Contemplating CHIKARA 04.24.09: Another Glance at this Weekend's Events!
Posted by Kevin Ford on 04.25.2009
Not a whole lot of new news this week, but once again we take a look at both of this weekend's big CHIKARA shows!
Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's edition of Contemplating CHIKARA!
I got to be honest with you. This week is going to be a short, short edition of Contemplating CHIKARA. This is mostly due to the fact that there has been such few news coming out of the CHIKARA camp this week. So, with that, I'll re-run down the cards for this weekend, post two blogs from Buck Hawke and Mitch Ryder, and provide a little YouTube fun as usual.
CHIKARA Presents "Behind The 8 Ball", live THIS Saturday, April 25th, from the Palmer Community Center in Easton, PA!
Since 2008 kicked off, CHIKARA has made a conscious effort to add more female wrestling to its shows. "Behind The 8 Ball" is no exception, as two femme fatales will make their debuts. This match pits Shark Girl against one half of the SHIMMER Tag Team Champions, Neveah, against one another in a singles match. With a blossoming women's division in CHIKARA, both these women will be looking to make a name for themselves in their CHIKARA debut.
An interesting match will occur as one-third of the 2009 King of Trios, Gran Akuma, will square off with another man making his CHIKARA debut, Shadow Phoenix. Shadow is a well rounded individual, trained under the tutelage of Ultimo Dragon and Jorge "Skayde" Rivera. A master of martial arts, Shadow Phoenix has wrestled for Japanese promotions such as Osaka Pro, Toryumon X and Michinoku Pro. Akuma is also very skilled in speed and striking, as he has shown in his CHIKARA tenure. In addition, Akuma is no stranger to Japanese competitors, as he was hand picked by Mike Quackenbush to compete in The Global Gauntlet against Big Japan Wrestling in October, as well as facing other Japanese combatants in CHIKARA over the years. Needless to say, this one will be very hard-hitting. This show is the only show of the weekend Shadow Phoenix will be around, so if you want to see him, be sure you head out to "Behind The 8 Ball".
What's sure to be a fun tag contest has been signed for Easton! Before they enter the big four team elimination tag match, the Canadian duo of 2.0 (Jagged & Shane Matthews) will have to face Incoherence (Hallowicked & Frightmare). Hallowicked and Jagged crossed paths in a tag bout at Aniversario Epsilon in 2006, with Delirious and Max Boyer being their respective partners at the time. 2.0 is still on the quest to get that illusive first point that's escaped them in their CHIKARA tenure. Hallowicked & Frightmare may have been shaken up at their surprising loss to Team EPIC WAR in the Tag Team Gauntlet, so perhaps 2.0 can capitalize. Only one way to tell; see the show! Or read results. Y'know.
A CHIKARA fan-favorite returns in Easton, as an Atomocios Increibles has been signed! Essentially, this is a match where four tag teams are split up into two opposing teams. As you can see, The Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Player Dos), The Fabulous Two (Mitch Ryder & Buck Hawke), The UnStable (Vin Gerard & STIGMA), and The Sea Donsters (Tim Donst & Hydra) have been put on opposing sides. You can bet after traveling together, eating together, and essentially being around each other all the time, some frustrations can be built up within teams. This will give these teams to chance to get revenge on their partners guilt-free, as well as take out some potential tag team competition. It should be noted that in 2008, the Super Smash Bros. competed opposite one another twice, and ended up a better team for it as they won the Campeonatos de Parejas later that year. Player Dos, Mitch Ryder, STIGMA, & Tim Donst oppose Player Uno, Buck Hawke, Vin Gerard, & Hydra in this one. How on Earth will the wrestlers get out of this bucket of syrup?!
Buck Hawke makes his first time return to CHIKARA since December of 2008, and here is what he had to say:
4/21/2009: Greetings, legions of Buck Hawke fans around the world!
In response to the plethora of MySpace questions I've been (annoyingly) receiving lately, it's true; Buck Hawke is making his triumphant return to a CHIKARA ring April 25th in Easton, PA at "Behind the 8 Ball" and April 26th I'll be entertaining the masses in Philadelphia at "The Bobliographon." I'm sure you've heard the hot gossip surrounding border issues back in January. Well, the snow has melted and Buck Hawke is ready to emerge more vicious than ever. The wait is over, baby - Buck Hawke is back in business!
I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to be back in action! Lemme tell ya, if there's one thing I like more than shopping at over-priced stores (because I can,) or partying at the most exclusive hot-spots nationwide (shout out to my good friend Chad Kroeger of Nickleback – last weekend was wild!) Buck Hawke LOVES stomping down some poor jabrone in the squared circle. And when I got the call to climb on that big ole' jetliner for an April tour with my favourite company, I was ecstatic.
Until I found out who I would be facing on April 25th...until I found out I would be standing across the ring from the man who made me what I am today, "Simply Marvelous" Mitch Ryder. How can the Servant fight the glorious Ruler? How can the faithful student be asked to raise arms to the cultured, cultivated, learned, well-read, beloved teacher? I don't even want to think about it. All I've ever wanted to do was make Mitch Ryder happy. So guys on Mitch's team – I'm gonna be in a bad mood. And boys, that's gonna be bad news for you. No one gets between me and my Mitch.
Awaiting your applause in Easton,
BH
You think Buck was concerned then? Well just a short two days later, Mitch Ryder himself posted a response to Buck:
4/23/2009: Well, well, well. Buck Hawke has finally crept out from under whatever rock he's been hiding beneath, just in time for the spring weather and the April CHIKARA events. Ain't that convenient?
Well guess what, Hawke? April's a little on the late side! 'Cuz ol' Mitch Ryder had intended on winning King of Trios 2009, and that took place in March. The qualifying match we were supposed to have took place in January for cryin' out loud! Where was Buck Hawke then? Where was my lil' Buckaroo when I needed him? Nowhere to be found, that's where.
I have never felt so deserted, so abandoned in my entire 19 years as a professional wrestler. King of Trios came and went, no sign of Hawke, no call from Sweeney - I got bubkis! I had to scramble just to find a partner for the Tag Team Gauntlet on Night 3, and when Robbie Ellis couldn't charter a private jet to make it in time, I got stuck with Stinky Sanchez of all people!
I watched Sanchez in action on Night 1, and I hate to admit, but the kid caught my eye. Did he have that special something like a Buck Hawke does? Nope. But he impressed ol' Mitch. And beggars can't be choosers. Tag Gauntlet comes around, I snatched up Sanchez. Thought I might be onto something...until he blew it. Got pinned by Willie Richardson like some ham-n-egger. Truth be told, I don't know what I saw in that kid in the first place. But I'm tired of feelin' deserted, alone. Hawke, I know you grew up without the benefit of a father figure in your life, and you know I've always been there to fill the void. Well it's time for poppa to set you straight, son.
See ya in Easton,
MR
The dichotomy in their blog postings is a bit innerving, and no doubt Buck is trembling at what "Daddy Mitch" has in store for him.
Just one day before the Future Is Now takes on The Osirian Portal in trios action, two men from those trios will square off in singles action. "The Burning Star of CHIKARA" Helios takes on the Egyptian heavyweight, Escorpion Egipcio. There's no doubt that each of these men would love to take out a member of their opponents group the day before their King of Trios rematch, and now is the perfect opportunity. Egipcio has destroyed everyone smaller than himself since entering CHIKARA, including Helios' buddy Lince Dorado in February. Will Egipcio go 2-0 in singles action against The Future Is Now (in Easton no less!), or will Helios be able to use his incredible high flying prowess to take out this monster?
One feud has been brewing in CHIKARA for over a year now between two of the companies top factions: The Colony and F.I.S.T. January 2008 can pinpoint the moment in which these groups really began to go at one another, as Fire Ant and Soldier Ant defeated Icarus and Gran Akuma. Things escalated when the factions exchanged wins in trios action, with The Colony defeating F.I.S.T in the 2008 King of Trios tournament and F.I.S.T. defeating The Colony at Aniversarioct. The rubber match came in February at "If The Airplane Is Snowed In, Put Your Bloody Skis On And Get Going!", in which the winning group was entered in the 2009 King of Trios tournament, and the other group was ousted. In this match however, things were a bit different. F.I.S.T had become a far more violent, serious, trio, dubbing themselves "The most dangerous trio in CHIKARA." Not only did they win the match against the Colony, but F.I.S.T. also ended Worker Ant's career in the process. The next night, looking for revenge, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant took on Chuck Taylor and Icarus. Taylor and Icarus ended up cheating for the win, but the decision was reversed in the Colony's favor a couple weeks later. Two months removed, we get a rematch of that very tag contest in the same building it originally took place. Chuck Taylor's Awful Waffle to Worker Ant on the wooden floor in Reading, PA can be pinpointed as what truly ended Worker's career. Needless to say, The Colony would love to show their love for their fallen comrade by destroying the men who took him out. Can The Colony defeat two-thirds of this year's King of Trios, or will F.I.S.T. continue their reign of dominance in 2009?
The story of the Olsen Twins in CHIKARA is an interesting one. As most everyone knows, Colin Olsen left CHIKARA for good in February 2008 to go to World Wrestling Entertainment. Colin did a great job keeping this a secret from his brother Jimmy. Jimmy kept hoping one day Colin would return, until the evil Vin Gerard lied to Jimmy and told him Colin was hidden under a mask in CHIKARA. For three months Jimmy searched for his brother, unmasking Lince Dorado, The Colony, and Ultimo Breakfast in hopes of finding Colin. Colin's was fired from the WWE, and his future endeavors led him back to CHIKARA. Colin aligned himself with Vin Gerard, telling that Jimmy had become weak-willed and feeble since Colin left CHIKARA. Jimmy looked for revenge on his brother and Vin, and lost to Colin in a singles match back in September. Jimmy donned the persona of Equinox, Vin Gerard's prior character before being forced to unmask in November of 2007. After months of mind games and grudge matches, Jimmy was able to capture the Young Lions Cup. In his second defense of the Cup (the first being a successful defense against Amasis), Jimmy meets his brother again one on one. Colin recently wrote about this match in a blog on CHIKARA's home page:
4/8/2009: The Young Lions Cup...the biggest singles prize CHIKARA has to offer. Held by greats from STIGMA to Vin Gerard. And now, being tainted by the grubby hands of my little brother, Jimmy, the coward hiding under the mask of Equinox. It makes me sick to see, so I called up the offices, I dialed up Leonard F. Chikarason, and I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. The former Olsen Twins are gonna collide at The Palmer Center in Easton! One night only, it might look like Equinox vs. Delaney, but underneath it's Olsen vs. Olsen, brother vs. brother, man vs. better man.
The fans in PA were screwed out of this match when we locked up in Chicago last September - they didn't get to see me pin baby brother's shoulders to the mat, so lets do it one more time! Only this time...you have something I want. You see, beating Jimmy isn't enough, because I've been beating Jimmy all our lives, and I don't need to beat him again to prove who the better man is. I just want that shiny Cup he carries around. I want that Young Lions Cup back in The UnStable, back with the group that should be the King of Trios, and back with the group that (after April 26th) will have 3 points, and be on our way to having all the gold in CHIKARA. No one will be ignoring us then! Little brother, come April 25th, I'm gonna beat you again. And trust me, it's going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me.
The next YLC champ,
CD
As if this sibling rivalry needed any more fuel to its fire, the prize of the Young Lions Cup has added a whole new stake to the match. Will Colin be able to upset his brother once more, or will Equinox prove that really has changed since putting on the mask?
In our maaaaaaaain event, the current Campeones de Parejas, The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian) will defend their titles for the third time against their most experienced opponents yet: Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw. Quackenbush and Jigsaw reunited in December of 2008, and wasted no time racking up their three needed points in order to earn a shot at the Campeonatos. They defeated The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Ultramantis Black & Crossbones), Cheech Hernandez & KC "Cloudy" Day, and The Roughnecks (Brodie Lee & Grizzly Redwood) in three impressive outings to gain their title shot. These two seem like they haven't lost a step, and are focused on winning those titles. The Osirian Portal are no slouches themselves, successfully defending the belts against The Future Is Now (Equinox & Lince Dorado) and The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant). The Portal no doubt faces their toughest challenge yet, and it will be quite interesting to see who takes the belts home. Needless to say, this match will be exceptional. In fact, here's a blog Jigsaw posted on the CHIKARA website about this match:
4/1/2009: The Campeonatos de Parejas. That's what this is all about. First it's the hard work. The long nights in the gym, in the ring. Finally, you get the points. All the pain, the punishment, they'll all be worth it, once we get our hands on those gold belts. It's been a long road to get where I'm at right now. There was a point where I thought I had the perfect partner to get my hands on those belts. I was wrong. Then there was a point where I'd imagined never stepping foot in a CHIKARA ring again - never holding one of the few accolades in CHIKARA that had eluded me. I was wrong about that as well. Because on April 25th, 2009 in Easton, PA I'll get my chance and this time I know for sure that I have the perfect partner. This time I have Mike Quackenbush.
It wasn't easy to put the team back together. I knew I had to prove to Mike that I was in this for the long haul. That I knew mistakes were made and could be fixed. And that if I had his back I needed to know he would have mine in return. Well that all came together on December 14th, 2008 in Philadelphia. Tim Donst went down and the opportunity I had been waiting for came - a chance to prove to Quack, to prove to the locker room, to prove to the CHIKARA fans that I bleed CHIKARA and I wanted, needed to come back home...back to CHIKARA, where I belong. It was on that day that I showed Quack my loyalty to him and this company. Now the boys are back, and back with a purpose: to take hold of those Campeonatos de Parejas!
The current holders of the Campeonatos de Parejas, The Osirian Portal, are no strangers to me. Ya see the day that they started to catch momentum, their first match together as a team - was against none other than Shane Storm and I. The Portal got the best of us that day, but I don't make the same mistakes twice. 'Cause this time it's not the Stormer in my corner, it's Mike Quackenbush. I know how bad Quack wants this. To hold these belts and be on top of CHIKARA - it's only fitting. In fact, it needs to happen; we need to hold those belts up high, even if it's for just one night.
This is Quack's first shot at the belts, and I know that just like me, he feels he has the perfect partner for the job. Not to take anything away from Ophidian or Amasis...as there's a reason they hold the Campeonatos de Parejas. They're young, full of fire, and I know the team I faced back in 2007 is a lot better today. I'm sure the Portal will bring everything they have to the table on April 25th in Easton. But boys, if you're reading this, I'll let you know something right now. You show up in Easton with anything less than your absolute best, you won't have a chance.
It's just that simple.
JIG
In addition to their Saturday show, CHIKARA returns to The Arena in Philadelphia, PA this Sunday on April 26th, for "The Bobliographon". This will be their first return since the amazing King of Trios tournament, and this is sure to be a great show as well.
As I said before, CHIKARA has made a conscious effort since the start of the year to bring more women's wrestling to CHIKARA. Female mainstay, Sara Del Ray, locks up with Shark Girl on the second night of her first run in CHIKARA. Sara Del Ray can be seen as the dominant female in CHIKARA, and in no way is she willing to give up her spot to a newcomer. Will Shark Girl shock the Chikarmy and defeat Sara, or will Sara show why she is one of the best women in the business?
Here we have a rematch from "Best Imitation Of Myself", as Create-A-Wrestler will square off against Ultramantis Black. Black is one of the few CHIKARA originals left in the company and is not particulary a fan of the "new talent" that's come in the past couple of years. CAW certainly fits that category, and looks to prove his worth and redeem his win in Philadelphia. It should be noted that The Order has also bested CAW when he was known as Moscow in six-man tag action on a few occasions in 2007 as well.
In a match filled with point implications, CHIKARA brings us it's second ever Four-Corner Tag Team contest. The teams involved are Cheech Hernandez & KC "Cloudy" Day, 2.0 (Jagged & Shane Matthews), The Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Player Dos), and The UnStable (STIGMA & Colin Delaney). The Super Smash Bros. and The UnStable had very impressive showings during the King of Trios weekend, and look to ride their wave of momentum to a title shot. Cheech & Cloudy had a short stint of dominance, defeating PWG Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks on Night 3 of the tournament, only to lose to Brodie Lee & Grizzly Redwood shortly after. 2.0 was conspicuously absent from King of Trios, and re-debuts in 2009 this weekend. All four of these teams come into this match with zero points, but if one team can eliminate all the others, they will leave with the three points needed for a shot at the Campeones de Parejas. Which team will come out on top, and most importantly, will one team be able to earn a title shot?
Poor Claudio Castagnoli. Since "Cibernetico & Robin", where Claudio disbanded the eight-man super group The Kings of Wrestling, the former members have had it out for Mr. Castagnoli. One man in particular, Mitch Ryder, has had issue with Claudio disbanding the group. Larry Sweeney pretended to be Claudio's ally near the end of 2008, only to turn on him and rejoin Mitch Ryder and Buck Hawke in the Kings of Wrestling. Perhaps by design, since turning on Claudio, Claudio and The Fabulous Three (Sweeney, Ryder, and Buck) have yet to cross paths. At "The Bobliographon", that all changes, as Claudio gets his hands on Mitch in a one on one contest. Claudio had some words to say about his match, and you can see what he had to say in the following video
As you can see, Claudio is one angry Swiss Stalwart, and he will no doubt be looking to take out his aggression on Mitch come April 26th!
Here we have a match filled with lots of history: Incoherence (Delirious, Hallowicked, & Frightmare) vs. The Roughnecks (Brodie Lee, Eddie Kingston, & Grizzly Redwood). In 2007, Hallowicked and Eddie Kingston had a brutal feud over who was the best student to come out of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory that lasted almost the entire calendar year. Near the end of 2008, Hallowicked had issues with Brodie Lee, who ripped off Hallowicked's mask and has been carrying it around as a trophy of sorts ever since. Brodie has also decimated Frightmare, the newest member of Incoherence, on a couple different occasions. Grizzly Redwood lost to Hallowicked in December, Kingston beat Delirious in a singles match in January, and the list of matches these men have been in with one another goes on. These trios have built up a mutual hatred that will explode in Philadelphia. I for one am looking forward to what should be a fun, hard hitting contest.
Another 8 man tag has been signed for this weekend, but this time the battle lines are clear. The tecnico squad of Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) will square off against the 2009 King of Trios F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Gran Akuma, & Chuck Taylor) and Buck Hawke. The Colony and F.I.S.T rivalry is clearly established, and with the recent retirement of Worker Ant due to F.I.S.T's attacks, the Colony will be gunning for F.I.S.T. in this match as well as their match in Easton. As a trainer of Worker Ant's, Quackenbush is certainly none too pleased with F.I.S.T. himself. Jigsaw and Icarus have had quite the past, as it was Jigsaw who forced Icarus to shave his head back in 2006. Buck Hawke, member of the Fabulous Three, also had a small issue with The Colony back in 2008 and showed Quackenbush quite a bit of disrespect in their NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship match back in December. Lots of sordid issues come to a head in this here match, and it will certainly be an interesting development.
Glacier made his chilling CHIKARA debut back at the 2008 King of Trios as a surprise partner for Los Ice Creams. After losing in the first round, Glacier re-emerged in a four corner elimination match the next night. Glacier was one of the final two participants, as was Vin Gerard. Vin eventually got the win when he forced Glacier to tap to the STF. A year later, Glacier returned to CHIKARA at the 2009 King of Trios. As fate would have it, Glacier and Vin found themselves across the ring once again when Vin and his UnStable took on Glacier, Al Snow, and D'Lo Brown in the first round. Throughout the match, Glacier kept demanding Vin get in the ring with him so he could gain a measure of redemption. Vin refused, and did his best to make sure he only got in the ring with Glacier when Glacier was on defense. After The UnStable won, Glacier was able to hit a Cryonic Kick on Vin. The score between these two when they cross paths in singles competition at The Bobliographon. Vin originally issued the challenge on a podcast update, and Glacier accepted in a podcast update. Both videos can be seen right here:
Will Vin Gerard be able to quiet the naysayers, or will his blood run cold in defeat?
A very interesting maaaaaaaaain event has been signed for CHIKARA's return to Philadelphia on April 26th. The match in question is The Future Is Now (Equinox, Lince Dorado, & Helios) taking on the Osirian Portal (Amasis, Ophidian, & Escorpion Egipcio). The reason why this is match is interesting, is because The Future Is Now actually defeated the Osirian Portal on Night Two of this years King of Trios tournament. As of now (this could change in Easton), all of the CHIKARA champions are involved in this match as Amasis & Ophidian are the current Campeones de Parejas, and Equinox is the Young Lions Cup holder. No doubt The Osirian Portal is going into this match to prove that TFIN's victory at King of Trios was nothing more than a fluke. Will The Portal be able to recover from their loss, or will The Future Is Now be able to prove that they're a legitimate force to be reckoned with?
These two looked like awfully stacked-up cards, so make sure you get yourself to Easton and Philly this weekend! If not, definitely pick up the DVD's in a few short weeks from Smart Mark Video. And speaking of Smart Mark…
Again, King of Trios 2009 DVD's are out!
CHIKARA's amazing 2009 King of Trios tournament has already shattered Smart Mark DVD sales records, becoming three of the top 10 most popular DVD's sold in Smart Mark history. That record speaks more than I could. Let me just say that not buying these shows would be a dire mistake; I was there live for all three nights and it was the absolute most fun weekend of wrestling I've ever been involved in. I highly recommend picking up all three nights and guarantee you will not be disappointed.
All three nights are available (in widescreen and fantastic picture) at Smart Mark Video. A link to their website will be at the end of this article.
YouTube Fun!
CHIKARA is around the world again this week and covering "The Global Gauntlet: Night 2". This week, Vin Gerard vs. Equinox and a Campeonatos de Parejas match of The Super Smash Bros. (Campeonatos) vs. The Osirian Portal are featured. Check it out!
A pretty random, yet funny moment from the "Motive, Means, Opportunity" show. Not a lot of YouTube links this week, as you can see.
That's all from me for this week! I hope you all got a healthy of dose of CHIKARA goodness. Keep on the look out for my CHIKARA DVD reviews as well; many have been posted so far, and there's so much more on the way. And please, serious comments only. There's been a lot of arguing and general rudeness occurring, which is not appreciated. For those of you leaving legitimate feedback, I very much thank you, and want you to know I read all the feedback given. Thanks again for reading! I'll see you again next week, but in the mean time, check out my DVD reviews and some of the neat links below.
Links!The CHIKARA Home Page: www.chikarapro.com CHIKARA Fans!: www.chikarafans.com Buy CHIKARA DVD's at Smart Mark Video: www.smartmarkvideo.com Follow CHIKARA on Twitter!: www.twitter.com/chikarapro Follow CHIKARA Fans on Twitter: www.http://twitter.com/chikarafans CHIKARA on Myspace: www.myspace.com/chikarapro
