Anyone with an affinity for Independent Wrestling has
probably seen last year's King of Trios by now.
It was shortly preceded by the death of Larry Sweney, and going in with
that dark cloud hanging over it could've very well been a throwaway show and it
would be understandable. Instead, it was
a phenomenal show. The show was released
the day after the event was over, and the huge buzz from the live crowd made it
the best selling show in CHIKARA history.
It was also the birth of one of my favourite feuds, and for
my money the best feud of the last year.
At the 2010 King of Trios, through nefarious means, the BDK
(Then Claudio Castignoli, Ares and Tursas) defeated the Colony in the
finals. The Ants were out for revenge
and they met a new BDK trio of Tim Donst, Jakob Hammermeier and Delirious (with
Tursas on the outside).
The BDK try to get the jump but get tossed to the side,
Jakob is left behind to start a circle of clubberin' that everyone gets a ride
on before it's over.
After they bail to the outside, the Colony follows up with
an Ant-apault sending Fire Ant soaring after them. Donst hits an STO on the inside to put the BDK
back in the driver's seat. In a tender
moment, Donst teaches Jakob how to execute a suplex. After moderate success with wrestling, Jakob
gets back to his forte; choking FIre Ant first with his hands, then his vest
and finally his tie.
Fire Ant turns things around in the corner and rolls
out(exiting the ring is a tag in CHIKARA) bringing in Soldier Ant for a flying
headbutt into the corner, followed by a dive to the outside on Delirious. Back inside Donst gets cocky with a vertical
suplex and Green Ant counters into a small package. Green Ant then ducks a clotheline and rolls
through into his Texas Cloverleaf, but it's broken up.
They have the requisite elbow for elbow spot, with the
hilarious addition of Jakob trying to throw elbows like everybody else, but
continually being blocked by Fire Ant each time. The heels get the upper-hand and are about to
hit the BDK finisher, the Ragnarok, but Fire Ant gets saved and it's countered
into a double stunner.
With only Jakob left they hit the Ant Hill, but Donst makes
the save at the last second. Donst hits
is Death Valley Driver, the Donstitution, for 2. Fire Ant hits a top rope fireman's carry,
Soldier Ant attempts the Saluting Flying Headbutt but misses followed by a HUGE
flying splash from Delirious onto Soldier which clears the ring for Green Ant
and Jakob.
The ref is distracted by Donst grabbing a chair, leading to
Tursas coming in attempting to hit the big flying crossbody, which has been
death for anybody hit with it, on a restrained Green Ant. Ant ducks out of the way and it nails
Jakob. Then, harkening back to Yokozuna
and Lex Luger on the USS Intrepid, Green Ant picks up the enormous Tursas and
slams him! This blew the roof off of the
Arena. Then, he hoists Jakob up in the
rack for the submission win. This put
the Colony through to the semi-finals.
What's wonderful about CHIKARA is that they're not afraid to
reach to the past, with the knowledge that a lot of their fans have been fans
this entire time, and there's some strings to tug at their heart from in those
memories. Despite the goofy theatris of
a slam on a US Airplane Carrier, the nonsensical patriotism (a staple not just
of the Lex Express, but many Pro Wrestling angles), and the
fresh-tapped-from-the-National-Parks-of-America-and-from-a-red-white-and-bluewood-tree
sap that was the theme song, every kid loved it.
And CHIKARA took all of that, the slam, the patriotism (Tursas being
from Norway), the theme song and yes, even the bus and made it something
new.
It wasn't just meaningless nostalgia though, it really gave
Green Ant a chance to come into his own.
Through the Flex Express videos he cut some fun promos about traveling
anonymous towns on his way to finally put down Tursas. And the two singles matches he had with
Tursas, especially given that both have had only a few years of experience
between them, were phenomenal matches.
He is equal parts BattlARTS and Road Warrior in his style. He can do the strength spots, as evidenced in
this match but he has a slick grappling game as seen in his matches with
Quackenbush.
This match, and the subsequent Tursas matches are the best
thing in wrestling for 2011. For reference, they are at CHIKARAsaurus Rex: Night 1 and the High Noon iPPV. Check them out and start digging CHIKARA!
I was trying to think of an interesting way to announce my new project and I mean, I've told everyone I am masculine-ly in love with CHIKARA. And you know I like reviewing old stuff and a couple of new things as well. So hey, let me get straight to the point. I am going to King of Trios 2012!
This is actually my first real expedition for Wrestling. I've never went to a WWF/E PPV or anything huge like that, I've mostly stuck to what was in my backyard. (Hey, when Jerry Lawler in Memphis is in your backyard, that's not too shabby) After watching King of Trios 2011 and subsequently buying every CHIKARA DVD since, I've realized that this will be my pilgrimage; CHIKARA being a wrestling Mecca for those of sensible taste and a friendly demeanour.
In my excitement, I believe it would be only fitting as I'm attending a contest matching 3 vs. 3, to theme all my posts up until September. So I will be reviewing some notable or favourite six man tags. CHIKARA will be there, perhaps the strange brew that was WAR (Wrestle and Romance) and yeah, of course there's going to be some Memphis because I have a lot of DVD's to burn through still!
This will culminate in a report on King of Trios 2012, which I was going to say live but I'm likely going to wear myself out that weekend geeking out for masked dudes and armdrags. But shortly thereafter, I will review it in full!
In the meantime, please stay tuned for me being jovial and upbeat will talking about Johnny Saint and possibly a Freebird or two and what their fisticuffs were all for.
That’s right, I’m doing a straight up show report! I promise not to break into a short story about rabbits or something!
This was CHIKARA’s second show in Canada, the first being the night before in Vaughn. One of the cool things that I wasn’t really aware of is that they actually have a guy who explains the storylines to people. So say you missed two months of shows, or maybe this is your first show and you want to know why there’s a guy named Hallowicked with a pumpkin stem on his head who only speaks in gibberish. There’s a dude to tell you why! Anyway, he briefly runs down the bullet points of the season before giving way to Gavin Loudspeaker.
Gavin Loudspeaker Sings!
Well, god bless him for performing music for wrestling crowds. I’ve been to a lot of the shows here and the Ottawa audience is…colourful and a bit harsh. But his rendition of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be” aka 500 Miles featuring CHIKARA lyrics was charming. Up until he forgot the words. Luckily, everybody was content to echo the “DA NA NA NA” part over and over again. A for Effort!
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Mathieu St. Jacques
This was a showcase for two local guys. St. Jacques kind of looks like Andrei Arlovski, Bailey kind of looks like a 14 year old. I’ve seen both guys many times and I’m surprised that Bailey hasn’t really caught on at the next level of indy wrestling yet as he is an excellent flyer. Plus he works an honest to goodness martial artist gimmick, not another MMA guy. They had a good, but short match, with Bailey countering a crossbody by catching him and doing a full backflip into a slam for the win. If Tojo Yammamoto were still around, you could stick Bailey with him as a protégé and I think he’d probably be a champion somewhere.
Jigsaw vs. Mr. Touchdown
Unfortunately, Mike Quackenbush broke his wrist (They said it was something far more medical than that, but the jist is…) and couldn’t wrestle. So what was formerly a tag match of Quack/Jig vs. The Throwbacks became this singles match. Touchdown was in actual full football gear, which gave way to Jigsaw stealing his football and having a toss around with the crowd while the ref helped him undo his pads. The match itself was really good, with Touchdown having some fun football spots, like the old three point stance, and a run-in-place then drop body splash ala football drills. Jigsaw hit his really great footstomp on a charging opponent which I’m always super-impressed with. Archibald Peck’s girlfriend/colour guard Veronica came out making googly eyes at Touchdown. Jigsaw questioned her taste and gave a Ravishing Rick Rude hip swivel. “Even Barber is better than him! Show her!” and the ref gave her one as well. This was enough distraction for Touchdown to hit a HUGE spinebuster for the win. Really good match, but maybe they should consider some pads that are easier to remove.
Sara Del Rey vs. Leah VonDutch
There’s really not much to say about this match. Leah got a boot up, a clothesline and a bulldog on Sara. That was the entirety of her offense. The other two and a half minutes were Sara kicking her and hitting the Royal Butterfly for the win. Was s’alright. I expected to see a bit more from the local girl, though.
Dasher Hatfield vs. Ophidian
My life-long dream of being in a Dasher huddle finally came true! The match was a lot of fun. Ophidian has collected the masks of his former Osirian Portal members and wears them as a necklace now. They talk to him, and he yells at them during the match. This was half comedy, half wrestling, which they both do extremely well. For all the comedy that Dasher is known for as part of the Throwbacks, he’s really tremendous just putting on a match as well. The underhand-pitch chops are a nice touch.
At one point, Dasher took Ophidian to the outside and sat him in a chair close to me, then proceeded to pile on the largest guys (and at a wrestling show, there’s some LARGE guys) in the front row on top of him. All the while, Ophidian is screaming! In the end though, Ophidian locked in his Cobra Clutch for the tap out. I think this was the best wrestling match I’ve seen Dasher in yet.
Team 3.0le (Scott Parker, Shane Matthews and El Generico) vs. The Batiri
3.0 picked up the CHIKARA tag titles (Campeonatos de Parejas) the night before in Vaughn, so they got a hero’s welcome in Ottawa, where they are on nearly every local show. I think the new tights were a dead giveaway they had won the titles. Sitting in the front row, it was pretty easy to see that Matthews seemed to have hurt his knee pretty bad during the intro. Parker and Generico worked the majority of the match. But Matthews hit his HEADSCISSORS~! and locked in the Boston Crab on Kobald for the win.
The Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked and Ultramantis Black) vs. 17 and the Shard
This match had a lot going on, to say the least. Tim Donst was doing commentary on the stage, after the Envoy’s entrance, 17 and the Shard came out from the crowd and attacked from behind.
The Shard has some decent attire, kind of like Jigsaw but with ‘glass shards’. That’s cool, however 17 is rocking a full on lucha outfit that made no mention of the number 17 anywhere. I assume this will be explained in time! This was mostly a brawl. Delirious was walking behind the crowd watching. Ultramantis freed him from the control of the BDK using the Eye of Tyr before the beginning of the season. However, it seems that it hasn’t made him his old self as they thought it would. So, with Delirious outside the ring, Donst left the announce booth and stole the Young Lion’s Cup which Hallowicked had brought with him. Mantis chased after, leaving Hallowicked alone. He ate a superkick which led to the pin. Then, post-match, Ophidian returned spitting mist in Mantis’ eyes and leaving with his staff. Like I said, a lot of angles going on during this match!
Archibald Peck vs. Chuck Taylor
This was the absolute highlight of the night for me. As noted earlier, Peck’s girlfriend Veronica has left him, seemingly for that jock Mr. Touchdown. Peck entered heartbroken, he marched half-heartedly and stepped up on to the mat, reaching down as he always does for Veronica only to realize she wasn’t there. Then as he climbed the ropes to do his trademark extended-fist post he realized the ceiling was too low. Finally, the bell rings and as they Taylor and Peck meet in the middle they go to tie up and Peck hugs him and cries on his shoulder.
This was all received by a chorus of “AWWW”’s from the crowd. Chuck allows him to win a Greco-roman knucklelock until he gets his swagger back, then cheats to take the advantage. Taylor does his stomps in the corner, then Archie does a mocking stomps in the corner as well. This leads to an angry Kentucky Gentleman walking up behind Peck, and Peck sensing the presence, then reaching back and feeling his face, cheek and hair…then he suddenly turns around and hits a Stone Cold Stunner, followed by a pose in all four corners!
Other highlights of the match include Taylor trying to drown him in a painting (Peck: “I can’t swim!”), a pose down in front of the murals on the wall, an unfortunate grenade accident, and the referee getting the best of Taylor. Please, for the love of whoever you worship, if you enjoy pro wrestling, watch this match.
The Colony vs. combatANT, assailANT and deviANT
This was another of the matches that was driving the season’s storyline forward. A wild brawl that went all over the place. For the uninformed, the Colony are Soldier Ant, Green Ant and Fire Ant. Their opponents are sort of the ‘alternate universe’ ants, in comic book terms. After watching a few of the YouTube videos I get sort of a “Dark Knight” vibe. They’re shot in a warehouse, sort of static-filled and shaky camera. They say they know who they are and intend to unmask them. I really like the heavy comic book influence of this season and maybe it’s the video game nerd in me but I enjoy the palette swapped ants as well.
This match was mostly contested outside of the ring. Lots of dives, postings and beat downs on the floor. They isolated Green Ant in the ring and tore his mask off, giving the Colony the DQ win but staying true to their word. I guess some ants just want to watch the world burn.
CHIKARA Grand Championship Match: Eddie Kingston vs. Brodie Lee
Good gravy. I’ve seen and heard some pretty rough stuff in wrestling, but I have never heard two guys hit each other as hard as these guys did. Brodie was recently signed to a WWE developmental deal and the crowd seemed plenty aware and there was some banter, including Brodie telling Quack at the announce table he was taking his belt to Stamford. They really lit in to each other with the chops and punches, the crowd was cringing the entire way.
Brodie hit a top rope Butterfly Suplex and a Ligerbomb each of which testing the mettle of the brand new ring. Kingston hit his Backdrop Driver for a close two count. After two Backfists to the Future, Eddie hit the Sliding D to the back of Brodie’s head for the fall. Both guys were down for some time after. Brodie received a huge ovation, and a long “Thank you, Brodie” chant, as he’s been at countless shows in Ottawa and made quite the name for himself. It was a heck of an ending to a heck of a show.
After the show was over, just about the entire roster was out walking around and interacting with people. Mike Quackenbush was at the door shaking hands with everyone who walked by, thanking them for coming to the show. I know that CHIKARA isn’t the biggest promotion in the world, but I think they really get that, to grow nowadays you really have to make the people a part of it. Hey, this blog features a lot of Memphis Wrestling, right? Well, this is a pretty apt comparison. A small crowd in a small arena, where the fans are right there and everything is interactive. It has that same atmosphere, just a little nerdier to account for the nerdier age we live in.
If CHIKARA comes within driving distance of you, it is worth it to go see it. Simply, it’s the most fun I’ve ever had at a wrestling event.
This may be my pick for most fun match of the year so far, and it's actually my favorite match I've seen this year. The entire first 6-8 minutes are devoted to matwork. And not just switching headlocks and hammerlocks, they actually are intuitive and reactive with it. When Mike puts Hallowicked in the Indian Deathlock, he first tries to go for Mike's leg, before squeezing out the back and into a headlock of his own. Of course, the hallmark of a CHIKARA match isn't just great wrestling, it's also a sense of humour, as displayed when Quack tries to escape a headscissors by using a kip up, only to kick out right into the ropes. "What are these doing here?"
They trade a couple of dives on the outside, including Hallowicked nearly taking out a kid, followed by a Quack Asai Moonsault which he was pretty proud of. When they return to the ring Quack uses a unique armbreaker using his feet. This starts the bulk of the match, which is Quack taking one of his first students to task with every arm wrench variation he knows.
Wrestling has always had a different set of physics from the rest of the world. I think this match is one of the best examples of wrestling physics. In reality, a move like a full nelson would only be moderately effective and it would vary depending on your own strength. But in wrestling, it's raw fury and break neckitude is off the charts.
All holds have counters, and that is where we dabble into the British Catch as Catch Can style, wherein they have the tricky escapes like, bringing your knee up to your arms, grabbing it and kicking down to break out of the nelson. It's stylish enough that it's pro wrestling, but it's just real enough that it's viable. Even if it's not recommended should you be attacked in a bar with a Full Nelson. I don't think the Warlord goes to bars anymore anyway.
Attack and escape are of the utmost importance in this match, and they make it all viable enough that you're really intrigued with how they'll counter one another. And when they break into the highspots to close out the match, it's just as fluid. And when they finally hit the 3 count, it's a counter that does Quack in. Really awesome match, and you should go out of your way to check it out.
It wasn't all that long ago that wrestling companies started pumping out Internet Pay Per Views. It's much cheaper than the traditional cable pay per view and it skips past all the non-sense that comes with getting on different providers and obtaining a decent slot amidst the UFC's, WWE's and TNA's (Well, maybe not TNA's...). A lot of people were asking when CHIKARA would come on board. They've made leaps and bounds in the past year. Ever since the huge success that was King of Trios 2011, there have been more eyes on them than ever and it's fitting that their first iPPV would be the one that crowned their very first Singles Champion.
Just in case there are people a little weary of the idea of an internet PPV; I was too. I assumed the quality would be poor or perhaps there might be issues with connection speed. GoFightLive (gfl.tv) has a test stream available to gauge how your internet can handle it. In the handful of times since I've jumped on the bandwagon, I've never run into any issues with buffering video at all. For the record I just have a basic ethernet connection. Additionally, just like the grand old days of VHS, once you've purchased the feed, it's yours. You can go into your account at any time and watch the stream again. With the technicalities out of the way, let's take a look at the card.
Jigsaw vs. El Generico - Preview before the PPV
This will be the preview for the show streaming at U-Stream: http://www.ustream.tv/user/CHIKARAMedia
Jigsaw has been out with a bicep injury for a number of months and he and partner Mike Quackenbush just dropped the Campeonatos de Parejas to F.I.S.T. a short while ago. Without question, he's one of the sharpest guys on the CHIKARA roster and it's a shame he's been limited so far in his return. El Generico is one of the top 5 wrestlers in the US right now by my estimation. He's had amazing matches in PWG, ROH, CHIKARA and anywhere else he's shown up. There's no real storyline to this match, but you can expect it to be fantastic and really a great way to entice people showing the fun spirit of CHIKARA and some fantastic wrestling.
Amasis Speaks
Not long after their great showing at KoT '11 the Osirian Portal very suddenly lost its Funkiest Member. Amasis was pushed out of action 'indefinitely' in June 2011 due to injuries sustained outside of wrestling. This was a huge blow in a lot of ways because I've found if there's one guy who I can nudge my non-wrestling friends into watching some wrestling with, it's Amasis. He's super charismatic, and let's face it, everyone loved Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and Amasis is that movie incarnate. This is actually one of the things I'm most interested in on the PPV. It would be wonderful to see him in the ring again, but I just hope he's doing well and that he sticks around CHIKARA in the years to come.
Colt Cabana vs. Archibald Peck
The undisputed Leader of the Band, Archibald Peck has found a new mascot: former CHIKARA competitor and Tag Team specialist Colt Cabunny. Cabunny was in a tag team with CP Munk many years ago. He had been in retirement, assumedly in a whole, outwitting Dutch Mantell and WWF mainstay Skinner before Peck enlisted his services. His namesake, Colt Cabana, however, isn't convinced that the partnership is amicable.
Indeed, it seems that Cabunny somehow was coerced into becoming Peck's mascot, and since joining has been tormented by Marchie Archie as evidenced in this blog post (http://www.chikarapro.com/blog/11-2-2011.php). In their first meeting, Peck used some underhanded methods (including time travel) to best Cabana. With Cabunny doing his bidding now, it certainly looks like Archibald has the advantage. You can bet Colt has a gameplan though, and if he can get through to his old friend, it could certainly prove interesting!
Green Ant vs. Tursas
One thing CHIKARA does better than any other company is re-create that feeling of being a kid that loves wrestling. The Green Ant/Tursas feud is my favourite example of this. They took what might have been a very average feud between two young guys and injected some CHIKARA serum into it. That serum consists of great long-term storytelling, a little bit of nostalgia and some common sense. That last one is much more of a commodity nowadays.
The feud started at King of Trios, when Tursas' interference in the Colony vs. BDK match backfired and Green Ant, a rather tall, skinny ant hoisted him up ala Lex Luger on the USS Intrepid and slammed him down. He then finished up with a Rebel Rack on Jakob Hammermeier for the win. Leading up to Chikarasaurus Rex, Green Ant hopped aboard the Flex Express harkening back to the Lex Express that Luger took around America. Their match at Chikarasaurus Rex was an excellent match. The thing that works with Tursas is he really works like a big man and doesn't just bump all around and it makes it that much more impactful when someone does get him off his feet. In the end, Jakob interfered costing Green Ant the match.
This looks to be the final showdown between the two and Green Ant has gotten some advice from both Eddie Kingston and Ultramantis Black, the only two men to beat Tursas. He's got a tall order ahead of him to say the least!
Gregory Iron vs. Icarus
I don't think that Icarus has ever been cheered in CHIKARA. Which is quite the accomplishment givien the light-hearted nature of the company. Between his membership in F.I.S.T. and his horrific back tattoo he is a perennial bad guy through and through.
Gregory Irons, on the other hand, is a miraculous story. In spite of having Cerebral Palsy, he's managed to become a Pro Wrestler, and a pretty good one at that. He really makes no qualms about his disability, his nickname being the "Handicapped Hero" and his entrance music is Bobby Brown's "On Our Own" from Ghostbusters 2.
If you haven't had a chance to see Iron work, this should be a good showcase.
The Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant) vs. the Young Bucks
Two teams with two points towards tag team gold meet up. A third point in CHIKARA would earn one of these teams a shot at the Campeonatos de Parejas. The Colony (with Green Ant) are the current Kings of Trios, and have been on a roll since acquiring their awesome golden ant capes.
The Young Bucks left TNA earlier this year and have been mainstays in CHIKARA the last few months with great results including wins over the Batiri and the BDK on their way to High Noon.
Whoever wins will get the F.I.S.T. team of Gargano and Taylor for the titles.
The Spectral Envoy vs. Ares and Tim Donst - No Disqualification
Ultra Mantis Black and Hallowicked are putting their masks on the line, Donst is putting up his hair and Ares is putting up the Eye of Tyr in this match. The Eye of Tyr, of course, has been the catalyst for many big events in CHIKARA, most notably the forming of the BDK and the brainwashing of former Spectral Envoy stablemate/friend Delirious.
This match likely is the BDK's last stand as if they lose the Eye of Tyr (and to a lesser extend Donst's luscious locks) their destruction is imminent. Ares has put off a showdown with Ultramantis on countless occasions, to the point where the devious Black made a point of attacking BDK members to draw his attention and show his intentions. Just as the theme to the PPV states, "It's High Noon, for the BDK". Will they make it to 12:01?
12 Large Summit Final: Eddie Kingston vs. Mike Quackenbush
This is probably the most fitting final to a Tournament named after the late, great Larry Sweeney. Quackenbush and Kingston, by all accounts, were two of his closest friends and if you watched the Opening night of King of Trios, you could see the outpouring of emotion from both men in their matches. This is both a fitting tribute to a fallen friend, but also an important mark in CHIKARA history as it will decide the first Singles Champion in a company that's been going for 10 years. Quackenbush is the founder of the company and he's been wrestling for many years. I often recall reading results during the genesis of the Internet featuring him alongside Reckless Youth. Mike's had some monumental matches in that time. Just in CHIKARA, the tag team match last December where he and Jigsaw won the Campeonatos de Parejas was molten hot and a terrific match, as well as his 12 Large Summit match with Hallowicked documented earlier in this blog. There is going to be the pressure to 'live up' to the main event of CHIKARA's first pay per view, and Mike Quackenbush always delivers.
On the other side will be Eddie Kingston. A CHIKARA original as well, and also one of the scariest men on the roster. The great thing about Kingston is that he can, for instance, do the hilarious play-by-play he did on Dragon Dragon's debut (YouTube it!) but then just shut the smile off and narrow his eyes and he suddenly becomes a very frightening and intense guy. For example, his promo for this very match.
This is a very important match. It's important to both men for what it means to their fallen friend, to CHIKARA going forward, and to how they'll be perceived after this point.
The one thing I can say about CHIKARA, and I can't say this about much wrestling anymore, you will have fun watching it. Fifteen dollars is a small stipend for the great wrestling you will undoubtedly see and the laughs you will have. If it sounds like I'm shilling, I absolutely am, but only because CHIKARA brought me back into wrestling and has given me the ability to enjoy it and share it with other people. If you thought about watching wrestling again, if you were a fan and you've ever wondered what it's like nowadays, check out High Noon. You won't be disappointed.
