting on a chair. Retain went for a reverse diving lungblower from the top rope, and he held his knee in pain afterwards. This obviously set up for the Boston Crab finisher, although Steel didn't get it locked in the first time. He actually won it with more of a Liontamer as opposed to a sitdown crab.
Soldier Ant def. Shayne Hawke via TKO -- I was very surprised at this outcome. Shayne Hawke has had many victories this year, especially over higher-tier teams and wrestlers (Lince Dorado, Quack/Storm/Jigsaw). Before the match, Shayne was at ringside saying, "This is where he dives out of the ring before the match, right?" Hawke is awesome throughout the match, as expected. Fire Ant accompanied Soldier Ant to the ring and did a pretty incredible dance to Soldier Ant's theme music. He did it before and after the match, actually. Fire Ant is a very good manager for the Colony because he is full of energy. He would not stop moving at ringside. The crowd got into the match quickly, in large part due to Fire Ant.
Shane Storm def. the Hydra after shenanigans -- Maybe "shenanigans" isn't the right word here. In fact, it's entirely wrong. I don't know why I don't just hit backspace now, but it's too late. Don't tell me what to do -- it's too late. The end of the match saw the Hydra about to do a top-rope 1080 C4 to Shane Storm, but UltraMantis Black held up incense to his face. UMB then uttered the words, "Harvey Oswald Lee," a couple of times, before the Hydra fell backwards off the top rope, and Storm got the easy pin. After the match, Mantis came into the ring and snapped his fingers over the Hydra's head, immediately waking up the world's strongest man. It's hard to tell where this may be going; the only thing I can think of is that Mantis is trying to teach some sort of lesson to the Hydra.
Also, as I noted earlier this week, Shane Storm continues to be used to forward storylines of other wrestlers and factions. This time, he was just the guy who took advantage of UMB hypnotizing the Hydra. Storm's 2008 should be interesting to watch develop, as maybe he can break out of this slump with a fresh year ahead of him.
The Osirian Portal def. Lince Dorado & El Pantera after a Mitch Ryder distraction -- Well, I got Mucha Lucha's predictions reversed. The Osirian Portal is fun to watch. Amasis charmed Lince with Ophidian's help, and then got Lince to dance with him. My brother said that it was a popular dance seen in a "Soulja Boy music video." I don't know what this "Soulja" boy is, nor have I seen this music "video" but it still came off funny. This match was good, as Pantera always brings the awesomeness, but this show has been slightly slow up until now. Nothing has been bad, just a little sluggish. Mucha Lucha go back to 0 points, and I'm surprised that El Pantera wasn't more upset at this, as Lince was the one who was pinned.
Chuck Taylor def. Passion Hasegawa with an Awful Waffle -- This match was mildly sluggish as well, but the CT/Passion/PJ DRUMMOND dance-off was entertaining. Passion did a dive to the outside onto Chucky T, and then Taylor pulled a metal ring out of his hair. It turns out it was a part of a Shane Storm button that was on Nude Smurf's shoe. TRUE STORY.
Claudio Castagnoli def. MIYAWAKI via Ricola Bomb -- Hoooooly crap this match was awesome. Claudio is probably the best guy at kicking out at 2 999/1000ths in Chikara, and maybe in the indies. On Wednesday I said that I was excited to see MIYAWAKI again, and I was not disappointed at all. It's odd that I don't remember many details from this match, but maybe that's because it was so fast-paced. It was a perfect match to put on before the intermission.
Hey, I'm remembering things. Pre-match, Claudio was getting his pads checked by the referee. When he would go to pat down an elbow, Claudio would put his arm behind his head a la the Alex Wright dance. He did this 3 or 4 times, and it was hilarious. Later in the match, Claudio did the lift-and-European-uppercut move. I had never seen him do it to someone heavy like MIYAWAKI, but it was done to perfection here. Great match, and I'm looking forward to the DVD for this one.
Gran Akuma, Icarus, Mitch Ryder, and Robbie Ellis def. Stupefied, Player Uno, Tim Donst, and Mike Quackenbush after a Mitch piledriver on Player Uno -- This match was also perfectly placed, after the intermission. Someone in the crowd asked Mitch if he ate cigarettes, and Ryder couldn't help but crack a smile. He actually had nothing to say back to the guy. The match was fast-paced and well put-together. Toward the end, the match kinda fell apart and everyone paired off. Akuma and Stupefied tied it up on one side of the ring; Donst had Ellis in an Ankle Lock on the other side; Quackenbush chased Icarus to the back, and then they came back out to the merchandise table, where Icarus hid underneath; and Mitch ended up winning by, of course, piledriving the masked Player Uno. He's from Canada, but he's still not from this country!! I guess that makes sense! This match will be triply good on the DVD because Hawke and UMB were on commentary.
Helios (c) def. Fire Ant via Standing SSP -- Shayne Hawke was on commentary, and was shaking his fist so hord at Soldier Ant as he accompanied Fire Ant to the ring. There wasn't anything too memorable from this match, other than the expected spots (Fireman's Carry from the top rope), "The Sky is Falling" double knees, and the standing SSP. This was a solid match.
Chris Hero def. Equinox via the Chikara Special, making Equinox have to remove his mask -- This was an incredible match. The crowd was so hardcore behind Equinox -- we erupted when he put the Chikara Special on Hero. But Hero broke out of it this time!!! I think I'll have to check it out on the DVD to see why it happened, but I think it's because Equinox locked the wrong leg of Hero. Since the wrong leg was hooked, Hero had move movement with his leg, and was able to kick Equinox in the back of the head to get out of the hold. Hero eventually won the match with a Chikara Special of his own. Also, during the match, Hero tore a huge hole in the side of the mask, but all we could see was Equinox's hair sticking out of it.
Everything post-match was pretty harsh. Hero went on about how Equinox had embarrassed him before, but now Equinox would have to feel the humiliation. Equinox was sobbing the entire time, and holy crap we felt bad for him. He eventually took of his mask, with Hero taking it for himself. Then Hero went on to say that he knew who this guy was -- someone who tried to become a wrestler at the Chikara Wrestle Factory, but he failed. He would miss many days of training over a month, but would still be upset that he didn't have a spot on the Chikara roster. So Hero said that Equinox went under a mask and proclaimed to be Mexican, trying to solidify a spot on the roster that way. Hero called him a liar, leaving with his mask. Everyone stood up and clapped to support Equinox, especially after the awesome match we had just seen. When he got to the stage, Lince, El Pantera, Shane Storm, and two others came out with Equinox's suitcase in hand. Lince threw it to Equinox in disgust, and 'Nox left the building immediately. This was pretty emotional and was a huge downer for the crowd. We'd need something extremely funny and high-paced to get us back into the show.
Incoherence def. Cheech & Cloudy, 2 falls to 1, to retain the Campeanatos de Parejas -- Well, that'll do it. C&C's music hit, only for it to fade out and have Delirious's music fade in. C&C came out dressed as (as Nick Papagiorgio put it) "Hallowickedicta" and "Deliriocita", "Incoherencita". Yes, putting an "a" at the end of a Spanish word usually makes it a feminine word. The confusion during the first fall was amazing. The best thing Delirious said was, "I don't like thiiiiiiis." At one point, Delirious tagged out to "Little Stem," as he kept calling Cloudy, and Deliriocito tagged to Hallowicked, and Bryce, although confused, allowed it. Eventually, Hallowicked and Delirious were shoving each other, Incoherencito were shoving each other, and I think Bryce shoved someone as well. The fan in the crowd wearing a Delirious mask didn't help much, either. For most of this fall, one wrestler would do a series of moves, only to have his opponent follow up with the identical series of moves. This proved costly, though, and Cloudy tried to scoop slam Hallowicked, only for 'Wicked to fall on Cloudy and get a three count!
During the break between falls, everyone ended up running backstage; I actually don't remember why this happened. And then on the stage, Cloudy and Cheech appear without their Incoherencito tights on! When they get to the ring, they're upset that they're already down a fall, but they have to wrestle like that. This was a great fall as well, with I believe Cheech getting the pin on Delirious. This was very fast paced, so I don't remember too much about it.
The third fall was extremely exciting. There were many many 2 3/4 counts that really could have gone either way. Most of us weren't even that sure of who we wanted to win. Either way, the crowd would have been happy with the outcome. Again, VERY fast paced, with a good final sequence. Delirious went for that arms-through-the-legs bomb thingy, only for Cloudy to reverse it into a pinning combination, which was then reversed back into Delirious's move. Hallowicked followed it up with a Graveyard Smash, and that was it.
Great show, and I'm so pumped for today's Philadelphia show! Have fun everyone!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
"Battle of Who Could Care Less" Results
Before I get to the results, a couple things:
1. I don't think I'm going to do any predictions next year, but rather an overview of the matches and what I think we should expect.
2. Lance Cade is the American version of Milano Collection AT, looks-wise:
"Battle of Who Could Care Less" -- Reading, PA -- November 16, 2007
Results from Nude Smurf at ChikaraFans.com/forum
1. The Colony (Worker Ant, Soldier Ant & Fire Ant) & Mike Quackenbush def. The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian) & Team F.I.S.T. (Gran Akuma & Icarus) -- Apparently a crazy match, where the Colony were wearing each others' tights and doing each others' signature moves.
2. Chuck Taylor def. Shane Storm -- CT wins with the Awful Waffle. Fine match. One of Storm's best outings in a long time, and Chuck was turned up to 11.
3. Sara Del Rey def. Portia Perez -- The sound system was at an all time low tonight, playing random Windows dings when Sabato called for the bell.
4. Brodie Lee def. Passion Hasegawa -- Lee made short work of the pink man with chops and kicks.
5. Lince Dorado & El Pantera def. The Olsen Twins -- Lince & El Pantera earn their third point and a tag team title shot. A little off, not to the point of being bad, but it was a serious stylistic mismatch. Pantera = The most awesome meatball luchador. Olsens = Mulkeys 2K7.
6. MIYAWAKI def. UltraMantis Black -- Nothing outstanding, but fun stuff. "A young lady needs her booze cut off, as she decided to dance with Mantis' staff toward the finish, and then turned Robbie Ellis into the newest La Parkita with her dancing skillz."
7. The Marvelous Three (Larry Sweeney, Mitch Ryder & Robbie Ellis) def. Jigsaw & Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream & Ice Cream, Jr.) -- Ryder pinned Junior. Ellis executed a dive off the top!
8. Claudio Castagnoli & Equinox def. Chris Hero & Shayne Hawke -- Equinox used a backslide on Hero for the pin. Hero attacked Equinox after and went for the mask. Tomorrow it will be Equinox vs. Hero: MASK VS. HAIR!
9. Young Lions Cup: Helios (c) def. Hydra -- Helios wins with the standing shooting star press. Okay match.
10. Tim Donst & Incoherence (Hallowicked & Delirious) def. BLK-OUT (Eddie Kingston, Joker & Sabian) -- Donst rolled up Kingston following a sick 1-2 kick by Incoherence. Awesome!
1. I don't think I'm going to do any predictions next year, but rather an overview of the matches and what I think we should expect.
2. Lance Cade is the American version of Milano Collection AT, looks-wise:
"Battle of Who Could Care Less" -- Reading, PA -- November 16, 2007
Results from Nude Smurf at ChikaraFans.com/forum
1. The Colony (Worker Ant, Soldier Ant & Fire Ant) & Mike Quackenbush def. The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian) & Team F.I.S.T. (Gran Akuma & Icarus) -- Apparently a crazy match, where the Colony were wearing each others' tights and doing each others' signature moves.
2. Chuck Taylor def. Shane Storm -- CT wins with the Awful Waffle. Fine match. One of Storm's best outings in a long time, and Chuck was turned up to 11.
3. Sara Del Rey def. Portia Perez -- The sound system was at an all time low tonight, playing random Windows dings when Sabato called for the bell.
4. Brodie Lee def. Passion Hasegawa -- Lee made short work of the pink man with chops and kicks.
5. Lince Dorado & El Pantera def. The Olsen Twins -- Lince & El Pantera earn their third point and a tag team title shot. A little off, not to the point of being bad, but it was a serious stylistic mismatch. Pantera = The most awesome meatball luchador. Olsens = Mulkeys 2K7.
6. MIYAWAKI def. UltraMantis Black -- Nothing outstanding, but fun stuff. "A young lady needs her booze cut off, as she decided to dance with Mantis' staff toward the finish, and then turned Robbie Ellis into the newest La Parkita with her dancing skillz."
7. The Marvelous Three (Larry Sweeney, Mitch Ryder & Robbie Ellis) def. Jigsaw & Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream & Ice Cream, Jr.) -- Ryder pinned Junior. Ellis executed a dive off the top!
8. Claudio Castagnoli & Equinox def. Chris Hero & Shayne Hawke -- Equinox used a backslide on Hero for the pin. Hero attacked Equinox after and went for the mask. Tomorrow it will be Equinox vs. Hero: MASK VS. HAIR!
9. Young Lions Cup: Helios (c) def. Hydra -- Helios wins with the standing shooting star press. Okay match.
10. Tim Donst & Incoherence (Hallowicked & Delirious) def. BLK-OUT (Eddie Kingston, Joker & Sabian) -- Donst rolled up Kingston following a sick 1-2 kick by Incoherence. Awesome!
Friday, November 16, 2007
"Chapter 11" -- Sunday, November 18th -- Philadelphia, PA
Los Ice Creams & Tim Donst VS FIST -- As many of you know, Destiny goes to these Chikara shows with me. She's not really a wrestling fan like you or me, but she does enjoy and appreciate the shows. I know she has fun at them. The other day, I was talking to her about this match, and she goes, "Oh, that's cool. Donst beat Icarus last month and Los Ice Creams had that tag title match a few months back." I was astounded that she was paying that much attention over the past few months! I now expect her to remember who won the Crossbones/Create-A-Wrestler match from March 24th.
By now, Donst will have been beaten up for two straight nights. FIST will have been responsible for at least of said beating. But you know what? I see Donst actually picking up the pinfall in this match. He's going to be a huge part of Chikara in 2008, and this will put him out on quite a high note in 2007. Bryce pretty much voted him as Rookie of the Year in his ChikaraPro.com blog, and most of us would be hard-pressed to disagree. I think the only people who don't know about Donst's awesomeness by now are the CZW Fans at the ECW Arena...and the less said about them, the better.
Robbie Ellis VS The Hydra -- This will be a technical marvel, a match for the ages. Don't forget, Ellis has already tapped out to the Hydraulic before! If he can sinch it in, Robbie Ellis will have to tap, albeit fighting all the way! The ending will see Robbie Ellis go for a Black Tornado Slam, but the Hydra will reverse it into a crucifix pin of his own.
The Colony VS Shane Storm & SSB -- I wish it was Super Smash Brothers & Helios tagging in this match, with Shane Storm in the next match listed, but I'll get to that in the next paragraph. The other day, I watched the Colony's first match from TWPG 2006, and it wasn't very good. To see where they've come to today is astounding. They always wrestle well in tags and trios and this shouldn't be an exception. I'm excited to see SSB again -- as Player Uno is solid, although I haven't seen Stupefied wrestle yet. I see The Colony winning this match, with Shane Storm taking the pinfall to end this below-average 2007 for him.
Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Helios VS The Osirian Portal & Shayne Hawke -- This match's name is "QuackenJigLios Vs Hawke Like an Egyptian." I still believe Shane Storm should have been put into this match instead of Helios. It would have given Shane Storm a good ending to the year, win or lose, because at least he'd be teaming with the King of Trios champions from earlier this year. This further proves what I said a few days ago, that Storm couldn't use an tournament like that to vault into the spotlight this year. This will probably come down to Shayne Hawke and Helios in the end, leading to a chase for the Young Lion's Cup by Hawke in 2008. I don't believe he'll win it, though, as I pick Hawke to win the Cup in the tournament next year. And that's why I, again, pick Shayne Hawke to pick up the pinfall for his team in this match -- it will give him a solid argument for a shot at the Cup next February or March.
Larry Sweeney (c) VS Bryan Alvarez, ICW-ICWA Tex-Arkana TV Title Match -- If you haven't gotten to see the promos and the match between Sweeney and Alvarez from March of this year, I suggest that you do. Sweeney's promos are incredible, and the match is very well put together. I love the final pinning sequence -- it just makes so much sense. When I watched this on Sweeney's "Legends Tour" DVD, I was so surprised at this match. I believe that most people on Philadelphia won't have seen it, so I think they'll be surprised at this match as well. Maybe the closing sequence will have the same ending as well, because I don't see Alvarez winning the title. And if Alvarez DOES win the match, it will be because Sweeney had his foot under the ropes, calling for the match to continue, with Sweeney ultimately winning.
Delirious, Cheech, and Cloudy VS El Pantera, Passion Hasegawa, and MIYAWAKI -- I originally typed "Tres Deliriosos" for Delirious's team, but I realized that we don't know what's going to happen on Saturday night in Hellertown. There could be a major falling out between two friendly teams over the titles, and they may not want to even tag together the next day. Or maybe, the opposite will happen, as the match will make the teams become closer, creating a more cohesive unit for the Philadelphia trios match. It's hard to know what to expect out of the Pantera/Hasegawa/MIYAWAKI team, and their lack of experience as a team will probably be their undoing. My pick, as long as they stay friendly, is Tres Deliriosos.
Lince Dorado VS Mitch Ryder, Mask VS Hair Match
Some think it's too soon, but I'm picking Lince to lose his mask. He's beaten Mitch twice this year, and I don't think he'll be able to beat him a third time. Mitch is one of the best at using underhanded tactics, and he's going to use every single one to defeat Lince on Sunday.
Hallowicked VS Eddie Kingston - Falls Count Anywhere
Falls count anywhere favors Kingston in this match. I hope they stay in the arena, though, because I don't know how the cameraman would do following the fight into the ECW Arena parking lot. This is a difficult pick. I want to go with Kingston, as he's really been the central part of the feud. He's the one who is bringing up comments on commentary, calling out Hallowicked during matches, and more. That's the way I'm going to pick: Kingston over Hallowicked. 'Wicked is going to put up a very big fight, though, maybe even gaining Kingston's respect by the end of the night.
Claudio VS Hero
As the video shows, this has been a wonderful story. Just watching the TWGP with Hero getting the falls, it's almost as if they were setting up for this match almost two years ago. I'm going to have to go with my Wrestlemania-main-event heart here: Claudio wins to cap off a great year.
All right, now I don't have to do another one of these again for three months. I am secretly (well, not-so-secretly now) hoping that the 2008 tournament will be a singles tournament for a singles title. There are several pros and cons for this, and they are all points that I plan on tackling over the vacation in this blog. And even if it's not a singles tournament, another King of Trios tournament would be great. Have a wonderful time at the shows this weekend, and I'll see you there!
Los Ice Creams & Tim Donst VS FIST -- As many of you know, Destiny goes to these Chikara shows with me. She's not really a wrestling fan like you or me, but she does enjoy and appreciate the shows. I know she has fun at them. The other day, I was talking to her about this match, and she goes, "Oh, that's cool. Donst beat Icarus last month and Los Ice Creams had that tag title match a few months back." I was astounded that she was paying that much attention over the past few months! I now expect her to remember who won the Crossbones/Create-A-Wrestler match from March 24th.
By now, Donst will have been beaten up for two straight nights. FIST will have been responsible for at least of said beating. But you know what? I see Donst actually picking up the pinfall in this match. He's going to be a huge part of Chikara in 2008, and this will put him out on quite a high note in 2007. Bryce pretty much voted him as Rookie of the Year in his ChikaraPro.com blog, and most of us would be hard-pressed to disagree. I think the only people who don't know about Donst's awesomeness by now are the CZW Fans at the ECW Arena...and the less said about them, the better.
Robbie Ellis VS The Hydra -- This will be a technical marvel, a match for the ages. Don't forget, Ellis has already tapped out to the Hydraulic before! If he can sinch it in, Robbie Ellis will have to tap, albeit fighting all the way! The ending will see Robbie Ellis go for a Black Tornado Slam, but the Hydra will reverse it into a crucifix pin of his own.
The Colony VS Shane Storm & SSB -- I wish it was Super Smash Brothers & Helios tagging in this match, with Shane Storm in the next match listed, but I'll get to that in the next paragraph. The other day, I watched the Colony's first match from TWPG 2006, and it wasn't very good. To see where they've come to today is astounding. They always wrestle well in tags and trios and this shouldn't be an exception. I'm excited to see SSB again -- as Player Uno is solid, although I haven't seen Stupefied wrestle yet. I see The Colony winning this match, with Shane Storm taking the pinfall to end this below-average 2007 for him.
Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Helios VS The Osirian Portal & Shayne Hawke -- This match's name is "QuackenJigLios Vs Hawke Like an Egyptian." I still believe Shane Storm should have been put into this match instead of Helios. It would have given Shane Storm a good ending to the year, win or lose, because at least he'd be teaming with the King of Trios champions from earlier this year. This further proves what I said a few days ago, that Storm couldn't use an tournament like that to vault into the spotlight this year. This will probably come down to Shayne Hawke and Helios in the end, leading to a chase for the Young Lion's Cup by Hawke in 2008. I don't believe he'll win it, though, as I pick Hawke to win the Cup in the tournament next year. And that's why I, again, pick Shayne Hawke to pick up the pinfall for his team in this match -- it will give him a solid argument for a shot at the Cup next February or March.
Larry Sweeney (c) VS Bryan Alvarez, ICW-ICWA Tex-Arkana TV Title Match -- If you haven't gotten to see the promos and the match between Sweeney and Alvarez from March of this year, I suggest that you do. Sweeney's promos are incredible, and the match is very well put together. I love the final pinning sequence -- it just makes so much sense. When I watched this on Sweeney's "Legends Tour" DVD, I was so surprised at this match. I believe that most people on Philadelphia won't have seen it, so I think they'll be surprised at this match as well. Maybe the closing sequence will have the same ending as well, because I don't see Alvarez winning the title. And if Alvarez DOES win the match, it will be because Sweeney had his foot under the ropes, calling for the match to continue, with Sweeney ultimately winning.
Delirious, Cheech, and Cloudy VS El Pantera, Passion Hasegawa, and MIYAWAKI -- I originally typed "Tres Deliriosos" for Delirious's team, but I realized that we don't know what's going to happen on Saturday night in Hellertown. There could be a major falling out between two friendly teams over the titles, and they may not want to even tag together the next day. Or maybe, the opposite will happen, as the match will make the teams become closer, creating a more cohesive unit for the Philadelphia trios match. It's hard to know what to expect out of the Pantera/Hasegawa/MIYAWAKI team, and their lack of experience as a team will probably be their undoing. My pick, as long as they stay friendly, is Tres Deliriosos.
Lince Dorado VS Mitch Ryder, Mask VS Hair Match
Some think it's too soon, but I'm picking Lince to lose his mask. He's beaten Mitch twice this year, and I don't think he'll be able to beat him a third time. Mitch is one of the best at using underhanded tactics, and he's going to use every single one to defeat Lince on Sunday.
Hallowicked VS Eddie Kingston - Falls Count Anywhere
Falls count anywhere favors Kingston in this match. I hope they stay in the arena, though, because I don't know how the cameraman would do following the fight into the ECW Arena parking lot. This is a difficult pick. I want to go with Kingston, as he's really been the central part of the feud. He's the one who is bringing up comments on commentary, calling out Hallowicked during matches, and more. That's the way I'm going to pick: Kingston over Hallowicked. 'Wicked is going to put up a very big fight, though, maybe even gaining Kingston's respect by the end of the night.
Claudio VS Hero
As the video shows, this has been a wonderful story. Just watching the TWGP with Hero getting the falls, it's almost as if they were setting up for this match almost two years ago. I'm going to have to go with my Wrestlemania-main-event heart here: Claudio wins to cap off a great year.
All right, now I don't have to do another one of these again for three months. I am secretly (well, not-so-secretly now) hoping that the 2008 tournament will be a singles tournament for a singles title. There are several pros and cons for this, and they are all points that I plan on tackling over the vacation in this blog. And even if it's not a singles tournament, another King of Trios tournament would be great. Have a wonderful time at the shows this weekend, and I'll see you there!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence Preview & Picks
"The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence" -- Saturday, November 17th -- Hellertown, PA
Retail Dragon VS Lance Steel -- I...
...Lance Steel? Really? Look, I don't mean for that to be negative. I don't really like to write too many things that are negative -- I don't want to be like the rest of the internet. It's just been a while since we've seen Steel, and I personally haven't enjoyed many of his matches. Then again, this is on the pre-show, so this match could be a perfect spot for this. Let's go with Retail Dragon after a Rollback Driver through 3 tables and Private Eye.
Chuck Taylor VS Passion Hasegawa -- I'm looking forward to another match that Chuck Taylor gets to control. The number of matches this year where he's been the veteran in a singles match, especially since he's only 21 years old, is crazy. My pick will once again be Chuck Taylor, putting him on a nice roll on his way to the trios match in Philadelphia.
Shane Storm VS Hydra -- I'm afraid of the same thing as the Reading show: Storm's opponent will do something awesome and hilariously funny, and Storm will come back with some lame retort that you can barely hear because he needs to work on his sense of timing. Also, you have no idea how excited I am to get to see Hydra's entrance again. It will be one of the top 3 moments of the night. To my chagrin, this pick will be Shane Storm. My pick, though, is contingent on UltraMantis being at his side, as he may cast a spell on Mr. Storm.
Lince Dorado & El Pantera VS The Osirian Portal -- You know, I've never made picks for Chikara shows before, and I'm now just realizing how difficult it can be to pick the winners. This should be a decent match, and I'm excited to see El Pantera in a Chikara ring again. The experience edge has to go to Lince Dorado & El Pantera. Additionally, Lince will absolutely need some kind of momentum going into "Chapter 11" to be a viable contender against Mitch Ryder. Yes, I know he's beaten Mitch twice already, but to lose two nights in a row before such a big match would not be a good sign for keeping his mask.
Soldier Ant VS Shayne Hawke -- Soldier Ant is the only member of the Colony in action in Hellertown, so I'm guessing he'll have Fire or Worker Ant at ringside during this match. Soldier Ant has quietly had a very good 2007. I say "quietly" because for the most part, he has been in multi-man matches against the BLK OUT, and Fire Ant is usually the one who stands out the most in those matches from the Colony. But Soldier Ant had a surprisingly good match at International Invaders Night 2 in Hellertown against UltraMantis Black, and scored a minor upset against the much larger Crossbones in Barnesville at New Star Navigation. On the other hand, Shayne Hawke has had a stand-out year as well. He's lost in only four matches this year: the Cibernetico, against Quackenbush (YLCVn3), YLCVn2 main event, and a singles match against Ricochet in March. He has a win against Lince Dorado, giving him one of his few losses this year; he and 2.0 defeated the King of Trios champions in CT with Hawke getting the pin; and he became a part of the Kings of Wrestling in August, and was a main part of that storyline months before. This is actually a tough choice, but I'm going to pick my early pick for the 2008 Young Lion's Cup winner: Shayne Hawke.
Claudio Castagnoli VS MIYAWAKI -- I didn't mention this on Monday, but I meant to: I'm ecstatic to see MIYAWAKI back in Chikara. I've recently been watching TWGP 2006 and, coupled with what I saw at KOT 2007, I'm excited for his matches this weekend. This is yet another match with a hard winner to pick. I can't imagine Claudio losing again unless there are shenanigans by Chris Hero or any other members of the remaining Kings of Wrestling. In fact, that will be my pick: MIYAWAKI due to KOW taking Claudio off of his game and possibly some behind-the-ref's-back interference.
Team FIST, Mitch Ryder, and Robbie Ellis VS Mike Quackenbush, Tim Donst, and Super Smash Brothers -- Nice to see Player Uno back in Chikara, as well. I was actually surprised to see him listed on the updated roster page at ChikaraPro.com. Maybe this means he'll be a big part of Chikara in 2008, maybe even feuding with Shayne Hawke over the Young Lion's Cup (if he wins it doyyyyyy). This atomicos match should be outstanding, hilarity will ensue. This is a guarantee. How do you even analyze a match like this? The most recent interaction between these two teams would be Donst & Icarus from New Star Navigation, with Donst upsetting Icarus with the Chikara Special. I'm sorry, America, but I see Donst as being the man to be pinned/to submit in this match. The BLK OUT will pound on him six ways 'til Sunday in Reading, and Ryder's team will take full advantage of whatever he has injured coming into the match.
Chris Hero VS Equinox -- Something about this match reminds me of the Hero/Storm match from "Crushing Weight..." last year. The show is even in Hellertown. I want to see Hero break out of the Chikara Special, setting up the fact that it can be escaped for his match against Claudio. I don't know how you'd escape that move without dislocating your own shoulder/breaking your own arm, but I hope he finds a way. Chris Hero will win, giving him plenty of momentum for Sunday's showdown.
Incoherence (c) VS Cheech & Cloudy (Campeones de Parejas match) -- A lot of people are still talking about that Cheech & Cloudy VS Olsen Twins match from Cibernetico & Robin. I'm pretty sure that they've been feuding in other places on the East Coast as well. I think that a Cheech & Cloudy VS Olsen Twins tag title match in Chikara would sell a bunch of tickets. And the speed at which C&C pick up their three points is astounding -- this is their second title shot in 5 months! So I have some points to make me think that Cheech & Cloudy could win the titles this weekend.
Then again, Hallowicked has been touted as Chikara's top student for quite some time. Delirious gives the titles even more credibility outside of Chikara. In the proper feud, these guys could sell just as many tickets as an Olsens/C&C title match. So now I have some points to make me think that Incoherence will retain. Additionally, these teams have a long but friendly history, from Tres Deliriosos to Incoherence & Incoherencito.
After such a huge face turn by Claudio last month, I don't know if we're ready for a huge fan favorite like Hallowicked and/or Delirious to become heels to quickly. I believe that this match will stay friendly before and after the bell. This is truly a coinflip, but I'm going to have to go with Incoherence. Right now, I would rather see a homegrown talent like Hallowicked retain the championship, even as regular as Cheech & Cloudy have been to Chikara for the past couple of years.
This looks like another great show. On Friday, I'll post my "Chapter 11" thoughts. This is going to be an awesome weekend for Chikara and a fantastic send-off to a great year!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Chikara Podcast-A-Gogo #85
I might as well post the videos here for your one-stop-shop needs. Of course, like 3 people will read this, but I still feel like I'm doing some sort of service! Oh well, anything with UMB and Bryce is good by me. I shall post my thoughts on the Hellertown show sometime tomorrow!
Monday, November 12, 2007
I dislike the term "blog" but I'm doing it anyway.
Dear internet,
That's how this works, right? I write to the internet and then it tells me if I am good enough or not to do this?
Look, I don't like the word "blog." It's all "look at me I'm all emo" and "here are thoughts you didn't even THINK!" It's really not something I'd ever really care about or want to invest my time in. I've tried this once before when blogs were just catching on, and I lasted maybe 3 days. And yes, I understand how awesomely existential I'm being by saying I dislike making a blog and then creating one at the same time. But I believe that this time I have a purpose and a reason to share my thoughts.
First reason: I enjoy professional wrestling. I've been a fan since about 1995, and I've lived in the Philadelphia area and was lucky enough to watch ECW on a local channel. I started to get into independent wrestling just recently, though. In 2006, I went to an ROH/CZW supershow at the ECW Arena and was immediately hooked. A few months later, on June 24th, WWE ran an ECW houseshow at the ECW Arena. It was a very good show, with an atmosphere full of electricity and animosity. People were insulted that ECW wasn't the same as 6 years prior. Fans were split 50/50 over the Angle/RVD main event. The place was packed and hot (literally and figuratively) the entire night, and I totally felt that I got my $35-worth.
That night, my brother had convinced me to go to a show the next day at the same arena for a promotion called "Chikara Pro." He told me Larry Sweeney was in it, who I thought was awesome just from the 10 minutes I saw him at the CZW show earlier that year. He also told me that Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, and many others that I had seen in ROH previously would be a part of the show as well. We showed up at the ECW Arena for "Young Lion's Cup IV, Night 3" late and still managed to get front row seats. Instead of a few hundred people yelling curses, getting drunk, and being IN YER FACE!! (ECW ECW ECW), there were maybe 100 people there. The atmosphere could never match what we had been a part of the previous night, right?
It turned out I was right, but for the better. Instead of a crowd full of people yelling at each other about how much Cena sucks or how real wrestling is (no, wrestling is really REALLY real), everyone was cheering the faces and booing the heels. Everyone was into every match. Instead of a building of animosity and hatred, we were surrounded by a wrestling event that couldn't be any more fun. When you want to explain wrestling to a friend who doesn't like wrestling, and you sit them down to watch Raw, the automatic first thing that comes on is one of the following: a) Coach trying to blow up a leprechaun; b) scantily clad women having a waterballoon fight; c) Vince McMahon talking about men's nether-regions. You almost feel embarassed to show off something that you love. I'm actually not knocking WWE here, because you can't argue with a billionaire's methods that obviously work. But sometimes you just want wrestling and storylines that make sense, and you want to show a true reason as to WHY you love wrestling.
To me, Chikara is the reason today that I love wrestling. It's why thousands of people love ROH. And Chikara may be a smaller niche of a promotion like PWG or ROH, but it's a niche with strong booking, solid wrestling, and an old-school atmosphere that you want to be a part of. Most importantly, Chikara is fun. Like many things (especially professional sports), people take an interest in something to the point that it's become too important, where it seems like a win or a loss could mean life or death. Sports are entertainment. Professional wrestling is entertainment. Chikara bases every single match, every single storyline, every single wrestler on the basis of fun and entertainment, and that's why I love Chikara.
Second reason: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DMHbKAbmyRI
I stumbled across this video, and I was quickly filled with rage for the following reasons:
1) he knows nothing of Chikara;
2) he doesn't try to know anything about Chikara;
3) he says negative things 90% of time and gives the show a 7/10; and
4) he recorded himself talking, which is the most retarded thing to exist on YouTube.
I may dislike the word "blog," but "vlog" makes me want to stab. No one wants to watch someone else stumble over words and watch them talk about something that they know nothing about. He could have written something down and posted it on the internet and had the same points without looking like a fool -- which brings me back to my other basic reason for starting this blog. I want to get the word about Chikara out. I want to be able to get out thoughts about wrestling that get stuck in my head with nowhere to go. And I want to do it in a way that won't infuriate people like the above video did to me.
I'm sorry that this post really had nothing to do with wrestling, but you have to get to know me a little before you read what I write. I'll end this article (hey, that sounds better than "blog") with my picks for Friday's show to get some Chikara goodness in here. If you'll notice, the URL is ChikaraFans.blogspot.com. ChikaraFans is a registered freakin' trademark of Dan Lowth, so please go visit his site, ChikaraFans.com. Don't forget to check out the message board which has awesome Chikara regulars, such as Dave, George, Nude Smurf, john, and many others who are good people and you should meet at the shows. And finally, I'll pretty this site up someday. That part, though, isn't that important to me, as getting the word out is the first goal at hand. Thanks for reading and enjoy this weekend's shows! And always check out ChikaraPro.com for information about the fed!
----------------
"The Battle of Who Could Care Less" -- Friday, November 16th -- Reading, PA
Passion Hasegawa VS Brodie Lee -- I have never seen Passion Hasegawa before, but I don't think anyone stands a chance against Brodie Lee right now. He's a full head taller than 90% of Chikara's wrestlers. Here's hoping to a pre-bell boot to the face!
Portia Perez VS Sara del Ray -- I've never seen Portia wrestle, either, but I've seen Sara several times in Chikara. I'm going to go with Sara del Ray due to the size and experience advantage.
Shane Storm VS Chuck Taylor -- Oh how I fear the failed comebacks by Shane Storm to any of Chuck Taylor's jokes in this match. I want to know what happened to Shane Storm, actually. He was one of Chikara's top faces in 2005, had solid matches in 2006, and has barely done anything of note in 2007. His team won the King of Trios tournament in February and he could barely vault off of that. It almost feels like as the talent around him has continued to improve, he has stayed at the same level. Include the fact that many non-Chikara student imports regularly put on some of the shows' best matches, and you have Storm losing in matches that involve storylines he's no where near (ie, Hero and Sweeney joining up at the Rey de Voladores show). Chuck Taylor should win this one -- he needs to regain some status after losing to Helios last month.
Jigsaw & Los Ice Creams VS Mitch Ryder, Larry Sweeney, and Robbie Ellis -- This should be very very fun. Robbie Ellis getting his butt pinched by El Hijo del Ice Cream will be one of the most awkward moments of the night. I see Mitch Ryder picking up the pinfall over one of Los Ice Creams to make his anti-Mexicans story progress to the 11/18 match against Lince Dorado.
MIYAWAKI VS UltraMantis Black -- UMB's shrieks while getting punched in the chest should be fantastic. I find it hard to pick a winner of this match. I'll take MIYAWAKI in his return to Chikara, mostly because I've picked the heels to win 3/4 matches up until now.
Lince Dorado & El Pantera VS The Olsen Twins -- I believe that if Lince's team wins, they'll have three points. The Olsens have zero due to their loss in Barnesville to Cheech & Cloudy. I don't see Lince/El Pantera winning and having their title shot suspended until February, especially when the tournament to kick off the year will be a much bigger deal. I want to see the Olsens pick up a point now, especially since they've improved as much as they have, and they've suffered two very tough losses in August and September. My pick will be the Olsens, who I believe will get 3 points within the first few months of 2008.
The Colony & Mike Quackenbush VS Team FIST & The Osirian Portal -- I love atomicos matches so much. I'm glad to see Akuma back so quickly, as well, seeing that he was on crutches for the tag title match last month. The experience between the two teams is rather balanced, as you have Quackenbush with 3 relative rookies against FIST with two rookies. Akuma will be angry after being put on the shelf and losing the titles while injured, and Icarus lost both of his October matches. In fact, the Portal lost both of their October matches as well. You'd think momentum would help the Colony/Quack be favored in this match, but I'm going the other way and picking FIST/Portal to win.
Claudio Castagnoli & Equinox VS Chris Hero & Shayne Hawke -- http://youtube.com/watch?v=IWI8Bv5PEhs I think that Hero will beat Equinox in Hellertown, so this match won't be his revenge. Claudio has already defeated Sweeney and Taylor in singles matches, and he pinned Mitch Ryder to win the Cibernetico. He'll defeat Hero in Philadelphia, but in Reading he'll pin Shayne Hawke to vanquish another member of the Kings of Wrestling.
Helios (c) VS Hydra (for the Young Lions Cup) -- This should be fun. Here's hoping that Hydra busts out some awesome lucha like the 7/27 CT show. And to everyone who hasn't seen Hydra's entrance to "Rehab" yet, you won't be disappointed. Unfortunately, all thesteroidspower-lifting in the world won't be able to take the Cup from Helios.
Incoherence & Tim Donst VS Sabian, Joker, and Eddie Kingston -- There are two main stories meeting here: Kingston VS Donst and Kingston VS Hallowicked. This should be an entertaining main event. Again, I'm stuck as to who the winner could be. It would be hard to pick against the team with the current tag champions, but BLK OUT are a very good team as well. I don't think it's time for Donst to exact the revenge of both losses to Kingston in this match, so my pick will be the BLK OUT. Don't worry, guys, you'll get to go home happy because Tim Donst will be, as always, standing proud at the end of the night.
Overall, this should be a good entertaining show, an excellent send-off to the Reading Coliseum.
That's how this works, right? I write to the internet and then it tells me if I am good enough or not to do this?
Look, I don't like the word "blog." It's all "look at me I'm all emo" and "here are thoughts you didn't even THINK!" It's really not something I'd ever really care about or want to invest my time in. I've tried this once before when blogs were just catching on, and I lasted maybe 3 days. And yes, I understand how awesomely existential I'm being by saying I dislike making a blog and then creating one at the same time. But I believe that this time I have a purpose and a reason to share my thoughts.
First reason: I enjoy professional wrestling. I've been a fan since about 1995, and I've lived in the Philadelphia area and was lucky enough to watch ECW on a local channel. I started to get into independent wrestling just recently, though. In 2006, I went to an ROH/CZW supershow at the ECW Arena and was immediately hooked. A few months later, on June 24th, WWE ran an ECW houseshow at the ECW Arena. It was a very good show, with an atmosphere full of electricity and animosity. People were insulted that ECW wasn't the same as 6 years prior. Fans were split 50/50 over the Angle/RVD main event. The place was packed and hot (literally and figuratively) the entire night, and I totally felt that I got my $35-worth.
That night, my brother had convinced me to go to a show the next day at the same arena for a promotion called "Chikara Pro." He told me Larry Sweeney was in it, who I thought was awesome just from the 10 minutes I saw him at the CZW show earlier that year. He also told me that Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, and many others that I had seen in ROH previously would be a part of the show as well. We showed up at the ECW Arena for "Young Lion's Cup IV, Night 3" late and still managed to get front row seats. Instead of a few hundred people yelling curses, getting drunk, and being IN YER FACE!! (ECW ECW ECW), there were maybe 100 people there. The atmosphere could never match what we had been a part of the previous night, right?
It turned out I was right, but for the better. Instead of a crowd full of people yelling at each other about how much Cena sucks or how real wrestling is (no, wrestling is really REALLY real), everyone was cheering the faces and booing the heels. Everyone was into every match. Instead of a building of animosity and hatred, we were surrounded by a wrestling event that couldn't be any more fun. When you want to explain wrestling to a friend who doesn't like wrestling, and you sit them down to watch Raw, the automatic first thing that comes on is one of the following: a) Coach trying to blow up a leprechaun; b) scantily clad women having a waterballoon fight; c) Vince McMahon talking about men's nether-regions. You almost feel embarassed to show off something that you love. I'm actually not knocking WWE here, because you can't argue with a billionaire's methods that obviously work. But sometimes you just want wrestling and storylines that make sense, and you want to show a true reason as to WHY you love wrestling.
To me, Chikara is the reason today that I love wrestling. It's why thousands of people love ROH. And Chikara may be a smaller niche of a promotion like PWG or ROH, but it's a niche with strong booking, solid wrestling, and an old-school atmosphere that you want to be a part of. Most importantly, Chikara is fun. Like many things (especially professional sports), people take an interest in something to the point that it's become too important, where it seems like a win or a loss could mean life or death. Sports are entertainment. Professional wrestling is entertainment. Chikara bases every single match, every single storyline, every single wrestler on the basis of fun and entertainment, and that's why I love Chikara.
Second reason: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DMHbKAbmyRI
I stumbled across this video, and I was quickly filled with rage for the following reasons:
1) he knows nothing of Chikara;
2) he doesn't try to know anything about Chikara;
3) he says negative things 90% of time and gives the show a 7/10; and
4) he recorded himself talking, which is the most retarded thing to exist on YouTube.
I may dislike the word "blog," but "vlog" makes me want to stab. No one wants to watch someone else stumble over words and watch them talk about something that they know nothing about. He could have written something down and posted it on the internet and had the same points without looking like a fool -- which brings me back to my other basic reason for starting this blog. I want to get the word about Chikara out. I want to be able to get out thoughts about wrestling that get stuck in my head with nowhere to go. And I want to do it in a way that won't infuriate people like the above video did to me.
I'm sorry that this post really had nothing to do with wrestling, but you have to get to know me a little before you read what I write. I'll end this article (hey, that sounds better than "blog") with my picks for Friday's show to get some Chikara goodness in here. If you'll notice, the URL is ChikaraFans.blogspot.com. ChikaraFans is a registered freakin' trademark of Dan Lowth, so please go visit his site, ChikaraFans.com. Don't forget to check out the message board which has awesome Chikara regulars, such as Dave, George, Nude Smurf, john, and many others who are good people and you should meet at the shows. And finally, I'll pretty this site up someday. That part, though, isn't that important to me, as getting the word out is the first goal at hand. Thanks for reading and enjoy this weekend's shows! And always check out ChikaraPro.com for information about the fed!
----------------
"The Battle of Who Could Care Less" -- Friday, November 16th -- Reading, PA
Passion Hasegawa VS Brodie Lee -- I have never seen Passion Hasegawa before, but I don't think anyone stands a chance against Brodie Lee right now. He's a full head taller than 90% of Chikara's wrestlers. Here's hoping to a pre-bell boot to the face!
Portia Perez VS Sara del Ray -- I've never seen Portia wrestle, either, but I've seen Sara several times in Chikara. I'm going to go with Sara del Ray due to the size and experience advantage.
Shane Storm VS Chuck Taylor -- Oh how I fear the failed comebacks by Shane Storm to any of Chuck Taylor's jokes in this match. I want to know what happened to Shane Storm, actually. He was one of Chikara's top faces in 2005, had solid matches in 2006, and has barely done anything of note in 2007. His team won the King of Trios tournament in February and he could barely vault off of that. It almost feels like as the talent around him has continued to improve, he has stayed at the same level. Include the fact that many non-Chikara student imports regularly put on some of the shows' best matches, and you have Storm losing in matches that involve storylines he's no where near (ie, Hero and Sweeney joining up at the Rey de Voladores show). Chuck Taylor should win this one -- he needs to regain some status after losing to Helios last month.
Jigsaw & Los Ice Creams VS Mitch Ryder, Larry Sweeney, and Robbie Ellis -- This should be very very fun. Robbie Ellis getting his butt pinched by El Hijo del Ice Cream will be one of the most awkward moments of the night. I see Mitch Ryder picking up the pinfall over one of Los Ice Creams to make his anti-Mexicans story progress to the 11/18 match against Lince Dorado.
MIYAWAKI VS UltraMantis Black -- UMB's shrieks while getting punched in the chest should be fantastic. I find it hard to pick a winner of this match. I'll take MIYAWAKI in his return to Chikara, mostly because I've picked the heels to win 3/4 matches up until now.
Lince Dorado & El Pantera VS The Olsen Twins -- I believe that if Lince's team wins, they'll have three points. The Olsens have zero due to their loss in Barnesville to Cheech & Cloudy. I don't see Lince/El Pantera winning and having their title shot suspended until February, especially when the tournament to kick off the year will be a much bigger deal. I want to see the Olsens pick up a point now, especially since they've improved as much as they have, and they've suffered two very tough losses in August and September. My pick will be the Olsens, who I believe will get 3 points within the first few months of 2008.
The Colony & Mike Quackenbush VS Team FIST & The Osirian Portal -- I love atomicos matches so much. I'm glad to see Akuma back so quickly, as well, seeing that he was on crutches for the tag title match last month. The experience between the two teams is rather balanced, as you have Quackenbush with 3 relative rookies against FIST with two rookies. Akuma will be angry after being put on the shelf and losing the titles while injured, and Icarus lost both of his October matches. In fact, the Portal lost both of their October matches as well. You'd think momentum would help the Colony/Quack be favored in this match, but I'm going the other way and picking FIST/Portal to win.
Claudio Castagnoli & Equinox VS Chris Hero & Shayne Hawke -- http://youtube.com/watch?v=IWI8Bv5PEhs I think that Hero will beat Equinox in Hellertown, so this match won't be his revenge. Claudio has already defeated Sweeney and Taylor in singles matches, and he pinned Mitch Ryder to win the Cibernetico. He'll defeat Hero in Philadelphia, but in Reading he'll pin Shayne Hawke to vanquish another member of the Kings of Wrestling.
Helios (c) VS Hydra (for the Young Lions Cup) -- This should be fun. Here's hoping that Hydra busts out some awesome lucha like the 7/27 CT show. And to everyone who hasn't seen Hydra's entrance to "Rehab" yet, you won't be disappointed. Unfortunately, all the
Incoherence & Tim Donst VS Sabian, Joker, and Eddie Kingston -- There are two main stories meeting here: Kingston VS Donst and Kingston VS Hallowicked. This should be an entertaining main event. Again, I'm stuck as to who the winner could be. It would be hard to pick against the team with the current tag champions, but BLK OUT are a very good team as well. I don't think it's time for Donst to exact the revenge of both losses to Kingston in this match, so my pick will be the BLK OUT. Don't worry, guys, you'll get to go home happy because Tim Donst will be, as always, standing proud at the end of the night.
Overall, this should be a good entertaining show, an excellent send-off to the Reading Coliseum.
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