The CHIKARA Special 1.23.2010: Eight Misbehavin'

Posted by Kevin Ford on 01.23.2010

With "A Touch Of Class" just one week away, the speculation for who the eighth member of the Brüderschaft is has picked up! We'll talk about the most likely candidates for who it could be.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the CHIKARA Special! With the impending reveal of the eighth member of Das Brüderschaft des Kreuzes, I figured I'd give my thoughts on who could possibly be this mysterious eighth member. Let me know what you think of my choices, and give me some of your own.

Who's the mystery man? Hopefully not Rick Steiner

The big to-do these days in CHIKARA is the new stable known as Das Brüderschaft des Kreuzes, or BDK for short. It has been known since the formation of the stable that there are eight total members. Seven members are known as of now, with the eighth member to be revealed on the January 31st event "A Touch of Class". I know many of you are like me, and have had this clip stuck in your head since hearing of the eighth member:



Nerdy television references aside, I've done much thinking when it comes to the eighth member of the BDK. Many names have been bandied about as to who this mystery person can be. Set to take place at "A Touch Of Class" on January 31st is an eight-man tag pitting Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Lince Dorado, & Equinox against Brüderschaft members Claudio Castagnoli, Ares, Tursas, and yes, the eighth member of the Brüderschaft who will be revealed at that time. Right now, I'll take you through the top 5 potentials in the big reveal.


Player Uno

Player Uno was a big name in CHIKARA in 2008. He and Stupefied became full-fledged members of the roster, putting on great matches with the likes of Cheech & Cloudy, Mike Quackenbush & Shane Storm, and Incoherence. Stupefied was rechristened as Player Dos, and he and Uno went on to become Campeones de Parejas…for a month. There wasn't a ton to write home about for the Smash Bros. in 2008, and they didn't come back to CHIKARA in 2009 till King of Trios weekend. That weekend, Uno and Dos were put in singles matches, with Dos in the Rey de Voladores tournament and Uno defending his Interspecies Wrestling championship (and teaming with Create-A-Wrestler on Night 3). They would team in Atomicos, Trios, and even go against each other in Atomicos action and in the Young Lions Cup tournament. As it would turn out, Player Dos would win the Young Lions Cup. Since Dos has concentrated on the cup, Uno has been left in the dark.

What was Uno to do? Dos not only left him in the cold when he won the Young Lions Cup, but pinned Uno in September AND October. Uno's other partner, Create-A-Wrestler, became Dasher Hatfield and found a brand new partner in Sugar Dunkerton. Uno's ego was further hurt with a singles loss to Claudio Castagnoli. Uno lamented in a promo at CHIKARA's season finale, before his match with Tim Donst.



As Uno says, he has nothing. Nothing left to offer, nothing left to fight for. Uno comes off as being completely deflated and unmotivated. To the surprise of, well, everyone, Uno defeated Tim Donst with his new submission move called ‘The Joystick'. Uno was absolutely thrilled with his victory. How interesting is it that Uno's first win was over Donst, who would reveal himself later in the evening to be a member of the Brüderschaft? Did he take a dive for the benefit of the greater good? After all, the match only went a mere 6 minutes. Uno could potentially be a last minute recruit, with Donst softening Uno's heart before the Brüderschaft made their sales pitch. As Uno said, he has nothing left to lose. If that's true, is it hard to believe that the idea of joining a new unstoppable force in CHIKARA would be appealing to him? I think not, and some fans believe that he's the eighth member.


Crossbones

I feel bad for Crossbones. Here's a guy who's been in CHIKARA since 2004 and has always been taken for granted. He was in Sweet N Sour International and got a bad rap because of Mano Metalico (if you've ever seen a Mano Metalico match, the bad rap is not unwarranted). Then he teamed up with Rorschach as the Tazzmaniacs. The duo did well enough and served their purpose, but then Rorschach left the company in Fall of 2006. Shortly after, Crossbones finally seemed to find his place as a member of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple. Ultramantis, a man known to run his mouth to the wrong people at the wrong time, needed Crossbones as his muscle. Crossbones has served this role well, and was treated with respect. Whenever Ultramantis needed to satiate his need to abuse his power, Hydra was always there for an earful of Ultramantis' angry diatribes.

When Hydra and Tim Donst left the Order, it was down to Mantis and Crossbones. Whenever the team would fail, it would be Crossbones getting the blame. Mantis did take some blame for himself, but you bet that Crossbones was Mantis' new target for directing his anger. Mantis decided the Order needed to become a trio once again, and he used the hypnotizing powers of the Eye of Tyr to abduct and brainwash Delirious. Happy with his results, Mantis became obsessed with Delirious, leaving Crossbones out in the cold. Crossbones got pinned in a trios match in July, and Mantis was noticeably disappointed. Crossbones BEGGED in a blog to be forgiven. While Ultramantis did forgive him, it was clear that his goal was set on winning the Campeonatos de Parejas. This video says it all:



You can tell just how unamused, and even slightly bothered by Crossbones Ultramantis seems to be now with Delirious in his grasp. But now, a few things have happened since this promo. Vökoder turned out to be Tim Donst infiltrating the Order for the second time. Ultramantis looked for a partner in Mike Quackenbush, and Quack said that he'd help him if he reversed the effects of the Eye of the Tyr on Delirious. If that happens, The Order is back down to Ultramantis Black and Crossbones. Then what? Ultramantis treats Crossbones better, as if nothing ever happened? Crossbones may not want any of that. Wouldn't it seem likely that Crossbones, after being treated like a second-class stable mate, would look to get revenge by joining the supergroup looking to take out Ultramantis Black? Or will Crossbones "take his place" and back-up Mantis like the loyal soldier he's been since late 2006? We'll have to see.


"Sweet N' Sour" Larry Sweeney

If it weren't for his one time appearance in January, Larry Sweeney would have been completely out of the CHIKARA picture in 2009. He essentially was, as his match at Revelation X (Larry Sweeney & Mitch Ryder vs. Los Ice Creams) was inconsequential. Sweeney was supposed to be in a storyline with Claudio Castagnoli, but his "personal issues" got in his way. Sweeney was off CHIKARA shows without a word, and his partners Mitch Ryder and Buck Hawke were axed from the roster as well. There feud with Claudio Castagnoli was forgotten and to this day is unresolved.

Larry Sweeney resurfaced at Ring of Honor's Final Battle 2009 event. It's safe to presume that if Ring of Honor is willing to make amends with Sweeney, especially after all the terrible things that he posted in his MySpace blog, he should have no issues coming back to CHIKARA whatsoever. But let's say Sweeney does come back to CHIKARA; where does he fit? His partners when he left are gone, lots of wrestlers may be reluctant to take his side (he did betray Claudio after stringing him along for the better half of 2008), and by many he could be seen as unreliable.

As far as we know, nobody on the CHIKARA roster lent Sweeney a helping hand in his down time. Eventually he was taken off the roster page with no warning. Sweeney, a student of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory, was cast aside when what he needed were people to be there for him. That's the story that I would use to bring him back into CHIKARA. Seemingly, this would make Sweeney a great fit for The UnStable. However, in the war of the Brüderschaft vs. CHIKARA, the UnStable for an intensive purposes is on the CHIKARA side. It wasn't just Quackenbush and Leonard F. Chikarason who betrayed Sweeney; it was the entire organization as a whole.

Claudio and Sweeney may have been enemies at one point, but as the old saying goes, "time heals all wounds." With nearly 13 months between the time Sweeney turned on Claudio and the time CHIKARA is set to re-launch later this month, it's not implausible that Claudio and Sweeney would be willing to work together. Sweeney of course has experience with Sara Del Ray (fellow member of the Brüderschaft and former agent of Sweeney), and is quite the motivator to those he's close with. Sweeney is a dangerous man, with a mouth that works as fast as his mind. When he has an agenda (in this case, hurting the company that betrayed him in his time of need), he couldn't be any more dangerous. Larry Sweeney's anger could be the drive and motivation behind the Brüderschaft.


Jigsaw

Jigsaw was viewed as one of the top students, and the golden boy of CHIKARA in 2007. It would be of no surprise then that he, amongst other CHIKARA regulars, got their first bookings in Ring of Honor in 2007. While Gran Akuma and Hallowicked didn't get called back too often, Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush were made semi-regulars. A serious injury on Quack's back at the 2007 IWA-MS Ted Petty Invitational would sideline him from wrestling, causing him to miss a few scheduled bookings with ROH (including a rematch with Bryan Danielson and a match with Roderick Strong). Jigsaw however got picked up full-time and was a made a member of the Vulture Squad with Jack Evans and Ruckus. This was a big step for Jigsaw, in terms of name recognition. Getting placed in Faction warfare for the most popular independent wrestling company? It doesn't get much better than that.

Unfortunately for Jigsaw, everything comes at a price. Jigsaw missed a booking during CHIKARA's 2007 season finale and was effectively erased from the company altogether. In the meantime, the faction warfare became mismanaged and stale with the Vulture Squad becoming the ‘glorified jobbers' of all the factions. In hopes of getting a better connection with the audience, Gabe and Jigsaw decided it would be best for Jigsaw to unmask himself. He did, and the decision was met with almost entirely negative feedback. CHIKARA fans were pissed, Ring of Honor fans made fun of how he looked, and it didn't help Jigsaw or the Vulture Squad in any measurable way.

It was in September of 2008 when Jigsaw reappeared at "Style & Substance". Jigsaw helped Mike Quackenbush and Tim Donst escape being beaten down by the hands of the UnStable. While Jigsaw looked for Mike's approval, Mike said nothing to him and walked away. After a few more confrontations, Mike told Jigsaw that if he wanted to be back in CHIKARA, he'd have to don the mask once more. In December, Jigsaw returned with his mask to aid Quackenbush in a match against Colin Delaney and STIGMA. Quack and Jigsaw were back as a unit, and ready to go.

Jigsaw was pumped and stated in a video update that he was looking forward to winning King of Trios with Quackenbush. Quack admitted he had other plans, which Jigsaw was fine with. However, Jigsaw ended up not being in the 2009 King of Trios whatsoever. Jigsaw and Quackenbush failed to win the Campeones de Parejas in April. Quackenbush decided that along with tagging with Jigsaw, Jigsaw had another role he could play: mentoring the stable known as The Future Is Now. Jigsaw has teamed with The Future Is Now multiple times, and as much as he'd like to tell you that there's been nothing but victories for them, the sad reality is that quite the opposite is true. With that said, Jigsaw has gotten blamed more times than not for the loss, usually by Lince Dorado. Lince pinned Jigsaw in the Cibernetico, showing Lince's lack of respect for Jigsaw's attempt at guiding them along.

So what has Jigsaw got in the long run? He was forced to put back on his mask before Quackenbush would even consider bringing him back into the fold. When they didn't capture the Campeones de Parejas, Quackenbush effectively put his team with Jigsaw on hold (for the most part, although they had a tag match together in July and September). Jigsaw was passed off to lead the Future Is Now, with no respect from Lince Dorado in the wisdom he is trying to bestow on them. Jigsaw has a lot of reasons to be upset with his supposed friends on the Tecnicos, Finally, and perhaps most importantly, CHIKARA discreetly made something known in their season finale: Jigsaw was not their when the Brüderschaft formed. Jigsaw and Gran Akuma were supposed to be in a six-man tag that night, but because of their brutal singles match against one another the night before, the match was changed to a tag team match. However, Akuma was still in the building and ringside when the Brüderschaft formed and Jigsaw was not. A very subtle point that I am sure very few people noticed, but as I've said before, everything in CHIKARA happens for a reason. Don't be surprised if the wrestling riddle is revealed to be the eighth member of the Brüderschaft, and perhaps unmasking once again.


Lince Dorado

When is the last time you purchased a CHIKARA DVD or attended a CHIKARA show and Lince Dorado was cheered? I'd say you'd have to go at least 18 months back to get to that point. Why is this the case? Because Lince was shoved down our throats.

Lince debuted in at the 2007 King of Trios tournament, making a big splash by making it all the way to the semi-finals. The rest of 2007 was him feuding with the Kings of Wrestling super-group, namely Mitch Ryder. In the season finale of the sixth season, Lince Dorado suffered a major concussion when he landed on his the back of his head while attempting a shooting star senton. The crowd was stunned silent, and the show was brought to a close due to the horrific event. Lince returned in 2008 with a great reaction from the fans. It was at the 2008 King of Trios where Lince Dorado, El Pantera, and Incognito won the tournament, and where the fans began to turn on Lince. For the rest of 2008, Lince got shots at the Young Lions Cup, Rey de Voladores, and put in a marquee feud with Eddie Kingston. Although Lince did not win any of these accolades, it was clear the fans were sick of seeing him get even remotely close to winning them.

The reason should be clear. When Lince got concussed back in November of 2007, most every wrestling website reported the incident. Lince Dorado went from being a mostly unknown wrestler, to a name every internet fan at least heard of (it didn't hurt that Figure Four Weekly author Bryan Alvarez was in attendance). It would make sense then that CHIKARA would wish to push the guy that everyone has heard of. Thus, Lince winning the 2008 King of Trios got them more publicity on top of the "triumphant return of Lince" story being told. The problem with this is that Lince and his luchadore buddies meant that teams the fans actually wanted to win (i.e. The Colony) were shafted because of it. Say what you want about the CHIKARA fans, but they were not at all happy with Lince's seemingly un-deserved push. If you want another clear indication of this, I can point out two events in 2009: the first was at the 2009 King of Trios tournament, when Lince's team was eliminated by F.I.S.T. Lince was teaming with fan-favorites Equinox and Helios, but because it was Lince's team, the fans chanted "Thank you F.I.S.T.!" Another instance was at this years Cibernetico when Lince pinned Jigsaw and Player Dos back-to-back. As he rolled out of the ring, Lince flipped off one fan who yelled "I HATE YOU LINCE!" after the pins. A noticeable amount of boos were heard as well, because fans knew this meant Dorado was getting an upcoming Young Lions Cup match.

Needless to say, none of this is Lince's fault. He's the innocent representation of the guilty party at hand (CHIKARA's booking). This sucks for Lince, and if the fans don't want to boo him, he might as well give them an actual reason to. The Brüderschaft certainly isn't about making friends, but more about taking over. Why wouldn't Lince want to stick it to the fans? That's all they've done to him after he poured his heart and soul into CHIKARA, while almost dying on top of that! (Would he die for the fans ala Teddy Hart?) I'd be a bitter kitty if I were Lince.

The icing on the cake for all this is Lince's increasingly fed-up attitude towards Jigsaw, leader of the Future Is Now. Lince blames Jigsaw for the losses that The Future Is Now have accrued since May. Funny that Lince has had more success by himself then with the once-formidable Future Is Now group. In case you're wondering, The Future is Now have had four matches together since Jigsaw took the reigns of control (Aniversario Yin, Aniversario Yang, Young Lions Cup VII Night 3, and Man Makes Plans and God Laughs) and have lost all four. Yikes; seems like Lince's gripe is legitimate to me. Needless to say, Lince could very well be the mysterious eighth member and a strong addition to the Brüderschaft. He'll show you, you'll see!


Also, CHIKARA made press on Geekweek! Congratulations guys, I hope this does you some good. Sure there's no links or pictures, but a mention is neat, right?

YouTube Fun!


Here's the lastest Podcast-A-Go-Go, covering the show "Young Lions Cup VII, Night Two" action. Check out the review at my shiny, cool blog!


Johnny Gargano's second "Power Hour" is now on YouTube. While this may have ZERO to do with CHIKARA, it has everything to do with beauty.

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! All of my reviews from 411 and elsewhere get posted here. My reviews can be seen here first, even before they get posted on 411. So check it out, and make sure you subscribe! Click here and check it out!


Check out my new podcasts with Jerome Cusson at Pro Wrestling Ponderings. On our first show, we talk to AAW announcer Phil Colvin about AAW's Chaos Theory show this Friday (Super Crazy vs Davey Richards!), as well as Dragon Gate USA's show this Saturday. On a second show, we talk with BSE Pro owner Arda Ocal about independent wrestling in Canada, then I piss on ROH for about 20 minutes. It's AWESOME. The podcasts, and other fine articles, can be found at Pro Wrestling Ponderings.

All pictures in this column were provided by the wonderful Lyle C. Williams, independent wrestling photographer extraordinaire. Check out his pictures and back is in his skill.

Ari Berenstein as usual keeps up his great work in the Column of Honor. Make sure to check it out, it's a guaranteed good read every single week.

Brad Garoon is an obsessive maniac. For it, we are better wrestling fans, as his blog, Open The Garoon Gate, is all about Dragon Gate and Dragon Gate USA. He reviews every Infinity, PPV, appearance of a Dragon Gate wrestler in the U.S., etc. You owe it to yourself to check out that blog, as well as his T2P and dragondoor blogs which you can find links to on his Dragon Gate blog. Jake Ziegler also blog, JZ Says, which has WWE, TNA, ROH, and even film reviews. Make sure to check out and enjoy both!

Thanks so much again everyone for checking out this week's CHIKARA Special! Make sure to check my other stuff here on the website, as well as my blog. I'll be back very soon to discuss CHIKARA's 2010 season opening show, "A Touch of Class", where I'll run down all eight matches in detail.

Links!
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