ChikaraFans Blog

welp!

2008-05-29T05:54:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't updated this in a while, as I've been busy. And then I came across this video and I promise to post more so that I can reverse the damage this guy has done.

More updates for the May shows!

2008-05-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have some quick hits and then a few video links today. Next week I may not make a post because Destiny won't have school, but we'll see I guess. Some matches have been added to the "Cafe Culture" and "Grit and Glory" cards, as well as the New England Aniversario cards. Today I'll just be talking about the additions to the shows on the 17th and 18th.

Cafe Culture -- May 17, 2008 -- Hellertown, PA

Rey de Voladores Match #1 -- Helios vs. Lince Dorado vs. PSYCHO vs. TJ Cannon
I don't know much about the additions to this match. PSYCHO comes to us from TAKA Michinoku's K-Dojo in Japan, so he should be a good participant in the match. TJ Cannon wrestles primarily in PWU. All I know is that their promotion has matches using ropes to swing on and trampolines to vault off of, so I don't have much to say just based on that.

Rey de Voladores Match #2 -- Stupefied vs. Incognito vs. Turboman vs. ?
I don't know too much about Turboman, either. He's from Dragon Gate. One of the videos at the end of this post features what may be one of the funniest moonsaults in wrestling history. We better be careful in Hellertown.

Claudio Castagnoli vs Jorge Rivera
Well that's a pleasant surprise! It's such a treat to get to see Claudio this up-close-and-personal in Chikara while he's doing so well in other feds like ROH and PWG. Skayde had a fantastic weekend at King of Trios and will hopefully still be on top of his game for Rey de Voladores weekend. This could be the match of the weekend.

Hallowicked vs. Amasis
We'll get a small preview of the tag title match that will take place on Sunday. I think that this will be Hallowicked's first singles match since Chapter 11, and the second straight show with a singles match from Amasis. I'm extremely excited to see where the Portal can go this year. Ophidian and Delirious don't have matches on Saturday, so maybe they will have a match to round out the rest of the card.

Grit and Glory -- May 18, 2008 -- Philadelphia, PA

Claudio, El Pantera & ? vs. Mike Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera & ?
This match gained two participants that squared off for a few minutes at King of Trios in El Pantera and Jorge Rivera. For the second straight night, Jorge and Claudio will be in opposite corners. We may see Lince Dorado and Shane Storm fill out the rest of the teams, but I'm hoping that we get some new partners to create some new match-ups this year.

Here are some YouTube videos to finish off today's post.

1. I don't care if I posted this before, I want to be famous still. Go to 2:47 to watch an interview with me!

2. Destiny has been afraid of snakes for as long as I've known her. To say that she's not a huge fan of Ophidian is an understatement. And then this happened. Yes, she was crying.

3. I posted earlier that Turboman did one of the funniest moonsaults in wrestling history. And like I said, we better be careful in Hellertown.

Have a great week!

Upcoming Shows

2008-04-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I unfortunately don't have much to talk about this week. There are shows coming up in about 2 1/2 weeks so I'll probably talk more about them later. But here's a quick recap of what's already been announced for the May shows:

Cafe Culture -- May 17, 2008 -- Hellertown, PA

Rey de Voladores Match #1 -- Helios vs. Lince Dorado vs. ? vs. ?
Something has to give in this match, and only 2 of the 4 wrestlers have been announced. Can Helios show that he deserves to be the YLC champion, or will Lince manage to keep momentum on his side?

Rey de Voladores Match #2 -- Stupefied vs. Incognito vs. ? vs. ?
Incognito will definitely be the largest man in this mini-tournament. And I believe that this will be Stupefied's first "singles" match in Chikara.

Mike Quackenbush & Shane Storm vs. Gran Akuma & Chuck Taylor
An interesting match-up that will hopefully produce at least one good feud for the year -- Chuck vs. Quackenbush perhaps?

El Pantera & The Colony vs. The Order
For the first time, we will see the new 4-man version of The Order teaming together: UltraMantis, Crossbones, Hydra, and Tim Donst. We'll have to see how The Colony has recouperated from the beating at the hands of Bull Pain.

Pelle Primeau vs. Icarus
What a random little match. Maybe Pelle can pull off an upset and use some momentum for Sunday's show -- he'll need it.

Mitch Ryder & Shane Storm vs. Create-A-Wrestler & Player Uno
Mitch Ryder against masked hoochadores! You can't ask for much better than that. Hopefully we'll get another good showing by CAW at this show as well.

Grit and Glory -- May 18, 2008 -- Philadelphia, PA

Rey de Voladores Final
We'll have to see who the other four competitors are to predict anything for this match.

Incoherence (c) vs. Osirian Portal, for Los Campeonatos de Parejas
I wonder if this will main event the whole weekend! The Portal has grown so much since their tag team debut last September. I don't believe, though, that they're ready to take the tag titles from Hallowicked and Delirious quite yet, though.

Claudio's Trio vs. Quackenbush's Trio
Well this may be another random little match, but it should be a good one. If a story doesn't develop out of Quackenbush's match on Saturday, maybe this one will do it. Unless Chuck and Brodie do double duty, these teams aren't easy to predict.

Sara del Ray & Bobby Dempsey vs. Chuck Taylor & Daizee Haze
This should be fun. We should get some decent to great wrestling out of everybody in this match.

Pelle Primeau vs. Brodie Lee
Oh man Pelle is so dead.

Next week I'll comment on the Aniversario shows, as well as any additions to the Rey de Voladores shows. Until then, thanks for reading!

Thoughts on "Deuces Wild" and "Passion and Persistence"

2008-04-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Deuces Wild -- Hellertown, PA -- April 19, 2008

Before the show, Worker Ant came out to the merchandise table and told people to buy Equinox masks he was selling. Forum member Rooks bought one and cheered for Vin when he came out for his match.

Osirian Portal d. Fire Ant & Soldier Ant -- The Colony just can't get a 2 vs. 2 tag win, can they? This was a solid opener for the weekend, that ended with stupid Vin Gerard holding Soldier Ant out of the ring when Fire Ant was in the Super Cobra Clutch by Ophidian. Oh, pre-match, Ophidian got RIGHT in Destiny's face. Wait until you hear the shrieking on the DVD. I watched the cameraman. He was filming somewhere else in the room, and as soon as she started yelling, he turned right towards Destiny. I tried to protect her, I promise. The most important news coming out of this match is that The Portal now has three points for a tag title match (other wins: 11/17, 12/9). I imagine a tag title match headlining the first night of Rey de Voladores weekend.

Robbie Ellis d. Ice Cream, Jr. -- Destiny may have screamed even louder when Robbie swiveled his hips right in front of her. The match was surprisingly good for a comedy match. Robbie ate a powerbomb but managed to kick out. On the next powerbomb attempt, Robbie turned it into a hurricanranna for two. He won the match after a Sliced Bread #1. Also of note: there were some random other guys filming the show. They left after this match -- more on that to follow.

Vin Gerard & Worker Ant went to a No-Contest -- I liked their match at "Two Eyebrows..." and I was actually looking forward to seeing how their feud would further develop. Instead, Vin came out and said that he had already beaten Worker Ant in January and would only prove himself by fighting all three members of the Colony at once. Fire & Soldier Ant came out for a three-on-one match, but before the bell could ring, Bull Pain came out of nowhere to start beating on the Ants. Bull took them out with his baseball bat (named Brother Pain) and then screamed "ASS" as he left. Well, there were more words involved, but this is family-friendly and we take that very seriously 'round these parts. Worker Ant's knee got beat on pretty badly and will apparently be on crutches for a while. Go read Vin's blog at ChikaraPro.com and check out the seeds of Bull Pain's debut being planted before he ever showed up.

Chuck Taylor & Icarus d. Player Uno & Create-A-Wrestler -- Finally, a nice match from CAW! He didn't really botch his dropkick move tonight, either! CAW actually took a pretty good beating and lost on a double stomp/DVD combo. It's good for him to get into tag matches with established guys. When Player Uno was paused early in the match, CAW unpaused him and managed to fool Smooth Chucky T.

Helios (c) d. Lince Dorado to retain the CHIKARA Young Lions Cup -- Lince took some brutal bumps. 1) He went for a springboard moonsault but missed the middle rope. He tried to do it from the bottom rope, but because he semi-slipped/didn't get enough height, he landed on the top of his head. 2) Helios did a springboard double-knee attack that flattened Lince, but I didn't think it looked as bad as others did. 3) The end of the match saw Lince with Helios in a tombstone position, but Helios turned it into a spike prawn hold pin (thanks Lyle C. Williams for the pic). Lince landed on top of his head AGAIN; I don't think he got a full rotation. And the match ended there, and it felt awkward as Lince kinda kicked out at 3.25. This was a good match, but I feel that they could have done better. Also, Helios has to stop trying to get us to clap so often.

INTERMISSION

Gran Akuma d. Jimmy Olsen -- You know how Jimmy got KO'ed by Ricky Reyes in March? Well, Jimmy went for a german suplex with a bridge, but he collapsed on his own after the move, held his ear, and kept saying, "crap, crap crap." Then he started to hold his upper cheekbone. Akuma got the pin soon thereafter. Also Akuma attempted a springboard...something...and slipped on the top rope. I keep getting worried about Jimmy Olsen: he hurt his knee at King of Trios, go concussed by Reyes, and he doesn't have his tag partner anymore. Here's to hoping that nothing else bad befalls him this year.

UltraMantis Black d. Tim Donst -- This was a fine little match. Hydra was trying to help UMB with cheating but Sabato had none of it. The end of the match saw Donst get whipped into the ropes, only for Hydra to catch him and do a stunner on the top rope. And Hydra splatted RIGHT in front of us, he looked to have landed really hard. After the Praying Mantis Bomb for the pin, Sabato went to get the on-site doctor to help Donst. Instead, UMB helped Donst up and out of the ring, and they left with each other out the back door. Donst just kept saying, "Where am I?" over and over, so here's hoping they do something awesome with an amnesia! Actually, you'll find out more about it from Sunday's results.

Brodie Lee def. Shane Storm -- Not even five minutes. John and I loved the boot to finish off the match. Storm got laid out and it was great. Storm's face hit square on Brodie's sole and he kinda rotated with the kick. The match didn't even last five minutes, getting the boot-to-the-face finisher even more over than it already is.

Mitch Ryder & Shayne Hawke def. Cheech & Cloudy -- Match of the night. Cheech & Cloudy are always awesome. Ryder & Hawke's heel tactics are sensational. So much happened, and the finish saw a spike piledriver on Cloudy for the win. Cheech did an excellent job of making me care that The Fabulous Two were cheating so badly. Sadly, no mention of textbooks by Mitch Ryder tonight.

Mike Quackenbush (c) def. El Pantera to retain the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title -- This went along very well. Lots of sweet-ass submissions. Pantera dove to Quack by leaping over Bryce. Quack hit a springboard moonsault on the outside. The finish saw them roll around with Quack in control, eventually linking his leg under Pantera's neck to go for the Chikara special. Quack lost his grip a little and didn't have it fully on, and Pantera started to tap his arm on the mat. But he tapped as if to get us to join in and clap along with the "clap....clap...clap..clapclapclap." Instead Bryce called for the bell. Quack played it off nicely but it was awkward. Remember last year, Sicodelico/Lince vs FIST? And it ended strangely and everyone stood around waiting for a true ending to the show? That's how this felt as well. It felt very off.

After looking at the show again a few days later, this was better than I originally remembered. The ending to the final match really threw me off and it's making me think badly of El Pantera. He was absolutely fantastic in 2007 in Chikara and was one of the wrestlers I loved to see. It's like he lost a step coming into 2008, though, and to me, it's very noticeable. Something about his timing has been off and it really took away from some of his matches this year.

Passion and Persistence -- Philadelphia, PA -- April 20, 2008

We found out why the extra cameramen left after the second match on Saturday night: they're filming a Robbie Ellis documentary! They actually asked me a few questions, and I said that he took a beating the previous night and really stood out. I signed a waiver and everything. I might be on IMDb.com someday!

Fire Ant & Soldier Ant d. Vin Gerard & Bull Pain by DQ -- While Nick Papagiorgio was doing the pre-show announcements, Vin came to the ring from the crowd and took the mic. He said a lot of the same things that he did on Saturday and challenged Fire & Soldier Ant to a tag match against himself and Bull. After the match started. Fire Ant took a suplex on the concrete by Bull Pain. Later, Bull DDT'ed Soldier Ant on a chair on the outside. After Bull took his bat into the ring and started to beat the Ants down even more, a DQ was called. The attack didn't stop, so many of the masked tecnicos ran out to help the Colony. Chikarason then suspended Bull for 30 days! That's one way for the Colony to get a point, I guess.

Chuck Taylor d. Hydra -- Hydra got in a TON of offense, and Chuck didn't even make it look forced. Hydra actually almost pulled off the upset after his sleeper neckbreaker, but Chuck kicked out. Hydra even did a plancha over the top rope right in front of us! In the end, though, Chucky T won with the Omega Driver. Important to note: the Order did NOT accompany Hydra to the ring.

Jimmy Olsen d. Player Uno -- This was a good match, but I don't remember much about it. I do remember that Jimmy actually didn't get hurt! Olsen's finisher, which I would like to name "The Jimmy Jam," looks so brutal: an alley-oop that rolls over into a piledriver. I don't know how he managed to get Player Uno over for it, but he did.

Tim Donst d. Ophidian -- Donst was accompanied by Crossbones and UltraMantis Black! Donst looked very confused but he went along with it. I guess that UMB brainwashed the already-concussed Donst into following the ways of the Order. Here's hoping that Donst ends up in some crazy gear by August. Also, it seems that the new Order is going to be rudo: UMB gave Donst some tips during the match, and Donst wasn't sure if his directions were the right thing to do. He did them anyway, though -- he poked Ophidian right in the eye as he was told. The fans were into cheering for Ophidian here.

Helios d. Amasis -- I think Amasis' family was there and they added a TON to the show. Amasis made fun of them a lot and they booed him right back. I was starting to sour a little on Helios, as many things he does are awkward, but he had his best match in Chikara since New Star Navigation last October. Dear Helios: stop trying to make us clap every 13 seconds. Helios won with a standing SSP. He also hit a beautiful standing moonsault earlier in the match.

INTERMISSION

Quackenbush, Storm, Cheech, and Cloudy d. Robbie Ellis, Mitch Ryder, Shayne Hawke, and Larry Sweeney -- The intermission re-energized us all, as the crowd was extremely hot for this match. Before the match, Sweeney, Hawke, and Ellis danced for Destiny, and then Larry said that they were coming for her. The first half of the match was dominated by the rudo team; the second half was controlled by the tecnico side. The finish saw Sweeney get double-superkicked by Cheech and Cloudy and palmstriked by Quackenbush all at the same time, followed by a "That Japanese Move" by Shane Storm. Storm pinned Sweeney, and Ryder and Mitch got pissed. They couldn't believe that they had lost another match because Larry got pinned. Ryder vs. Sweeney this year? That would be fantastic. I told Larry after the show that he doesn't need those bums.

Sabian d. El Pantera -- As we all know, Eddie Kingston is out of wrestling right now with some "personal issues." It's not my job to speculate as to why he's gone, but since he wasn't there, the tag match was changed to a singles match. After Pantera won a coin flip, he and Sabian has a match that was a little off here and there, but I think it's because they were just going with whatever the entire match. This was maybe the worst match on the show, but it was still good and watchable. Sabian scores a pinfall on El Pantera after getting Sabato to look at the ceiling, low-blowing El Pantera, and rolling him up for three. Additionally, Lince was out there to cheer on his partner. Edit: one other thing. Sabian wsa untying El Pantera's mask for some heat. And then Pantera accidentally lost it when he hit a turnbuckle. I don't think we saw his face, though, as he covered it quickly.

Brodie Lee d. Claudio Castagnoli by DQ -- This match was awesome. The giant swing on Brodie was insane. And a DQ finish leaves the feud open for the next few shows at the least! About eight minutes into the match, Claudio went for a bicycle kick on Brodie, but he moved and Claudio nailed referee Sabato instead. After some back-and-forth, Claudio hit a Ricola Bomb. Bryce ran out and counted one...two...(bell rings) three! While the pin was being counter, Sabato had crawled over to the timekeeper and called for the bell because he got kicked in the face. Bryce kept claiming it was an accident but Derek was having none of it. I actually liked this finish and am already looking forward to their eventual rematch.

Incoherence (c) d. F.I.S.T. to retain Los Campeonatos de Parejas -- At one point, Delirious slapped Akuma right on top of the head and it was such a loud smack. The best part of the match was probably when Icarus brought the bell into the ring to hit Hallowicked. They were winning 1-0 falls at that point, so an effective DQ like that actually wouldn't have hurt them that much. but Hallowicked got the bell and rang it and Delirious went crazy! All of the falls were believable and the lead up to the final one was great. I don't think too many people thought that FIST could win going into the show, but I think we feared the worst several times throughout the match. For example, right after the first fall, FIST almost won the titles back within 5 minutes. But somehow, and luckily, Hallowicked kicked out of a frog splash. The final fall saw Gran Akuma get double fisherman suplexed from the top rope by both Delirious and Hallowicked. Great title match to end the weekend. After the match, Delirious was hugging fans. he hugged dave for a really long time, and then said, "Don't change, man! Don't ever change!" Faaaaantastic!

Many people went to the first night and not to the second night, believing that "Passion and Persistence" would be the weaker show. I actually enjoyed Sunday's show even more than Saturday's. We were out of there by 7:00 so the show was definitely paced well. Nothing was overly-botched and everything was fun. Just a few short weeks until Rey de Voladores weekend!

Preview of the April 19th & 20th shows

2008-04-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the first shows since the enormous King of Trios weekend almost two months ago. The start of the season usually sets up many storylines for the rest of the year, with the next two shows important in kick-starting some feuds. Will Eddie Kingston want to gain revenge against Lince Dorado or any other members of Team Mexico? Will The Colony get their hands on Vin Gerard, or will Vin manage to gain some allies to create a maskless army? Who will be the next candidates to try to earn a shot at los Campeonatos de Parejas? Below are my quick thoughts on this weekend's match-ups, as well as some speculation for the year going forward.

April 19th - Deuces Wild - Hellertown, PA

Jimmy Olsen vs. Gran Akuma -- Is this a face turn for Jimmy Jam? I'm pretty sure that we've all been fans of him and his shtick with Colin Olsen for the past year in Chikara, so that wouldn't be much of a stretch for him. Here's hoping he calls out for a tag in the middle of the match so we can all go, "Awwwwwww."

Vin Gerard vs. Worker Ant -- Vin recently posted on the ChikaraPro.com blog about the Colony and being dumped in the trash at Night 3 of King of Trios. Ever since Vin lost his mask last November, this has been a hot storyline for Chikara since. Their match at "Two Eyebrows..." was better than decent and I'm hoping that this match is just as good. The crowd was all over Vin for costing the Colony a shot at the King of Trios finals, so he'll probably get booed out of the building again on Saturday.

Chuck Taylor & Icarus vs. Create-a-Wrestler & Player Uno -- Last month, CAW went for that slingshot dropkick in the corner during the 8-man tag match and missed by about a million feet. I have nothing to add to that. For CAW to be in the ring with three Chikara veterans can only be good for his career, so let's hope that this could be the start of a good year for him. Also, this could make a trio for Player Uno now, as CAW is another video-game reference to go with the Super Smash Brothers.

Tim Donst vs. UltraMantis Black -- Tim Donst has come a long way since April 2007, where he lost his first ever match against a match involving UMB. In fact, UltraMantis scored the victory over Donst after a Praying Mantis Bomb. Hopefully Donst can get back on track with his submission- and ground-based style, as they've been slightly off for a few shows.

Shane Storm vs. Brodie Lee -- Holy crap I love me some Brodie Lee. This could potentially be Eddie/Storm from "Two Eyebrows..." all over again. I'm actually hoping that Shane gets pissed off at being a whipping boy for so long that he joins Vin Gerard's maskless quest. Shane needs something new, and maybe losing the mask could be it. yes i know maskless isn't a word i can see the red squiggly lines jeez

The Colony vs. The Osirian Portal -- This match could be fantastic and maybe even end up being the match of the night. I think a lot of people are looking for the Portal to gain three points sooner than later this year, and I believe that they already have one (vs. Lince/Pantera last November). And even though they didn't win the King of Trios tournament last month, the Colony should continue to impress us.

Helios (c) vs. Lince Dorado, Young Lions Cup match -- I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't know if I can picture Lince losing this match. I understand the symbolism with him chasing a title as his mentor, El Pantera, is doing the same in the show's main event. But Helios should hold onto the title until the tournament in June, and I feel that Lince should be in Young Lions Cup VI this year. After defeating Mitch Ryder at Chapter 11 and winning 5 matches in 2 days at King of Trios, it's hard to pick against Lince for any match at this point.

Cheech & Cloudy vs. Mitch Ryder & Shayne Hawke -- Mitch instructed me to buy peanut butter donuts this month and I'll be sure to serve him well on this request. Cheech & Cloudy have had great matches in losing efforts this year, and you figure they have to get out of this funk that they're stuck in. Then again, Hawke is a pick of mine to win the Young Lions Cup this year.

Mike Quackenbush (c) vs. El Pantera, NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title -- After pinning Quackenbush to eliminate Team QuackStormSkayde from the King of Trios tournament in the quarterfinals, El Pantera challenged his friend to a match for the belt as soon as possible. Quackenbush agreed and so we have our main event. This should be an excellent match with plenty of lucha moves, complex reversals, and crazy submissions. This should be an excellent match to close the show.

April 20th - Passion & Persistence - Philadelphia, PA

Player Uno vs. Jimmy Olsen -- So maybe Jimmy Jam goes right back to being a heel again. Who knows. I've been a Player Uno fan for a while now, so I'm looking forward to this match. Hopefully Olsen is all right after the recent injuries he's apparently sustained (hurt his knee at King of Trios; knocked out by Ricky Reyes).

Tim Donst vs. Ophidian -- These two were in opposing corners in the main event at "Two Eyebrows..." at the start of the year. Ophidian continues to improve and please don't go near my girlfriend I don't feel like dealing with her screaming. Oh wait, we'll be in Philly, he can't go past the guardrail!

The Hydra vs. Chuck Taylor -- At last, Hydra has a match this weekend! After the Order's impressive showing at King of Trios, Hydra is expected to put on much better matches, and he'll get an excellent match against a veteran like Chuck Taylor. And anything that gives us a chance to pull for Hydra is good. Taylor's antics should be fantastic during this match.

Helios vs. Amasis -- Tag teams continue to be split up for this show as Amasis will have his first singles encounter in Chikara. We should see a ton of high-flying out of these two guys. Don't forget, Amasis hit a 450 splash during King of Trios weekend. This weekend will also see how Helios has recouperated from that beating at the hands of the BLK Out last month.

Quack, Storm, Cheech, and Cloudy vs. Ryder, Sweeney, Hawke, and Ellis -- This will be absolutely awesome. I'll be glad to have Larry Sweeney back for this show. I honestly can't put into words how much I'm looking forward to this.

Eddie Kingston & Sabian vs. Lince Dorado & El Pantera -- Here's hoping that Eddie is back at this show. Sabian didn't make it to King of Trios, but he'll likely want revenge for his other BLK Out brethren for their loss in the tournament finals. We may have a tag team of champions for this match if Lince & El Pantera are victorious on Saturday.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie Lee -- It's about time Brodie is matched up against someone his own size. I don't think a boot to Claudio's face would keep him down as it has some of the smaller wrestlers over the past year. And just like everyone else, I'm excited to see Claudio back in Chikara this year. Hopefully this is a start to an excellent 2008 in Chikara for him. This could easily steal as the match of the night.

Hallowicked & Delirious (c) vs. Gran Akuma & Icarus, Campeonatos de Parejas -- I'm actually not too fond of how F.I.S.T. is invoking a rematch clause to get a shot at the titles. As far as I'm concerned, they don't have three points, so they don't have a title match. Hopefully Incoherence can hold onto the titles and render this point moot. This match should be an excellent end to a Chikara weekend.

See you all there!

PCW - Arlington, TX

2008-04-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've been to a ton of Chikara shows now. I went to a few in 2006 when I just found out about it, a ton in 2007, and I don't think I'll miss any in 2008 until the Aniversario shows in New England. And being from the Philadelphia area, I've been spoiled with some great wrestling, from ECW in the 90's (on WTGW, Channel 48, serving Philadelphia and Burlington counties) to ROH for the past few years. You get used to the fans, the wrestling, the personalities. You know that you're going to get a good show because the wrestlers treat it like every show is the biggest. We are a demanding group of fans, and they try to deliver every time they go out to the ring.

We also seem to be in pocket where we value wrestling over other theatrics. We don't need a dummy of a cheerleader in a casket with ground beef as brains. We don't need to watch guys go through a plate glass window where that's actually how the winner is determined (glares at CZW). We want to watch a story unfold in the ring and with promos, not with tales made up by ex-writers for soap operas. And don't get me wrong -- I'm pegging some of those problems on WWE because they're the biggest and easiest to target, but they're also the best. You can't argue with their success over such a long period of time. We see that Raw gets a 3.2 rating and we scoff at such a "low" score, when in actuality that's 2-3 points higher than almost every other cable show on TV, and triple the score of their closest competitor, TNA.

And maybe that's why I felt that the Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW) show that I went to a month ago was so poor. To be a company like the WWE, you need money and the best wrestlers in the world. And to try to do that on a smaller scale in front of the same 100 people every week just doesn't work. I went to one of their shos on a recent visit to Texas. Here are links to the results of that show (and others), with a ton of my thoughts after it. And I have to tell you that I'm not one of those negative internet wrestling fans. I tried to enjoy the show and I want to point out as many positives as I can.

Pros:

Decent wrestlers -- Aaron Eagle, Jerome Daniels, Mike Foxx, and Franco D'Angelo were quite good in the ring. The Eagle/Daniels match was by far the best of the night. They managed to get the crowd to react more than anyone else all night (excepting the main event, but that didn't really count). In fact, I actually felt bad for Aaron Eagle because he would be much better suited in a fed where the fans seem to care more.
Matthew Palmer -- OK, this is somewhat biased. This wrestler is actually Destiny's friend from years and years ago. They went to school together all through high school, and we were actually lucky enough to see his first match. And honestly, he was one of the best wrestlers on the show. He did a moonsault off the top rope (but missed), sold like a champ, and had a wonderful babyface comeback. His match was paced far faster than the rest.
Production -- Everyone not only had an entrance video, but the music was actually produced by a local band. It gives the entrances a unique feel, in that not everyone is coming out to some song by Disturbed or something. A minor downside to that, though, is a lot of the entrance songs sounded similar. Here's their main star Mike Foxx's entrance video.

Cons:

Names & Nicknames -- Everyone in TNA has a lame nickname, and PCW tries to copy that. I didn't even realize that the PCW guys were announced with nicknames until after I read the results. "Tim Storm" is maybe the worst wrestling name I've ever heard. "Robert Evans" wore yellow and red...hey, just like the restaurant of the same name! And does someone named Jiggle-O James Johnson really need "Hunk for Hire" at the beginning of his name?
Overbooking -- Nobe Bryant vs. Brandon Collins finished like this: Collins put on a cloverleaf/grapevine maneuver and had it locked on for at least a minute. Bryant apparently injured his knee during the move so the ref threw up the "X" to get the medics out there to help. Brandon let go of the move and a literal two minutes of awkwardness followed as no one came out to help and no one was named the winner. And then Nobe rolled up Brandon for the quick three. This shouldn't happen at a small wrestling show! Additionally, after Wally Darkmon Canadian Destroyer'ed the guest referee in the main event, it was announced that they would have a Casket Match at the next show. The guy who announced it, Mike Foxx, would be busy the next week in a Cane on a Pole match.
The audience -- The face is caught in an octopus stretch and can't quite get to the ropes. He's struggling and he needs some help, so what do we do? Clap....clap..clap..clap..clapclapclap! I tried this at least three times during the show and the fans looked at me like I was insane. In fact, for 5 of the 6 matches, the fans basically sat cross-armed and watched as if they were watching on TV. They chanted "YOU GOT NOTH-ING!" for about 10 minutes straight at Nobe Bryant, and then would blindly chant one of the face's names during the main event, even after it had ended. Oh, and the loudest pops of the night were for Steve Austin in a video package promoting Lacey Von Erich's match a few weeks later.
Busseys =/= Mr. McMahon -- I understand that a wrestling federation may need a commissioner-type role. They can play a part in storylines, but it isn't really necessary for them to be a main character. The Busseys (yes, from the failed TLC show "The Bussey Bunch") are trying to be an important part of these shows. They came out on two occasions: once to set up some matches, and another time to choke a mechanical chicken and berate a fan named Charlie. The chicken/Charlie thing actually has an ongoing storyline now.
One arena -- They took an old auditorium with a stage and turned it into a wrestling arena. The problem is, though, that they don't go anywhere else. It's as if they're content with what they're doing and just go with it. I got the feel that they really showed no interest in improving or growing larger. I don't understand how it can be worth it to do shows with TLC and Flaming Tables matches in front of the same 100 people every week.

Basically, they're all style with little substance. The wrestling isn't great, the referees are bad, and the audience is just weird. They try to be a company like WWE, with a weekly TV show, extravagant entrances, commissioner-like characters, in-ring promos that go nowhere, and zany nicknames. They're trying too hard to be a mini-WWE, but they don't have the resources or the talent to do it. A lot of the matches just turned into this: do a move, wait 10 seconds, do a move, wait 10 seconds. Oh, and Lance Hoyt is one of their main trainers.

Match-by-match and show analysis:

Awesome video package to pump us up for the show. Whoever does their videos is fantastic because he makes this fed look great.
"Hunk For Hire" Jiggle-O James Johnson def. Carrion Arcane -- JJJ's finisher is an elbow drop, but he does a frog splash before he does it. Carrion Arcane is sporting one of Texas' favorite outfits: a black shirt with black jeans that have flames on them. JJJ looks like a guy who could dive all over the place, and had a great opportunity at one point when his opponent was on the outside, but he just let Arcane into the ring. Also, you shouldn't try three Yakuza kicks in one match if you're wearing jeans and you can't quite get that smack sound right.
"Grim Reaper" Tim Storm def. "The Mind of Wrestling" J.T. LaMotta -- LaMotta comes out pre-match with Dr. Wagner Jr.'s (!) mask, saying that he recently defeated him in Mexico and took his mask. "People with masks stink!" he tells us (paraphrased, by the way). Out comes Tim Storm, who is now wearing a mask because he got his head shaved recently after losing a match (see second "Con" above). So JT is obviously a heel after his deal on the mic...but Storm is also a heel because he won't let us see his new haircut. All I remember about this match is that it was slow, but JT tried really hard to make this entertaining.
A video was shown to promote Lacey Von Erich's PCW debut on March 22nd. As I said before, the loudest pops of the night were each of the six times Austin appeared in the video. I think the video was from a promo for the Von Erichs' DVD. After the video, Mike Foxx (with Wally Darkmon, also in flamed black jeans and black shirt!) came out and said that the Von Erich legacy was dead, claiming he deserved a shot at the PCW title. Then came out JJJ again to try to help his BFF Wally Darkmon. Next out was Franco D'Angelo, saying that he deserved the title shot, but then Action Jackson came out and said he'd defend his title against anyone, anytime. So then The Bussey Boys came out to settle everything. At the April 12th show, there would be a 4-way, 2-falls match. The first fall would be for Brett Idol's TV title; the second fall would be for Action Jackson's PCW Title. Then they said that the main event of our show would be Action Jackson & Franco D'Angelo vs. Mike Foxx & Wally Darkmon, with JJJ as the guest referee. That's right, Jiggle-O three times in one night!
The Real Deal" Nobe Bryant def. "The Expert" Brandon Collins in a No Snakes Allowed Match -- This match is the one where the ref threw up the "X" signal. Brandon Collins might have the worst kicks in the history of professional wrestling and I'm not exaggerating. They missed by a few inches every time. You could tell that both of them were thinking of spots of the fly because they constantly looked up and to the left while coming up with ideas. The match lasted way too long and the ending was awkward as noted above.
INTERMISSION. That's right -- 3 matches in and we're almost done. Only $10 for a seat, though! And for $5, you could get a picture with Aaron Idol in the ring!
"Essence of Excellence" Robert Evans def. Matthew Palmer -- With a nickname like that, you'd expect Robert Evans to be some sort of pompous, maybe even snooty wrestler. Nope, be comes out wearing red and yellow, a feather boa, and does a funky little dance on the ring apron! Palmer was quite good for his first match; all of those years of being in plays in high school paid off. Palmer's late-match comeback almost got him the win, but after missing a moonsault, Evans hit his finisher for the pin. Evans went to do commentary for the next match.
"Success Story in the Making" Aaron Eagle b "Flawless" Jerome Daniels to retain the PCW Cruiserweight Title -- Look at that nickname. Probably the match of the night, as Aaron Eagle has the most potential of anyone in this fed. Daniels jawed with the crowd and got us to respond, and Eagle solidly got us behind him through the finish. After the match, Evans got into the ring to try to take out Eagle, only to be laid out by Aaron's "Side Effect"-like finisher. I guess this is setting up the TLC match they'll have on April 12th.
Wally Darkmon & “Dark Messiah/Main Event”Mike Foxx b "The Beast" Franco D'Angelo & Action Jackson with Jiggle-O James Johnson as the referee -- Wally wrestled under Foxx's directions, although reluctantly. The fans absolutely love Franco D'Angelo. He looks pretty bad-ass, too, so I don't blame them. His picture on the website sucks so don't go by that. In a match with a guest referee, they did a ref bump! After JJJ rolled out of the ring, Mike Foxx used his cane to hit Franco. The instant he tossed the cane down, another ref came to the ring to count the three. After the match, Blackmon Canadian Destroyer'ed JJJ because he is emo or something. The fans kept chanting "WALLY! WALLY!" even though he just did a flip-piledriver to the ref, who is one of their favorite wrestlers on top of that. Then Mike Foxx said that Blackmon vs. JJJ will be a Casket match on April 12th, and there will be a Cane on a Pole match between D'Angelo and Foxx before that. Foxx then his Action Jackson with the cane, and AJ had to be helped to the back. He didn't even move for like 2 minutes so it was really strange.

Ref bumps, throwing up the "X", below-average wrestling, and stabbing mechanical chickens? You bet I'm going back when I visit Texas again.

King of Trios 2008 Night 3 Review

2008-04-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

'bout time, innit?

The Colony d. F.I.S.T -- For the second straight year, F.I.S.T. loses on the opening match of Night 3 of the tournament. The best move of the match was probably Chucky T giving Sole Food to one of the Ants from the middle rope. This was an exciting opener to the show and seemed to promise a great night for the Colony. They won the match with the Ant Hill and pinning Gran Akuma.

Team Mexico d. QuackStormSkayde -- El Pantera and Skayde in the ring at the same time! You can probably bet that won't happen again in a Chikara ring, or maybe even any ring, ever again. The best spot in the match saw Quack and Skayde clean house of Team Mexico, with the two celebrating in the ring and Quack yelling, "THAT'S MY TEACHER!" while pointing at Skayde. This match had a strange vibe to it, in that El Pantera seemed to be playing the heel.
When Pantera was tagged in to wrestle Quack, instead of locking up, El Pantera hit a spinning heel kick. That might not sound entirely heel-like, but knowing that El Pantera and Quack are close just made it seem a little off. Finish it off with El Pantera pinning Quackenbush the same exact way Quack eliminated Pantera's team from the previous year's tournament, and then demanding a shot at the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title, it definitely felt like we were about to witness a heel turn. They shook hands and everything, but it didn't bade well for the rest of the night.

BLK Out d. Team Japan -- We didn't get any head-butts! Every time it seemed like Kingston was about to head-butt MIYAWAKI, he laid off or punched him instead. I, as well as many fans around me, were cringing just waiting for them to come. Hard-hitting matches like this are always a welcome break from the lucha. SUSUMU looked really really tiny during this match, and anything that he tried to land with impact hit with almost no sound at all. I think at one point, SUSUMU went for his spinning Yoshitonic on Kingston but got flipped over into a powerbomb. A Backfist to the Future put SUSUMU away after that.

The Golden Trio d. The Fabulous Three -- The match was everything you'd expect, with Helios landing a standing SSP on Larry Sweeney for the win. It was everything after the match, though, that got everyone's attention. First, while The Golden Trio was celebrating, Shayne Hawke was ratting him out to Mitch Ryder, saying "HE LOST THE MATCH!" over and over like a five-year-old trying to get his little sister in trouble. Then, Sweeney, Ryder, and Hawke all attacked the members of The Golden Trio, with F.I.S.T. coming out after the beatdown. Icarus said that since Incoherence got their title match while Akuma was hurting that F.I.S.T. would get their rematch in Philadelphia on April 20th while Hallowicked and Delirious were down. At least The Golden Trio made it through to the semifinals.

Tag Team Gauntlet -- Last year's gauntlet was INSANE. It lasted about an hour and featured 19 teams. I was looking forward to them doing that again this year, but they cut it short to 10 teams. The Immortals lost first to The North Star Express (thank goodness). Then, Sha Samuels and Terry Frazier came out and made NSE tap out with a Boston Crab and a Fishhook Crossface. The Southern Saints were next and knocked out our favorite British wrestlers from the weekend. Las Chivas followed and eliminated the Southern Saints and the next team, the Super Smash Brothers. I think one of the Goats landed on his head and was very woozy. As Stupefied continue to wrestle him, the Goat just kept trying to wave him away because he was having trouble standing. Shimizu & Go from El Dorado made quick work of Las Chivas after that, but Sara del Ray and Bobby Dempsey eliminated them even faster. Next out were The Hydra & Crossbones. Hydra got Dempsey in the Hydralock and Crossbones kept kicking Dempsey in his giant stomach, making Bobby give up! The tenth team was Demolition, who got a huge reaction from the crowd. The finish saw Hydra on the receiving end of a Decapitation when Ax jumped off the top rope knee-first. Afterward they high-fived everyone at ringside on their way out.

INTERMISSION

BLK Out d. The Golden Trio -- Helios got absolutely murdered during this match. He took so much punishment and was easily in the ring for the majority of the time. The finish was shady but I liked it at the time. When Bryce's back was turned, Joker slapped his leg and fell to the ground, holding his crotch. Hallowicked was standing over him at the time and Bryce turned around at the sound of the slap. He teased calling for the bell and everyone yelled, "No!" Joker continued to "roll around in pain" and his efforts worked, as Bryce called for the disqualification. I have NEVER heard Bryce get booed so loudly and for so long. You could tell Bryce felt kinda bad afterwards. This meant that there was a really good chance we were going to get The Colony vs. BLK Out in the finals of the tournament!

Team Mexico d. The Colony -- And then this happened. See, one problem with wrestling tournaments is that you envision so many different outcomes and you pick out your favorite. I picked BLK Out vs. The Golden Trio in the finals for a continuation of the Hallowicked/Kingston feud. I know that many people wanted to see the Colony win the entire tournament; they had a great 2007 and this was going to be a start to an even better 2008. And when we saw the possibility of BLK Out vs. Colony in the finals, everyone was already picking their sides.

But, just like in all of the previous Colony matches in the tournament, Vin Gerard came out and sat on a chair on the ramp. This time, though, he didn't just sit there and watch. While the Ants were forming Voltron in the ring to jump on a member of Team Mexico, Vin came to ringside to try to distract the Colony. So instead of jumping onto an opponent, Fire Ant flew threw the air, out of the ring, and onto Vin Gerard. In the ring, though, Team Mexico gained the advantage, and when Incognito went for the pinfall, Vin held Fire Ant on the outside and no one could get over to break up the pin. After the match, the Ants picked up Vin and dumped him head-first into a trashcan.

This disappointed a good portion of the crowd. Many fans still aren't totally sold on Lince Dorado yet. We wanted to see a BLK Out vs. Colony finals, including myself. Add to the fact that Team Mexico won with shenanigans on the outside, and El Pantera's semi-heel turn, we were looking at an unlikeable finals matchup. This really took its toll on the crowd, with many people even complaining about the non-tournament matches that followed.

Vin Gerard d. Glacier, Martin Stone, and Reno Diamond -- More Glacier! We were all very pleased with his appearance over the weekend. Vin Gerard entered with no music and was covered in trash from the previous match. After Diamond and Stone were eliminated, Vin worked over Glacier's braced knee. Vin eventually won the match with a roll-up. Everyone was a little beat after the fantastic semi-finals match-ups, but we all took every chance we could to boo Vin Gerard as loudly as we could.

m.c. KZ d. Michael Nakazawa -- This was probably the best of the non-tournament matches before the finals. Nakazawa is fantastic. I think he had the best line of all the wrestlers during the tournament (picture him saying it with an "I can barely speak English" accent): "The oil makes me slippery. His wrestling is useless!" (Second place goes to Chuck Taylor, about Bobby Dempsey: "YOU'VE CREATED AN UNSTOPPABLE KILLING MACHINE"). Nakazawa went to spit baby oil into m.c. KZ's face, but he ducked and ended up winning with his KZ Time finisher.

Tim Donst, Create-A-Wrestler, Chiva II & Arik Cannon d. Ophidian, Amasis, Ice Cream Jr., and El Hijo del Ice Cream -- Someone on Donst's team put a sleeper hold on someone on Ophidian's team. And then they went back and forth until Tim Donst was the last man putting someone in a sleeper hold. PJ Drummond lifted everyone's arm and EVERYONE was unresponsive, so Donst wins the entire match! Just a quick comedy match to chill us all out before the finals match.

Team Mexico d. BLK Out -- As great a Colony/BLK Out finals match would have been, I have to admit that it's somewhat good that we didn't get a match that we saw 47 times in 2007. We needed something new for 2008 and we already got it. But the finals matched up the BLK Out (superheels) against Team Mexico (cheered for Lince but Pantera was confusing all night), and they'd have to really deliver to make this a fantastic finals.

Luckily, they did deliver. During the three matches between the semis and the finals, I (like many) was quite downtrodden that the Colony didn't advance to the finals. m.c. KZ/Michael Nakazawa was good, but the other two matches were definitely there to cool us down. And even during the first couple minutes of the finals match, it was mildly difficult to get into.

But Kingston and Joker were incredible. They made fun of Lince's injury so many times. We HAD to cheer for Lince, even though it felt a bit forced. Joker went and faked the low-blow finish like the previous match, but Bryce refused to call it this time. And then Eddie german suplexed Lince on his head and he got right up with FIGHTING SPIRIT. This got a great portion of the crowd right back into it. After Lince hit a beautiful shooting star press from one corner, I was sold. And as always, I pop like a mofo for the Chikara Special.

The BLK Out carried the finals match, but Lince definitely deserves the MVP for that match for making us care ten times more about him by the time Eddie tapped out at the end. The MVPs of the entire weekend, though, were definitely BLK Out. Eddie was fantastic, Joker wrestled the best I've ever seen him do, and even Ruckus busted out some new stuff. So here are my awards for the weekend!

MVPs: BLK Out
Best Entrance: Da Soul Touchaz
Best Import: Team IPW:UK
Craziest Move: Jimmy Olsen's Alley-oop into a piledriver
Best Wrestling: Skayde vs. El Pantera
Best Surprise: Glacier
Best Moment: Sweeney vs. One Man Gang strut-off
Best Gimmick: Michael Nakazawa
Best Match, Night 1: Quack/Storm/Skayde vs. Team WTF?
Best Match, Night 2: Team F.I.S.T. vs Da Soul Touchaz
Best Match, Night 3: BLK Out vs. The Golden Trio
Favorite Match, other than those listed: Team F1rst vs. Team IWS

I have some other things I'd like to write about on this blog! There are TWO shows coming up in about two-and-a-half weeks: "Deuces Wild" on Saturday, April 19th in Hellertown, PA; and "Passion and Persistence" on Sunday, April 20th in Philadelphia, PA. I also was to comment on the PCW show I went to a couple weekends ago, and maybe even my thoughts on Wrestlemania 24. I'll probably be updating on Wednesday evenings for a while, so be sure to check back then! Thanks for reading and have a great day!

King of Trios 2008 Night 2 Review

2008-03-26T16:18:00.001-07:00

Before we get to Night 2, let me talk about the conclave. We had the opportunity to meet nearly all of the wrestlers from both nights of the tournament before the show. I got to play Fire Pro against Fire Ant and I beat him with D'Lo. Go watch Podcast #100 -- that's me being interviewed by Wiggly! After about 45 minutes, they had a Q&A session with some rudos & tecnicos. Chikarason asked the interviewees to do an imitation of their favorite wrestlers. The funniest (worst?) on was Chuck Taylor laying down in the ring and then shaking, to make fun of Lince Dorado's injury. There was much more to go into detail here, and you can see a ton of it on that same podcast (UMB's singing was great).

But now let's go over Night 2, shall we?

Team Japan d. The Southern Saints -- Yesyesyes MIYAWAKI. Susumu wasn't a very big guy, and most of his moves landed with no impact. In fact, they had very little sound at all. After 500 moves echo off the walls of the ECW arena, it just looks strange when someone lands on their back and you barely hear it. The Southern Saints came out dressed up as, well, I guess you could call it "reverse-KKK" outfits. Marcus O'Neill and Reno Diamond wore while cloaks, and all three of them carried Confederate flags. There's just so much to analyze there.

Anyway, KUDO and MIYAWAKI are awesome and, as I said 8000 times on this page before, I was ecstatic to see their return to Chikara. Marcus O'Neill's facial expressions throughout the show were definitely a highlight. The finish saw a beatdown on O'Neill with a swinging Yoshitonic finishing move.

Da Soul Touchaz d. Team BSE -- I misread this match horribly. I thought that maybe BSE would get a win here because Chikara has taken a liking to Super Xtremo. Unfortunately for them, Cobra Kai wasn't very good. He yelled...something at us to try to boo him. I just yelled, "TIMMAY" back because that's what it sounded like. On the other end of the spectrum, Da Soul Touchaz were the other surprise of the weekend (along with Team IPW:UK). Their choreographed entrance was great, even if it was to that popular "Soulja Boy" song that is cool among the teens! You really had no idea what you were getting with this team, and then they come out and put so much energy into the arena in just 2 seconds. Willie Richardson was fantastic, hitting a 300-pound leg drop to finish the match. I was glad to see them move on to the next round because we'd get to see that entrance again.

Team F.I.S.T. d. Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc. -- The crowd was all about Bobby Dempsey here. He probably got some of the loudest chants of the weekend. Tank Toland hit his exercise-based moves, Sara del Ray hit a ton of stiff moves on Icarus, and Chuck Taylor said he was going to beat Sara like his ex-girlfriend. Dempsey hit a couple sweet belly-to-belly suplexes, and after yelling "COME ON BABY" for us to cheer him, turned around right into a pedigree by Icarus. No, not a "boot-to-the-stomach, followed-by-a-pedigree" finish, but a "push-Bobby's-head-down-and-do-a-pedigree" finish. It looked kinda lame, but I'm glad F.I.S.T. moved on here. Post-match, Toland smacked Dempsey for losing, and Sara del Ray helped him to the back.

The Fabulous Three d. Team Stranglehold -- Yes Shayne Hawke! An he's wearing a robe and a boa and glasses like his teammates! Before the show, I talked to Sweeney and he looked pumped. I think I knew why -- if his team won this match, they'd get to face Demolition and the One Man Gang later in the night! As always, Donst was the face-in-peril. This match had the best length of all of the first-round matches during the weekend. Many of the matches lasted way too long for a 27-match tournament, but this one was decently-paced. The finish was a falling elbow from the top by Sweeney onto Andy Sumner. And you know what this means: Sweeney and Akeem get to square off!

Team IWS d. Team F1rst -- Dammit I didn't want to see Team F1rst lose in the first round; in fact, if it wasn't for being in the same bracket as Team Mexico, I would have put them into the tournament on the final night. But I really didn't expect them to lose in the first round! Then again, El Generico was fantastic for his team, and Player Uno and Stupefied did a great job of getting the crowd into the show. The funniest spot saw Arik Cannon take out an N64 controller from his pants, put it into Player Uno's tights (anus?), and control him. He got him to attack his own teammates so it worked out well for Team F1rst. The finish of the match was a brutal tag-team spike piledriver onto Ryan Cruz that has to be seen to be explained. This was probably my favorite first-round match of the tournament.

Team Mexico d. Los Ice Creams & ?? -- Before the show, a friend of mine said that he knew who Los Ice Creams' partner would be, but I didn't want him to tell me. Historically, the third name pulled from the hat is usually the new partner. But when Chikarason said that their partner was Glacier, there was no way I was going to believe it until I saw it. And there he was, coming out to Sandstorm (Snowstorm?) with instant mashed potatoes being used as snowflakes. Los Ice Creams jumped up and down in enjoyment in the ring. The crowd exploded when we saw Glacier (Glacier!) in the ECW Arena.

The match went along well, with Incognito having a better showing than at Cibernetico. El Pantera was very strange this weekend, though, but I'll touch on that later. At one point in the match, Glacier got out a sock full of sprinkles. Lince had a move done onto them somehow, but eventually Lince hit a hurricanrana and a moonsault onto one of Los Ice Creams on the sprinkles. Extremely fun match with a great surprise.

INTERMISSION

Team Japan d. Team AZW -- Ohhhhhhhh boy. The Immortals weren't...good. They jawed with the crowd but it was lame. You could see one of the team members say to the other "hold me back" before he went after fans. It was funny but entirely too predictable. AkuA was more than decent in the ring, but it really seemed like he was just showing off power indy moves. The finish saw KUDO hit flying knees from the top onto AkuA for the pin.

Team F.I.S.T. d. Da Soul Touchaz -- Again, we got to watch the greatest entrance of the weekend by Da Soul Touchaz. C-Red is a fantastic manager. Willie Richardson was on fire again, but the best part of the match was Acid Jaz giving the SWISS MIST to Icarus. A "Swiss Mist" is doing a green mist move, but with hot chocolate powder. It smelled like chocolate for a while after that. Chucky Tea hit the Awful Waffle for the the three-count. Extremely loud "PLEASE COME BACK" chants finished off Da Soul Touchaz' nights. They thanked us with bows for a couple minutes.

The Fantastic Three d. Team WWF -- Ed Wood was in the crowd and he was dressed up as, and looked exactly like, Akeem the African Dream. So when Sweeney challenged One Man Gang to a strut-off, OMG put on Wood's hat and channeled his old gimmick! He definitely won the strut-off. Shayne Hawke was actually very good in this match, even though his attacks obviously did nothing. Ryder ended up hitting OMG in the face with a pair of brass knuckles to pick up the pinfall. We were sad to see Team WWF lose but it was great to see them wrestle in a small federation like Chikara at the ECW Arena.

Team Mexico d. Team IWS -- All that I really remember about this match was the finish: Incognito hit a fall away slam from the top rope on Stupefied, but he held on and did a moonsault to land on him. You know, like how Claudio eliminated Quackenbush during the 2006 Torneo Cibernetico. We were all very thankful for El Generico coming to Chikara for both of these matches; "Ole!" chants filled the arena all night. Oh, and before the match, there was some enormous feedback over the PA system and Stupefied and Player Uno freaked out.

Man I need to get these DVDs. So much happened and I forget so much of it. This was definitely the show of the weekend, with the strut-off, Glacier, and Da Soul Touchaz. A review of Night 3 should be coming shortly. Also, I'm going to write about a federation called PCW, an Arlington-based indy fed. Well, I'm going to write about them once because I went to a live show of theirs a couple weeks ago when I was in Texas. It really made me miss Chikara. Thanks for reading!

King of Trios 2008 Night 1 Review

2008-03-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Ok look, I'm sorry. I'm just going to get it out of the way in a totally sincere way; I'm sorry. The weekend after the show I went to Texas for a week with Destiny, and then we came back the next weekend and I had no time. I've just had no time. Work is even busy! I can barely manage my fantasy baseball team right now!

But I've been wanting to write my reviews for a while now. Some of my memories may have been wiped out because of the 3+ weeks I've waited, but I'm pretty sure I'll remember the important stuff.

King of Trios 2008 - Night 1 - February 29, 2008 - Philadelphia, PA

Las Chivas Rayadas d. Team ROH Grads -- You know, the zing of the tournament may have come during the first match of the weekend. George: "Shane Hagadorn? Oh, must be the pre-show!" Fantastic, my friend. This was a good match to get us into the show. We had to endure a Rhettski Jetski and Shane Hagadorn's stupid-ass "screw you" kick, but Las Chivas picked up the win. The third goat of the trio looked a little...different than the rest, by the way. He was a good foot taller and much much paler than his teammates. No crazy head-bumps during this match, so thanks for saving your necks for once.

The Colony d. Team El Dorado -- Michael Nakazawa is so awesome. He wore tights that were held together by just a few shoestrings. That's not what makes him awesome, I'm just stating it for posterity's sake. Also, he came out with baby oil and constantly covered himself with it. When Worker Ant went for a lock-up, he just slipped right off. He then used a hand-towel to keep his hands dry during a reverse waist-lock. Yes, we started a "USE THE TOW-EL" chant, and I'm not too proud of it. The finish saw Michael Nakazawa squirt some of the baby oil in his mouth to spit it at one of the Ants, only for the Ant to move, making the oil hit Nakazawa's teammate. Also, Nakazawa was knocked down in front of us on the outside, and he left a giant oil stain on the ground.

At this point, those of us in the front row realized that we were maybe six to eight feet from the ring, instead of a good 12 feet that we should be. It turned out that the barrier was taped together at the ends of each section, making the barrier kinda fold in toward the ring in a trapezoidal shape. This ends up being very important later in the show and led to something that I feel somewhat bad about.

The Order d. Team Kaiju Sea Amigos -- Before the match, UltraMantis Black came out with Dr. Cube! The two evil masterminds were teaming up to take down Call-Me-Kevin and his partners; Dr. Cube gave UMB tartar sauce to use against them. The match was very short, but we did get to see the following three things: 1) Call-Me-Kevin missing a moonsault; 2) UMB squirting the tartar sauce on his opponents; and 3) and Praying Mantis Bomb on Call-Me-Kevin. The Hydra looked pretty pumped to have won!

Quack, Storm, and Skayde d. Team Egypt -- It was a shame to see Amasis and Ophidian lose on the first night, but I think we all knew they would lose once they were teamed with Mecha Mummy. Pre-match, Quackenbush took off Skayde's mask for him; he wrestled under Jorge "Skayde" Rivera for the rest of the weekend. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about this match. I do remember, though, that Mecha Mummy scored about 5 palm strikes to the opposing team with a giant detachable hand. Oh, and the finish was brutal. Quackenbush tombstoned Amasis, bounced right back onto his feet, and then did the Quackendriver 2 finisher.

Team WTF? d. Team Dr. Keith -- So Colin D. Olsen wasn't going to be there. Of course we found that out just a couple days before the tournament. When Chikarason was drawing names, he first drew Colin Delaney. After the ref ran to the back and checked that he wasn't there, Lenny drew another name: Johnny Cashmere. In a joke that went way over my head (but came to understand later), they checked for him in the men's bathroom. The third name was Retail Dragon and he was their partner. If you want to know what "sad" sounds like, listen to the crowd after that announcement.

The match was extremely entertaining. mc KZ was an excellent addition to Cheech & Cloudy's team. Most of the match focused around Brodie Lee not wanting to team with Retail Dragon, putting off Dragon's attempts at friendship. Also, mc KZ routinely chain-wrestled around one of his opponents to put them into a stance that may or may not have been popularized in the hit movies "Step Up 2 the streets" or "Stomp the Yard." The craziest spot of the match came when Brodie Lee had Cheech and Cloudy in a DVD position. Jimmy Olsen climbed to the top rope and kneeled on them both, but it threw off Brodie's balance and they all went tumbling down. I think most of the weight actually landed on Jimmy Jam's knee, as he was visibly limping around for the rest of the match. Another crazy move earlier in the match saw Jimmy go for that stupid "ally-oop" powerbomb move, only to follow Cloudy over on the move and finish it off with a piledriver.

Team IPW:UK d. The Naptown Dragons -- Holy crap this was different. It felt like a CZW match for the first couple minutes. A brawl started on the outside and Scotty Vortekz hit a moonsault from the top rope to the outside onto everyone about 90 seconds in. They brawled everywhere in a very hard-hitting match that surprisingly saw the Naptown Dragons lose in the ECW Arena.

But you know what? Team IPW:UK were definitely the stars of Night 1. Dan Lowth of ChikaraFans.com said that this team was terrible and he'd eat an inanimate object if Team IPW:UK won this match. What we actually got were the best heels we've seen in Chikara in a while. They spat on fans and yelled directly in their faces. And it's not that they were just yelling, they managed to keep their eyes on the match as well. I think the finish saw Sha Samuels put Drake in a Boston Crab while Terry Frazier had a fishhook crossface locked in on another member of the Naptown Dragons. After the match, Frazier took Destiny's hand and kissed it; I stood up to challenge him but he just walked away.

INTERMISSION

The Colony d. Las Chivas Rayadas -- I was looking forward to this match but I was somewhat disappointed. The timing of the Chivas seemed off all night, especially in this match. All I really remember is the finish: a Beach Break from the top rope. Fire Ant jumped backwards off the top rope to do the move. It looked insane.

BLK Out d. The Order -- Crossbones and UltraMantis Black came out with sweet metal masks on. It felt great to cheer for the Order because they were definitely treated as the faces in this match. UltraMantis' team managed to stay in this match for a while, but the BLK Out ended up getting the best of them. The Joker Driver that Hydra took to finish the match looked absolutely brutal. I hate when I get burnt out at great wrestling shows because I don't remember good things about matches.

Quack, Storm, and Skayde d. Team WTF? -- This match is what I was referencing earlier about "feeling bad" about something. Quack and Storm were on the outside on different sides of the ring, and Cheech and Cloudy were going to dive onto them from the ring. Cloudy did a corkscrew plancha right in front of me onto Quackenbush. When Quack fell backwards, he hit his eye right a thin pipe on the metal barrier. It started bleeding immediately and a little bubble appeared on his eyelid. Thankfully he was all right, but I felt pretty bad about it. My feet, along with several others', had been pushing it closer and closer all night. Quack shook it off after the match, though, so I did feel a little better.

The Golden Trio d. Team IPW:UK -- Good Lord do I pop for the Chikara Special. Saving the Golden Trio for the main event of Night 1 was a great idea. Delirious called members of the UK team "Tony Blair" to a good laugh. I still can't get over how great of heels that Team IPW:UK were. They would yell, "HUSH HUSH HUSH YOUR GUMS" at us, and it bordered on lame but as still fantastic. We got to yell British terms such as "BANGERS AND MASH." I actually don't know how to follow that up.

And so ended Night 1. Get the DVD because the show really was fantastic. And if you buy this one, you better buy Nights 2 and 3 because who wants to only see 35% of a tournament? The one prevailing thought from the show is that the members of Team IPW:UK can come back whenever they want. The crowd was on them for the entirety of their matches, and they came right back at us without distracting from the match.

Night 2 write-up coming soon!

Chikara King of Trios 2008 FINAL PREDICTIONS

2008-02-28T11:03:00.001-08:00

Well Chikara went ahead and made everything into blocks. They set up all the first-round matches and even set up all of the potential second-round matches. We can kinda do a bracket, but we don't know who is meeting on the final night. As in, the quarterfinals won't be A vs. B, C vs. D, etc. So here's how my picks are going to be shown:

I have all of my winners from each block picked below. Some of my picks changed because of possible second-round matches. From those eight winners, I picked the 4 teams who would win in the quarterfinal round. From those 4, I picked the two who would be in the finals, and the championship team.

Some picks I changed and why, as well as other commentary:

Las Chivas d. Team ROH Grads (first round) -- A matchup between the Colony and Las Chivas in the second round would be fantastic.

Kaiju Sea Amigos d. The Order (first round) -- Because Kaiju vs. BLK Out in the second round is too awesome to pass up.

Team WTF? d. QuackSkaydeStorm (second round) -- There are plenty of upsets that can happen but this one wouldn't surprise me.

Golden Trio d. Naptown Dragons (second round) -- I wanted to put the Naptown Dragons into night 3, but I don't think they could beat IncoHelios coming off a bye.

Fabulous Three d. Team WWF (second round) -- Sweeney's gonna pin an old-school hero!

Semifinals: I see F.I.S.T. vs. The Golden Trio as one match-up. F.I.S.T. will try to avenge losing the tag straps AND the Young Lions Cup all in one match. I also see The Colony vs. BLK Out having a strong matchup in the other semi-final match with BLK Out actually avenging their loss from the end of last year. And finally, I see The Golden Trio beating BLK Out in the finals.

Have a great weekend, everyone, ESPECIALLY those going to the ECW Arena! See you there!

Night 2 Picks for King of Trios!

2008-02-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay! Before I get to my Night 2 picks, there's a bit of news: Colin D. Olsen won't be at King of Trios because he was signed to ECW. What a story, eh? Brodie and Jimmy Jam will need a new partner, but my pick doesn't change: Team WTF? will still win that match-up.

Team IWS vs. Team F1rst -- This should be a fantastic match-up and it will be great to see El Generico in a Chikara ring. It's a shame that one of these teams has to lose in the first round of the tournament. It really seems like Player Uno just can't get a win over the past few months. Additionally, all of the members of Team F1rst have been involved in Chikara tournaments in the past. The North Star Express made it to the semi-finals of the TWGP 2006. Arik Cannon won Young Lions Cup 4 in 2006. Based on that experience alone, I think Team F1rst is a legitimate dark-horse contender to take the whole thing. Pick: Team F1rst

Stranglehold vs. The Fabulous Three -- The only other time I remember Stranglehold teaming together in Chikara was when they lost an ugly match to the Order; I also think that was Donst's first match on a show. This will be an interesting match-up with a good mix of mat wrestling and old-school tactics. Larry Sweeney has barely won a match in the past year in Chikara, but I think his team will win at least one match this year. I don't think Shayne Hawke will mess anything up (at least in the first round) and I'm strongly behind him as a top contender for the Young Lions Cup later this year. Pick: The Fabulous Three

F.I.S.T. vs. Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc. -- Ed O'Mac recently posted on the ChikaraFans message board and said that F.I.S.T. was his pick to win the whole thing. And his reason is solid: they're great in tournaments in Chikara. Both Icarus and Akuma lost in the finals of their respective Young Lions Cup tournaments, and both won their respective Cibernetico matches. And of course, Chuck Taylor won the Rey de Voladores and Young Lions Cup tournaments last year. But hey, we'll get to see Bobby Dempsey in a Chikara ring this weekend. Thumbs up to that at least! Pick: F.I.S.T.

Southern Saints vs. Team Japan -- MIYAWAKI yesyesyesyes. Sorry, Southern Saints, I really can't give you a chance against MIYAWAKI. Team Japan (with Yago in place of SUSUMU) made it to the finals of the King of Trios tournament last year and I could definitely see them making a run like that this year. I don't think the Southern Saints will have the cohesiveness a team in this tournament would need, since two of the three wrestlers on that team have been dropped off due to injuries. Pick: Team Japan

Team Mexico vs. Los Ice Creams & ??? -- I really really really hope Vin Gerard is Los Ice Creams' tag partner. Can you imagine Vin in the ring with FIVE other masked wrestlers? This match has a chance to be one of the best of the first round on night 2. Team Mexico made it to the quarterfinals of last year's tournament and, like Team Japan, you could see them making a similar run this year. Pick: Team Mexico

Da Soul Touchaz VS Team BSE -- I've liked having Super Xtremo in Chikara. His appearances last year at Young Lions Cup and at the Cibernetico were quality matches, even though in one of them he teamed with a cow. His flipkick-hurricanrana move against Kris Chambers was awesome. I don't know a single thing about The Soul Touchers but I don't see them picking up a win here, and I think Super Xtremo will carry Team BSE to a first round win. Pick: Team BSE

All right everyone, I'll have my final set of picks later this week. I'll be listing the four teams that I think will be surviving to Night 3, and who I think will meet in the semi-finals and finals, as well as my pick for tournament champion. Only four more days until King of Trios 2008!

More King of Trios Thoughts!!

2008-02-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

The first round of both nights has been set and the 28th trio has been revealed! Below I'm going to list the first round matches, who I think will win (and why), and who I think will be moving on to the final eight on night 3.

Night 1

The Colony vs. Team El Dorado -- This is a good match to start on because there is one major point I want to get across about making picks: don't let wins hinge totally on bookability. Just because a team was flown in from halfway across the world doesn't mean that they're automatically going to win a first-round match-up. The Colony had an outstanding 2007 and should have a great 2008 going forward. As I've been preaching for a few weeks now, the Colony have an outside shot at winning this whole tournament. This could be their chance to show tons of people in other markets that they are one of the best teams in Chikara and maybe independent wrestling today. Pick: The Colony

Las Chivas Rayadas vs. Team ROH Grads -- Shane Hagadorn can't even win a dodgeball match. Also, the "screw you!" kick to the back of the head is so awkward to me and I really hope he doesn't do it this match. Las Chivas impressed at the Cibernetico and International Invaders night 2 last year, including a win over then-tag champs F.I.S.T. But you know what? Every tournament needs an upset or two. Yes, that's the basis for this choice. Pick: Team ROH Grads

Team Dr. Keith vs. Team WTF? -- The Brodie/Colin/Jimmy team will definitely be shorthanded if Colin's injuries from falling down the stairs last January carry over. And the fact that they can't practice on Tuesday nights given the Olsens' grandmother needing dialysis won't be helping things either. Cheech and Cloudy lost last month in "Two Eyebrows..." but I definitely think they'll bounce back this month with a first-round win with m.c. KZ on their team. Pick: Team WTF?

Kaiju Sea Amigos vs. The Order -- Dr. Cube has to be there for the tournament now. Evil itself will be redefined if he and UltraMantis Black meet up in any way, shape, or form during or before this match. I can't wait to see Crossbones punch DW Cycloptopuss III's eye really really hard. The Order will pick up another win to add to their January 27th tag team victory. They may almost lose due to a gaffe by Hydra, but UltraMantis and Crossbones will prove to be too formidable even for Hydra's mistake. Pick: The Order

The Naptown Dragons vs. Team IPW:UK -- Here's another example of some people wanting to pick Team IPW:UK because they were flown in from far away. Who cares! Does anyone see a team with Drake Younger and Scotty Vortekckzksxxz losing in the first round of a tournament in the ECW Arena? I sure don't. In fact, I see Drake's team progressing pretty far into the tournament. Pick: The Naptown Dragons

Team Egypt vs. Quack/Storm/Skayde -- Skayde!! Skayde!!!! What a fantastic surprise this turned out to be. I actually wanted to give Team Egypt a chance in at least the first round of the tournament. The Osirian Portal have been doing quite well for themselves over the past 5 months, but being teamed with Mecha Mummy doesn't really help their cause. They'll have a bright 2008, but it won't start with a win in the first round. If Quack/Storm/Jigsaw won the tournament last year, anything short of winning the whole thing would be a disappointment for Quack/Storm/Skayde. Great surprise for the final trio, who will put on several good matches over the weekend. Pick: Quack/Storm/Skayde

Still to come: Night 2 first round predictions, and who I think will be left standing on Night 3!

King of Trios -- Early Thoughts

2008-02-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. We're two weeks away from the King of Trios weekend! Each night's participants have been set, but individual match-ups haven't been made yet. Also, we're still missing one team for Night 1, which will apparently be revealed on the February 18th Podcast-a-Gogo. For now, I'd like to touch on some interesting match-ups that could happen on the first couple of nights, and then touch on some people as to who could be the final team. Remember, these are POSSIBLE matches that may not happen even until a later round.

Night 1

The Colony vs. The BLK Out -- This one is a no-brainer. Their feud was a highlight of the 2007 season with fast-paced, hard-hitting matches. I'm sure that there would be no love lost between these two teams. The Colony ended up winning the blow-off match to this feud, so I'm sure the BLK Out would love a shot at redemption.

BLK Out vs. The Golden Trio -- An Eddie/Hallowicked match-up would be a violent start to 2008. And don't forget, Incoherence scored one of their three tag points against the BLK Out at Aniversario! I wouldn't be surprised to see Eddie and another member of the BLK Out try to get their tag title points to challenge Hallowicked & Delirious for the tag titles. In a blog a few months ago, Eddie actually said that he had two points (although I don't know with who), so maybe he'll get a third this year.

Golden Trio vs. The Order -- I think by now that we all know what UltraMantis Black thinks of Hallowicked. Again, Incoherence got one of their tag points against Hydra and UltraMantis at Cibernetico & Robin. Hydra and Helios had a match at Bruised for the Young Lions Cup. And if the order can beat the Golden Trio with Crossbones helping, it would further any idea of UltraMantis and Crossbones being a better team than UltraMantis and Hydra make.

Brodie Lee/Olsen Twins vs. The Colony -- I point this possible match out only because this match happened twice in about two months last year, both in Reading: on August 17th and October 26th. They seem to have good chemistry with each other. And just for fun, I'm going to mention that Worker Ant got his face kicked off by Brodie Lee at New Star Navigation. It's ALWAYS fun to talk about Brodie kicking people's faces off.

Kaiju Sea Amigos vs. The Order -- If Dr. Cube accompanies Team Kaiju to the ring for a match like this, the world may implode if he and UltraMantis, two of the world's most evil masterminds, had some type of altercation. Personally, anything that gives me a reason to chant "Call-Me-Kevin" (clap clap clapclapclap) is good with me.

Team WTF? vs. Brodie Lee/Olsen Twins -- Named just today, the team of Cheech, Cloudy, and Dragon Gate's m.c. KZ team up to form Team WTF? I mention this match because we all know about the great matches we saw last year when Cheeck & Cloudy were pitted against The Olsen Twins.

All of the participants for Night 1:
The BLK Out -- Eddie Kingston, Sabian, Joker
Dr. Keith Presents -- Brodie Lee, Jimmy & Colin Olsen
The Naptown Dragons -- Drake Younger, Dustin Lee, Scotty Vortezkskxkszkzs
The Order of the Neo Solar Temple -- UltraMantis Black, Hydra, Crossbones
Team El Dorado -- Mototsugu Shimizu, Go, Michael Nakazawa
Team IPW:UK -- Martin Stone, Sha Samuels, Terry Frazier
The Colony -- Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, Worker Ant
The ROH Grads -- Shane Hagadorn, SUGARFOOT Alex Payne, Rhett Titus
Kaiju's Sea Amigos -- D.W. Cycloptopuss III, Unibouzo, Call-Me-Kevin
The Golden Trio -- Delirious, Hallowicked, Helios
Las Chivas Rayadas -- Chivas II, III, IV
Team Egypt -- Ophidian, Amasis, Mecha Mummy
Team WTF? -- Cheech, Cloudy, m.c. KZ
(Unknown Team 28)

Night 2

F.I.S.T. vs. Team Mexico -- Surprisingly, these teams never met in tag action. At the Cibernetico, though, Lince & Incognito were on the luchador team against the Kings of Wrestling, partly comprised of F.I.S.T. Additionally, Chuck Taylor defeated Lince in the finals of the Rey de Voladores tournament in April.

F.I.S.T. vs. The Fabulous Three -- This match-up would pit all six ex-Kings of Wrestling member in the tournament against each other. They obviously would never had a chance to face off during 2007, but they would still know each other well after nearly a year of teaming together.

Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc. vs. The Fabulous Three -- This is a possible match that I'm sure many people are looking forward to. Who would Sweeney align himself with: his current strong trio with Mitch and Shayne, or his ROH investments of Sara Del Ray, Tank Toland, and Bobby Dempsey? This would be one of the most interesting match-ups in the entire tournament.

Team Mexico vs. The Fabulous Three -- You know, this may actually be even more anticipated than the match listed previously. To see Lince & Mitch square off again would be fantastic. Five members of this match were a part of the Cibernetico, and don't forget that El Pantera was in Lince's corner at Chapter 11. And El Pantera had to leave the ringside are after a beatdown by...Shayne Hawke and Larry Sweeney. What a match this would be.

The Fabulous Three vs. Team WWF -- Notice how most of these have the Fabulous Three involved? That just goes to show how awesome they are. Of course, there is no history between these two teams, but it would be a fantastic meeting of the 1980's old-school style. Sweeney and Ryder would fit in perfectly against One Man Gang, Ax, and Smash. Sweeney has faced off against other legends before and this match would only add to his already excellent legends-tour collection.

All of the participants for Night 1:
Team WWF -- Demolition Ax, Demolition Smash, One Man Gang
Sweet n' Sour, Inc. -- Tank Toland, Bobby Dempsey, Sara Del Rey
F.I.S.T. -- Gran Akuma, Chuck Taylor, Icarus
The Fabulous Three -- Mitch Ryder, Larry Sweeney, Shayne Hawke
Ice Cream, Jr., El Hijo del Ice Cream, ???
Team IWS -- El Generico, Player Uno, Stupefied
Team BSE -- Kobra Kai, Super Xtremo, La Sombra
Team AZW -- AkuA, The Immortals
Team F1rst Wrestling -- Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin, Ryan Cruz
The Soul Touchaz -- Acid Jaz, Willie Richardson, Marshe Rockett (w/ C-Red)
The Southern Saints -- Shawn Reed, Marcus O'Neil, Chris Styles
Team Mexico -- Lince Dorado, El Pantera, Incognito
Team Japan -- KUDO, SUSUMU, MIYAWAKI
Stranglehold -- Tim Donst, Drew Gulak, Andy Sumner

As I said, 27 of the 28 teams are listed. Here are some omissions as to who the final team could fill out with:
Shane Storm
Mike Quackenbush
Vin Gerard
The Iron Saints (Thomasellis)
There's a tiny rumor going around that Skayde may come back for at least the weekend, which could prompt a Quack/Shane/Skayde team. Vin Gerard could be slotted with Los Ice Creams, which would give Vin two masked wrestlers as teammates. I would love to see the Iron Saints come back, but I feel that they would be a slightly anticlimactic team to list as number 28. Either way, MIYAWAKI better head-butt someone into oblivion this year.

That's all for now. My next post will probably be next weekend with some predictions. If the first-round match-ups are posted, I may post my thoughts on those. Additionally, I'll post the four teams from each night that I think will be wrestling on Night 3. Until then, have a great week!

Top 10 Chikara Moments of 2007

2008-02-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome back everyone! I know we're all getting pretty amped for King of Trios weekend, coming up in just THREE short weeks, but until them we have to live with a lot of anxiety and neediness until then. When are we getting to the fireworks factory?? :::sobs::: So until then, I'm going to try my hardest to keep you relaxed and happy, and I might just throw a few YouTube clips in there to keep you blankly staring at your screen for a few moments more. I'm going to continually update this post instead of making several posts so that you can scroll down from 10 to 1 in a dramatic fashion.

Additionally, please remember that these are my top 10 moments from the past year. They may differ from your top 10, and that's fine, give me some feedback on that. Some choices were made based on wrestling, and some were based on pure entertainment. We're going to start the list with a few honorable mentions that didn't quite make the cut, in no particular order.

Robbie Ellis defeats the Hydra with a Burning Hammer -- Chapter 11 -- November 18, 2007 -- Philadelphia, PA
Hydra is apparently against going to rehab -- New Star Navigation -- October 26, 2007 -- Barnesville, PA -- Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VOhdl0AVq6I
The Destruction of the Barnesville Thunderdome -- New Star Navigation -- October 26, 2007 -- Barnesville, PA -- Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UNB6QGpTH-c (4:00)
Tecnicos come out to party with food after the Connecticut Show -- Showdown in Crisisland -- July 21, 2007 -- Wallingford, CT
La Parkita dances his way into our hearts -- Maximum Overdraft -- August 5, 2007 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=A2DkPY9WLL8
Claudio powerbombs Mike Quackenbush into the ring -- Time Will Prove Everything -- March 24, 2007 -- Hellertown, PA
Equinox loses his mask; Vin Gerard is born -- The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence -- November 17, 2007 -- Hellertown, PA

10. "You're the most beautiful man I ever saw" -- Young Lions Cup V, Night 1 -- June 22, 2007 -- Reading, PA -- 6-way Main Event
I'm going to have to admit a bias for this pick: Shayne Hawke was one of my favorite mainstays in Chikara in 2007. His TTP/Shannattack corner move is one of my favorite moves and I'm sad that it can't be recreated in Fire Pro R. What I like most about him, though, is his unlimited charasma. His match against Quackenbush had an incredibly funny opening sequence. His reactions to Mitch Ryder accepting him into the Kings of Wrestling (ie, beating down Lince Dorado faster) was hilarious. When he met Darrin Corbin, though, at YLCVn1 in the six-way main event, we saw a very touching moment between the two redheads.
Video: needed

9. Donst Dies For Our Sins -- International Invaders Weekend, Night 2 -- August 18, 2007 -- Hellertown, PA -- Tim Donst vs. Brodie Lee
Tim Donst's rookie year was one for the ages. His record wasn't one of the best, winning few singles encounters, but became well known for the beatings he would take. When he faced veteran Eddie Kingston in Wallingford, CT, Donst was destroyed from start to finish but refused to give up the entire match. A sick clothesline on the outside of the ring didn't keep him down. He would go on to face Eddie again in November to try to exact his revenge, but what helped build him even more was his match against Brodie Lee in August. At International Invaders night 2, we would see Donst get murdalized by Brodie even before the bell rang, with a huge boot to the face over Bryce Rembsurg's back.
Video:

8. The Day Kayfabe Died -- Young Lions Cup V, Night 3 -- June 24, 2007 -- Hellertown, PA -- The Olsen Twins vs. The North Star Express
I wasn't a witness; I was an accomplice. Not only did they pull off the slow motion to perfection, not only did the fans finish it off with the perfect chant, but I'm still not sure whether Larry Sweeney on commentary had any idea as to what was going on or not. Colin Delaney indeed.
Video:

7. "It looks like...is that ham??" -- Rey de Voladores -- April 22, 2007 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Team F.I.S.T. vs. Cheech & Cloudy
I remember during the entrances for the first or second match, Bryce was saying how hot it was in the ring. Watching the DVD, you hear the announcers (Quack, Bryce, and Larry) saying how hot it was under the lights all day. And then poor Cloudy decides to eat a couple hot dogs before the tag title main event and pretty much gets them kicked right back out of him. It happened right in front of me and was pretty disgusting. The best part, though, is Quack on commentary:
Cloudy: (hurls)
Quack: I don't know what I just saw there, but I'd like to never see it again.
Akuma: (kicks)
Cloudy: (hurls again)
Video:

6. Headbutt Heard 'Round YouTube -- King of Trios 2007, Night 1 -- February 16, 2007 -- Hellertown, PA -- The Iron Saints vs. Team K-Dojo
If I made a top ten list of "Sickest Headbutts in Chikara history," this would be numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. It wasn't just the headbutt that made it awesome, but listen to the crowd and the commentary: EVERYONE goes silent for just a second, and then EVERYONE explodes a beat after that sickening thud. I'm excited that MIYAWAKI will be back for this year's King of Trios, as he's always a welcome addition to any Chikara show.
Video:

5. Tecnicos vs. Rudos Explosion! -- Chapter 11 -- November 18, 2007 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Lince Dorado vs. Mitch Ryder
The Lince Dorado/Mitch Ryder match at Chapter 11 was a good end to an excellent story with a very unfortunate finish. Before the 450 senton, though, I witnessed one of the most chill-inducing moments in my personal history as a wrestling fan. Sweeney and Hawke had chased off El Pantera, who was in Lince Dorado's corner, and were soon outnumbering Lince. Quackenbush and a few other luchadores came out to even the odds, only for the rest of the Kings of Wrestling to come out and bring favor back to Mitch's side. Then, more luchadores poured out of the locker room to support Lince, pushing him to win the best match of his young career. The crowd was all over it, definitely pushing it to a higher level.
Video: needed

4. Chikara > ROH; Fans Fail to Connect on High Fives -- Maximum Overdraft -- August 5, 2007 Philadelphia, PA -- F.I.S.T. vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
During a stretch in the middle of the year,Gran Akuma and Icarus were having trouble winning at several shows, losing in tag and trios matches at the last three. They desperately needed a win to gain some momentum for their tag title defense coming up against Los Ice Creams on August 17th. And then Icarus got his ass kicked for 15-plus minutes by the Briscoes, pulled out a real nice reverse hurricanrana, and Akuma got a roll-up for the three-count. Fans gained a ton of respect of Icarus after this showing; the match gave Chikara some more legitimacy among indy feds. And then Dave and Smurf missed a high five.
Video: needed

3. Chris Hero's Kryptonite -- Aniversario? -- May 26, 2007 -- Hellertown, PA -- Chris Hero vs. Mike Quackenbush
This match had a long time coming. Ever since Hero had turned on his partner at the Tag World Grand Prix 2005 finals in Pittston to form the original Kings of Wrestling faction, Quackenbush wanted to get his hands on his co-trainer. They met in the ring a few times in tag, trios, and atomicos matches over the next two years, but never in a singles match, as Hero refused to have a one-on-one match against Quack. As a part of Eddie Kingston's team in the Torneo Cibernetico in 2006, Quackenbush eliminated Hero with a crossface submission. In April 2007, Quackenbush refereed a Hero/Claudio match, where it was decided afterward that they would have their confrontation in Hellertown at "Aniversario?". Their match, arguably one of the top matches of 2007, ended with Mike Quackenbush locking Hero into a brand new submission move: the Chikara Special. Tecnicos would use this maneuver to defeat Chris Hero over the next few months, such as Lince Dorado, El Pantera, and, most surprisingly, Equinox in August.
Video: (starts at 4:15)

2. "Get In The Ring, Americool!" -- Bruised -- October 26, 2007 -- Reading, PA -- F.I.S.T. vs. Incoherence
We all thought Cheech & Cloudy were going to make F.I.S.T. short-term champions -- didn't happen. Then we thought that Los Ice Creams would definitely take the titles off of their waists -- again, didn't happen. So when Delirious and Hallowicked had their tag title match at Bruised, it was all in the back of our minds that F.I.S.T. would prevail again. With Gran Akuma injured, though, Icarus had to defend the titles with an unfamiliar partner in Chuck Taylor. This proved to be their downfall, as new tag champions were crowned after Akuma accidentally hit his partner with a crutch. After the match, Delirious and Hallowicked celebrated with the fans, inviting children into the ring to reign victorious with them. It was a memorable visual that fully captures what Chikara is all about.
Video:

1. Claudio Vanquishes the Kings of Wrestling -- Cibernetico & Robin -- September 22, 2007 -- Philadelphia, PA -- El Torneo Cibernetico
Do you know what the best part of this really was? Mitch Ryder's roll up after Claudio had eliminated Chris Hero. All of us came up with our own desired finish to the match: Hero and Claudio are the two remaining people in the match and then they finally settle their differences. When we saw three people from the same team remaining, I'm pretty sure many of us thought that Mitch Ryder was going to be eliminated next. To our surprise, Claudio locks the Chikara Special on Hero, making him tap out. While Claudio is still yelling at Hero over the top rope, Mitch Ryder comes in and rolls up Castagnoli up. EVERYONE in my section yelled "NO!!!" the second we realized he might get a cheap win. Luckily Claudio kicked out and got the pin with the Ricola Bomb. This kicked off a Kings-of-Wrestling-destruction tour, ending in December where he finally defeated Chris Hero one-on-one.
Video:

--Whittle

"Two Eyebrows are Better Than One" - Hellertown, PA - January 27, 2008

2008-01-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

The first show of 2008 is in the books, and it was a fun show. What I assume was supposed to be part of a set of college shows over the break between the season finale and King of Trios, "Two Eyebrows" was moved from Moravian College to the American Legion Hall in Hellertown. I was pleasantly surprised when Chikara added some matches to the show, which listed six matches until the 11th hour, added a seventh, and surprised us with two more the day of the show. We ended up with a full card!

UltraMantis Black & Crossbones d. Cheech & Cloudy

I believe this has to be considered an upset for the Order. Cheech and Cloudy won so many tag matches last year that they managed to earn two separate title shots. Cheech and Cloudy were their usual selves, especially with Cheech playing the face in peril. Crossbones looked the best he's been in a while and hopefully he can use this win to carry some momentum toward 2008. UltraMantis continued to show aggression and stayed on his opponents throughout. He's been approaching matches very differently ever since his match last November against MIYAWAKI. Mantis won the match with a Praying Mantis Bomb. Also he wore boots again.

At "Sordid Perils..." last year, UltraMantis Black seemingly knocked out Hydra with a spell in his match against Shane Storm. I think what we may see forming this year is UltraMantis not wanting Hydra to be dancing out to the ring or pandering to the crowd anymore, but to be more aggressive. A win with Crossbones further proves to UltraMantis that he can challenge for the tag titles with a serious partner as opposed to Hydra. Unless Hydra changes his ways, he may be on his way out of the Order sooner than later.

Hydra & Pablo the Zombie Plantain d. the Moravian Greyhound

Take THAT, Moravian College! A banana and a mini-monster pinned you! This was a straight comedy match that ended with a double-chokeslam...and a double-pin. Post-match, Bryce hit the mascot with a roll of paper, saying, "Bad dog!" Moravian College, you're dead to us.

Vin Gerard d. Worker Ant

Vin came from where the fans enter, not the backstage area with the rest of the wrestlers. Pre-match, Worker Ant got a good laugh by saying, "Look, I'm wearing eye-liner because I'm so sad," or something to that effect to Vin. One nice spot saw Worker Ant go for a standing SSP, only for Vin to move and berate Worker Ant for doing that. Throughout, Gerard attempted to remove Woker Ant's mask, telling Bryce that he didn't care if he got disqualified. To get back at Vin later, Worker Ant put the Equinox mask back onto Vin for a good cheer. Another spot in the match saw Vin signaling for the standing SSP, only to go for a rear chin-lock instead. The finish saw Worker Ant tapping out to the STF. Vin was once again denied entry to the locker room by other wrestlers such as Shane Storm, Hallowicked, and Create-a-Wrestler. Solid match from these two. The the way, Vin Gerard's tights are awesome and I love where this story is going.

Sara Del Ray d. Kylie Pierce

Chikara's website said that this match lasted 2:56! Not even three minutes! It felt longer than that, though, as Kylie basically got the crap kicked out of her from bell to bell. Not much of a match, but at least we got to see Sara's awesomeness, specifically her Royal Butterfly finisher.

Eddie Kingston d. Shane Storm

oh my god is shane storm still alive someone check on him

This was one of Shane Storm's best matches in Chikara, probably his best. Nude Smurf will berate me for this, but I still haven't seen the Young Lions Cup 3 finals yet. It's on my list of DVDs, just back off man!

"Brutal" and "hard-hitting" describe this match well. Kingston hit three beautiful side Saito suplexes, with two of them coming in succession. Shane Storm German suplexed Kingston right on top of his head, but Kingston got up immediately. Kingston delivered three sick (and loud) headbutts to Storm's skull. I don't know what did it, but Storm was bleeding from the nose for much of the match. His yellow mustache was entirely red by the end of the match. The finish saw Kingston miss one Backfist to the Future, only to immediately follow up with another that connected and knocked Shane Storm out for the three.

One last thing: as Kingston came out, I remarked to Destiny that Kingston had lost some weight. Apparently the crowd thought otherwise when he pulled down his straps. Someone whose name I won't use (instead, I'll use, oh let's say, "Dave") mentioned to Kingston to try wearing a girdle. Kingston then challenged "Dave" to get in the ring and back his mouth up. "Dave" then pretty much shut his mouth for the rest of the night after that one. Excellent match to take us into the intermission.

INTERMISSION

Sabian d. Jimmy Olsen

You would not believe how loudly we cheered when Colin Olsen came from behind the curtain with his twin brother. Of course, Colin told us that he was all bandaged up because he "fell down stairs," said with the conviction of a child beaten by his parents. Also, Jimmy couldn't get in contact with Colin that Tuesday night because, according to Colin, he was busy running errands such as taking his grandmother to dialysis.

This match was solid, especially for Jimmy's singles debut in Chikara. Jimmy would often call for the tag to Colin, with Colin even attempting to climb onto the ring apron to accept the tag. Of course, he could barely move due to those injuries from ~~Kane~~ ~~Great Khali~~ falling down a flight of stairs. The finish saw a double stop to Jimmy's head while he was bent over at the waist. Good match out of the intermission, and it was nice to get to see Colin Olsen again.

Fire Ant & Soldier Ant d. F.I.S.T.

This was an understandably fast-paced match and was solid on the parts of all involved. I want to say that I was surprised to see the Colony pick up the win here, but in hindsight, it wasn't a surprise at all. They colony had an incredible 2007, lacking only tag title matches during the year. But they didn't get any title matches for a variety of reasons: they were usually in trios matches; they had tag matches in different combinations of the three; they faced the BLK Out all year; et al. I absolutely see them reaching at least the final eight of the King of Trios tournament. When you picture the main event matchs of non-finals tournament shows from the past few years, you think of the quick-paced, hard-hitting, extremely entertaining matches that highlight the tournaments. I can easily see the Colony doing that on night 1 or 2 of King of Trios. The finish to this match, by the way, was outstanding. Gran Akuma flipped Fire Ant from a double pumphandle position into a tombstone. When he went for his front-facebuster out of this position, Fire Ant ducked uner and rolled Gran Akuma up with a prawn hold for a three count.

Hallowicked d. Larry Sweeney

I think the DVD will do this match more justice that I can do here, and it will probably come off better there than it did live. I felt kinda burned out by this point. This was a very old-school match that was mildly slow-moving at some points but picked up near the end. I have to apologize because I really don't remember much about this match except for the sick Yakuza kick that put Sweeney away.

Also, I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Larry Sweeney hasn't won a singles match in Chikara since he beat Shane Storm at Rey de Voladores in November, and his only other win since then was a trios match on November 16th. He was even the first person eliminated in the Cibernetico match if I remember correctly. If he wasn't the first, he was at least the first eliminated from the Kings of Wrestling team. He puts on very good matches constantly but just seems to come up on the short end over and over. Hopefully we can see some more wins for him in 2008.

On another note, I think that we may see Kingston as a face this year. While Hallowicked was entering, King was clapping for him on commentary, and it didn't look sarcastic. I'll probably have to listen to his commentary on the DVD to hear how he talks about 'Wicked, but for not, it reminds me of the Tag World Grand Prix 2006. During a Mickie Knuckles match at that tournament, Kingston was applauding her performance at the TWGP 205, where the two were reluctantly a team. Kingston showing respect for a former "enemy" of sorts may foreshadow another face turn as it did in 2006.

Claudio Castagnoli, Lince Dorado, and Ophidian d. Mike Quackenbush, Tim Donst, and Amasis

I still can't believe that this match went for over 30 minutes. On top of that, I felt that this lasted for a bit too long, which I guess makes sense when paired with the match time. The star of this match was definitely Ophidian. I'm in love with his rolling hooked-leg pin with a bridge, and he managed to lock on his version of the Cobra Clutch in a creative way in this match. His dedication to his character is fantastic. It was also great to see Lince back in action. At one point he went to the top rope and I had to catch my breath for a second. Lince went for a huge splash off the top rope that looked great. Amasis didn't seem to be in the match very much, but it was funny to watch him refuse a tag to face his partner. When they finally did meet up, they had a decent encounter. Tim Donst was good but he seemed a little off with some of his submissions. And of course, Quackenbush and Claudio were excellent. Quack's picture-perfect dragonrana on Claudio was definitely the highlight of the match. Again, I feel like I'm missing a lot, but the length of this match paired with feeling burned out probably have something to do with that. The finish saw Amasis go for a running hurricanranna, only for Claudio to catch him and turn it into a Ricola Bomb.

This was a very entertaining Chikara show, especially with so many matches being added on such short notice. Jimmy Olsen/Sabian and The Order/Cheech & Cloudy were welcome surprises. Storm/Kingston was definitely the match of the night. If you weren't excited for Season 7 of Chikara after this show, King of Trios will definitely do it for you. To get you even more ready for the 2008 season, I'll be posting my Top 10 Moments of 2007 and my thoughts on King of Trios 2008 over the next few weeks. Until then, thanks for reading!

New posts ahoy!

2008-01-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Quite soon, there will be new posts! No one is even reading this! I will post this on the Chikara message board and then you will read this! Over the next month, I plan on posting my top 10 moments from 2007, as well as my King of Trios picks and possibly my thoughts on the upcoming Young Lions Cup tournament. Have a great day!(note -- Two Eyebrows Review coming soon!)

No posts!

2007-12-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

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.

"Stephen Colbert > Bill O'Reilly" and other news

2007-11-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

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!

"Chapter 11" Results

2007-11-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

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!

"The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence" Results

2007-11-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

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!

"Battle of Who Could Care Less" Results

2007-11-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

"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!

The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence Preview & Picks

2007-11-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

"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!

Chikara Podcast-A-Gogo #85

2007-11-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

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!

I dislike the term "blog" but I'm doing it anyway.

2007-11-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

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 the ~~steroids~~power-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.