Contemplating CHIKARA 5.17.09: Aniversario is Complete

Posted by Kevin Ford on 05.17.2009

We take a look at the now rounded-out Aniversario cards this week. 2.0 and Claudio each have goals for this weekend, but what are they? What will Delirious' condition be? What did Chuck Taylor say in his blog to The Colony? What's up with Dragon Gate USA?

Ahoy hoy Chikaramigos! Welcome back to yet another edition of Contemplating CHIKARA. The Aniversario cards are finalized, and we'll talk about the last announced matches in detail. Also, another competitor has been added the Dragon Gate USA card! All this and more awaits us, so let's take a gander at what we have in store.

Matches announced for Aniversario weekend!

"Aniversario Yin" takes place at the Palmer Community Center in Easton, PA on Saturday May 23rd. "Aniversario Yang" takes place at The Arena/New Alhambra Arena/ECW Arena in South Philadelphia, PA on Sunday May 24th. More matches have been announced to finalize the cards, so let us take a look at those very matches!

2.0 have their eyes set on points!

What do I mean? Well, this week, Shane Matthews posted a blog on the CHIKARA website talking about his and Jagged's quest to become the Campeones de Parejas in CHIKARA. 2.0 has been in CHIKARA on and off since 2006, but they have recently begun to take their quest for the titles more seriously as of late. This message has been clear in a bizarre, yet hilarious blog posted by Mr. Shane Matthews:

5/11/2009: CHIKARA fans! Let me tell you a little story. A story about two fair-skinned men from the frigid plains of Canadia. Y'see, these two men were on a sacred quest - a crusade, if you will - to pick up three points. These points were all that separated them from unrivaled, indisputable GREATNESS. Are you ready for the surprise revelation? Those two guys are us - 2.0!

All our hard work, powerlifting, all the vitamins and dietary supplements, protein bars and whey shakes, studying our foes on tape and picture disc, chasing stray cats in the alley behind Mama Jagged's townhouse, and training started to pay off last month in Easton at "Behind the 8 Ball". Because it was there, in that seedy town nestled under the armpit of New Jersey, thatJagged and I - without any assistance of any type - cleanly defeated La Hallowicked and El Frightmare, who I have always suspected of being from Central America.


After "Behind the 8 Ball", we took to the streets partying like never before. The finest French wines were consumed. Many McFlurries were devoured. It was as if Elvis had become President of the Universe or something. In fact, that's EXACTLY what it was like. Many of Pennsylvania's most eligible discovered why we call Jagged the "Wet Bandit." By "we" I mean the super-elite of the uppercrust. You don't travel in those circles without a swank nickname. I should know. They call me "Big Magic" and crank "Beat It" on their car stereos when they drive past, as a sign of respect.

Maybe we overdid it a little. I can't hold my Château Lafite like I used to, and those Oreo McFlurries go right to Jagged's head. So when we rolled into Philly the next day, we were out of step. And before we knew what happened, our point was gone! That precious, beautiful point torn from our grasp! Oh, Point. We hardly knew ye. Now we are once again on the outside looking in.
There has been some libelous rumor-mongering, saying that our victory at "Behind the 8 Ball", was in someway the doing ofBrodie Lee. FALSE! The referee was not Brodie Lee! So, do not blame him, Incoherence! We have already beaten you two spaz-clowns, and if you want another shot at Canada's Most Professional Tag Team, we aren't hard to find. Not at all. You can find us in Easton on May 23rd. We'll be backstage, just look around. We usually hang out by the ice machine. Or, if you DARE - face us in the ring!
BIG MAGIC! Booya!
SM

Shortly after this blog was posted, the wishes of "The Wet Bandit" and "Big Magic" came true,a s CHIKARA confirmed 2.0's rematch against Hallowicked & Frightmare in Easton at "Aniversario Yin." 2.0 defeated Incoherence with a little help from "The Big Rig" Brodie Lee at "Behind The 8 Ball." 2.0 may be just a bit overconfident from this win going in to this match. After all, Incoherence did have a big win over The Roughnecks at "The Bobliographon." Shane Matthews certainly seems to be in a weird state of mind however, and it seems as if losing is not an option for him or Jagged. Hallowicked is a former Campeones de Parejas co-holder, and no doubt looks to satiate his appetite for gold with Frightmare. Will Incoherence be able to thwart 2.0 this time around, or will we see a repeat performance by those crazy Canucks?

And what if 2.0 wins in Easton? What's next? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S NEXT! Another tag match in Philadelphia!


Whether or not 2.0 is successful against Incoherence, they'll meet The Sea Donsters (Hydra & Tim Donst) at "Aniversario Yang" the next night. The Sea Donsters have stepped up to the playing field before, swiftly collecting three points in a matter of 8 days a year ago. While they were upset by the then Campeones Incoherence, they've been to the proverbial dance before and know what it takes to make it their. 2.0 on the other hand have never come close, but are hungry to make it. 2.0 returns to the building where they lost their first point at "The Bobliographon" and downright refuse to let that happen again. Whether or not 2.0 looks to collect their first or second point will be determined by the previous evening, but never the less 2.0 will be focused on getting a shot at the Campeones down the line. Which wacky team will come out victorious?


It wouldn't be Aniversario if CHIKARA mainstay and co-trainer Claudio Castagnoli wasn't in action!
But he will be, in two main event quality matches of varying importance over the course of the weekend. Claudio is slated to compete in two main-event caliber matches on both evenings. Just who will he face?



The first of Claudio's matches, "Aniversario Yin", is a match based on pride. For you see, Claudio Castagnoli is currently one of the head trainers of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory. Vin Gerard lied about who he was in order to dodge the Wrestle Factory all together to get on CHIKARA shows, because Vin didn't want to deal with the hardships the other students had to deal with to get on the shows. Even though Claudio wasn't training when Vin came in, as the current trainer, there is no way he can feel anything but disgust towards what Vin did. In the past, Claudio and Vin (when Vin was still under the guise of Equinox) both competed against one another and tagged with each other. Claudio got the upper hand on Equinox every time they stepped in the ring (Tag World Grand Prix 2006, The Crushing Weight of Mainstream Ignorance, the 2007 Torneo Cibernetico, etc.) and most recently, the 2009 King of Trios semi-finals, when Team Uppercut defeated The UnStable. Vin has made quite a name for himself since he unmasked, and what better way to escalate his power than to topple the Swiss Powerhouse? In no way does Claudio plan to let Vin score the victory, and looks to add another W over Vin in his personal record book.



The next night at "Aniversario Yang", Claudio will be dealing with a completely separate issue. Claudio has to deal with the man who cut the following promo: Eddie Kingston.



Eddie Kingston is a man of insecurity. Even though he carries a tough guy persona with him wherever he goes, his self-worth seems to be predicated on his wins and losses in professional wrestling. To this day, Kingston still argues with his perennial rival Chris Hero over who's the better wrestler between them. Kingston spent the vast majority of 2007 looking to disprove the critics who claimed that Hallowicked was the best wrestler to come out of the Wrestle Factory. Now it's Claudio Castagnoli who has gotten under the skin of the King of Diamonds. Claudio has bested Kingston in their prior two singles encounters; one time in 2007 at "Best Imitation of Myself", and another in late 2008 at "Armdrags to Riches". The straw that broke the camels back was when Claudio's Team Uppercut eliminated Eddie's Roughneck crew in the first round at King of Trios. As Eddie stated in the aforementioned video, he's been embarrassed. For the third consecutive calendar year, Eddie and Claudio will meet one on one. Eddie refuses to lose to Claudio once more, but history shows that Claudio has Eddie's number. An interesting match-up this will be to say the very least.


Just what is up with Delirious?


Hopefully this question will be somewhat answered at "Aniversario Yin." In case you don't know, after Incoherence won a six-man tag match against The Roughnecks at "The Bobliographon", the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Ultramantis Black & Crossbones) kidnapped Delirious. Not a single word has been heard from Delirious, The Order, or Incoherence since, so it's anyone's guess as to what's up. As best we can tell, The Order has been looking for a third person in their group and may have chosen Delirious to fit that roll.

Regardless, Delirious is penned in to face the returning "Anarchist" Arik Cannon in singles action in Easton. These two can be considered juggernauts of the independent wrestling scene, with various accolades collected by both men. Delirious can boast being the head trainer of the Ring of Honor Wrestling Academy while Arik can boast being the owner of the F1RST Wrestling promotion. When these two meet, it has the potential to be a very good match-up. Delirious has been branching out in more singles matches since the start of 2009, facing Eddie Kingston and Sami Callihan thus far. Arik made quite the outing in King of Trios weekend, even defeating another independent wrestling juggernaut, El Generico. Which man will come out on top in this contest? Just what will Delirious' state of mind be?


Chuck Taylor blogs about the importance of the main event of "Aniversario Yang!"

5/15/2009: Let's talk some history, ants.
February 20, 2009: This is a day you will remember for the rest of your lives, Colony. After F.I.S.T. defeated you, boxing you out of King of Trios 2009, you were forced to watch helplessly as I ended Worker Ant's career.

March 29, 2009: You two sat in the back sulking, watching on the monitor as myself, Icarus, and Gran Akuma won King of Trios 2009. You saw firsthand how I made "Mr. Overrated" Bryan Danielson tap out in the center of the ring to my Cross Crab. You two know these dates well, but I've got one more for you.



May 24, 2009: This is the night we take your masks.

Icarus and I will defeat you. We will because we say we will. Everytime we have set out to do something, it has been done. Gentlemen, if nothing else I can promise you this one thing - this ends in Philadelphia. If I were a betting man, I'd put money down that it will end with our arms raised...and your butt-ugly faces revealed.

May 24, 2009: Get ready boys, your end is extremely nigh.

See you in Philly. Face to face.
CT

The rivalry between The Colony and F.I.S.T. reaches a boiling point at "Aniversario Yang." The Colony's masks are put on the line again F.I.S.T.'s hair. Which team will come out on top? Will The Colony's careers change forever? Will F.I.S.T. feel the humiliation of being shaved bald in front of the CHIKARMY? As Chuck said, on May 24th, we'll find out who comes out on top in this epic feud.



Soldier Ant added to the Dragon Gate USA debut


It should come to no surprise that Soldier Ant would join his comrade Fire Ant on the Dragon Gate USA debut. One has to wonder if The Colony lose their masks on Sunday if they'll even be kept on the show! Regardless, if they are, it will be quite a coo for DG USA. The Colony is one of the most colorful teams in CHIKARA, wowing fans with their athleticism and skill. As a team, they are the winners of the 2008 Tag World Grand Prix and the only team to collect seven consecutive points towards Campeonatos de Parejas title contention. They are strong representatives for the Tecnicos squad in the Relevos Atomicos match on the Dragon Gate USA debut.



2009 Create-A-Wrestler Contest!
The Create-A-Wrestler contest ends in just one week! So get your entries in! Go, Go!

How do you enter? I'll just copy and paste the instructions from CHIKARA themselves:

So, what do you do? Send us a .jpg image of the character you've created, along with his name, and a description of 200 words or less explaining as much about your creation as possible. (Please don't send .gifs, .tifs or .bmps, and trust us when we tell you, we can't read 20 pages of backstory - we're just going to delete the ones that don't adhere to these simple guidelines.) You can send in as many entries as you like - just be sure to include your name, age and address with it, so we can track you down if you're the lucky winner! When Create-A-Wrestler debuts with his new persona, the winning creator will be mentioned by name at the event, and they'll get a free copy of the official CHIKARA DVD release of the show! We want you to get involved! Send your entries to the Director of Fun at [e-mail], and get cracking - you've only got until the end of May to send 'em in!

Don't dilly-dally folks. Get those awesome submissions (and no, I don't mean the STF or Fujiwara armbar) in right away and see if you're the winner come June.

YouTube Fun!



We have the 161st episode of the CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go for you. This is different though; this has a brand new show song, a new opening video, and a whole new overall feel! I highly recommend checking it out. This week, "Tag World Grand Prix 2008: Night 2 is covered", as they show clips from Mike Quackenbush vs. Claudio Castagnoli and the 2008 Tag World Grand Prix Finals.



Also, the menu of "Behind The 8 Ball" had some AWESOME beat boxing and such done by the CHIKARA wrestlers. BEST DVD MENU EVER.

And that's all from me for this week. Thanks again everyone for reading my weekly column and my DVD reviews. Please continue to leave your feedback here and on the reviews; I love reading them! Hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll see you back here in seven! In the mean time, check out the 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
Dragon Gate USA Home Page: http://www.dgusa.tv/
Follow Dragon Gate USA on Twitter!: http://twitter.com/DragonGateUSA
Dragon Gate USA on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dgusa
NYC fans, get on the bus to Aniversario Yin AND the Dragon Gate USA debut!: http://chikarafans.com/?page_id=2240