Pro Wrestling Ponderings

It is now Saturday. Before enjoying the AAW show, I had to sit through seven hours of work. The first few hours move quite quickly as I’m tutoring students and actually earning my paycheck. Then the last two hours hit, and they are the slowest two hours of my entire life. EVER. I FINALLY get to tap out at around 3:45 to head down to Berwyn.

I arrived at the Eagles Club around 5, and there was a very different vibe from the previous show. There seemed to be more excitement, more hustle and bustle, more everything. I got a chance to interview Phil Colvin, The Young Bucks, and Jigsaw. All three were very nice and polite. In fact, everyone up and down AAW deserves a big thank you for allowing yours truly to conduct these interviews and cover the shows. Pro Wrestling Ponderings isn’t a huge name in the industry (as much as we all want it to be) and their hospitality has been great for both sides.

At around 6:45, the doors opened and it was time for the show to begin. After a ho-hum pre-show with what I believed to be a record number of blown spots, Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon got “Us vs. Them” officially started. Here are my thoughts on each and a rough star rating. (Results courtesy of www.aawrestling.com)

Faith in Nothing d. Flip Kendrick/Louis Lyndon with a Kudo Krusher on Kendrick- Not a long match by any means but I think it served the purpose of getting the crowd into the show from the get go. Kendrick showed a lot of moves, but it’s hard to tell how good of a wrestler he is. Lyndon showed a bit more personality while Vincent Nothing and Christian Faith showed why they’ll be getting a shot at the tag team titles soon. They have very good chemistry together and are a fast-rising team in the Midwest. **-**1/2

AAW ring announcer and Dragon Gate USA host Kevin Harvey interviewed Shane Hollister, who when last I saw him was getting stapled and burned by Arik Cannon. Nick Brubaker, Danny Daniels, and Ryan Boz came out. Daniels said Brubaker needed a win leading to

Shane Hollister d. Nick Brubaker with a modified Flatliner- Not a whole lot to this match except Shane got a much-needed win after having the bajesus beaten out of him. ½*-*

Knight Wagner/Jordan McEntyre d. Krotch/Juice Robinson when Knight rolled up Juice with a handful of tights- Nikki and the Northstar Express made their presence known. The one thing I will say is Juice and Krotch would make a perfect team. Krotch can take the beatings and do the whole face-in-peril thing while Juice Robinson can come in and do the short bursts of offense. Juice is quite green, but he was able to showcase his skills much better in an atmosphere like this as opposed to wrestling the also green Mason Beck. *-*1/2

Chandler McClure, who’s been banned from AAW but still raising hell, ran in. Jimmy Jacobs then came in and accepted the open challenge for the AAW title. For a match being on fourth on the card, I wasn’t expecting anything really since this was placed on the mid-card. I was thinking a screwjob finish. Instead…

Jimmy Jacobs d. Jay Bradley to win the AAW Heavyweight Title with a top rope senton- Incredible to see a heavyweight title changed in the fourth match. Now sure how I feel about it, but it certainly popped the crowd huge. I actually jumped out of my seat because I was shocked to see the referee count three. A nice moment and the first of two major surprises from one Jimmy Jacobs. The funniest thing about this match was having to tell my friend who’s never been to an AAW show and only follows ROH that Jacobs is a babyface in the company. ***-***1/2

Arik Cannon/Northstar Express d. Gran Akuma/Hallowicked/Jigsaw when Cannon hit Hallowicked with the Glimmering Warlock- Very CHIKARA style match and I loved every second of it. Although I’ve seen team CHIKARA live once before, this felt like seeing them again for the first time all over again. I loved this match a great deal with all the spots and fantastic maneuvers. I also liked the dissention teased between Jigsaw and Akuma. It wasn’t overt, but if you follow both DG and CHIKARA, you could easily pick it out. ***1/2-***3/4

Intermission- Incredibly, the world title didn’t even change before a break. This was very odd.

Shiima Xion d. Johnny Gargano with a roll up- Both of these guys have been in AAW before, but they were both playing heel. I think that’s part of why the crowd wasn’t really into the match. It was passable, but I think the crowd was still shuffling in from intermission, and I think everyone was starting to feel burned out. With a huge title switch and a phenomenal six man tag, it’s easy to see why. With Gargano attacking Xion, I assume there will be a return match down the road. One final note: Nice entrance by Gargano. **3/4-***

Danny Daniels/Ryan Boz d. Zero Gravity- No disrespect intended to any of the workers, but this was the point in which I took a bathroom break. I came back and saw a pretty good little match-up. The problem is that the winning team was never in doubt, and people really wanted to get to the main events by this point. I know I did at least. I think this will play better for me on DVD when I haven’t been up since 7’o’clock in the morning. *1/2-**

Bryan Danielson d. Silas Young with an inside cradle- By inside cradle, I’m sure they mean SMALL PACKAGE since that is what it was. This was a great great great match. If you want to see a match where the loser still comes out looking better, I present this match as example A. Young is someone that I’ve always considered to be underrated, and I assure that’s not just because I interviewed him. Young showed why he deserves more bookings and a main event opportunity in other independent companies. Of course, it’s easy to say that anyone can have a great match with Bryan Danielson because of who he is, but this was one of the better Danielson singles matches I’ve seen this year. It was dramatic. The crowd was molten, and the wrestling was great without turning into a spotfest. This was just a great wrestling battle. ***3/4-****

House of Truth d. The Young Bucks to retain the AAW Tag Titles- I’m perfectly willing to accept the Bucks losing here in the way they did because the object should be to get the heel House of Truth as over as possible before losing the tag team title to a hot babyface team. The problem was that Truth Martini throwing a cigarette in Matt Jackson’s face followed by the subsequent pinfall was how one of the best AAW shows of the year ended. I think it was a bad way to end the show because I think it sent the crowd out on bad note. I think Jacobs ending the night with a world title win would have been perfect because I still think there would have been genuine shock. Plus, you can end the show with Jacobs celebrating an emotional championship victory with the crowd. That is how you cap a show. ***-***1/4

Final Thoughts: I will not say this for every AAW show, but this was a must buy DVD. You’ve got one four star match combined with three other three star matches. You’ve got a wide variety of styles represented on this show. You’ve got stars from CHIKARA and PWG coming into the steal the show. And of course there’s Bryan Danielson having one more great performance to help build another star. If you’ve never bought a show of theirs, then this would be the place to start.

Tomorrow, I discuss Dragon Gate. Expect words like amazing, awesome, and fantastic to be worn out.

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You might think lists are cliche and boring. I think they’re a way of doing an easy column when it’s the dog days of summer, and I want to not be inside writing this column. Hey, I love my readers and this side, but Chicago doesn’t get a great deal of nice days. I have to take advantage while I can. So alas, I’m providing my list of the top ten wrestlers entertaining me right now.

10. KENTA

If he was wrestling in the states, this individual might be number one. As it is, I’ve only seen a limited amount of matches from him. His match with Davey Richards is the best match ROH has produced this year. His match with Nigel McGuinness was very good given the context, and he was in a tremendous tag team match in NOAH shortly after the death of Misawa. KENTA’s entertainment value is all in his workrate, which makes him unique to this list.

9. The Colony

Even with the sad departure of Worker Ant, this group has been featured in two of the matches I’ve loved most in 2009. Soldier Ant and Fire Ant are the specific portion of the group I’m including on this list, but I can only imagine what Green and Carpenter Ant can add to one of the best babyface groups in CHIKARA and professional wrestling overall. They are one of the top contenders for the Campeonatos de Parejas, and I’ve enjoyed them so darn much since watching CHIKARA. These guys were actually one of the first groups I noticed back at King of Trios 2008. While the idea of a bunch of guys dressing up as ants might be absurd (Okay, it is.), it fits in perfectly with what CHIKARA is all about. No way would The Colony fit in with ROH or most of the other independent companies in the States, but instead of being generic pale white jobbers, the masks and names give them distinct characters.

8. Kenny Omega

His outings in Ring of Honor haven’t exactly been the best, but everything he touches in PWG  turns to gold. And not a golden shower either. His match with El Generico at Express Written was one of the best mid-card matches I’ve seen in quite some time. His duo with Chuck Taylor has been nothing short of brilliance. I think he’s much better off in PWG because wackiness is far more accepted there as opposed to whatever Ring of Honor is trying to be. If nothing else, Omega has found himself in the middle of the title picture and could possibly have a singles match with Austin Aries before the year is done. He’s basically a new face in major independent wrestling, and while his match quality had varied, he’s at least something very different compared to some of the other individuals you’ll see on an average DVD.

7. Bryan Danielson

If I had done this list in 2007 and 2008, I can almost assure you that American Dragon would have been in the top five. While he’s still one of the best wrestlers in the world, you just get the sense that Danielson is taking it easy and moreso having fun. I’m not accusing him of tanking it by any means or not giving people their money’s worth. It’s just this is a guy who’s seemingly done it all in indepdent wrestling. What else could he possibly have to do? The positive for us as fans is he’s still been in quite a few four star tag team matches. The six main event of Night 2 of King of Trios is just one example. His 45 minute draw with Black as his partner against the Wolves is another. His most unique match of the year candidate took place at DDT4 against The Young Bucks. It wasn’t an exchange of finishers but rather one of the all-time greatest beatdowns you’ll ever see. Even though the Bucks won, they most certainly earned it as Danielson and fellow Hybrid Dolphin Roderick Strong destroyed these young Christian boys.

Danielson did the job in that match just as he tapped out in the finals of King of Trios. He also put over Tyler Black in an excellent match that took place on ROH on HDNet. Danielson is still one of the best in the world and has shown himself to be willing to put younger stars over. He is the very definition of a PROFESSIONAL wrestler, and for that reason will always be one of the best wrestlers in the world.

6 F.I.S.T

Of course, the biggest reason these guys are on this list is because of their match against The Colony. But their work at King of Trios is also a huge reason they’re featured here. They are the best heel group in the business today because they don’t act like cool heels. They act like the biggest douches in the world. They bully people around. They scream with fans. Why? Because they don’t like anyone. They’re the guys in high school who would take your lunch money and stuff you in the locker. The best part is they’d do this with a smile in the face.

Akuma is now in one of the more intruging angles of the year as CHIKARA is about to enter a major feud with Dragon Gate. Akuma also had a great little match with Shadow Phoenix. Chuck Taylor was a part of the big mask vs. hair match, but he’s also on this list for his work in PWG. I guess if I were to rank the F.I.S.T guys, Taylor would be at the top since his PWG work is also included. He and Omega have formed what could quite possibly be the most awesome tag team in the history of wrestling, The Men of Low Moral Fiber. Taylor had a fantastic match with El Generico at “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” in addition to being in two excellent DDT4 tournament matches. I have absolutely loved Taylor in particular, but Akuma and Icarus have also been excellent compliments in CHIKARA.

5. C.M. Punk

The heel turn that began at Extreme Rules only enhances his value to this list. Of course I have an intense bias toward C.M. Punk. It only makes sense that he’s on the list. Thanks to two months of great promos and really riding the fence between heel and face up until Night of Champions led him to this list. This is a guy who’s been a highly consistent performer on Smackdown since the draft. He’s had some awesome television matches with John Morrison while having two consecutive quality matches on Pay-Per-View with Jeff Hardy. Seeing as how he’s on the brand more suited to letting younger guys excel, Punk should continue to have a solid 2009. If only WWE would stop jobbing him out and just him have the world heavyweight championship for an extended period of time.

4. The Young Bucks

Of course the best tag team of 2009 finds their way on this list. Matt and Nick have brightened up more than one company. Their home company is PWG, where they have been the tag team champions since August of 2008. They’ve had a number of four star matches there with the Machine Guns, Hybrid Dolphins, and even The Men of Low Moral Fiber. In Ring of Honor, they’ve actually been shining lights on some bland HDnet television shows despite the fact they’ve wrestled in two squash matches. They also got to wrestle for CHIKARA and wowed the crowd in two different tag team matches. Nick Jackson was also in the best match of the weekend, but you might have forgotten all about him since it was basically the Generico vs. Kota show. Then there’s Dragon Gate USA.

In the most aniticipated show of the calender year, the Bucks scored a major upset over Dragon Gate icon CIMA and his partner, Yokusuka. They then got on the microphone and said they were the tag team of the present… not the future. They certainly are, and they might be the best tag team in professional wrestling very shortly, if they aren’t already.

3. Davey Richards

Richards is part of a tag team as well and has been one half of the ROH tag team title holders back since April. Eddie Edwards isn’t nearly good enough to be on this list, but Richards has been the MVP of 2009. Not only has been in multiple matches of the years, but his heel persona has only enhanced his value to any company he wrestles for. He’s primarily been in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla having these great matches. What has made Richards so special is his ability to have great one-on-one matches with guys like KENTA and Tyler Black while also having amazing tag team matches with Kevin Steen and El Generico. That series alone has been a shining light in a rather ho-hum year for Ring of Honor. As a side note, Richards has actually been the Full Impact Pro championship belt, but since their DVDs aren’t being released for whatever reason, this really is just a side note.

If Richards continues to improve and develop, there’s no reason he can’t be the Ring of Honor or PWG world champion in 2010. What there can be no doubt about is he’s going to be one of the biggest names in indepedent wrestling going into the next decade.

2. Austin Aries

There is a fine line between number one and two. So fine that either one of the top two could easily be at the top of the list. So I guess the only thing to is explain the difference. I was as cynical as anyone about Aries turning himself heel. I didn’t see any conceivable way for this to possibly work. Little did I know. Aries changed his gear, changed his hair, and sleazed himself up big time. He’s become Joey Ryan except much better. His in ring work has not been as good, but I attribute that to an overall style change within Ring of Honor. Aries has been an individual that’s become one of the best promos in the sport today. In what I consider to be a major historical note, Aries is also the first two time ROH World Heavyweight Champion in the company’s illustrious two year history. His promo after about his grandmother and tooting his own horn was nothing short of brilliant.

I’ve been a huge Austin Aries fan since even before  I started liking ROH. There was just something about this guy that I even enjoyed in TNA. His evolution as a character has been quite awesome, and I’m excited to see how his title reign goes and if he indeed loses to Tyler Black. Also, is Aries the answer to some of ROH’s financial issues?  If not for these questions, I’d have most certainly ranked him number one.

1. Chris Jericho

What made the Rey Mysterio/Chris Jericho just a little bit more special? Yes, all of the matches were very good or match of the year candidates, but what made the feud was the ability of Chris Jericho on the microphone. His promos are clearly on another planet from everyone else’s in the “WWE Universe.” They don’t sound canned. They don’t sound like a guy reciting lines. They sounds like the honest views of a man who feels he’s been wronged by the fans and WWE management. His ability to cut promos must be enhanced with the use of the thesaurus considering some of the words he’s brought out of mothballs. Or he’s been watching some Nick Bockwinkel tapes.

Jericho is the best part of WWE as evidenced by the fact that he’s holding the Unifed Tag Team titles and appearing on both RAW and Smackdown on a regular basis. I wondered aloud why he would even bother coming back to wrestling, but now I wonder why he isn’t a world champion. His comeback has been more than justified, and I firmly believe that for however long he remains in WWE, he’ll be the MVP.

So there’s my list. Agree? Disagree? Why not leave a comment? Or e-mail me at jcusson07@gmail.com. If I get enough e-mails, I’ll consider doing a mailbag.

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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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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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