Pro Wrestling Ponderings

There’s been lots of CHIKARA news since I left for Florida last week, but the main headline is an unfortunate one, as a few weeks back, the Osirian Portal of Amasis and Ophidian competed in the NCPI Tag Team Tournament in Michigan. The Portal wound up making it to the finals of the tournament, but Ophidian injured his arm in the match. A picture of the bone fracture can be viewed by clicking here.

Ophidian had previously been announced for the Dragon Gate USA debut show, but he will be forced to sit out for that event, as well as the next few CHIKARA shows. Leonard F. Chikarason announced the future of the Campeonatos de Parejas, as well as a replacement for him in the DGUSA “atomico” match in a special update Friday night. Below is a graphic of the updated match field. One tecnico spot has still yet to be filled.

DGUSA “Open The Historic Gate”
For more information regarding this event, click here.

Aside from Rayna VonTash versus Daizee Haze, Cheech and Cloudy versus the Roughnecks, and Incoherence and Hallowicked versus the UnStable (which I covered in the last edition of the “CHIKARMY Insider”), three new matches have been announced for “Never Kneel at the Altar of Conformity”.

CHIKARA “Never Kneel at the Altar of Conformity”
For more information regarding this event, click here.

While newer CHIKARA fans may not be aware of it, Lince Dorado and Amasis have quite a lengthy history together. The feud dates all the way back to Amasis’ early days in CHIKARA when he and Ophidian destroyed Lince’s and El Pantera’s chances at receivng a shot for the Campeonatos de Parejas. This will be the first time that Lince faces Amasis one on one, though. With that being said, how will the “Funky Pharaoh” do without Ophidian at his side?

Castagnoli initally seemingly challenged Eddie Kingston to a match at “Never Kneel at the Altar of Conformity” in a special update. However, various resources around the internet are reporting that Kingston will be out with a minor injury for the event. Now, the CHIKARMY will get the oppurtunity to see a first time singles encounter between Donst and Claudio. A win here for “American Made” Tim Donst would easily be the biggest of his career. On the other side, Claudio is looking to rebound off to losses in May. Which top CHIKARA tecnico will walk out with a victory under their belt?

Arguably two of CHIKARA’s finest trio teams will collide, as Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, and Green Ant battle UltraMantis Black, Delirious, and Crossbones. The Order has looked seemingly unstoppable in May, picking up victories over Arik Cannon at “Aniversario Yin” and the Saturday Night Slam Masters at “Aniversario Yang”. On the other hand, the Colony are coming hot off a big “lucha de apuesta” victory and a very successful tour of BJW in Japan. Will the ants reign supreme in Reading or will UltraMantis’ army controlled by the Eye of Tyr prove to lead to triumph once more?

A total of ten new additions to the “Young Lions Cup VII” tournament have been added since the last update, joining Player Dos, Grizzly Redwood, Soldier Ant, Frightmare, Trik Davis, Yellow Dog, Leonino, Player Uno, Create-A-Wrestler, and KC “Cloudy” Day. Big ups to CHIKARA Fans for supplying many of the bios of the young lions listed below.

CHIKARA “Young Lions Cup VII” participants

First of all, Hydra will be participating in the tournament once again. In years past Hydra has competed in the tournament but has never really done much, falling in opening round matches to the likes of Jon Moxley and “The Communist Bovine” MosCow.

Next, Grizzly Redwood will be making his YLC debut. Coming into this competition with wins over fellow young lions, Hydra and Create-A-Wrestler, Grizzly may have a chance, but he has not fared particularly well against others, such as Frightmare (who pinned him in January).

Making his debut in CHIKARA is Brendan Michael Thomas (or “BMT”). Bringing quite a considerable amount of charisma to the tournament, “BMT” should not be overlooked, as he has battled CHIKARA’s own, Eddie Kingston, numerous times in Connecticut. What better way to get one over on his rival than to impress on King’s home turf?

The “Golden Lynx” Lince Dorado will be taking part in the competition for his third attempt at winning the cup. In both, the 2007 and 2008 editions of the tournament, Lince has made it to the six-way elimination match, but has never made it to the finals. However, this this time around, he’ll be hoping to do much better than that and actually win the whole thing, finally attaining a singles title after past near-misses in both, the Young Lions Cup and Rey de Voladores.

Also participating in his third YLC is Tim Donst, who has come a long way since his glorified squashing at the hands of Shayne Hawke in 2007. In fact, he has something else in common with Lince, as both men fell in quick succession last year to Ophidian’s unbreakable prawn hold in the six-way. Donst has recently shown frustration at his tag team partner, Hydra, but he has just vanquished his big singles foe, STIGMA, so perhaps that singles momentum will carry him far in the 2009 “Young Lions Cup VII” tournament.

IWA-MS high-flier, Jason Hades, brings some credibility to the table, having held the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight title in the past. Not only that, but he holds big victories over past and present CHIKARA alumni, such as Chuck Taylor, Josh Abercrombie, Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett and Ricochet. He also held his own when put into a singles match with former CHIKARA ace, Chris Hero. Hades is perhaps best known for his devastating finishing hold, the Killswitch, which is best described as a butterfly front flip lungblower, and can be seen in numerous YouTube videos. That move has earned him numerous wins in the stacked IWA light heavyweight division, but whether it can guide him to the Young Lions Cup in his first weekend in CHIKARA remains to be seen.

Both, Ryan Cruz and Darin Corbin of the North Star Express, were last seen at March’s huge “King of Trios 2009″ tournament, making it to the quarterfinals alongside fellow F1RSTer, Arik Cannon, before losing to eventual winners, Team F.I.S.T. This will be the second YLC tournament for both men — Corbin made it to the semi-finals of the fifth incarnation of the tournament, while Cruz was eliminated in the first round of the same year by Ultra Dragon.

Not much is known about Chimaera, who makes his home in Southern California while frequently competing in Tijuana. In just two years of wrestling experience, though, he’s made his name known in FMLL, SoCal Pro, EPIC WAR, Lucha VaVoom!, NWA, and AWS. The mythical creature, in which Chimaera takes its name, has the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent, so he’s clearly meant to fit in well with CHIKARA, who has seen El Leonino, Las Chivas, and Ophidian respectively.

The rookie, Carpenter Ant of the Colony, was announced for the YLC tournament as I was in the middle of typing this edition of the “CHIKARMY Insider”. Carpenter debuted at “Aniversario Yang”, helping Fire, Soldier, and Green Ant in fending off Gran Akuma following the big “lucha de apuesta”. Nearly nothing is known about this young gun at this point, but he will secure a second spot for the Colony in “Young Lions Cup VII”.

CHIKARA “Young Lions Cup VII” non-tournament matches
For more information regarding these events, click here for night one, click here for night two, and click here for night three.

When the mini wrestlers, Mascarita Dorada and Pierrothito, were announced to be making their CHIKARA debuts at YLC, many people initially assumed that the luchadores would be facing off against one another in singles action. It turns out that Turbo and Jorge “Skayde” Rivera will also be added to the mix, as a big tag team contest has been signed for night two in Easton. Will the tecnico team of Dorada and Turbo prevail or will Skayde and Pierrothito be the team that has their hands raised in the end?

Leonard F. Chikarason announced a new and exciting match concept, “Golden Dream”, in a recent blog for night three of “Young Lions Cup VII” in Philadelphia. Basically, the bout is a trios contest that features only former Young Lions Cup Champions. The three team captains have been revealed to be Jimmy “Equinox” Olsen, Vin Gerard, and Fire Ant. Equinox selected Helios as his first partner in a blog, while Vin unsurprisingly chose STIGMA. Fire Ant’s selection is next with the following six remaining former YLC holders to choose from for his squad: Hallowicked, Larry Sweeney, Jigsaw, Arik Cannon, Maxime Boyer, or Chuck Taylor. More information on the “Golden Dream” match in the next edition of the “CHIKARMY Insider”.

In a surprise to no one, CHIKARA announced that, on August 16th, 2009 in Philadelphia, a lucha libre explosion will take place as long-time rivals, Mascarita Dorada and Pierrothito, will face off one on one. Those of you that were looking forward to their tag bout on night two should really anticipate this showdown on the third night of “Young Lions Cup VII”, as these two have supposedly had some of the best minis singles matches in all of the land.

Self-explanatory, really. The winners of the six-man elimination matches on “Young Lions Cup VII: Night 1″ and “Young Lions Cup VII: Night 2″ will face off in a singles bout in the main event of night three. The winner of this contest will be declared the new Young Lions Cup Champion.

In other news, president of the Inter Species Wrestling promotion, Mike Rotch, announced earlier this month that the Canada-based company will be making their United States debut on August 8th, 2009 in East Hartford, Connecticut. Several CHIKARA wrestlers will be on hand for this show, including Jigsaw, Vin Gerard, Buck Hawke, Zombified (Player Dos), the Badd Boys (Jagged and Shane Matthews), Hydra, and even Jolly Roger. The official press release for “The Worst That Could Happen” can be found by clicking here.

CHIKARA released their fourth ever Pod-Per-View, “The Quest for Peace”, two weeks back. The PPV is still available for download for a price of three dollars on CHIKARAPodcast.com, but I don’t believe it will be up there forever. I posted a review for this exclusive internet extravaganza yesterday, so be sure to check it out when you get a chance. If you’re too much of a cheap skate to refuse paying for wrestling matches, then watch the last few Podcast-A-Go-Go episodes for free on YouTube.

Rumored to be over four-hundred pages long and containing over fifty photographs (including some that have never been seen before), the 2009 CHIKARA Yearbook will be released within the next couple of weeks. Mike Quackenbush has noted on a recent episode of the Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe that the book will cost a good amount, so be sure to bring a fat wallet to “Never Kneel at the Altar of Conformity” to assure yourself a copy. I’m guessing that the rest of the loot will be sold off on CHIKARA’s official website, so keep checking back there from time to time.

I don’t know how noticable it is, but I will be using a new layout for my articles on Pro Wrestling Ponderings from now on. Graphics and fonts add a more unique touch, in my opinion. Feedback can be submitted via the comments section below this post or through e-mail at perilloboy123@aol.com. A new “CHIKARMY Insider” will be up in exactly two weeks. Until next time, take care, CHIKARMY members. Thank you for the continuous support.

- Anthony Perillo

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CHIKARA “Pod-Per-View 4: The Quest for Peace”
For downloading information, click here.

The theatrical trailer for Canvasman: The Robbie Ellis Story airs at the beginning of the Pod-Per-View. On a personal note, I have had the pleasure of seeing Robbie Ellis perform in a CHIKARA ring before and for his age, he’s one hell of a wrestler.

Following a quick “Aniversario Yang” DVD teaser, Wiggly and Chiz greets us all to the fourth Pod-Per-View. Wiggly thanks all of the great CHIKARA fans for being apart of this special event. Without wasting any more time, Chiz informs us that the viewers are about to see an exclusive match between Gran Akuma and Icarus of F.I.S.T. versus Cheech Hernandez and KC “Cloudy” Day from the Quasimodo Civic Center in Italy (don’t ask).

Gran Akuma and Icarus beat Cheech Hernandez and KC Day via pinfall (frog splash) - A lot of people on message boards were complaining how disappointing this match was, but I honestly didn’t find it bad at all. Cloudy may have been a little off his game, but I don’t believe it affected the bout much at all. In a funny moment, Cheech successfully hit Kofi Kingston’s “thunder clap” legdrop on Icarus. Icarus would later taunt Cheech by yelling “boom, boom, boom” before kicking him. Cheech and Cloudy hit the Tidal Wave on Icarus late in the match, but he managed to kick out at the last second. After clocking Cheech with a dropkick combination in the corner, Gran Akuma hit the frog splash on him and Icarus covered him for the three. Average match that I think would have gone much better in a traditional CHIKARA venue, such as the Arena or the Easton FunPlex. **.

Bryce Remsburg and Wiggly are on stage in front of a live audience at the “WWCC”, which stands for the World Wide CHIKARA Conference. Bryce announces that CHIKARA will be returning to Reading for the last time this year on July 31st, 2009 for “fan appreciation night”. After that, CHIKARA will be heading to Easton and South Philadelphia for “Young Lions Cup VII” which will take place through August 14th, 2009 to August 16th, 2009. In some newly-announced dates, CHIKARA will be returning to New England after a ten month absence — on September 12th, 2009 in West Springfield, Massachusetts and on September 13th, 2009 in Nashua, New Hampshire. In addition, CHIKARA will be heading back to Easton on October 17th, 2009 and to Philadelphia on October 18th, 2009. Next up on the PPV, Bryce lets us know that we will be seeing a clip of “Lightning” Mike Quackenbush taking on Negro Navarro. Sweetness.

The ending of this match was not shown on the Pod-Per-View, so I had to do some research to see which side wound up winning the match in the end. The clip showed Quack taking on Navarro, but it was really a trios match that was cut up. The three minutes that aired on the PPV were great and a lot of lucha libre fans are already claiming this trios match (Mike Quackenbush, Kendo, and Solar versus Negro Navarro, Claudio Castagnoli, and Mr. Ferrari from LLI in Mexico) to be an early MOTYC.

Wiggly lets the CHIKARMY know that a new CHIKARA yearbook is on its way out later this July. You can bet that I’ll be all over that. Bryce also goes on to announce that CMLL minis, Mascarita Dorada and Pierrothito, will be wrestling at “Young Lions Cup VII”. The Colony versus the Osirian Portal in a two out of three falls match is up next.

Ophidian and Amasis beat Fire Ant and Soldier Ant via pinfall (Osirian Sacrament) in a two out of three falls match - It was never announced that this match was for the Campeonatos de Parejas, so I assume that it was non-title action. Fire and Soldier took it to the Portal early and were able to win the first fall with Ants Go Marching. As the match progressed, the Portal slowly began to fight their way back into it. Much to the crowd’s disapproval, Amasis scores the second fall by pinning Soldier Ant with That Move I Beat Moses With. Amasis and Ophidian jumped all over Soldier almost immediately after the fall. Fire showed some signs of coming back for his team, including a successful Burning Down the House, but it didn’t prove to be enough. The Portal knocked Soldier out with an inverted superplex and headed back to the top for the Osirian Sacrament to pick up the victory. Fun match, but I honestly didn’t think that it was anything special. **¾.

Wiggly thanks all of the viewers once more for tuning into “Pod-Per-View 4″. He reminds us all to check out CHIKARA’s live events this summer. Don’t worry, Wiggly. I’ll be on board for a few of those. Chiz mentions that additional CHIKARA matches can be found on Smart Mark Video. As the two hosts ride up the elevator to exit, Wiggly tells everyone that we can catch him on a new episode of the Podcast-A-Go-Go episode on Monday.

For three smackers, viewers will certainly be getting their money’s worth. Sure, none of the matches are spectacular, but it’s some great CHIKARA fun at the least. With that being said, what are you waiting for? Go kill forty minutes and order the Pod-Per-View right now. When you’re done watching it, post a comment below or e-mail me at perilloboy123@aol.com with your opinions. I guarantee you all that you won’t be dissatisfied.

- Anthony Perillo

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During Memorial Day weekend, CHIKARA held one of their two anniversary events at the Arena in Philadelphia. “Anniversario Yang” was headlined by a “lucha de apuestas”, which translates to “mask versus hair” in Spanish. The last time CHIKARA fans saw a match of this sort was in 2007 between “Marvelous” Mitch Ryder and Lince Dorado. After Worker Ant was shockingly forced into retirement after Chuck Taylor and the rest of F.I.S.T. brutally assaulted him, it made sense for Leonard F. Chikarason to book a match of this high caliber between the Colony and F.I.S.T.

Upon hearing all of the feedback on how well this show went live, I knew that I would have to fork over twenty bucks to check it out for myself. With the main event being described as “one of the best CHIKARA matches ever”, I knew that I would be stupid to miss out on something that sounded this fun and spectacular. In addition, many of the undercard matches also intrigued me. How can you pass up on Glacier and D’Lo Brown versus the UnStable, an “atomico”, and Claudio Castagnoli versus Eddie Kingston? I know for sure that I can’t.

Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood beat El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream, Jr. via pinfall (logger pin) -  A fun opener that the Philadelphia crowd really got into. Sometimes I wonder how Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood manage to draw in so much heat. Eddie Kingston putting over his fellow Roughneck stablemates on commentary also added to the many comedy aspects of this match. In approximately nine minutes of back and forth action, Brodie threw Grizzly onto both Ice Creams and held him down on top of them with his foot for the pinfall. Lee and Redwood regain one point. Kudos to Mr. Kingston for a great version of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash post-match. **.

Ophidian defeated Arik Cannon via pinfall (prawn hold) - Who would have expected a bout this great so early into the show? There were just way too many false finishes to name here. Cannon managed to survive the Death Grip on a couple of occassions. As Ophidian had it locked onto him one time, Cannon managed to use his strength to transition the submission into a sick brainbuster for a near-fall. Cannon then proceeded to rock Ophidian with Total Anarchy, but that only got him a two count, as well. Running out of options, Arik Cannon signaled for the Glimmering Warlock. When the referee’s back was turned, Amasis popped up out of nowhere and yanked on Cannon’s leg. This distracted Arik long enough for Ophidian to capitalize with a prawn hold for the three count in nearly eleven minutes. Good, good times. ***½.

UltraMantis Black, Crossbones, and Delirious beat Player Uno, Player Dos, and Create-A-Wrestler via pinfall (Praying Mantis Bomb) - Following being kidnapped last month, Delirious is now a member of the Order. He’s sporting silver and black gear now, so he fits in with the appearance of UltraMantis Black and Crossbones. This was upgraded from a regular tag team contest between the Order and the Super Smash Brothers to include Delirious and Create-A-Wrestler, as well. It should be noted that Louden Noxious mentioned how UMB was controlling Delirious with the Eye of Tyr on commentary. I don’t know if it was just me, but Delirious seemed to be a little off in this match. He and Dos had some really sloppy sequences in the early going. Other than that, though, this was a solid match. Dos and Crossbones had some real exciting encounters when they were in the ring with one another. After Delirious blocked a Dig Dug Driver attempt by Uno, Delirious hit the Praying Mantis Bomb on him. UMB then took credit for the win by covering Uno for a three count in about ten minutes. Post-match saw UltraMantis lift the Eye of Tyr into the air for everyone in the crowd to see, as he and the rest of the Order praised its power. ***.

Vin Gerard, STIGMA, and Colin Delaney are in the backstage area, ready to shoot on their upcoming match against Glacier and D’Lo Brown. Normally, I post promo videos for everyone to check out for themselves. However, at the time I am posting this review, ChurchOfMilMongoose has not uploaded these specific snippets onto his YouTube account yet. Anyways, Vin wants to know why Glacier and his pals keep coming back for more punishment. Colin pinned D’Lo Brown at “King of Trios 2009″ and Vin beat him in a singles match last month. Before the UnStable get the oppurtunity to say much more, Leonard F. Chikarason interrupts them in mid-sentence. LFC demands for the cameraman to back off. Although we do not see a visual, Chikarason can be heard asking Delaney why he has been communicating him so awkardly lately. Colin promptly tells LFC that he hasn’t been calling him at all and that if Chikarason doesn’t stay out of the UnStable’s business from now on, then he will have to have a little chat with Dave Coulier. Really strange promo, but I’m sure that we’ll be hearing more about this situation later.

Glacier and D’Lo Brown beat Vin Gerard and Colin Delaney via pinfall (Cryonic Kick) - This turned out to be way better than anyone would have thought it was going to be. About two minutes into the match, Brown knocked Vin out cold with a stiff lariat, complete with blood gushing out of his mouth. D’Lo wrestled the whole match in a pretty stiff fashion, but I don’t think it was completely intentional. Brown has been wrestling in Japan a lot lately and obviously, the style they use there is much different than the stuff going on in a CHIKARA ring. Glacier also got in on the fun by bloodying up Colin about six minutes into the bout. D’Lo looked to attack Gerard on the outside, but STIGMA got involved when Bryce Remsburg wasn’t looking. D’Lo finally managed to make the hot tag to Glacier.  Much to everyone’s surprise, D’Lo locked the CHIKARA Special in on Colin Delaney. Gerard trying breaking up the hold, but Glacier rocked him with a Cryonic Kick out of nowhere to score the pinfall at the twelve minute mark. Afterwards, STIGMA tried attacking the veterans, but he wound up getting a Cryonic Kick for his efforts. For good measure, Brown also nailed him with a Lo Down. Just a real great match that also had an awesome story to it. ***¼.

Jagged and Shane Matthews are backstage, standing in front of the CHIKARA logo. Why the heck aren’t they talking? Is my DVD screwed up? After a while of complete silence, a scrolling message appears that explains that 2.0 have refused to speak until they gain one point. The facial expressions on Matthews and Jagged during this promo were absolutely priceless. Definitely go out of your way to check this one out when it becomes available for viewing on YouTube.

Jagged and Shane Matthews beat Tim Donst and Hydra via pinfall (kneeling frog press) - In the beginning of the match, Shane Matthews taunted the Sea Donsters by saying that Hydra is “on the gas” and will be fired soon because of CHIKARA’s Wellness Policy. Before the situation got heated, though, Matthews offered to play a song on Tim Donst’s guitar. Shane strummed a few chords at first, but then attempted to smash it over Donst’s head. Donst ducked out of the way and quickly followed things up with a Stroke. Shades of Jeff Jarrett right there. Minutes later, Matthews began giving everyone in the ring a Boston Crab, including Jagged who apparently tapped to his own partner’s move. Hydra rolled up Jagged, but it was reversed into a kneeling frog press that surprisingly was enough for 2.0 to pick up the victory and one point in approximately four minutes of action. Hydra apologized to Donst afterwards, but Tim walked out on him, hinting at a possible heel turn in the future. This was unusually short, but it was fun for what it was worth. *½.

Jigsaw, Lince Dorado, and Helios are on camera in the backstage area. Lince is anxious because his team is down one man in the “atomico” match. Equinox pulled out of the show due to injury, so it’s now four against three. Before the three guys can discuss the matter, Jigsaw wants to apologize for taking the fall against F.I.S.T. last night at “Aniversario Yin”, but he explains that he tried his best. In fact, all three of them tried their best and that’s all that matters. Lince seems antsy about what Jigsaw has to say, but before he can come up with a long response, Mike Quackenbush comes out of nowhere. Quack asks Jigsaw if he told Helios and Lince about “plan B”. Jigsaw says he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Quack pulls all three guys over to the side and tells them that he will explain to them off-screen.

Hallowicked, Frightmare, Cheech Hernandez, and KC Day beat Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Lince Dorado, and Helios via pinfall (powerbomb-Shining Wizard combination) - A simply insane match that featured a bunch of wild moves throughout that the fans seemed to greatly appreciate. Cheech and Cloudy took the green gear of Incoherence, while the real Hallowicked and Frightmare entered with new orange attires. For those of you who were wondering, it should be noted that Mike Quackenbush took the place of Equinox. Anyways, Lince Dorado has improved so much over the past couple of months. He’s more than worthy of becoming Young Lions Cup Champion at this point. Frightmare also looked superb out there, nailing every move to near perfection. Quack didn’t get too much offense in because I’m sure he can’t risk further injuring his back. Cheech and Cloudy pin Lince with a cool powerbomb combination move for the three in nearly fifteen minutes. The crowd chanted “that was awesome” after the match had ended, as all eight men posed in the ring with each other. CHIKARA really excels in these “atomico” matches, so there was really no better time than their anniversary weekend to have one. ****.

Eddie Kingston is talking about insanity and how his particular case is different from everybody else’s. He mentions rooming with Claudio Castagnoli when he moved from New York to Pennsylvania. At one point, both guys were good friends with one another. After their match at “AnniversarioCT”, however, Kingston didn’t receive a handshake or any sign of respect from Claudio. This angered him. Tonight, Claudio Castagnoli versus Eddie Kingston will be personal. As usual, a great promo by King.

Eddie Kingston defeated Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall (Oklahoma roll) - The Philly fans were split on both sides, as Kingston dished out backhands and Claudio answered with uppercuts. Both of these guys just threw everything they could at one another. Hell, Kingston even broke out a tope suicida to the floor at one point. Claudio also showed a high-flying side to himself here, doing a couple of springboard manueveurs on a few occassions. Claudio nailed a bicycle kick on Kingston and tried finishing him with the Ricola Bomb. However, as Castagnoli was setting up for the move, Kingston reversed it into an Oklahoma roll to pick up the huge win in eighteen minutes. As one would have expected, this was a very good match. ***¾.

Fire Ant and Soldier Ant beat Icarus and Chuck Taylor to win the hair of F.I.S.T. via pinfall (Beach Break) - Gran Akuma and Green Ant are in the corners of their respective teams. F.I.S.T. and the Colony began brawling around the arena right away. As things settled down, Soldier Ant began getting a beating, in turn getting a hole in his mask around his mouth and getting his top torn.  A few minutes later, Taylor set the time keeper’s table up by the apron. Bryce Remsburg got knocked down unintentionally by Fire Ant, which allowed Chuck to give Soldier Ant an Awful Waffle off the apron and through the table. Soldier Ant was knocked out cold and Green Ant had to bring him to the backstage area. At this time, Fire Ant was forced to fight on his own. Taylor and Icarus seemed to have him down for the three on more than one occassion, but kept pulling his shoulder up to continue the punishment. Big mistake on their part. Icarus nailed the Pedigree on Fire, but he miraculously kicked out. Chuck had enough of toying around with Fire Ant, so he applied the one-legged Boston crab that he tapped Danielson out with at “King of Trios 2009″ in the finals. Just when it looked like Fire was about to tap out, Soldier Ant came limping from the back and tried breaking up the submission. Gran Akuma held him back, though, so he was unable to do anything. That is, until a new brown ant came in and made the save. This allowed Soldier to finally break up the Boston crab. This is when we started getting a crazy sprint of moves, including an insane running Awful Waffle on Fire Ant and a TKO by Soldier Ant on Chuck. Fire Ant hit the Beach Break, but Chuck somehow managed to kick out of it. Fire went for it again, nailed it, and put him away for the win. Standing ovation from the crowd, as Fire and Soldier shaved the heads of Icarus and Taylor. Hands down, the best CHIKARA match I have ever seen to date. The drama that these four guys managed to pull off was breath-taking, to say the least. If this isn’t nominated for a MOTYC, then there’s something seriously wrong with the IWC. ****½.

What are you waiting for? Get this show on DVD from SMV as soon as possible. Pick it up for the main event and the “atomico” tag. Along with Claudio/Kingston and Cannon/Ophidian both being very good, the Glacier and D’Lo tag completely surpassed my expectations, as well. Not to mention, the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple taking a big turn with the addition of Delirious is also worth giving a look at. I can’t put it any simpler by saying that this was an outstanding show.

Also, just to give everyone a heads up — there will not be a new “CHIKARMY Insider” article until next weekend. I’m busy with working, the ACT exam, and studying for final exams over the weekend. It’s probably better for me to wait, anyways, because a whole lot of news hasn’t surfaced since the last article I posted. Thanks for understanding and being patient.

- Anthony Perillo

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CHIKARA held their second to last show of 2008 in Easton, Pennsylvania at the Easton Funplex on the twelfth of December. The show was highlighted with several matches, including the Super Fun Times Over-The-Top, Elimination Style, No-Holds-Barred, Masked-Dudes-Welcome, Battle Royal of Doom and Honor, Mike Quackenbush defending his NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Buck Hawke, and a main event trios bout between Jimmy “Equinox” Olsen, Helios, Lince Dorado and Vin Gerard, STIGMA, and Colin Delaney of the UnStable.

Quite honestly, I was not planning on purchasing this event on DVD any time soon. In fact, I was planning for my next CHIKARA show purchase to be “Duel & Duality”. While the battle royal and NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship sounded like fantastic on paper, there were portions of the show that simply did not appeal to me. After receiving a great deal for the event from a member on one of the forums I visit, I decided to give my first Easton show a shot. You can’t pass up a CHIKARA DVD for eight bucks, can you?

In his first appearance in CHIKARA, Grizzly Redwood cut a promo before the battle royal began. Redwood used some cliché lumberjack terms when talking about his debut. After Grizzly had seemingly finished talking, Amasis came hopping on screen with crutches. Amasis told Redwood that if he wanted to make an “impact”, then he should follow him. Weird stuff.

Grizzly Redwood won the Super Fun Times Over-The-Top, Elimination Style, No-Holds-Barred, Masked-Dudes-Welcome, Battle Royal of Doom and Honor - Rorschach and USApe start off in the ring first. Unfortunately, the crowd doesn’t seem to care much about either guys, but they pop for USApe’s theatrics before jumping into the ring. Darkness Crabtree lights up the Easton Funplex to a great reaction. Poor Crabtree has trouble getting into the ring these days, it seems. Rorschach quickly throws USApe out of the ring, making the gorilla the first to be eliminated. Shun the Kabuki Kid, Jervis Cottonbelly, Pinkie Sanchez, Dragon Dragon, and Dragonfly join the ring next (in that exact order). Bryce reveals that Dragonfly has not wrestled in over six years. Wow, that’s pretty crazy. With Retail Dragon coming in at number nine, we now have three guys with the word, “dragon”, in their in-ring name. Dragon Dragon and Retail Dragon hug, as “Triple Dragon” is momentarily reunited. Worker Ant comes in next at number ten. Some big fat guy, Love Bug, enters at eleven. He apparently wrestled for CHIKARA throughout 2002. Dragonfly, Retail Dragon, and Dragon Dragon are all eliminated within a matter of seconds. Cottonbelly is taken out shortly after, as well. At number twelve is Dr. Cheung, who comes out to John Cena’s entrance theme. Cheung is the real “Doctor of Thuganomics”. A bunch more simultaneous eliminations go down, including Shun the Kabuki Kid and Dr. Cheung. Larry Sweeney and Grizzly Redwood are in at thirteen and fourteen. Sara Del Rey is the final entrant of this insane match, coming out to the “Final Countdown” by Europe. Grizzly shockingly eliminates Larry Sweeney after some trickery. Sanchez and Del Rey agree to go after Redwood, but Grizzly winds up eliminating Pinkie when he tried skinning the cat and failed. Del Rey tosses Worker Ant out of the ring. With her back turned from the last elimination, Redwood knocks Sara out to win the match. Grizzly proves to be a rudo in CHIKARA, as he brutally attacks Worker Ant after the match ends. Clearly, the point of this match was to get Grizzly Redwood over in an exciting fashion. In that case, I think it worked out very well. Aside from that, there were just way too many funny spots in this match to note on paper, so I suggest every CHIKARA fan to check this battle royal out some time or another. **.

The reigning Campeones de Parejas, the Osirian Portal, are backstage for a promo. With a recent ankle injury occuring at “Cibernetico Begins”, Amasis wants to know why Osiris has given the Portal so much bad fortune lately. He then remembers that that isn’t entirely true, however, as Escorpion Egipico is with them now. The group vows to extinguish Fire Ant and Soldier Ant of the Colony tonight. It turns out that Egipico will get his chance now, as he goes up against Fire Ant in singles action.

Escorpion Egipico defeated Fire Ant via pinfall (Plancha de Cairo) - Egipico tossed Fire Ant around early, showing exactly why he is the bodyguard of the Campeonatos de Parejas. After having his face pummeled in for most of the match, Fire Ant finally caught Egipico with a stunner out of nowhere. This allowed Fire to pick up on the offense, eventually taking the big man out with a plancha to the outside. Egipico faked a shoulder injury and the referee bought it. With Fire Ant’s back turned, Amasis knocked him hard in the gut with a crutch shot. Egipico then ran back into the ring and slammed him down. Egipico hops up to the top and connects with the Plancha de Cairo to pick up the victory around six minutes. As short as it was, this was a real entertaining match. Great stuff from both men. **¾.

Jagged and Shane Matthews of 2.0 are backstage, shooting a promo on their opponents for tonight, Cheech Hernandez and KC “Cloudy” Day. How do you cover a 2.0 promo? Just watch this one for yourself. It’s too funny. The random Goldilocks references had me dying laughing. These two guys are quickly becoming my favorite tag team in CHIKARA. Booyah!

Cheech Hernandez and KC Day beat Jagged and Shane Matthews via pinfall (Go 2 Cheech) - Fast-paced match from start to finish with lots of great tag team moves. Shane Matthews screaming for a total of five minutes also adds to match quality. Jagged and Shane Matthews go for the Hart Attack on Cheech, but it can’t put him away. Cloudy tries taking out 2.0 on his own and does great for a while until he botches a hurricarana. Jagged nearly catches Cheech with a pinning combination, but Hernandez gets out of it and follows things up with the Go 2 Cheech around ten minutes. One, two, three. Cheech and Cloudy gain their first point. Excellent tag team contest between these four CHIKARA regulars. There were some comedy spots before the match began, including Jagged dropping an elbow on a 2.0 shirt (don’t ask), but when the bell rang, it was all serious business. ***¼.

Soldier Ant defeated Ophidian via pinfall (TKO) - I have never been a big fan of Ophidian. Obviously, I respect him as a worker, but I have never been able to get into his style of wrestling. After seeing this match, though, you can now refer to me as one of the “Militant Mat Mite”’s biggest fans. Ophidian did not disappoint, either. The submission moves that Ophidian can pull off are simply amazing. Superb technical wrestling displayed by both guys. Ophidian faked a knee injury on the outside, so Amasis attempted to use crutches to his advantage once again. Soldier ducks out of the way, as the crutches bounce off the ropes and nail Amasis in the face. Soldier fakes being injured, so he catches Ophidian off-guard and nails him with the TKO for the win in approximately nine minutes. What a spectacular bout. ***.

Tim Donst and Hydra of the Sea Donsters have the cameras on them, as they prepare for a promo. Donst lets Hydra know that they will both be facing UltraMantis Black and Crossbones tonight. As Donst rambles on, he questions why UMB would have ever wanted to know the reversal to the CHIKARA Special. Hydra says he does and tries explaining, but Donst doesn’t understand him. Hydra scribbles down a few words on paper and Donst still fails to comprehend what his buddy is talking about. After the Sea Donsters are done talking, the camera focuses in on the piece of paper that Hydra wrote for Donst on the ground. It reads, “EYE OF TYR”. I absolutely can’t wait to see where they’re going with this angle.

Tim Donst and Hydra beat UltraMantis Black and Crossbones via pinfall (Donstitution) - UltraMantis Black and Crossbones slap Donst and Hydra in the face before the match begins, angering the Sea Donsters even more than they had before. Hydra gets a little offense going, but the Order is able to take him down and limit his attacks to a minimum. Donst gets in there and attempts to lift Crossbones, but his back goes out on him. Hydra catches UMB with the HydraLock and the two roll outside of the ring. Hydra holds onto the HydraLock, as UltraMantis Black yelps in pain. Finally, UltraMantis escapes the hold and he and Hydra brawl to the back. Inside the ring, Crossbones powerbombs Donst for a two count. Donst catches Crossbones with the Donstitution out of nowhere, which gets him the three count in seven minutes. Short match, but it was good for what it was worth. **½.

Brodie Lee grabs a microphone and tells the Easton crowd that his match against Hallowicked will not be happening tonight. Lee proceeds to grab Hallowicked’s mask out of his back pocket. Before Brodie can do anything with it, Frightmare comes running into the ring and knocks him out of the ring with a hurricarana. The bell rings and it looks like we’ve got ourselves a match.

Brodie Lee defeated Frightmare via pinfall (big boot) - This was the most exciting squash match you will ever see. Frightmare got in about four moves, but it was enough to get him over with the crowd. Did I mention that all of Frightmare’s moves were picture-perfect? It’s hard to believe that this kid just came out of the WrestleFactory. He’s awesome. Frightmare reverses Lee’s big boot attempt and catches him with a backslide. This pumps Frightmare up and he tries milking the crowd. However, when Frightmare turns around, he is met with a thunderous boot from Mr. Brodie Lee. Obviously, this is enough to give him the win in about three minutes. I don’t think it’s too crazy to say that Frightmare is a future Young Lions Cup Champion. Whether he’s in a squash match or not, he’s still one of the funnest guys to watch in a CHIKARA ring. *½.

Gran Akuma, Icarus, and Chuck Taylor beat Player Uno, Player Dos, and Ultimo Breakfast via pinfall (Awful Waffle) - There has never been a time when I doubted Ultimo Breakfast. Man, did he look great in this match. The Super Smash Brothers did not get a lot of tag team offense in on F.I.S.T. On the contrary, F.I.S.T. were able to hit a lot of trios moves. Akuma and Icarus took out Uno and Breakfast on the outside. After Dos managed to block an Awful Waffle from the top, Taylor pulled him by the tights and successfully hit the move on the mat to pick up the victory around the ten minute mark. Very good trios match with some super cool spots. Other than that, I don’t have much to say. ***.

Mike Quackenbush defeated Buck Hawke to retain the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship via submission (twisting ankle lock) - Quackenbush controlled Hawke early with a variety of submissions. After a while, Buck demanded for an end to the mat work. Quack goes to a series of chops next, even allowing the Easton crowd to get in on the action. Hawke gets knocked down hard after being on the end of multiple Kawada kicks. After more bitching from Hawke, Quack begins mocking him by making chicken noises. This is obviously a shot at Buck’s name, which sounds like “cock” when you say it quickly. Hilarious. Buck nails the TomaHawke on Quackenbush, but refuses to go for the cover. Instead, he attempts a superkick, complete with a parody of “I’m sorry; I love you” from WrestleMania XXIV. Quackenbush catches the kick and quickly applies a twisting ankle lock on Hawke, forcing him to immediately tap out. Great wrestling, great comedy, and an overall, great match. ***½.

Jimmy Olsen, Lince Dorado, and Helios beat Vin Gerard, STIGMA, and Colin Delaney via pinfall (shooting star press) - The UnStable take it to Equinox early, ripping and tearing at his mask. Vin Gerard does every trick in the book to stay on top of Equinox and is successful in doing so for the first five minutes of the match. When Equinox finally began fighting back, he looked to tag in Lince Dorado. However, Lince walked away… only to knock STIGMA and Delaney off of the apron. Lince nailed Vin on the outside with a moonsault off the top, while Equinox pulled off a similar maneuver to wipe out Colin Delaney. In the ring, Helios was able to nail the shooting star press on STIGMA to get the three. This was in my opinion, easily the best match on this show. All six guys were giving it their all and it completely showed. ***¾.

This was definitely a solid event, but I never came across a match and felt like it had to be seen by everyone. The main event and the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship matches were good, but I feel like there are better options out there if you’re looking to buy a DVD for one or two great bouts (for example, Fire Ant versus Vin Gerard from “2008 Young Lions Cup: Night Three” and Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw versus Cheech Hernandez and KC Day from “Motive, Means, Opportunity”). If you’re a new CHIKARA fan, looking to buy your first show on DVD, I wouldn’t recommend picking this up. Instead, give “AnniversarioCT” a shot.

If you feel like this is absolutely a show that you want to add to your collection, click here to be redirected to the DVD page on Smart Mark Video. After you’re done watching it, let me know what you thought of “Face With a View”.

- Anthony Perillo

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CHIKARA currently has no events posted for June on their schedule and it is being assumed that they will not run another show until the last week of July. Although Mike Quackenbush will not be booking his talent any time in the near-future, other promoters will be.

Instead of digging into predictions for the “Never Kneel at the Altar of Conformity” and “Young Lions Cup VII” events that were just announced, let’s all focus on the two promotions that have had CHIKARA talent booked their shows for months now — Japan’s Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA. Before we get into those shows, though, I have posted the results to last week’s “Aniversario Yin” and “Aniversario Yang” events below.

“ANIVERSARIO YIN”
5.23.2009 @ THE PALMER CENTER
(EASTON, PA)

Results:

Hallowicked and Frightmare beat Jagged and Shane Matthews via pinfall (Rydeen Bomb) in 9:41.

Grizzly Redwood defeated Hydra via pinfall (schoolboy) in 6:33.

Eddie Kingston defeated Create-A-Wrestler via pinfall (Backfist to the Future) in 8:43.

Gran Akuma, Icarus, and Chuck Taylor beat Jigsaw, Helios, and Lince Dorado via pinfall (Yoshi Tonic) in 10:47.

Delirious defeated Arik Cannon via pinfall (Praying Mantis Bomb) in 7:21.

Tim Donst defeated STIGMA via submission (CHIKARA Special) in 10:14.

Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, Player Uno, and Player Dos beat Ophidian, Amasis, El Hijo del Ice Cream, and Ice Cream, Jr. via pinfall (Anthill) in 19:57.

Vin Gerard defeated Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall (jacknife pin) in 12:34.

Notes:

Instead of entering to the ring with “Octopus’ Garden”, Hydra came out to a Lady Gaga song.

F.I.S.T.’s Sole Food and Yoshi Tonic move combination is now being called “Dinner ‘n Drinks”.

Icarus has added ink to the angel tattoo on his back. He also apparently  has a nose piercing now.

Delirious came out to the ring with UltraMantis Black and Crossbones of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, wearing a new black and white attire. It was later confirmed in a blog by UMB that Delirious had officially became the newest member of of the Order.

Replica masks of Jigsaw, Soldier Ant, and Frightmare were being sold at the show. In addition, they are now available for purchase on CHIKARA’s official website. Pick up these rare items today before they sell out.

“ANIVERSARIO YANG”
5.24.2009 @ THE ARENA
(PHILADELPHIA, PA)

Results:

Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood beat El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream, Jr. via pinfall (logger pin) in 8:55.

Ophidian defeated Arik Cannon via pinfall (prawn hold) in 10:26.

UltraMantis Black, Crossbones, and Delirious beat Player Uno, Player Dos, and Create-A-Wrestler via pinfall (Praying Mantis Bomb) in 10:24.

Glacier and D’Lo Brown beat Vin Gerard and Colin Delaney via pinfall (Cryonic Kick) in 11:58.

Jagged and Shane Matthews beat Tim Donst and Hydra (sunset flip) in 3:53.

Hallowicked, Frightmare, Cheech Hernandez, and KC Day beat Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Helios, and Lince Dorado via pinfall (powerbomb-Shining Wizard combination) in 14:04.

Eddie Kingston defeated Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall (Oklahoma roll) in 17:51.

Fire Ant and Soldier Ant beat Icarus and Chuck Taylor via pinfall (Beach Break) to win the hair of F.I.S.T. in 23:17.

Notes:

With Delirious joining the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, the tag team match between ONST and SSB became a trios match. Create-A-Wrestler teamed with Uno and Dos.

Vin Gerard apparently had a concussion about two minutes into his tag match against Glacier and D’Lo, complete with heavy mouth bleeding.

During intermission, a mysterious man was walking around with a luchador mask, a top hat, and a trench coat on. Many people are assuming that he is a new member of the CHIKARA roster and not some stupid fan that was simply looking for attention.

Mike Quackenbush replaced an injured, Equinox, in the eight-man tag team match. Many people are assuming that this will be Quack’s final match before heading in for back surgery.

Both, Hallowicked and Frightmare, wore orange and black attires to the ring. It should also be noted that Hallowicked was sporting a brand new mask.

Following the “lucha de apuestas”, a new brown-colored member of the Colony debuted by fending of Gran Akuma.

A relationship between CHIKARA and Big Japan Pro Wrestling started up at last year’s “Global Gauntlet” events in Easton and Philadelphia. There, many dream matches between BJW and CHIKARA talent were made.

One year later, Big Japan Pro Wrestling has invited a select few CHIKARA wrestlers to make the trip over to Japan for a joint event of sorts on June 12th, 2009 and June 13th, 2009 in Saitama and Tokyo. The eight lucky wrestlers that will be making the trip to Japan in June are UltraMantis Black, Crossbones, Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, Green Ant, Chuck Taylor, Jagged, and Shane Matthews. The rudo side of Team CHIKARA has already cut a promo on BPW, being led by UltraMantis Black. Also, the cards of both of these events have been announced in their entirety.

“CHIKARA JAPAN SHOWCASE”
6.12.2009 @ ICE RIBBON ARENA
(SAITAMA, JPN)

- Green Ant versus Mask Man

- Chuck Taylor versus Michael Nakazawa

- Jagged and Shane Matthews versus Mototsugu Shimizu and Atsushi Ohashi

- Fire Ant and Soldier Ant versus UltraMantis Black and Crossbones

“CHIKARA JAPAN SHOWCASE ~ GLOBAL GAUNTLET II”
6.13.2009 @ SHIN-KIBA FIRST RING
(TOKYO, JPN)

- Daikokubo Benkei versus Atsushi Ohashi

- UltraMantis Black and Crossbones versus Shadow WX and Yuichi Taniguchi

- Chuck Taylor versus Daisuke Sekimoto

- Jagged and Shane Matthews versus Yoshihito Sasaki and Ryuichi Kawakami

- Takashi Sasaki and Shinobu versus Michael Nakazawa and Mask Man

- Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, and Green Ant versus Jaki Numazawa, Yuji Okabayashi, and Shinya Ishikawa

If any new information is posted about the Big Japan Pro Wrestling shows, then it will be covered in the next edition of the “CHIKARMY Insider”. Now, moving over to CHIKARA’s involvement in the new, Philadelphia-based company, Dragon Gate USA.

On April 14th, 2009, it was announced at a Dragon Gate show at the Korakuen Hall that the promotion would be expanding to the United States. Satoshi Oji was named president and Gabe Sapolsky (former Ring of Honor head booker) took the job of being vice president of Dragon Gate USA. In an online press release that was posted online at the end of April, Gabe Sapolsky stated that DGUSA had reached a partnership with another wrestling company.

At the CHIKARA event, “The Bobliographon”, this video package played on a big screen in front of a packed crowd in Philadelphia. It was none other than CHIKARA that had agreed to team up with DGUSA. Almost immediately upon revealing this news to the public, DGUSA announced that a “relevos atomicos” match featuring all CHIKARA talent would take place at their debut show in Philadelphia on July 25th, 2009. Only three of the eight competitors in this match have been announced so far.

Want to hear my predictions on who I believe will be added to the match next? I assume that Gran Akuma’s partner in crime, Icarus, will join him on the rudo side. My guess is that one of CHIKARA’s most experienced wrestlers, Hallowicked, will side with the Colony on the tecnico side. Then, Frightmare will head into the bout next to his Incoherence buddy.

Amasis and Ophidian of the Osirian Portal are one of the most popular teams on the independent scene today, so I assume that they will be given the nod on the rudo side to fill up all of the competitors in the “relevos atomicos” bout. Not only that, but the Portal are also the current-reigning Campeons de Parejas. What better way to showcase your company than putting your tag team champions to work?

Two new episodes of the Podcast-A-Go-Go have been posted since last time. Click here to watch episode 162 and here to view episode 163. Matches from “Cibernetico Begins” in Framingham are being looked at. I was actually at that event live, so I can assure you that each of the bouts are worth giving a look at. Don’t believe me? Read 411mania.com’s Kevin Ford’s review of the show by clicking here. After you’re done doing that, hop over to Smart Mark Video and purchase the DVD.

That’s about all of the CHIKARA coverage I can hand out for a single article. Don’t forget to check back in approximately two or three weeks to read another brand new edition of the “CHIKARMY Insider”. I am literally obsessed with Mike Quackenbush’s creation, so you can bet that I’ll be on top of everything, as soon as it’s announced. Thank you for reading, my friends. Until next time, sayonara.

- Anthony Perillo

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