Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People 04.06.06: Chikara Tag World Grand Prix (Part 1)
Posted by Ryan Byers on 04.06.2006
Three wild nights of tag team wrestling from the indy company that may be the industry's best kept secret.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People . . . the column that serves as your source for everything that falls in to the portion of the Venn Diagram where the cheap circle and the wrestling circle overlap.
This week we've got what will be the beginning of an epic three part column, which will span 75% of the next month. However, before we get to that, I've got a few housekeeping matters to address. First of all, I'd like to thank everybody who took the time to read my report on the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. It generated the most feedback of anything I've written for the site, which I guess would make sense given that it was featured on the top of the wrestling zone for perhaps the two most traffic-intensive days of the year. Anyway, I've responded to most of the feedback personally already, and I'll be posting replies to frequently raised issues on my 411Blog this weekend.
Speaking of the good old blog, a few of you may have noticed that I used the thing a lot after the feature was initially introduced but have stopped in recent months. If you're a fan of mine, there is now cause for celebration! I've decided that I am going to update the blog on a weekly basis now, every Monday. The content may not always be wrestling-related, but it should stray too far from the general field of pop culture. I've already got the first few weeks of posts planned out, and there should be some pretty fun stuff on there. Check it out.
With all of that out of the way, let's get to the bulk of the column.
Cheap Wrestling Tip #35: Chikara Tag World Grand Prix 2006
When I first started writing this little segment on 411Mania, I decided that I probably shouldn't cover individual DVD or tape releases, instead opting to focus on general tips and then using my reviews as examples of what I was able to dig up using those techniques. However, once in a great while, a DVD so great will come along that causes even the most noble of babyfaces to break their own rules. That's what has happened here, as I was recently introduced to the Chikara Tag World Grand Prix.
Internet wrestling fans with a bit harder of a core have probably already heard of Chikara, but allow me to explain what's going on here to those of you who may not have. It's an independent promotion based out of Pennsylvania, which is associated with its very own training school, the Chikara Wrestle Factory. Both are run by "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush, an experienced indy wrestler who tends to school his students in a style that many have compared to the "lucharesu" that dominates Japanese promotions like Michinoku Pro and Osaka Pro. However, Chikara is a bit more than just lucharesu. It combines plenty of elements of American indy wrestling as well, and it even integrates some aspects of a more traditional lucha libre style with a hint of comedy thrown in. If anything, it reminds me of the east coast version of Pro Wrestling Guerilla.
The Tag World Grand Prix is a tournament that has been held by the company in 2004, 2005, and 2006. In 2005, the tournament was expanded from its original format to include a whopping THIRY-TWO teams, quite the impressive feat for a tiny indy company. It was so fun and received so much critical acclaim that the group decided to do it one more time in 2006, this time scoring names from across the United States and a surprisingly large amount of Japanese talent to boot. The tournament took place over three nights in February and wound up being perhaps even more highly praised than the 2005 version.
That all leads us to the DVD release, which is put out through indy wrestling distributer Smart Mark Video. It truly is quality Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People. At first that might not seem to be the case, as owning all three nights of the tournament will set you back $60. However, once you look at what you're actually getting for that money, the price actually winds up being quite the bargain. It's three cards containing a total of thirty-six matches, the majority of which run over the ten minute mark. That's more than nine total hours of wrestling. Combine that with the fact that it's a great way to be exposed to indy workers and Japanese wrestlers that most people are not familiar with, and the whole set is a bargain at twice the price. Well, maybe not twice the price . . . but it's still a good deal, OK?
And, if you're not yet convinced that the event is worth your time, maybe a little bit of reviewing will do the trick. I'll hit night one this week, night two next week, and I'll conclude with night three the week after that. Hopefully when it's all said and done, most of you will decide to invest some scratch in this wonderful little product.
Title: Chikara Tag World Grand Prix Released By: Smart Mark Video Release Year: 2006 Run Time: Fucking long. Found At: SmartMarkVideo.com Price: $60
Here we go. Before starting with the match reviews proper, I thought that it might be a good idea to give everybody a little bit of background on the sixteen teams participating in Night One, since a lot of the names may be unfamiliar to fans of this site. Feel free to educate yourselves before moving on.
The Gambino Brothers Moving Company (Mickey & Marshall Gambino) – These two are a brother tag team who generally work the Pennsylvania-based International Wrestling Cartel, periodically moving around New England and Ohio. Entering in to this tournament is probably the most exposure that they've ever gotten.
Team You Can Call Me Al (Allison Danger & Alere Little Feather) – Danger and Little Feather are a couple of solid female wrestlers, one of whom just happens to be Steve Corino's baby sister. They were the only female team in last year's edition of the Tag World Grand Prix, and they're back, promising not to be two-time losers. And, yes, they do use the Paul Simon song as entrance music.
The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) – Hero's been around the indies for quite some time now, mainly gaining fame in IWA Mid-South and CZW. Claudio has also been on the scene for many years, but he didn't really get people to notice him until last year, when he started getting dates with CZW and, more prevalently, ROH.
Team World Wildlife Fund (CP Munk & Colt Cabunny)– CP Munk is the striaght-edge chipmunk. He doesn't eat nuts, so he's better than you. He's supposed to be a parody of some big shot indy wrestler whose name escapes me. Cabunny, meanwhile, is making his debut for Chikara and is a mortal man wearing a bunny suit.
Larry Sweeney & Mana – Mana I've seen around before. He's a big Samoan guy who was trained by Afa, though he's not related to him. I have yet to see a Mana match that I have actually enjoyed. Hopefully his partner, "Sweet and Sour" Larry Sweeney, will make him tolerable. I haven't ever seen Sweeney in action, but he's been getting a cult following on various parts of the internet. Plus he used to be a blacksmith and a practitioner of yoga.
Team DDT (MIKAMI & KUDO) – DDT is a Japanese independent promotion that's been around for several years now. All I know about the team that they sent over is that MIKAMI used to carry around a ladder that inadvertently won the company's Hardcore Title. It eventually retired in a hilarious ceremony held at a DDT event.
The Iron Saints (Sal & Vito Thomaselli) – The Thomasellis were a product of the Pro Wrestling IRON training school, which was run by Mike Modest and Donovan Morgan. After learning all they could about quasi-Strong Style, they took off on the road, mainly working in IWA Mid-South.
BLK Out (Sabian & Eddie Kingston) – These two men split their time between Chikara and CZW. It's an odd looking team, as Sabian is a very short person and Kingston rivals Sandman for the title of "Biggest Beer Gut in Wrestling." BLK Out is actually a group that includes other wrestlers as well, which we'll see as the tournament progresses.
Hallowicked & ???? – Hallowicked is a Chikara regular who walks around with a mask that looks like a jackolantern, complete with a stem sticking out of the top. Halloween may have already done it in Mexico, but Hallowicked does it with so much more style. His partner was scheduled to be fellow Chikara star Ultra Mantis Black, who was taken out of the tournament due to an injury.
Team KAIENTAI-DOJO (Miyawkai & Yoshiaki Yago) – After TAKA Michinoku left the World Wrestling Federation, he started up his own training camp and wrestling promotion in Japan. The result was K-DOJO, who Miyawkai and Yago are here to represent. Miyawkai's the more experienced of the two, while Yago is a former kickboxer who just turned in to a pro wrestler a couple of years ago.
Team Jd' (Sumie Sakai & Ranmaru) – Jd' is a women's wrestling promotion in the land of the Rising Son. Both Sakai and Ranmaru have competed in the promotion, but Sumie has been wrestling on American independent shows for so long and so consistently that I have a hard time believing that she's still with the company. I haven't been able to find any firm information on their current relationship, though.
Cheech & Cloudy – I have no clue where Cheech came from, but Cloudy was a part of Special K in Ring of Honor. Apparently the two men team regularly in New York's NWA Upstate.
Matt Turner & Anthony Franco – These two men are former students of the ROH wrestling school, having trained under CM Punk when he was still with that company. Why did they leave Ring of Honor? Your guess is as good as mine, but I can tell you that they were also participants in the 2005 version of the Tag World Grand Prix.
Equinox & ???? – Equinox is a younger wrestler trained by Chikara, and he fancies himself as a bit of a luchadore. His scheduled partner, Angel del Fuego, is missing in action, though we never get an explanation of where exactly he is.
Crossbones & Rorschach – Both of these men have come out of the Chikara dojo and regularly compete on the company's shows. Crossbones is a walking skeleton, which Rorschach is a walking ink blot. I can tell you which one of those I would rather meet in a dark alley – the skeleton. The ink blot would force me to look at the inner workings of my demented psyche, which is more frightening than any disembodied bag of bones.
Team IWA Mid-South (Mickie Knuckles Ian Rotten) – IWA Mid-South is Rotten's wrestling promotion, which, despite the name, seems to run more shows in the midwest than any area that I would refer to as the "mid-south." Most people will be familiar with Ian from his work in ECW. Knuckles, meanwhile, is a female trainee of his who has more charisma in her little finger than most indy wrestlers have in their entire gym bag.
There's the background, now let's get to the show . . .
To start things off, we've got a big opening ceremony in which all of the teams are introduced, a la what would be happening in a Japanese tournament. After that there's a promo by a gentleman by the name of Arik Cannon, who is looking for a partner for the tournament. He calls out a guy named Marc Wolf, and they do a segment that is entirely too long. The gist of it is that Wolf doesn't want to team with Cannon.
Match Numero Uno: Crossbones & Rorschach vs. Hallowicked & Delirious
Since Hallowicked couldn't find his own partner, Chikara executive Lenny Chickarason was forced to draw a name out of a hat to find the replacement. It's Delirious, who charges around the ring like a crazy man before getting things started. Rorschach starts things off with the D-man, and here's the Greco-Roman knuckle lock. Delirious turns that in to an armbar, and he headbutts Rorschach's wrist. 'Schach reverses and goes to the hammerlock, which Delirious turns in to a headlock takedown. A back elbow and an armdrag are next for the Lizard man, and then he unloads with a series of THIRTY-ONE clotheslines in the corner. Well, I guess that's one way to work a man over. Hallowicked and Crossbones tag in after that, with the pumpkin-headed man hitting a top rope armdrag not once but twice. Crossbones responds with a nice jumping kick and a snap suplex. Rorschach's back in after that, and he applies a double chicken wing submission. Bones is back after that, and he hits a corner clothesline and a sitdown splash on the turnbuckles. It only gets two, so he tags in Rorschach for a double sledge from the second rope and a side Russian leg sweep. That sets up another odd submission, which in turn sets up another tag. Heel miscommunication results in Wicked knocking Crossbones out of the ring and hitting a tope, which counts as a tag under Chikara's "lucha" rules. Delirious and Rorschach are the legal men as a result, and Delirious goes for a powerbomb, only to have it blocked. 'Schach hits a version of the Burning Hammer only to have Delirious roll out of the ring. He goes for the same move on Hallowicked, but it's reversed. That allows Wicked to pick up Rorschach, and Delirious comes off the top rope with a clothesline to pick up the win for his team at 9:25. Delirious celebrates by laying down on a row of female fans.
Match Thoughts: This was a decent enough opener, though it wasn't mindblowing. Delirious, as usual, was hilarious, and his schtick is a good way to get any crowd in to a show right from the start. Because the crowd was in to Delirious, Hallowicked really didn't have to do much, so it wasn't good to get a gauge on how talented he may be. The heel team, meanwhile, looked good enough for a couple of younger wrestlers trying to come to come to grips with a lucha-esque style. Everybody tried hard, nothing was blown, and the pace was kept pretty quick without the match getting too spotty. Plus the result means that there's going to be at least one more Delirious match in the tournament, and I can't complain about that. *3/4
Match Numero Dos: Team You Can Call Me Al vs. Sumie Sakai & Ranmaru
Danger and Ranmaru kick things off, with Allison looking like she's roughly 12' tall. It's another opening-match knuckle lock, and Danger gets the advantage with a headlock and a sholderblock. Ranmaru responds with a dropkick and a hiptoss, though Danger quickly responds with one of her own and a couple of quick pinfall attempts. That was a nice opening sequence. Sakai and Alere are now in, with Little Feather hitting a quick victory roll and a rana. Sakai catches her woman off of a cross body block, but Danger is in for some double teaming and lifts Alere up in to position for another rana. Sakai fires back with Mongolian chops and a headscissor, which quickly turns in to a four-way version of the move. Everybody breaks, and the Japanese contingent hits a double clothesline on Little Feather, which allows Ranmaru to get two. She follows with a spinning kick in the corner, but a second is dodged, leading in to some Little Feather forearms and a snap suplex for two. Danger's back in, and she hits an odd, odd version of the neckbreaker before applying the CAMEL CLUTCH! MAKE HER HUMBLE! Danger voluntarily breaks that, and there's another neckbreaker variation, this one getting a two count. We've got rolling fisherman suplexes after that, but Sakai prevents a pinfall from taking place. The brief distraction allows Ranmaru to hit an enzuguri, though Danger impressively avoids subsequent kicks. Ran finally hits one, sending Danger out of the ring and Alere in to it. She hits a tornado DDT, and Sakai runs in as Ranmaru runs out. She hits a Northern lights suplex, only to be lariated seconds later. Little Feather applies a wacky surfboard variation after that, but Ranmaru saves. That allows Sakai to reverse a wheelbarrow bulldog in to a backdrop suplex. A moonsault and a fisherman buster follow, and we're done at 8:01.
Post match, a fan yells to Allison Danger, "I love you, Allison." Her response? "I love you too . . . especially if you're rich and you shave."
Match Thoughts: This was perfectly acceptable women's wrestling that easily beat out all but the best ladies' bouts that you'll see in WWE. Of course, that still doesn't qualify it as an all out classic. The moves that the ladies used looked good for the most part, though a few moves were not as fluid as the could have been, usually on the side of the Danger/Little Feather team. The match also lacked an identifiable structure, as they were just doing a bunch of moves without a story being told. That part was particularly odd given that the announcers and Danger herself (in a pre-match promo) were pushing a rivalry between Allison and Sakai. *1/4
Match Numero Tres: The Iron Saints vs. Miyawkai & Yoshiaki Yago
Yago kicks it off with Vito, with stiff chops being traded. They head to the mat after that, trading facelocks and headlocks. Yago gets the first big move with a spinning heel kick, which he hits after suckering Vito in to running the ropes. The men's partners tag in after that, and Miyawkai SLAPS Sal. Normally I wouldn't put a word like "slaps" in capitals, but this one deserved it. He follows with an elbowdrop but misses a charge in the corner and is hit with a double hiptoss by the Thomasellis. They hit a two-man divorce court after that, and Sal follows it up with an armbar. Miyawkai forearms out, but Sal falls in to the Saints' corner, allowing a tag. Vito continues to work in the limb with a short-arm scissor, and Sal comes off the top rope with a stomp on to the damaged limb. Sal stays in and also works an arm scissor, but Yago breaks it up. Unfortunately, that just allows an illegal switch by the heels, and Sal comes off the top rope with a double sledge on the arm. He then applies a unique hold, essentially putting on a hammerlock with his feet. That's followed with the hammerlock slam and an attempt at the cross-arm breaker. It's finally applied, but of course Yago saves immediately. Vito is back in after that, but he runs in to Miyawkai's boots and gets missile dropkicked. Yago tags in and goes insane on both Saints with some nice kicks and straight punches. He dragon screws both men and then gets a running knee and a Yakuza kick on Sal. A kneedrop gets two, as does the Three Handled Moss Covered Family Credenza. Sal rolls out to bring Vito back in to the match, but Yago just puts him in to the tree of woe. He goes for a dropkick to the face, but Vito moves and comes off of the top with a double stomp. Miyawkai comes back in after that, but he's hit by an INSANE inverted powerbomb/lungblower combo. Yago runs back in after that, and he kicks everybody hard, leaving Miyawkai and Sal in the ring. Sal runs in to a flatliner, and Miyawkai floats over immediately in to a version of the crossface. Thomaselli taps at 10:31.
After the main match, there's a nice bit where they do a reel of all the major spots being shot from alternate camera angles, including a scary, scary slow mo shot of Yago jabbing Sal as hard as possible.
Match Thoughts: For a ten minute match, this was GREAT. The Thomasellis did an excellent job of working over Miyawkai's arm, looking like a thinner, higher flying version of the Andersons. Though Miyawkai's selling of the injury was nothing to write home about, I have to give major respect to Yago, who really seemed to have a good idea of how to work a comeback. His impressively snug strikes really helped to put over the desperation of the team when he was making saves, and they also made it believable that he could take on both Saints at the same time when that was necessary. Top that off with some innovative offense, particularly that sick lungblower from the Thomasellis, and you've got yourself a match that's really getting me excited about this tournament. **1/4
Match Numero Cuatro: BLK Out vs. Ian Rotten & Mickie Knuckles
The story here is that Knuckles was Kingston's tag team partner from last year's tournament, while Kingston's regular tag team partner Joker is absent, forcing him to pair up with Sabian instead. Something tells me that this may lead to some CONFLICT! The referee pulls a fork out of Rotten's boots in his pre-match inspection, so hopefully his usual hardcore bullshit will not come in to play. He starts with Kingston, and they do some basic arm work with each other. That ends when Rotten stands on his head while in an armbar and then kicks Kingston in the face. Okay, perhaps I've judged this guy too soon. Ian then applies a headlock and floats around in to another armbar. He scores with a shoulderblock as well, but Kingston reverses a hiptoss in to a monkey flip. The two trade hiptosses at this point, and then they both go for dropkicks at the same time. It's like watching an old WCW cruiserweight match at half speed. Knuckles and Sabian tag in at this point, and they trade kicks off of a knuckle lock. Mickie heads up to the second rope while still in the lock, and she monkey flips her man. That goes in to a chinlock variant, but Sabian hits a jawbreaker to escape. Both wrestlers then go for cross body blocks, and they SMACK IN TO EACH OTHER. I've seen that spot hundreds of times but never quite so brutal. Naturally, it leads to both folks tagging their partners. Rotten and Kingston go in to a knuckle lock of their own, trading headbutts while in the hold. Rotten wins that exchange, and he continues with headbutts after breaking the hold. That sets up a tag to Mickie, and the Mid-Southers hit a double back elbow for a one count. Mickie heads to the chinlock after that, but Eddie tries to shove her in the ropes. In doing so, he inadvertently sets up a tag to Rotten, who splashes Kingston after Mickie takes him down with a drop toe hold.
Rotten stays on his man with some nice looking crossfaces, and then he pulls Knuckles off of the top rope for a Rocket Launcher down on to Kingston. Mick lands some hard kicks after that, but Eddie fails to sell them and KILLS her with an overhead belly-to-belly in to the turnbuckles. I used to love that move, but it's gotten really overused lately. Sabian tags in, and he tries to capitalize on the damage to Knuckles' head and neck be applying a headscissors. He gets a backdrop suplex as well, but that's only good for a two count. Kingston comes back in at this point, but he refuses to double team Mickie, instead opting for a chinlock. Knuckles elbows out as the crowd chants for her, but she gets caught by a kneelift and a Sabian bodyslam after a tag. BLK Out teases dissension, as apparently Kingston just wants to "wear down" his former partner Knuckles as opposed to being overly aggressive. Sabian proves that he's the guy on the aggressive side of that argument, as he kicks the hell out of her and then brings Kingston back in. Eddie slaps on a bearhug, only to have Knuckles forearm out and get a sunset flip. Sabian's back in, and he gets a vertical suplex. He heads up to the top, coming off with a double stomp that barely connects. A much better senton follows, as does a tag. Kingston once again refuses to work ard against her, and now BLK Out is having an extended argument about the situation. That allows for a tag to Rotten, and he flips, flops, and flies. A noggin knocker is next, as BLK Out both head to the floor . . . and Mickie backdrops Rotten in to a dive on both men! Knuckles follows him out with a tope suicida, and now we're all brawling on the floor.
Rotten brings Kingston back in rather quickly, where he hits a decent lariat for a nearfall as Knuckles and Sabian trade forearms on the floor. Then, in the ring, Rotten tries for a senton off the second rope, only to have Eddie slip out of the way. Rotten misses, Kingston gets him the Oklahoma roll, and BLK Out advances in 15:08.
Match Thoughts: This was an interesting match to watch after the first three, as things were kept at a much slower pace, in part because of the storyline involving Kingston and Knuckles and in part because Rotten, Knuckle, and Kingston are all bigger wrestlers than the individuals featured in the earlier stages of the card. Of course, being slower doesn't necessarily mean that it's worse. My only problem with the match really was that some of the restholds used by Kingston in the middle seemed to unnecessarily extend the bout. It wasn't completely out of place because it was furthering the story, but it kept going on long after we all knew that the point was. Aside from that, there was a good structure to the match, with good, eye catching mat work in the beginning by Rotten and a solid middle segment that built up to a fairly exciting climax. Plus there's just something entertaining about Mickie Knuckles. Not since Sensational Sherri has there been an American woman so willing to taking an outright beating from much larger men . . . and she can definitely dish out the stiff shots as well. **
Arik Cannon is back now, and he tries to partner up with a fellow by the name of Adam Flash. Flash also turns him down.
Match Numero Cinco: Cheech & Cloudy vs. The Gambino Brothers Moving Company
The Gambinos start with stereo clotheslines, though the other team quickly isolates Mickey and gets him with a double hiptoss and a series of strikes in the corner. Cheech hits a slingshot senton, which he follows up with a chinlock/hammerlock combo. Cloudy gets the tag, dropkicking Mickey in the back of the head and choking away after an inadvertent distraction by Marshall. Cheech comes back in for a slam and a spot in which he runs the ropes and culminates with an arrogant cover. Mickey starts a comeback out of nowhere, hitting a powerslam, but Cheech picks the leg and allows Cloudy in for some legdroppery and another chinlock. Mickey elbows out, only to run the ropes in to Cheech's knee. Cloudy capitalizes with a running neck snap, and a tag sees Cheech hit a snap suplex. Cloudy's back in at this point, but he runs in to a spinebuster. That sets up the hot tag to Marshall, who clotheslines and forearms the crap out of everybody. A big sit-out powerbomb plants Cloudy, and Cheech is caught in the sidewalk slam. The Gambinos then team up for an H-Bomb on Cloudy, but it can only get a two count. It appears that Cheech missed a save there, as the referee really had to delay his hand coming down for three. The brothers then bodyslam Cheech on to Cloudy, but Cheech recovers quickly and tosses Mickey out of the ring. A double enzuguri follows up on Marshall, and then Cloudy gets his neck snap on Mickey one more time. Cheech gets a huge kick after that, and then the team hits an odd double team move in which Cloudy hits a 619 while Cheech dropkicks the man in the back at the same time. After that, a Cheech shooting star press puts away Marshall Gambino at 9:07.
Match Thoughts: Of all the matches in the tournament thusfar, this one looking more like a traditional American tag team match than any other. Cheech and Cloudy worked over Mickey Gambino for the vast majority of the bout, and then Marshall made the big comeback at the end. Aside from a couple of crazy double team moves by the heel unit, it wasn't anything that most of us haven't seen a thousand times before. *
Match Numero Seis: Chris Hero & Claudio Catagnoli vs. Equinox & Hydra
Hydra is selected randomly to serve as Equinox's partner. Much like our last randomly selected partner, he's working a comedy gimmick. The gist is that he's a scrawny, scrawny man who thinks that he is a massive, intimidating sea monster that just happens to moonlight as a professional wrestler. It sounds odd, but he pulls it off well enough and has some awesome sea monster themed gear.
Hydra and Castagnoli are in at the bell, and Hyrdra asks for a test of strength. Claudio wins it easily and tries to elevate his man in to a backdrop, but Hyrda reverses in to a quick sunset flip. Hydra tries for a chokeslam and a vertical suplex after that, but neither move actually works. Claudio sets his man on the second rope and mocks him, but he's hit by a double axe handle and placed in a camel clutch. Castagnoli sells it like a fly landed on his back and stands up, though he's quickly caught by a jawbreaker from Hydra and knocked out of the ring. Hydra fakes a dive and tags Equinox. Hero's in as well, and he grabs an armbar, though Equinox flips out of it and slaps on one of his own. There's a lot more reversing, culminating in a headbutt and an armdrag from Equinox. He heads out the apron and does a wacky move in which he does a forward roll in to the ring, gets Hero in a headcissors, and pulls him forward in to a victory roll all in one fluid motion. Equinox is quickly isolated in the heel corner, though, where he's elbowed and goes to the outside. That allows Hydra and Claudio to come back in, and Hyrda goes for a press slam. It obviously won't work, so Claudio gets one of his own and brings Hero back in for a sloppy double team in which Castagnoli uppercuts Hydra in to a Hero schoolboy. Claudio stays on his man with a front drop, and now it's more double teaming, this time with Hero hitting an atomic drop and Castagnoli following with a gut wrench suplex. Hydra tries to suplex both of his opponents after that, but it's not effective. Claudio spends time standing on Hydra's face after that, which he follows with a nice butterfly suplex. Hero then tags back in, monkey flipping Castagnoli in to a splash on Hyrda, after which Hero lands a splash of his own. Claudio tags back in and knocks Hydra out of the ring, which is, of course, a tag. Equinox runs in and gets a ropewalk rana on Claudio, following with an Asai DDT for two. (And two for Asai DDT.) Equinox tries to run the ropes, but Castagnoli trips him and pulls him out of the ring, setting up a tumbling exhibition from Hero. Castagnoli and Equinox wind up in the ring, with Equinox escaping Claudio and diving down to Hero on the floor. Hydra flies in to the ring and tries a series of pinning combinations on Castagnoli, and he hits a flatliner after a lot effort. His lariat does nothing, though, and a European upppercut takes him out of the ring.
Equinox is back in for a satellite botched move on Castagnoli, though he rebounds and applies with a wacky lucha submission. Hero saves, kicking Equinox square in the face and knocking him out of the ring. Hydra comes back in and tries for a headscissors, but Claudio blocks it in mind-move. Hero comes back in to the ring, and the Kings of Wrestling hit a double team version of the Last Rites to take things home in 13:59.
Match Thoughts: The announcers kept putting over how inexperienced Equinox and Hydra are, and it definitely showed here. Though they were light years head of some men at similar stages of their career, it looked like they weren't quite ready to do a fourteen minute tag team match. They tried to disguise a lot of this with the Hydra comedy spots. It was funny at first, particularly since he would periodically get an advantage on his larger, more experienced opponents due to their arrogance. However, much like what happened in the Kingston match earlier, they just went to the well too many times, leaving the concept tired by the time the final bell rang. Also, though I've heard a lot of good reviews of their work, the Kings of Wrestling looked a little bit sloppy here. They had what would be some nice double team moves in theory, but the execution didn't work out for whatever reason. Hopefully it was just an off night, because I'll be seeing a little bit more of them later on. If anything, the real star of the show was Equinox, who, despite screwing up from time to time, was still doing some awesome stuff for a relatively young wrestler doing lucha spots. If he goes back and solidifies some of the basics, he could really be something. *1/2
Match Numero Siete: Larry Sweeney & Mana vs. MIKAMI & KUDO
KUDO's in with Sweeney in the early going, and Sweet and Sour begs off until KUDO is fully checked for foreign objects. Sweeney goes behind and takes his man down after the pat down, and we've got some basic stuff on the mat to open the match up. KUDO eventually escapes Sweeney's grasp and gets a couple of arm drags, and both men's partners tag in. MIKAMI stomps the bare feet of Mana and kicks out his leg, setting up a 619 variation and a missile dropkick with HIGH elevation. He goes up to the top rope for a second move, but Mana catches him and hits a Samoan drop and the corner ass splash. Sweeney comes in to take over after that, and his double sledge off of the second rope is followed with a butterfly suplex and a fistdrop. Sweeney stays on his man with a gordbuster, which leads in to a quick exchange with Mana. He applies the neck vice, which just confirms to me that he's going out there and doing whatever he's seen other Polynesian wrestlers do in the past. MIKAMI elbows out of the hold, only to be caught in a throw, landing face-first. Heel miscommunication sees Sweeney accidentally nail Mana, and now all four men are in the ring brawling. Sweeney is tossed out of the ring, allowing MIKAMI to come off the top rope with a crisp swanton on Mana, ending the match in 7:00 flat.
Match Thoughts: It's official, I still can't stand Mana. Unfortunately, he's the guy who wound up dominating the match, working the majority of it for his team and staying on offense practically the whole time. He just did a bunch of bland stuff that most any other wrestler could do on twenty seconds of notice. The DDT guys did have a couple of nice spots that would liven the bout up from time to time, but it just wasn't enough to save this one. Sadly, for all of the hype I've heard about Sweeney, he was largely ignored here. This was disappointing on many levels. 3/4*
Here comes Arik Cannon again. He calls out masked man Jigsaw, who also refuses to be his partner.
Match Numero Ocho: CP Munk & Colt Cabunny vs. Matt Turner and Anthony Franco
Turner and Franco go on the assault right at the beginning, with Munk "biting" Turner and Cabunny doing the same to Franco. Both of the non-mascots bail and try to regroup. When things calm down, Cabunny is in there with Matt Turner, as the crowd starts a "Wabbit Season" chant. Turner applies a headlock, but Cabunny shoves off . . . and his head is removed! That reveals CZW wrestler Joker, who hits a nice belly to belly suplex and some chops. Franco and Munk are in a this point, with a Franco bulldog revealing Necro Butcher as the man under the rodent head. He punches the hell out of Franco and goes for a powerbomb, but Turner cuts it off with a missile dropkick. The match then turns in to a big brawl on the floor, with Necro posting and chopping Franco. Anthony does manage to respond with a backdrop suplex on the outside, and then he hits the ring to help Turner double team Joker. They get in a two man flapjack and a dropkick to Joker's face, but that only gets two. Things turn around quickly, though, as Franco gets caught by Joker and suplexed in to the buckles. Turner does manage to get a Diamond Cutter on the former bunny, but Necro Butcher is quickly back in to the match. Turner tries to take him down by the arm, but that just results in a huge lariat being hit. It gets the pin at 5:35.
Match Thoughts: This match just existed to get a pop out of the crowd for the big surprise and then for the surprise to be paid off with Necro and Joker winning. Since it worked, I've got no problem with it, but it's obviously not going to rate highly. 1/2*
With the preliminaries out of the way, it's time to hit ROUND TWO!
Match Numero Neuve: Hallowicked & Delirious vs. Cheech & Cloudy
Delirious throws some chairs in to the ring to start, but the referee is diligent in throwing them right back out. Cloudy kicks off the match proper with Hallowicked, and C-Note is taken down in to a toe hold. Cloudy manages to elbow his way out, and he goes for an armdrag, only to have Hallowicked cartwheel through it. Cloudy keeps on his man with a headscissors takedown and a pinning combo, but it only gets two. The mens' partners enter the ring after that, and Cheech is afraid of Delirious until he manages to sneak in an armbar. Delirious gets out and in between Cheech's legs, with Cheech taking a bump off of an unexpected BAH! Cheech tries to whip his man in to the buckles after that, but Delirious evades it and hits a jumping lariat, followed by a back elbow. Cheech goes to the eyes, but Delirious is so bizarre in his selling that his opponent goes off the offensive and gets caught with some forearms and a fireman's carry drop. Delirious applies the camel clutch after that, and Hallowicked tags in for a dropkick to Cheech's kisser. Cheech responds with a clothesline and tags in Cloudy, who unloads with forearms but gets caught by a Hallowicked shoulder tackle. That sets up another tag to Delirious, but nefarious tactics by the heels allow Cheech to hit a knee from the apron, setting up Cloudy's rolling neck snap. Cheech checks in to the match legally after that, and the heels hit an enzuguri/dropkick combo.
The chinlock is next from Cheech, but Delirious bites the fingers to escape. Cloudy comes right back in to cut off any offense he might have, and the little guy gets a jawbreaker, followed up by his neck snap AGAIN. Cheech comes back and scoops his man in to a couple of slams. He looks for a moonsault, but Delirious crotches him. Cheech lands in the tree of woe . . . and then Delirious powerbombs Cloudy in to him! It looks like they're fine, but that had the potential to be really scary. Here's the hot tag to Hallowicked, and he ranas Cheech. The faces hit a version of the Smoking Gunns' Sidewinder on Cloudy, after which Cheech and Hallowicked wind up in the ring. Hallowicked gets in a DRAGONRANA, but Cloudy saves at two. Cloudy attempts a superplex, but he's shoved off. He changes his strategy a bit, slamming Hallowicked with a forearm and then pulling him off of the top with a victory roll, which wound up slamming Wicked's back in to the canvas. Delirious and Cheech get in to the mix after that, and now we've got a four way brawl. The heels are shoved in to each other, setting up stereo finishers from the good guys for a pin at 12:15.
Match Thoughts: This wound up being a pretty decent one, as Delirious toned down the comedy a bit and allowed Hallowicked to get more in to the match, and he wasn't a bad little wrestler, either. Things were somewhat spotty, resulting in what was just a collection of big moves, particularly towards the end of the contest. There was some build to the huge sequence, though, so it wasn't needlessly insane form the beginning. **
Match Numero Deis: Chris Hero & Claudio Castognoli vs. Sumie Sakai & Ranmaru
The Kings of Wrestling got a pretty lucky draw this evening, having to fight an inexperienced team in the first round and then having a guaranteed match against a female team if they won that. A "Sumie's Gonna Kill You" chant opens up the match, as does Claudio. Forget what I said about Allison Danger, this man appears to be the size of a small skyscraper. (No, not Dan Spivey.) Awkward lockup to start, and Sumie gets out of it before running circles around her opposition. She tries to work the arm, but it seemingly has no effect until she bites the damn thing. The ladies do some double teaming after that, with Ranmaru tripping up Claude so that Sakai can try for the cross arm breaker. Castagnoli picks her up out of that, but she turns it in to a snap mare and combines with Ranmaru for a double dropkick and then a thumb to the eyes. Hero gets in an illegal boot, though, and it brings Ranmaru in to the ring. Hero takes Ranmaru down, and they trade wristlocks in the center of the ring. Hero tries some kind of wacky beal after that, but Ranmaru responds with some hard kicks and a headscissor takedown. She gets him with a victory roll after that, but it only nets two. More kicking ensues, and Sakai is in for some forearms. She jumps in to Hero's arms, though, and he passes her off to Castagnoli. Claudio holds Sumie up for a Hero dropkick and then he drops her in to a gutbuster. Another version of the move hits a bit later, and then Hero tags in to drop not one but TWO knees in to Sakai's midsection. He also applies a chinlock, and poor Sumie eats a forearm as soon as she gets out of it.
Hero places her on the top rope after that, but Sakai makes lemonade out of lemons by reversing in to a tornado DDT. Hero still manages to make the tag, though, and Claudio is back in with a slingshot elbowdrop. Sumie's then planted with a series of three more gutbusters, but Ranmaru saves before they can put Sakai away. Sumie is then whipped in the ropes, and she responds with a leaping cross arm breaker. Hero and Ranmaru run in to save for their respective teams, and eventually the hot tag is made. Ranmaru kicks away at Hero, but her leaping up on Chris' shoulders results in her being caught and handed off to Castagnoli. He hits a spinning facebuster but turns around in to a Sakai missile dropkick. She follows with a frog splash but just can't put the guy away. Hero picks her up in to a fireman's carry after that. Ranmaru runs in at this point, and she's picked up by Hero as well for a simultaneous airplane spin/giant swing. Hero then slams Sumie down on to Ranmaru, and he goes for a forward roll on Ran. She flips off of his shoulders and hits an enzuguri on the way down in what was an impressive move. More enzuguris take Hero out of the ring, but Claudio is right there. He dispatches Ranmaru with a European uppercut, and the Kings hit a double team backbreaker. Castagnoli holds on to Sumie and yanks her up for a side slam, which finishes at 14:16. The ladies get a pretty good show of respect out of the crowd post-match.
Match Thoughts: Normally I would write off intergender matches as being too gimmicky, especially if they go long like this one did. As it turns out, however, this was a damn fine example of tag team wrestling. Everybody knew what their role was, and nobody tried to break with that at any point. Much like they did in their first match, the Kings of Wrestling played the arrogant heels to the hilt, maintaining their dominance but letting their guards down just enough that it was believable that Team Jd' would be able to get in limited offensive flurries. Plus, I'm pleased to report that the sloppiness issues that they had in the opening round appeared to be resolved here, perhaps because they were dealing with more experienced opponents. Sakai, meanwhile, was the epitome of a professional wrestling underdog, taking a massive beating and doing so many small things with her facial expressions and interactions with the crowd that I thought she had just finished watching a five disc Best of Ricky Morton set. Ranmaru also did well in her role, as the kick-based offense was something that could believably stun a much larger opponent and create hope spots for the ladies. In short, it was a quality match where I went in expecting absolutely nothing. ***
Match Numero Once: Miyawkai & Yoshiaki Yago vs. KUDO & MIKAMI
Good to see that egos don't keep Japanese indy guys from wrestling each other in different promotions as they often might with big league grapplers. Yago kicks it off with KUDO, and they both look for kicks. Several of them connect, with Yago winning the war. I'm going to have a hell of a time here trying to remember whose name gets capitalized and whose doesn't. The two men trade off to their partners after the kick-fest is done, and MIKAMI goes to the arm. They do some pretty basic stuff with headscissors, armdrags, headlocks, and the like, after which they start running the ropes. MIKAMI gets a couple of headscissors out of that, and Miyawkai goes to the outside, where he's hit with a dive. KUDO takes over on him after that, but his kick to the shoulderblades awakens Miyawkai's FIGHTING SPIRIT! That doesn't last long, as MIKAMI comes back in tot he ring with a slingshot senton and a corkscrew elbow/senton one-two. KUDO comes back after that, and Team DDT has its double teaming attempts foiled. Miyawkai crushes them in the corner and does a fun move where he dropkicks MIKAMI while holding KUDO in a fireman's carry. That sets up the tag to Yago, and he kicks the legs out from under KUDO, which he follows up with the Achilles tendon hold. He tags Miyawkai from that position, and the smaller half of Team K-DOJO looks for an exploder suplex. KUDO reveses and hits a sitdown splash on the ropes, after which MIKAMI 619's Miyawkai in to a KUDO sunset flip. Miyawkai comes back after a Yago save, and that allows a tag. More kicking ensues from Yago. KUDO tries to fire back, but Yago catches a leg and applies an ankle lock, with Miyawkai pulling the ropes away so KUDO can't reach them. An STF follows from Yago, and Miyawkai runs in to dropkick KUDO in the face while he's stuck in the hold. KUDO has just about dragged himself to the ropes, at which point Yago turns it in the a crossface and then the Rings of Saturn when YAGO gets ready to reach the ropes with the free arm.
MIKAMI saves there, but he can't get the hot tag as Miyawkai makes his way in to the ring for a couple of dragon screws. A quick exchange to Yago sees the stiff bastard reel off a few body blows, but a desperation kick from KUDO knocks him outside. Miyawkai is right there, but he's hit by an enzuguri to enable the hot tag. MIKAMI comes in with his beautiful missile dropkick, and then he gets a back kick on Yago. A FAT senton follows, and the in-ring version of the 619 is also effective. There's a 450 splash after that, but Miywkai saves and DESTROYS MIKAMI WITH A LARIAT. KUDO and Yago are in now . . . DRAGON SUPLEX BY YAGO! YAGO pops up, though . . . BIG KICK TO YAGO'S FACE! All four men are down for a bit, with Miyawkai coming back up to his feet first. He trades chops with KUDO and follows up a sidewalk slam with a half crab. MIKAMI tries to save with punches, but Miyawkai just won't break and spits in MIKAMI's face. As if that wasn't bad enough, Yago takes him out with a spinning heel kick seconds later. It seemingly doesn't matter, though, as KUDO makes the ropes anyway. Miyawkai goes for a second lariat, but KUDO leaps over it and sneaks in a schoolboy for two. Yago is back in after Miyawkai rolls out . . . and he destroys KUDO with his body blows. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, MIKAMI comes off the top rope with a swanton on Miyawkai. He goes to hold yago back after that, allowing KUDO to bury a top rope kneedrop in to Miyawkai's chest. That ends the match at 16:20. Everybody celebrates together afterwards, and the crowd shows their appreciation with a "Thank You" chant.
Match Thoughts: Match of the night, right here. The slow start was great, combining both mat work and strike exchanges that put the similar segments on the rest of the show to shame. Things built up, built up, and built up with KUDO's leg being destroyed by the larger K-DOJO contingent in a manner most efficient. Then, when things came to a head and the hot tag was made, things were REALLY HOT. This was perhaps one of the most fast paced, action packed closing sequences to a professional wrestling match that I have ever seen . . . and I am a man who has watched plenty of TNA. The best part is that all of the chaos on the closing minutes was perfectly organized. At no point did you get the impression that the four men were making things up as they went along or having to stall while various contrived spots were set up and executed. They just did a bunch of simple, rapid fire wrestling moves, and their suddenness made everything all the more exciting. This was aided immensely by the lucha tag rules that Chikara chose to implement for the tournament, as I didn't have to ask why the referee suddenly stopped caring about the tag rule halfway through the bout as I am often forced to do when tag bouts break down like this. The only real issue I had with the match was KUDO's selling of the leg, which in a couple of situations got ignored so that he could hit big offensive moves. It wasn't as egregious as other selling problems that I've seen, but it still hurt the match a little. ***1/4
Match Numero Doce: BLK Out vs. Necro Butcher & Joker
There's a bit of tension here, as Kingston is generally Joker's tag team partner in CZW, while Sabian and Kingston disagreed about what strategy to use in their first round match. Joker's in with Kingston at the opening bell, and they head to the mat. Joker knees his way out of a headlock, but Eddie stays on him and takes him right back down. When Kingston finally lets his man up, Joker hits a rana, but Eddie's not quite out of it, coming back with an Oklahoma roll for two. That sets up the tag to Sabian, though Necro isn't brought in for some reason. The two men do some back and forth against the ropes, with Joker getting a faceplant and a snap suplex. That sets up the tag to the Butcher, who repeatedly kicks Sabian, including a dangerous one to the back of the head. A Tiger Driver follows from Necro, but he can't get the pinfall and continues to land big chops. The Iron Claw is applied to Sabian, and then Necro picks his man up for a nodawa-esque maneuver from that position. Kingston tries to run in for the save, but he's clawed as well. Both of the men punch out of the hold, but Necro takes them down with a double lariat and tags Joker. Jokes chops Sabian, but Sabs responds with a kick. He misses his follow up corkscrew senton, though, giving Joker the opening for a big elbow. Kingston does manage to tag in to the match, slamming Joker in the face with Yakuza kick and giving him the belly-to-belly. He challenges Necro to come in to the ring after the Butcher makes the save, and now we've got two men trading fisticuffs. Eddie goes down pretty quickly, and he's on wobbly legs after he gets back up. He does try to fire back, but another straight right from Necro ends that quickly. A lariat from Butcher sends Kingston out fo the ring, and Butcher follows him, only to get knocked down with a Sabian tope. Joker follows him out with a corkscrew dive, taking everybody down and scattering some chairs as well.
Everybody brawls on the floor except for Butcher, who heads up to the top rope and his a big cannonball-style dive. Sabian and Joker wind up back in the ring after some selling, with Joker turning a rana in to a powerbomb ON THE KNEE! Meanwhile Butcher brings a chair in to the ring, and he tries to suplex Kingston on to it. Fortunately the referee moves the furniture, and Sabian comes off the top rope with a sledge on to Butcher to prevent his suplexing efforts. Everybody's back out on the floor after that one, with Joker and Sabian being the ones wrestling when things make it back to the squared circle. Joker gets Sabian up on his shoulders, only to have Kingston kick him in the face. That results in a backdrop suplex by Eddie, which Sabian follows up with a double stomp from the top. Necro Butcher saves, but Sabian is still on top of Joker and hits a swinging DDT from the top rope. It also gets two. Joker is right back in the game, though, hitting a suplex of his own. Then, out of nowhere, Sabian rolls up his opponent and ends the match with a cradle at 14:01. Um, yeah.
Match Thoughts: This wasn't a terrible match, but it was a bit of a disappointment coming off the last two bouts, which were much better. Though I do appreciate all of the risky spots that the four men were willing to work in to their offense here, there seemed to be very little structure, as the pacing just went back and forth from high speed to a snail's speed with seemingly little to no rhyme or reason. On top of that, the finish made no sense whatsoever. Sabian had just been dumped on his head with a suplex that probably should have taken him out of commission for a little while, but he was just immediately able to pop up and pin Joker. There was no build to the finish, no logical story behind the choice of move, no nothing. It confused me and killed a lot of good will that this bout otherwise would have had. *1/4
Kingston thanks the crowd after the match, and we fade to black rather abruptly.
Final Thoughts
Number of Matches: 12 Highest Star Rating: ***1/4 Lowest Star Rating: 1/2* Average Star Rating: *3/4
If you want to talk about building a solid foundation for the rest of a multi-night tournament, this is how you do it. Though it is true that nothing from this card will stand out as an all time classic, it was an evening of solid wrestling that got everybody acquainted with the performers in the tournament and did a fabulous job of getting over those teams that are advancing to the later rounds. It also has to be one of the most consistent shows that I've ever reviewed, as nothing in three whole hours was actively bad except for Mana's limited amount of work. The lowest rated match was even entertaining to watch just for the crowd's reaction to Necro Butcher, who was the last person that many of the fans expected to show up at a Chikara event. If you're only interested in buying one night of the tournament, this probably wouldn't be the one to pick up. However, it is still a solid indy show standing on its own, featuring two matches (DDT vs. K-DOJO and Jd' vs. The Kings of Wrestling) that are good, unique bouts that you'll probably never see anywhere else.
