Contemplating CHIKARA 7.19.09: A Cournicopia of Contestants
Posted by Kevin Ford on 07.18.2009
That's what we have with the final entrants into the 2009 Young Lions Cup! Find out who rounds out the 24 man field in here. Also we have more news with the YLC, DGUSA, Never Kneel, etc. Plus, time is running out on the FREE CHIKARA DVD GIVEAWAY!
Hello everyone! Has it been seven days already? Jeez louise…well, here I am, as usual, bringing you alllll the wonderful rumblings in the world of CHIKARA. You know me, Kevin Ford, your devoted and faithful host of this here shindig. Even though its only been seven days since my last column a lot has happened. So let's cut the crap and get right to the meat n' potatoes!
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!
Young Lions Cup news/The Young Lions Cup field is complete!
Yellow Dog, Jason Hades, Trik Davis. All entered into this year's Young Lions Cup, all represent the Mid-West. Just like this man, and 20th competitor in this years Young Lions Cup: Prince Mustafa Ali. A former Elite Pro T.V. Champion, Ali has rubbed shoulders with some of wrestling's best and comes from the same place where CHIKARA breakout semi-regulars, The Soul Touchaz, call home. Aside from his wrestling acumen, Ali has also made a name for himself with his talking ability. Ali wrestles regularly in IWA: Mid-South and Jersey All Pro Wrestling in addition to Elite Pro. Ali has a lot to show here, and looks to stand above not only his fellow Mid-Westerners, but all of this years Young Lions.
And speaking of the Midwest, we have another entrant from that area (Iowa) in one Shane Hollister (no relation to Shane Hagadorn, or the Hollister clothing brand. Thank God. In both instances). Shane wrestles a lot in AAW and has competed against many independent wrestling stars (including CHIKARA alumni and semi-regular Arik Cannon, who Shane fought in a Stairway To Hell match for the AAW Heritage title just last week). He's also began competing in the IWA: Mid-South promotion meaning he and many of the other debuting CHIKARA stars have at least seen each other work before. Will Hollister come in and shock the CHIKARMY?
That image isn't a screw up, folks. It's legit. Coming in to the Young Lions Cup is a competitor named Bret "Restle" Race. We know nothing of him. CHIKARA states his photo is "in the mail", his myspace has zero photos, and it states he is from Florida. However, some clever cats over on CHIKARA Fans figure out if you anagram his name (including "Restle"), you get the name of a CHIKARA alumni who is far past the 25 year age limit. See if you can figure it out!
Entering his first Young Lions Cup is CHIKARA mainstay Colin Delaney, the only member of the UnStable who has not held the Young Lions Cup before. Colin was entrenched in the tag team scene in 2007, in WWE land in 2008, and wasn't even in CHIKARA beforehand. In 2009 however, Colin plans to represent his UnStable in the Young Lions Cup tournament. Since returning, Colin has gone far in tournament action making it to the finals of La Loteria Letal and the semi-finals of this years King of Trios tournament. This will be the first singles tournament Colin competes in, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Don't be foolish though; I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Vin Gerard and STIGMA poke their noses in this tournament.
Last, but certainly not least, is Inter-Species Wrestling star Stinky The Homeless Guy. Stinky got brought in thanks to a petition on CHIKARA Fans' message board. The same happened for Pinkie Sanchez at last years Young Lions Cup, so it goes to show you that CHIKARA listens to what its fans want. Stinky is a former ISW "Other" Champion and comes in to make a name in CHIKARA. right after Inter-Species Wrestling's U.S. debut from the weekend before. Will Stinky make his own personal small U.S. tour a victory? We shall see!
We originally thought that Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston's rematch would be taking place at the July CHIKARA event. Due to an injury on Kingston's behalf, that will not be happening. However, we will see the rematch on the third night of the Young Lions Cup. This is the rubber match between the two as Claudio beat Kingston back in November and Kingston beat Claudio in May. Each man has made their dislike for one another publicly known and have also made mention of how important winning this match is. I am excited to see these two lock up once more. The only question is, obviously, who will win?
Annnnnnnnnnnnd the final bit of Young Lions Cup news is that Fire Ant has chosen his first partner for the Golden Dreams Triangle Trios match: Hallowicked! Hallowicked has the distinction of being the first ever Young Lions Cup holder, defeating DJ Skittlez, Gran Akuma, and Mr. ZERO to win the Cup back in 2002. He's come a long way since then winning the Tag World Grand Prix and the Campeones de Parejas in his long, illustrious CHIKARA career. Good choice by sir Fire Ant! Who will be the final three participants chosen?
"Never Kneel At The Altar Of Conformity" news!
The video posted shows that Mike and Jigsaw are still looking to win those Campeones de Parejas, even after losing to the Osirian Portal in April. They have a tall task ahead of them in two weeks as they face one of the most dominant Campeones de Parejas in CHIKARA history in Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma). Lots of history exist between these two teams, making their main event spot on the show well deserved. Will Quack and Jig be able to best the most dangerous duo in CHIKARA to reclaim point one, or will F.I.S.T. look to capitalize on their recent success (sans hair loss) and go for the tag titles once more?
And don't forget fans, the 400 page CHIKARA Yearbook will be debuting at the show! CHIKARA has stated this will cost a pretty penny, so make sure to bring plenty of cash in tow. Also, a Cheech & Cloudy shirt and Hallowicked mask will be unveiled, so empty the bank accounts ladies and gentlemen.
Dragon Gate USA news!
The CHIKARA Dragon Gate USA debut match is now complete! Mike Quackenbush has been announced as the final participant for the DGUSA. Mike's the founder of the company, one of the best, most decorated (meaning many title reigns and tournament victories) wrestlers on the independents in the past decade, and the current NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion. Try to argue he shouldn't belong in this match. Needless to say, now that both sides are filled, this match is going to be incredible.
Inter-Species Wrestling news!
Say whaaaaaat? Yes, I am now going to cover some ISW news here. They do a lot of crossover (in terms of talent) with CHIKARA, and are making their U.S. debut soon, so I figured what the hell?
Inter-Species Wrestling will be making their U.S. debut on August 8th in East Hartford, CT. Go check it out now. Why? Well, besides all the great action, CHIKARA alumni and "Party Pirate" Jolly Roger will be coming out of retirement to compete on the show. If that's not awesome, I don't know what it is. Be sure to check out Inter-Species Wrestling's website for more news.
The card thusfar:
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 are covered. I suggest you give it a listen, I'm pretty proud of what we've produced so far. This week, Jerome attended the AAW Scars and Stripes 2009 show featuring guys like Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, Arik Cannon, The Northstar Express, and many others. We discuss this show in detail, Young Lions Cup VII, and some DVD talk. So check it out!
YouTube Fun!
Here we have the 170h episode of CHIKARA's Podcast-A-Go-Go, where clips from the show "Revelation X" is shown. The matches covered are The Future is Now (Lince Dorado & Helios) vs. F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma) and The Osirian Portal (Ophidian & Amasis) defend the Campeonatos de Parejas against The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant).
Straight from Japan is Chuck Taylor doing an AWESOME imitation of Eddie Kingston. I highly recommend checking this one out.
Thanks so much again everyone for checking out this weeks Contemplating CHIKARA! Make sure to check out my DVD reviews and all the other fine articles here on the website. Now, I'm off to the beach, but I'll still be back in seven to give you your CHIKARA fix. Till then, have a good one!
