Contemplating CHIKARA 11.07.09: Season Finale Shake-Down
Posted by Kevin Ford on 11.07.2009
Of the sixteen matches taking place over CHIKARA's season finale weekend, thirteen have been announced. I take an in-depth look at each and every one of them, explain the backstory, and present the blogs that go along with them as well.
Hello everyone and welcome again to another edition of Contemplating CHIKARA. It's hard to believe we're already in November, but it's even harder to believe that only two shows remain in CHIKARA's eighth season. Lots of matches have been announced for both cards, so I think we should take a close look at all the matches announced thus far.
"Throwing Life's Instructions Away"
First we have a match that was originally scheduled for last month; The Future is Now of Helios and Lince Dorado taking on Brad and Chad Badd, The Badd Boys. The Badd Boys got held up at the Canadian border last month and therefore could not compete on either show. At "Hiding In Plain Sight", Leonard F. Chikarason interrogated 2.0 (Jagged & Shane Matthews) in regards to the Badd Boys saying he would keep his eyes on both teams. The Badd Boys won their CHIKARA debut in September defeating The Colony of Fire Ant and Green Ant. Considering Fire Ant is one-half of the Campeones de Parejas, that is quite an impressive feat. The Future Is Now come in with zero points under their belt, but with Lince having a shot at the Young Lions Cup the night after, you have to wonder if that will either distract him or give him a boost of confidence. Needless to say, it's going to be a "badd" time for one team.
Speaking of the Young Lions Cup, the current cup holder Player Dos will face a member of the now defunct HUSTLE promotion, Yujiro Kushida. Kushida will be one of the many Japanese wrestlers to make their CHIKARA debuts this year, but Kushida is the only one from HUSTLE to have made his presence felt. This will be Dos' biggest challenge since winning the Young Lions Cup. Dos was able to go toe-to-toe with Kota Ibushi earlier this year, so we know he has what it takes. Kushida isn't coming in to rest on his laurels however as he looks to impress the CHIKARA audience in his debut. Will the Young Lions Cup champion score an impressive victory over Kushida, or will Kushida be able to pull the upset and beat Player Dos?
The Throwbacks of Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton can certainly call their debut weekend in October a success. They came out of the weekend with one point after defeating Los Ice Creams at Cibernetico Increible. Although they lost a four-way elimination match the night before, they were able to eliminate on team: Team F.I.S.T. Icarus and Chuck look for revenge as they take on the Throwbacks in a regular tag team match. Icarus and Chuck have had quite the year: winning King of Trios, getting their heads shaved, retiring Worker Ant, etc. Icarus also has accrued three points with his partner Gran Akuma and has a future Campeones de Parejas match to look forward to. Chuck also has two points with Akuma, meaning he and Icarus are the only inception of F.I.S.T. to not have a point on the board. Icarus and Chuck come into this match looking to even the score with The Throwbacks while The Throwbacks look to defeat F.I.S.T. to gain their second point towards title contention. Which team will come out on top?
Scheduled in a singles match are Hallowicked and Ophidian. This match assures that Hallowicked and Frightmare keep their two points going into the show in Philly the next night. Hallowicked and Ophidian have met a few times in tag and Atomicos matches (New Star Navigation, Grit & Glory, and La Lotería Letal all come to mind) but never in a singles match. Hallowicked's team always came out on top in these matches. It's interesting to note that each man has wrestled the others partner and come out on top. Hallowicked defeated Amasis in May of 2008 at Café Culture, and Ophidian defeated Frightmare at Motive, Means, Opportunity. It's also hard to forget that it was Hallowicked who replaced Ophidian in the CHIKARA Showcase match on Dragon Gate USA's debut show. These two are at the top of CHIKARA's pecking order, and there is no doubt that this has potential to be a fantastic bout.
Leonard F. Chikarason mentioned in a blog that with Skayde in town for the finale weekend, the rare opportunity for all three of the CHIKARA trainers to be on the same team was present. Chikarason took those three men (Mike Quackenbush, Jorge "Skayde" Rivera, and Claudio Castagnoli) and paired them against The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Ultramantis Black, Crossbones, & Delirious). The Order, especially Ultramantis Black, has spent his time paranoid about the repercussions of the Eye of Tyr. At last month's Cibernetico, two men in white that had been pestering Mantis via Youtube appeared in person and scared him away. In the midst of all this however, two separate pairings of The Order have earned two points (Ultramantis & Delirious, and Ultramantis & Crossbones). Mantis and Delirious have a tag match the following night, and you know his sights are set on getting revenge on Hallowicked and earning a shot at the Campeones de Parejas. Meanwhile, the Eye of Tyr lore reads that the origin of the mystical piece was in a neutral country. If memory serves me correctly, Claudio Castagnoli is from a neutral country now isn't he? As I've said before, nothing in CHIKARA is by accident, and I have a gut feeling Claudio has some input about Mantis' apprehending the Eye of Tyr. At the very least, you can expect a really fun match from these six. Don't forget to look under the surface however to see what other stories lie.
The story of Hydra and Tim Donst deserves more than a blurb in this column. These two formed a bond after ditching Ultramantis Black and the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple back in July of 2008. Ever since, the two had been not only tag team partners, but best friends. Hydra losing tag matches for him and Donst, coupled with the fact that Hydra knocked Donst out of this year's Young Lions Cup tournament was enough for Donst to snap and attack his partner. Donst would maul Hydra at "Man Makes Plans, and God Laughs" and attack him the next night at "Hiding In Plain Sight". Donst was suspended for sixty days for his actions, and when he returns in Easton, he finds himself facing Hydra again. However, this time around, the stakes are much higher. Hydra laid out the challenge to Tim Dons tint he following blog:
10/16/2009 [Translation via Babelfish]:
Donst.
This long time in to making. In spite of to come from the group of Hydra, I considered you by my closest brother always I on the Earth. To 5 years time, we paid our proper working upward on in CHIKARA; from scrub to someone. We were only 2 of much in order to survive the Sixth Class. But we extended to the end and made it together. In 2008, stars evened when you preserved me from the Ultramantis of Black, and we became comrade.
Fans fell in love with us, and we had as it was large time in the ring in proportion to they had outside it. To us there was no necessary material as titles or belt straps. Or so I thought. Now, because I do beat you and made by you lose your survey on theCup of Young Lion, you do heat our Lethe of friendship into the ocean? Forever best friend? Is more as the better than friends and you know rest.
There was that when you attacked me to "Men make Plans, and Laughter God," and after this, thus far "Tortoise" Weinerand I did give "ManLobster" his award? You did say that you sorry for not to drop I on my head more soon? Who speaks that to friends? I thought that I could obtain reason with you, yet I turned away for ONE SECOND and you blindsided I.
On November 21 he will see, that we made battle one times more. In the true way, I assure that I to end you. You threaten away my means to existence; therefore consider this as threat to you. You do want the Cup of Young Lion thus? No luck of winning after I banish you from CHIKARA. All comes complete circle. We began together in Sixth Class, and now I will finish you. If you are any form of man, then you will recognize. Leaving of the loser. Absence from Cup of Young Lion. Absence from Tim Donst.
You do think that I joke? You have no idea of what you inside for. The most dangerous person does not have anything left in order to lose? That very in the best way could be, but in you losing, I have everything, it is necessary to acquire.
I serpent you to answer to this.
HYDRA
It didn't take too much time for Donst to reply and accept this challenge. Obviously, he was quite arrogant in his response.
10/21/2009: Are you CRAZY? Do you have any idea what you're asking for? Aren't you satisfied with the role you'vealready played in my career, Hydra?
I mean...come on, you were there from the beginning! From the very first practice, to the very first opponent in my debut match. Your loss to Shane Storm would eventually lead to my joining the Order of the Neo Solar Temple, and result in the formation of the Sea Donsters...and even this pesky 60-day suspension I'm currently enjoying.
Well, I've thought about your challenge, and you can tell Chikarason to draw up the papers. I'm not sweating you... bcause you're not half the wrestler I am. In less than 3 years I've wrestled all over the country. I've beaten the Jimmy Raves and Joey Ryans of the circuit. I've been featured in podcasts and on DVD's. Did you know I've held 3 different championships? That's right, in 3 totally different states! But never in my home, never in Pennsylvania.
I want that honor to go to the one thing that means the most to me in this world - the Young Lions Cup. You knew from Day One that the trophy was why I was taking the beatings, doing the Hindu squats and going to class tired and bruised every morning. But even with that knowledge, even as my FRIEND you couldn't just lay down? Well that wasn't too smart. If there's one thing Eddie Kingston taught me - it's if you're going to be stupid, then you better be tough...and sorry Hydra, you ain't tough. And I guess CHIKARA just isn't big enough for us both any more. I'll see you in November.
The soon-to-be Sole Survivor of the Sixth Class,
TD
After November 21st, either Hydra or Tim Donst will be gone from CHIKARA for good. It's nearly impossible to pick a winner, as this is one of the more emotionally charged matches of the whole weekend. Which Sea Donster will be the last man standing by the time the night is over?
Jigsaw and Gran Akuma have not been on the same page for the entirety of their CHIKARA careers. It seems that whomever each others allies and enemies were, the opposite were true of the other. It was Jigsaw who caused Akuma's six-year partner Icarus to shave his head back in 2006. Akuma has gotten the best of Jigsaw recently by defeating him in an eight-man tag at The Bobliographon, defeating him in a tag match at Never Kneel At The Altar Of Conformity, and there was the incident where Akuma turned his back on CHIKARA at Dragon Gate's inaugural show by attacking Jigsaw and Jigsaw's partner Mike Quackenbush. After this series of events, Jigsaw had had enough:
10/26/2009: Face to face. That's where we'll be in Easton, Akuma - face to face. No dropping me on my head while my back is turned...like you did last weekend after I had pinned STIGMA. No foul shots when my attention is diverted...like you pulled back in Philly at Dragon Gate USA. There will be no partners to get in our way. No interference, no buffer zone. No, ya see this time it's face to face - one on one. So bring it, Akuma. We need to settle this thing once and for all, even if it means one of us gets ripped to pieces in the process. I don't want any excuses - bring your "A" game. And expect nothing less from me.
Akuma I'm keeping this short and sweet, 'cause I'm a man of action. My actions speak louder than any words I could sit here and type. You've underestimated me for the last time. In Easton, I cannot be held responsible for my actions. You took me to the breaking point. Now I'm going to break you.
See you in Easton, FACE TO FACE.
JIG
This match was originally scheduled for Easton back in October, but Akuma suffered an injury during training and took that weekend off instead. Jigsaw has a bad knee and Akuma has an injury of his own. Neither man is coming into this match 100%, but they certainly will give it 100% to prove they're better than the other.
"Three-Fisted Tales"
On Halloween, CHIKARA announced a match that was "inevitable", according to Leonard F. Chikarason. Finally, Incoherence (Hallowicked & Frightmare) will get their hands on Ultramantis Black and their former partner, Delirious. After Incoherence had finished their feud with the Roughnecks, Ultramantis Black abducted Delirious. Using the mystical "Eye of Tyr", Ultramantis Black was able to put Delirious under his control. Delirious has been a great asset to the Neo-Solar Temple, allowing he and Mantis to accumulate two of the three points needed for a shot at the Campeonatos de Parejas. Coincidentally, Hallowicked and Frightmare also have two points, meaning the winner of this match will get a shot at the Campeones de Parejas. The Eye of Tyr has caused Ultramantis some issues lately, as two masked men in all white have been threatening Mantis via Youtube videos and finally made an appearance for the first time at "Cibernetico Increible". Will those men screw up the Order's plans and take back the Eye? Will the men in white reveal who they are? If the Eye is taken away, will Delirious go back to Incoherence? Many questions with few answers are posed going into this highly-anticipated tag bout.
Yujiro Kushida will make an appearance in Philadelphia taking on former Young Lions Cup champion Helios. Obviously, this will be a real great show of both men's high flying talent. Served as a showcase for high flying wizardry, I think this match will speak for itself.
An awesome six man fare will take place in Philadelphia. Jorge "Skayde" Rivera returns to team up with his trainer Mike Quackenbush, and Quack's trainee Jigsaw to take on the 2009 King of Trios winners, Team F.I.S.T. As stated before, Jigsaw has quite the history with Icarus and Gran Akuma. F.I.S.T. also never got to face Skayde and Quackenbush in the King of Trios tournament, so they have something to prove by beating the tournament winners. This feud goes interpromotional, as Akuma turned his back on CHIKARA in Dragon Gate USA. Skayde, who plays on both sides of that fence, must take issue with Akuma's actions. Skayde and Quackenbush also meet the weekend after this in a four-way Open The Historic Gate title tournament match with CIMA and Super Crazy, so you have to wonder if that will be on either man's mind during this match. All I can assure you of is that this has potential to be a great match.
After being pinned by Lince Dorado in the Cibernetico, Player Dos will put his Young Lions Cup on the line. Lince has competed in three Young Lions Cup tournaments and challenged Helios back in 2008 for the Cup, but has never held the Cup himself. Dos on the other hand has had a banner year by making it to the finals of the 2009 Rey de Voladores and winning the Young Lions Cup tournament back in August. Dos has two successful Cup defenses under his belt, defeating Player Uno and Frightmare in two separate matches the past couple of months. Lince however has momentum after pinning Dos, as well as former Young Lions Cup champion Jigsaw back to back in the Cibernetico. Will Lince finally win the Cup, or is he destined to be the bridesmaid for perpetuity?
Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston have been at each others throats for over a year. Each man looks to put everything to an end in a Respect Match in Philadelphia. In terms of pinning each other, they each hold one pinfall a piece over another since 2008. Claudio however defeated Kingston by count-out in August, and with the help of his Team Uppercut was able to defeat Kingston's Roughnecks in the first round of the 2009 King of Trios. These two have had some wars, and when the smoke is settled in Philadelphia, the loser will have to swallow their pride and tell the victor that they respect them. Each time these two have met it's been a slugfest and you can expect no different when they meet again.
In the main event of the evening, The Colony will defend their Campeones de Parejas against The Osirian Portal. The Colony and The Osirian Portal have a storied history dating back to Tag World Grand Prix 2008. It was there that the Colony defeated the Portal in the finals to accumulate their fourth point, and a shot at the Portal for the Campeonatos. In November and December, The Colony was able to rack up seven total points, more than any team had previously racked up. Because of this unprecedented event, Leonard F. Chikarason allowed The Colony to name any stipulation they wanted for their title match. The Colony decided that the match would be one fall (all Campeones de Parejas matches are 2 out of 3 falls) and that the Osirian Portal's bodyguard Escorpion Egipcio would be banned from the arena. The two teams put on a fantastic match that saw The Portal retain their titles. The Colony got caught up in a feud with F.I.S.T, but after coming out on top in that feud, they were able to rack up another three points and get a second shot. The Colony defeated the Portal in two straight falls to become the new Campeones. Now the tides have turned, as The Portal are now the challengers and The Colony are the Campeones. It took The Portal only two days to get three points, which is impressive and rare in CHIKARA. These two have put on quality matches each and every time out and for the season finale, you should expect no loss. Who closes out 2009 as the Campeones de Parejas?
Three more matches (one for Easton, two for Philly) have yet to be announced, but we'll cover them when they're announced right here in the column.
Sara Del Ray will most certainly be involved with the Finale, leaving this blog on CHIKARA's website:
1/4/2009: Well, I have given it a few weeks and I am still annoyed - so I must vent a little bit here!!! I issued a challenge. I wanted some competition. Well.
A COW!!! Really??? The shark wasn't available this time?
I have worked nine long and hard years to be taken seriously as a female athlete and I am put in the ring with a cow??? Come on...Ugh...OK. Now that that is out, let's move on.
I am currently reading "The Queen Of The Ring", the book about Mildred Burke. I see so many similarities in her early career and mine. She was so good at what she did, she just dominated every other girl she was put in the ring with! (Probably never wrestled a cow, but as those of you who saw the Cibernetico event saw, they don't pose much of a threat.) She had to work so hard to even be trained then when she broke in, she had to be tough...I wish more wrestlers would take after her. So far I have ran across very few who even train regularly...I wish I was alive in Mildred's heyday just for the competition, because I clearly don't get any now.
Not that Bullfight Sora wasn't bad enough, but my own partner, La Malcriada was every bit as bad! The only real challenge that tag match presented was Daizee, and the Japanese wrestlers could hardly make her break a sweat either!
I am tired of feeling held back just because the only other girl in my league has already faced me dozens of times before. IfChikarason can't come up with someone, this probably will: I am issuing an open challenge for the season finale cards. Someone. Anyone. Step up.
Just not another cow!
SDR
Will someone step up? And if they do, who will it be? At Cibernetico, Sara and Daizee name dropped some people who they think they match up to. Two names came up that perked up my ears: Brodie Lee and Eddie Kingston. If either of those men have a singles match with Sara, or a tag match with Sara and Daizee, I will be grinning from ear to ear. Brodie and Sara have a past (Brodie booted Sara's face off at "Stephen Colbert > Bill O'Reilly") so it could be feasible. I eagerly anticipate seeing who will accept the challenge.
YouTube Fun!
Here we have the 186th episode of CHIKARA's Podcast-A-Go-Go, where clips from the show "Behind The 8 Ball"are shown. Matches covered are Jimmy "Equinox" Olsen vs. Colin Delaney, and The Osirian Portal vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw. Be sure to check out my review of the show, by clicking the show name in a sentence or two above!
I found this CHIKARA tribute video that I found to be kind of interesting. The song is a strange choice, but it works somehow. Most of the clips are from 2008. Enjoy!
Shillville
If you have not begun listening, Mike Quackenbush and Clayton Morris (of FOX News & Friends) host a pop-culture podcast known as The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe. Clayton and Mike talk about all things geek such as movies, music, television, comic books, tech stuff, and wrestling here and there. I find it wildly entertaining, as Clayton and Mike play off each other very well. It's also really cool to hear Mike talk about non-wrestling stuff as well. So please, check out The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe and subscribe to their podcast on iTunes.
Hey, I have a blog now! I post all my wrestling writings there (outside of this column), so check it out! I have a review of AAW's "Us vs. Them" show featuring Bryan Danielson, Jigsaw, Gran Akuma, Hallowicked, Arik Cannon, The North Star Express, Jimmy Jacobs, and others. Click here to check out the review and everything else on my blog.
Check out my new podcast with Jerome Cusson at Pro Wrestling Ponderings. In the podcast, we discuss KENTA's injury, Arik Cannon being awesome, and how Hiding In Plain Sight is totally awesome. This podcast, and many great articles, can be found on the front page of Pro Wrestling Ponderings.
So are Brad Garoon and Jake Ziegler! Both of them have their own respective blogs you should check out. Brad's blog, Open The Garoon Gate, is all about Dragon Gate and Dragon Gate USA. He reviews every Infinity, PPV, etc. Jake Ziegler's blog, Kayfabe, has WWE, TNA, and ROH reviews. Make sure to check out and enjoy both!
CHIKARA is ordering a very, very limited quantity of the Navy Blue "CHIKARA Wrestle Factory" hoodies you see on DVD's. If you want to guarantee you get one, immediately go to this post on the CHIKARA Fans message board and follow the instructions on how to secure your hoodie.
Thanks so much again everyone for checking out this weeks Contemplating CHIKARA! Make sure to check my other stuff here on the website, as well as my blog. I'll be back next week to talk all the CHIKARA news and such. Until then, have a good week, and I'll see you in seven!
