Contemplating CHIKARA 7.04.09: Freedom, Freedom, Freedom OY!

Posted by Kevin Ford on 07.04.2009

It's Freedom Day here at Contemplating CHIKARA! Speaking of freedom, all of July we'll be holding a contest to give away a FREE CHIKARA DVD! All the details about that, plus news of Young Lions Cup, the July CHIKARA show, DGUSA and more await you inside.

Hello everyone and welcome to the July 4th edition of Contemplating CHIKARA! But alas, even on this supposed national holiday, CHIKARA has not rested and neither shall I. so with that said, let's take a look at this weeks goings on in CHIKARA land.

But first…

DVD Contest Giveaway by yours truly!

It's been about three and a half months since I have started here at 411 Mania doing this weekly column along with my DVD reviews. I took a hiatus from writing from the end of December till mid-March as I was a bit burnt out and bummed that my previous writing gig ended so abruptly. I was extremely thankful that 411 Mania greeted me with open arms, but was also a bit skeptical about writing once again. I can safely say that I am so happy I made the choice to write again, because since my return, I've met so many new people and had my love of pro wrestling ramped up to a whole new level. I love getting comments, e-mails, and other forms of feedback for everyone and I can't say thanks enough. It always brings a smile to my face when I hear that I was the reason someone decided to give CHIKARA a try; that's been the whole purpose of this very article all along.

With that said, I decided that I am going to combine my gratefulness for the readers and my goal to spread the love of CHIKARA in the only way I know how: to give away a free DVD. In fall of 2007, CHIKARA (by way of Big Vision Entertainment) released a nine match DVD of some of their best stuff from 2005 and 2006. I will be giving away a copy of this DVD to one lucky reader. The match listing for the DVD is as follows:



- Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Shane Storm vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma) (Young Lions Cup IV, Night 3: 6/25/2006)
- Shane Storm vs. Chris Hero (The Crushing Weight of Mainstream Ignorance: 7/22/2006)
-Tag World Grand Prix 2006 Finals: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. Team dragondoor (Jorge "Skayde" Rivera & Milano Collection AT) (Tag World Grand Prix 2006, Night 3: 2/26/3006)
- Allison Danger, Ranmuru, and Rain vs. Daizee Haze, Sumie Sakai, and Mickie Knuckles ( Tag World Grand Prix 2006, Night 3: 2/26/3006)
- Jigsaw vs. Hallowicked Son of the International Invasion of International Invaders - 2nd Stage; 9/17/2005
- The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant), Equinox, and Angel de Fuego vs. Rorschach, Crossbones, and Los Ice Creams (El Hijo de Ice Cream &Ice Cream Jr.) (Young Lions Cup IV, Night 3: 6/25/2006)
- Tag World Grand Prix 2006 Quarter-Finals: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. The Northstar Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz) (Tag World Grand Prix 2006, Night 3: 2/26/3006)
- Mike Quackenbush vs. Claudio Castagnoli Negative Balance: 8/13/2005
- Eddie Kingston vs. Larry Sweeney (The Crushing Weight of Mainstream Ignorance: 7/22/2006)

How do you enter? It's very easy. Shoot me an e-mail (link to e-mail me is at the end of the column) telling me why you, of all people, deserve the DVD the most. I'd like to try and keep this limited to people who have seen very little to no CHIKARA whatsoever. Maybe if you've been hesitant to try out CHIKARA, have limited funds, don't trust credit cards/Paypal, or there is some other reason you have to try out the promotion, now is the time for you to get your shot at seeing it for absolutely free. Only one entrant per person, and all entries must be submitted by July 31st. The winner will be announced on August 8th. Good luck, and go forth!


CHIKARA's 4th Pod Per View NOW AVALIABLE!

Yes my friends, the Fourth CHIKARA Pod Per View is now avaliable for purchase online.



Right there is a "How To" video, which explains everything you need to know about the Pod Per View and how to purchase it.

When buying it, you get three matches including
- Cheech Hernandez & KC "Cloudy" Day vs. F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma)
- The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) vs. The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian)
- Clips from a match involving Mike Quackenbush and Negro Navarro

The program is about 40 minutes in length, has a bunch of exclusive news, and is hosted by the always entertaining Bryce Remsburg. So what the heck are you waiting for? Head on over to CHIKARA's Podcast page, plunk down your measely $2.99 and enjoy some CHIKARA goodness!


MOAR Young Lions Cup news!



Announced for Night Three of the Young Lions Cup tournament is the third "Golden Dreams Match" CHIKARA has held. What does this mean? This means three teams of three will face off. Fire Ant, Equinox, and Vin Gerard head up the three teams and get to choose their partners. However, their partners MUST be former Young Lions Cup champions. This means their options are: Hallowicked, Larry Sweeney, Jigsaw, STIGMA (who won the cup as Shane Storm), Arik Cannon, Max Boyer, Chuck Taylor, and Helios. It's unlikely Sweeney and Boyer will be in action for this, so if I were a betting man, I think the match will end up bring Fire Ant, Arik Cannon, & Hallowicked vs. Equinox, Helios, & Jigsaw vs. Vin Gerard, STIGMA, & Chuck Taylor. This will have lots of talent packed into it, and should be tons of fun.

Here to elaborate is Leonard F. Chikarason, who posted a blog about the match on CHIKARA's website:

6/29/2009: It's Young Lions season here at CHIKARA, my favorite part of summer! We've been busy as bees here at the CHIKARA office of late, lining up awesome surprises for the loyal members of the CHIKARMY. New CHIKARA Yearbook? You got it. Fan Appreciation Night in Reading? You got it. Free gifts for every fan in attendance...ya can't beat that with a stick! Add to all that, the vast array of exciting, young talent making their way to the seventh annual Young Lions Cup? And the cherry on top? The mini-luchadores of CMLL are coming to the Northeastern U.S. for the first time, ever. Yeah. We got 'em.Mascarita Dorada and Pierrothito. Not too shabby.

So, let's sweeten the pot a little bit more, shall we? Every few years, we dust off a CHIKARA tradition and give it a new spin. It's called the "Golden Dream" match, and it's a rare occasion when we assemble previous holders of the Young Lions Cup, and toss 'em together in one big match. We had one at "Negative Balance" back in 2005, and we did it again on the final night ofYoung Lions Cup V in 2007 as well.



The first of these "Golden Dream" matches featured four holders of the Young Lions Cup. The next incarnation of the match featured six former YLC champs. With the cup about to be vacated once again, that esteemed list has grown considerably. In fact, this past year saw the YLC change hands more times than ever before. That says a lot about the type of competition vying for the trophy, and about the men who held it - Equinox, Fire Ant, and although it pains me to say it, even Vin Gerard.

So, this year, we've come up with something special as our "Golden Dream" match, and it's a bout the likes of which you've never seen before. There will be three team captains, and they will be the last three men to hold the YLC: Equinox, Vin Gerard and Fire Ant. Each will pick two partners to join them, and each must be a former YLC champ. Then, on Sunday, August 16th at the ECW Arena, we'll have another "Golden Dream" match...the first ever Triple Threat Trios Match in CHIKARA history!

Oh, and Icarus, I've read your bogus complaints about the lucha de apuesta. The most blatant interference of all was on the part of Gran Akuma. Case closed.

Yours in sport,
LFC

Lince Dorado makes his third attempt at the Young Lions Cup in this years tournament. Lince has made it to the semi-finals the past two years (defeating El Hijo del Ice Cream and Kyle Matthews to get there), but could never get as far as the finals. Lince represents the Future Is Now and is the only member of the trio to not be a former Young Lions Cup champion. Lince looks to change that come August. Being a former King of Trios and La Lotería Letal tournament winner, Lince has plenty of experience under his belt to get the job done. Will the golden lynx finally win the Cup?



Speaking of dudes entering their third Young Lions Cup tournament, we have Tim Donst doing the same. Donst got destroyed in his first tournament by Shayne (Buck) Hawke. One year later, then under the tutelage of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, Donst made it to the semi-finals after defeating Christian Able. Donst will compete alongside his friend and partner, Hydra, in the tournament. Will the two cross paths at some point? Donst is a competitor, and after coming off a big victory over STIGMA comes with guns a-blazin' towards the Cup.



Finally, our last competitor is IWA Mid-South stand out Jason Hades. Hades is a high-flier perfectly suited for the tournament. As a former IWA Light-Heavyweight Champion, he comes in as one of the favorites to go far amongst the "outsiders" of the tournament. Hades has competed with many of CHIKARA's past and present in the Midwest, so experience and familiarity will be no issue to him. Will Hades continue to impress when he swings by the Young Lions Cup tournament?

"Never Kneel At The Altar Of Conformity" news!



Crossing paths in trios action are The Colony and The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple. These teams have crossed paths many times in trios and tag team action (immediately springing to mind are "The Crushing Weight of Mainstream Ignorance" and "Stephen Colbert > Bill O'Reilly"), but never have these exact trios crossed paths. Delirious showed quite the vicious attitude in May when he joined the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, giving the group a much needed trios victory over the Saturday Night Slam Masters. The Colony have been on a tear for a while now, with Fire and Soldier Ant being on a hot streak. In fact, they defeated the team of Ultramantis Black & Crossbones in Big Japan Wrestling in June! In addition, Green Ant makes his U.S. CHIKARA debut at this event and will no doubt look to prove himself in his first outing. Each trio has a lot to prove and are both salivating at the opportunity to show the fans in Reading which team is best.



In addition to this, Claudio Castagnoli has responded to Eddie Kingston's previous Special Update, and is looking for a rematch. My presumption is that a rematch will take place in Reading on July 31st, but the word is still out on that one.


Dragon Gate USA news!

Signed for the Philadelphia debut show is a match pitting wrestling veteran Too Cold Scorpio against former WWE superstar and Tag Team Champion Ken Doane. Scorpio after all these years is still awesome, and I personally believe Mr. Doane (who most of you know as Kenny Dykstra) never got a fair shake in the WWE. Both these men come to Philadelphia with different goals. Doane looks to wow the wrestling world on a completely different scale, and Scorpio wants to continue to show why he indeed still has it after all these years. This will surely be interesting.

Absolutely shameless shills!


Click this banner to go!

The first shill is for Wrestling Interviews dot com. Their latest interview with WWE legend The Honky Tonk Man is up now. Need I say more? It's The Honky Tonk Man for goodness sake! Everyone, go watch this. This interview is absolutely free of charge, so there is no excuse to not watch it. While you're at it, check out their Ultramantis Black and Drake Younger interviews too. They're only three bucks each, have special guests, and are very entertaining and informative. The best part is that all the questions are submitted by us, the fans. Their next set interview is with CHIKARA wrestler and former WWE superstar, "The Extremely Cute Wreslter" Colin Delaney. Head to Wrestling Interviews dot com now to submit your questions and watch their awesome interviews.

Here's a free preview of the Honky Tonk Man interview:




The second shill is for Pro Wrestling Ponderings. As most of you know, I actually came here to 411 because of my work over at the now defunct Cool Kids Table website. A bunch of my former co-workers now write at this new and growing website. There's lots of cool stuff over there, so check it out.

The main reason I am plugging Pro Wrestling Ponderings is because I also do a podcast over there! Oh yes. Jerome Cusson (webmaster, and great man) and I sit down every week (sometimes more than once) to discuss all the news in pro wrestling. WWE, ROH, CHIKARA, PWG, DG USA, and more is covered. I suggest you give it a listen, I'm pretty proud of what we've produced so far. This week we had our friend Qumar Zuman on, who was live at the ROH Chicago show this past weekend. We also take "The Bash" and more, so check that out and all the other columns on the website.

No Youtube fun this week; the Podcast this week was just a shill for the Pod-Per-View which I have already done.

Alright everyone, I am out of here for this week. Thanks so much for your continued support. Please make sure to check out my CHIKARA DVD reviews on the site as well, and to leave feedback. I love reading what you guys have to say. Hope all of you have a safe, fun, Fourth of July holiday. And if you're not in the U.S., just have a great weekend any how. See you in seven!

Links!
CHIKARA's Home Page
CHIKARA Fans!
Buy CHIKARA DVD's at Smart Mark Video
Follow CHIKARA on Twitter!
Follow CHIKARA Fans on Twitter!.
CHIKARA on MySpace
Dragon Gate USA Home Page
Follow Dragon Gate USA on Twitter!.
Dragon Gate USA on MySpace
NYC fans, get on the bus to the Dragon Gate USA debut!