Contemplating CHIKARA 8.01.09: Exit The Historic Gate

Posted by Kevin Ford on 08.01.2009

As the title suggests, we'll talk all about one of the most talked about wrestling shows of the year: Dragon Gate USA's debut! In addition, we'll cover all the Young Lions Cup news of the last week and so much more.

Great googly moogly folks! It's Kevin Ford again with the dubious honor of bringing you all this weeks happenings in CHIKARAville. Seriously, there's a lot. So I'm not going to pander to you any more.


Dragon Gate USA tears the house down with Philly debut

The inaugural Dragon Gate USA show ,Open The Historic Gate" has come and gone. After three months of hype, the show debuted at The Arena in South Philadelphia which has housed many a wrestling show since 1993. I've been on the internet since about 2000, and I have rarely heard such enthusiastic reviews for a show. Roughly 900 fans packed the arena, and I have heard nothing but high praise for this show. Everything from the wrestling, to the atmosphere, to the merchandise available was said to be top notch.

Don't believe me? Two radio shows with people who attended the show have surfaced since that Saturday night. The first one is co-hosted by me, as myself and Jerome Cusson of Pro Wrestling Ponderings talk with former member of The Cool Kids table Jason Sterlacci and get his first hand thoughts on the show. Jason uses the word "phenomenal" to describe the show ad-nauseam, and just the enthusiasm he has to describe the show made me even more excited. In addition, I must plug this weeks Dr. Keith Lipinski Show (totally free this week) in which my buddies Rob Naylor and Alan Counihan discuss the Dragon Gate debut (Naylor was also in attendance). Again, the enthusiasm he spoke with made this sound like one of the best wrestling shows in a long while.


Credit: Mike Mastrandrea

Of course, the one thing I was most interested with heading into the show was the CHIKARA eight man showcase. From the reports I read, all eight man really impressed and some fans consider it to be the match of the show. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Gran Akuma all came out looking like stars which makes sense considering what happened after the match. Mike Quackenbush talked about Jorge "Skayde" Rivera, who brought Dragon Gate and CHIKARA together, and then stated that he believe CHIKARA was the best company around and any Dragon Gate wrestler could prove him wrong. YAMATO, who tore things up in the opening contest defeating BxB Hulk, came out and said he did not respect Quackenbush or Skayde. A brawl ensued, leading to Gran Akuma coming out. Akuma turned on CHIKARA and began beating down on Quackenbush as well. Jigsaw, who had just won the CHIKARA showcase, and many others made the save for Quack. So a war between CHIKARA and Dragon Gate is seemingly on.

I couldn't be happier. I think of the possibilities and it makes me grin. A second Lethal Lottery involving both CHIKARA and Dragon Gate wrestlers? A Tag World Grand Prix involving Dragon Gate? A Torneo Cibernetico pitting CHIKARA and Dragon Gate against one another? The possibilities are endless, and I quite frankly can't wait to see what both companies produce.

I'm also happy to see The Young Bucks get the win over Warriors 5 (CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka). I firmly believe that the Bucks are the best tag team of 2009, and this win further cemented the legitimacy of that. From debuting in Ring of Honor and CHIKARA, being the PWG Tag Team Champions since August of 2008, and now defeating two of the biggest Dragon Gate stars on their U.S. branches debut show, no one has come close to the success and excitement The Young Bucks have had this year.

With that said, here are the results of the show (thanks to CHIKARA Fans):

0. Lince Dorado won the pre-show FRAY! Cheech, Cloudy, Unbreakable Andy, Louis Lyndon, Chris Jones, Johnny Gargano and Aaron Arbo were also involved in the match.
1. YAMATO defeated BxB Hulk with the Gallaria
2. 2 Cold Scorpio defeated Ken Doane via Tumbleweed. This match will be a DVD exclusive.
3. CHIKARA Showcase Match: The team of Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) defeated F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma), Hallowicked, and Amasis when Jigsaw pinned Icarus after hitting the Jig N' Tonic. Due to his victory, Jigsaw has earned a spot on the Chicago DGUSA show in September
4. Dragon Kid defeated Masato Yoshino with an Ultra Huracanrana
5. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) used their "More Bang For Your Buck" combo (Finlay Roll, 450 Splash, Moonsault) to defeat Warriors 5 of CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka
6. Current Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate and Open The Brave Gate champion Naruki Doi used the Muscular Bomb to defeat SHINGO in the shows main event.

The next Dragon Gate show in Philadelphia takes place on November 28th and will be called "Open The Freedom Gate". That will also be the name of the Dragon Gate USA championship, which will be decided in a tournament that night.

Before that however, Dragon Gate USA has a show on September 6th in Chicago, IL at the Congress Theater. Two matches have been announced thus far: Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi and Davey Richards vs. SHINGO. Both matches should be awesome. Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler will also be on hand to sign autographs before the show. Make sure you snag tickets at the Dragon Gate USA store.

Please, everyone: if you can make it to the one of these shows, do it. And make sure to purchase the "Open The Historic Gate" Pay Per View on September 4th.

Never Kneel At The Altar of Conformity results!

In what I deem "the appetizer to the Young Lions Cup tournament", CHIKARA held a show last night in Reading, PA. Here are the results, thanks to CHIKARA Fans!

Preshow Notes: Fans lining up around the corner outside before the show, certainly good signs of a strong attendance for tonight. Estimated attendance: 170-180. There's a television crew interviewing some of the guys outside, mainly Lince and Crossbones. The mysterious man in the trenchcoat that appeared in the crowd during intermission at "Aniversario Yang" popped up before the show outside. Louden with a song as the show is declared "Super No Vacancy".

1. Rorschach vs. Dragonfly: A pretty solid match, but nothing outstanding. It delivered on what expectations were there for a match between two guys that haven't worked regularly for years. Dragonfly taps Rorschach out with a Guillotine-esque submission.

2. Daizee Haze vs. Rayna von Tash: The young protege of Daizee isn't exactly dressed in a fashion that would be deemed "family friendly" by anyone. A bit distressing, especially in Reading which is an audience made up largely of children. The match was short and absolutely nothing eventful, but even in that it was more like "von Trash" in the ring. Daizee puts her away in 3:15 with a kick to the face, then one to the gut.

3. Hallowicked & Frightmare [Incoherence] & Hydra vs. Vin Gerard, STIGMA & Colin Delaney [The UnStable]: Frightmare with a ridiculous tope on Colin and STIGMA early, which the crowd went wild for. In a really spirited match, Colin puts Hydra away with the Attitude Adjuster in 13:42. Fun times!

4. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tim Donst: Nothing too remarkable, but a solid match. Standard Claudio match. Claudio goes over with a big European uppercut and a Ricola Bomb.

Intermission. Fan appreciation gifts to be handed out in a raffle! Vin Gerard is selling his famous "Best of Equinox" DVD's for $40 a pop as his bit to contribute to Fan Appreciation Night.

5. Brodie Lee & Grizzly Redwood [The Roughnecks] vs. KC "Cloudy" Day & Cheech Hernandez: Cheech and Cloudy shooting for their third point tonight. When the Roughnecks come out, they destroy a huge styrofoam sign that was created in support of the Grizz. A really fun match ends on a down note as Cheech and Cloudy wipe out and fall short of their third point. Brodie Lee pins Cheech after a Doomsday Device variant (Grizz jumping off the top with a double axehandle chop) and a gutwrench powerbomb.

6. Lince Dorado vs. Amasis: Lince bringing his A-Game coming off of his FRAY! win, looking to build more momentum going into Young Lions Cup weekend in two weeks. He hits a flawless Space Flying Tiger Drop on Amasis, surprising the fans. However, all efforts from Lince weren't enough as Ophidian runs out to help out Amasis, allowing him to get the victory. "Good match".

7. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. Icarus & Gran Akuma [F.I.S.T.]: Really good match. Finish saw Icarus low-blow Quackenbush and then throw him into the corner with sort of a Death Valley Driver for the win.

8. Green Ant USA Debut Match: Fire Ant, Soldier Ant & Green Ant [The Colony] vs. UltraMantis Black, Delirious & Crossbones [The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple]: Soldier Ant launched off the top with a huge sunset flip on Crossbones for the victory.

Not too much exciting to report on, but the mysterious man in the trenchcoat an mask was at the show again. Presumably, he's looking to recover Ultramantis' Eye of Tyr, but that is mere speculation at this point.


Young Lions Cup news; First Round match pairings continue!



Colin Delaney enters this year's Young Lions Cup as the only member of the UnStable to not be a Young Lions Cup champion. He'll first half to defeat a man making his CHIKARA debut, Stinky the Homless Guy. Stinky, a former Interspecies Wrestling "Other" Champion, will most certainly make a big time impact if he can beat the Big League Superstar. Normally Stinky's overwhelming smell could be seen as advantageous, but one must remember that Colin does hang out with Vin Gerard on a regular basis. I'm very excited for Stinky's CHIKARA debut; will he be able to defeat Colin, or will the Extremely Cute Wrestler take one for the UnStable team?



Create-A-Wrestler, like he has at the past two Young Lions Cup tournaments, will re-debut under a brand new identity created by a member of the CHIKARMY. Jason Hades, his opponent, will have to be prepared for anything and everything because of this. Hades has the advantage as the array of talent he has faced and his credentials in professional wrestling outweigh Create-A-Wrestler's significantly. Don't count out Create-A-Wrestler however; CAW seemingly improves right before our very eyes on almost every show these days. Will the Mid-West sensation leave the fans in awe, or will CAW start his new gimmick with great success?



A battle between two high-fliers has been added with KC "Cloudy" Day taking on another man making his CHIKARA debut, Chimaera. Cloudy has been honing his craft lately not just in CHIKARA, but in the Ring of Honor promotion as well. Cloudy also worked on the very first Dragon Gate USA show this Sunday. Chimaera has as much a high-flying acumen as Cloudy and will serve as a formidable foe. It will be interesting to see these two mesh come the second night of the YLC.



Speaking of YLC Night 2, a match pitting former Young Lions Cup holder against Young Lions Cup tournament participant has been signed as Arik Cannon squares off against Lince Dorado. Lince has his hands full with Prince Mustafa Ali on Night One, so who knows what shape he will be in on Night Two, especially if he makes it to the final round. Cannon also has something to prove, as the night after he competes in the Golden Dreams Triangle Trios match with Lince's stablemates Equinox and Helios. Arik Cannon impressed the hell out of me during Aniversario weekend and I expect no less from him and Lince this time around.



And finally, our first team has been confirmed for the Four Way Elimination Match on Night Three of the YLC: The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Ultramantis Black & Delirious). The Order has never been stronger since Delirious joined them, as he scored consecutive pinfalls for the Order during Aniversario weekend. Mantis has Delirious under his control with the Eye of Tyr. With Mantis barking out the orders during this match, it's easy to predict the Order as the team to come out on top. We'll have to see who the other three teams are later on, but whoever they are need to take notice and hash out a strategy to thwart the almighty Ultramantis Black.


Inter-Species Wrestling news!



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.

Just take a look at the card thusfar:










Also, it was announced that Inter-Species Wrestling's fourth year anniversary show called "Four Years of This?!" will take place on August 23rd. Matches will be announced in the future, so look out for those in this very column.



Absolutely shameless shills!


Click this banner to go!

The first shill is for Wrestling Interviews dot com. Their latest interview with current CHIKARA wrestler and former WWE superstar, Colin Delaney! Here's a press release from ISW themselves:

In this episode (#4), Bryce Remsburg sits down with former WWE & ECW superstar Colin Delaney. Delaney has wrestled some of the biggest names in professional wrestling today, and is fortunate enough to still be alive after all of them! This is our longest interview to date, running about 33 minutes covering his time in the WWE, traveling with Shawn Michaels, main eventing with Batista, to being back on the indies. You can now check out the first few minutes for free! Some of the topics covered:

How he got started at 16 years old
Breaking down at the border to UWA
What was with the flamingo tights?
Early memories being at Chikara
Olsens vs. Cheech & Cloudy at Cibernetico
Talks about being released from WWE
How he got "the call" to wrestle for WWE
WWE Catering
Wrestling Shelton Benjamin
How a one-time deal turns into a contract
Contest Giveaway Winners
Making fun of the Colin Delaney action figure
Colin's "Love Life"
Wrestling in front of hundreds to millions of people
Back on the indies, wrestling "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
A marriage proposal?
Enhancement Talent Inspirations
Gillberg, Roadblock, Mikey Whipwreck
Favorite moment in WWE
Main Eventing Staples Center with Batista
Ric Flair's Retirement show
WWE finds him unrecognizable without his gear
1hr30min ride thru England with Shawn Michaels
Most Painful WWE Match
Who Colin would have liked to wrestle from WWE?
Favorite song to sing karoake
Shenanigans with Jimmy Olsen, Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor
.. and much more!

Head to Wrestling Interviews dot com now to submit your questions and watch their awesome interviews.

Here's a free preview of the Colin Delaney 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. This week, Jerome and I have two shows out. The first (as mentioned earlier in the article) is a recap of Dragon Gate USA's debut show with former member of the Cool Kids Table, Jason Sterlacci. In addition, a second show is posted with thoughts on WWE Night of Champions, WWE RAW (which I attended LIVE), and ROH's Death Before Dishonor VII weekend. Also, we preview Never Kneel At The Altar of Conformity and PWG's Threemendous II (those both have already happened by the time you read this, but oh well). Check it out, it's fantastic.

YouTube Fun!



Here we have the 171st episode of CHIKARA's Podcast-A-Go-Go, where clips from the show "If The Airplane Is Snowed In, Put Your Bloody Skis On And Get Going!"are shown. Matches included in this weeks podcast are Create-A-Wrestler vs. Grizzly Redwood and King of Trios 2009 qualifying match, The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant & Worker Ant) vs. Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Gran Akuma & Chuck Taylor).



A fabulous video was put together to refresh the fans of CHIKARA what's been going on lately since it has been over two months since CHIKARA held an official show before Never Kneel. Check this out, it's great work.



Speaking of fabulous videos, TigerDriver98 does it again with his PWG hype videos. This one is "A Tale of Two Champions" which led to the title match at PWG Threemendous II between Joey Ryan and Chris Hero. He always does spectacular work, so check 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 see Paul McCartney in Maryland, but I'll be back in seven to give you your CHIKARA fix and announce the winner of the CHIKARA DVD giveaway! Till then, have a good one!

Links!
The CHIKARA Home Page .
CHIKARA Fans!
Buy CHIKARA DVD's at Smart Mark Video
Follow CHIKARA on Facebook!
Follow CHIKARA on Twitter!
Follow CHIKARA Fans on Twitter!.
CHIKARA on MySpace
Dragon Gate USA Home Page
Follow Dragon Gate USA on Facebook!.
Follow Dragon Gate USA on Twitter!.
Dragon Gate USA on MySpace