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!