CHIKARA Review: Best of 2008, Disc 1
Posted by Kevin Ford on 06.04.2009
All of CHIKARA's best matches, put together in an affordable four-disc set!
At the end of each calendar year, CHIKARA releases a big ol’ multi-disc DVD set covering the years best matches. 2008 was no exception, as CHIKARA released the four-disc Best of 2008 set in February of 2009.
For me, 2008 was one of CHIKARA’s landmark years. The amazing King of Trios tournament, a plethora of stars from around the globe dropping in, the emotionally captivating and intricate storylines, and all around fantastic action made CHIKARA the most fun and exciting wrestling company in 2008. Putting together a DVD set that truly reflects this year is a tough one, but the staff at CHIKARA and Smart Mark Video were up to the task.
In the next four days, four separate reviews covering each disc will be put up on this here site. Admittedly, all of them (with the exception of this one) are match reviews seen previously in my other DVD reviews. However, putting all these matches together on a single disc can change the overall rating of a “show”. The ratings at the end of each disc reflect the overall quality of each individual disc, not the DVD as a whole.
Annnnd with that said, let’s get to it!
Shane Storm vs. Eddie Kingston From “Two Eyebrows Are Better Than One”: January 27th, 2008
A lock up starts this off. Kingston takes Storm down the mat wrenching on Storm’s arm. Kingston twists into a headlock takeover. Storm works it into a head scissors on the mat. Kingston works out of it and pushes Storm’s face into the mat. Kingston pushes Storm into the ropes and chops him across the chest. Storm slaps Kingston in the belly and hurricanrana’s him down. Back to their feet, Storm lands an alita and a forearm for the two. Storm has the advantage till Storm is sent to the apron. Kingston boots Storm in the face. Kingston hops off the second rope and clotheslines Storm right in the face! Storm is sent to the floor. Kingston teases a dive, but instead goes through the ropes to the floor. Kingston slaps Storm in the face. Kingston kicks away at Storm, and it’s clear that Storm has begun to bleed from his nose through his mask. Kingston bites away at Storm’s face. Kingston continues to work on the nose and throws Storm back in. Kingston stomps on Storm, and gets a two count. Kingston goes back to the arm, and Storm refuses to let himself be pinned. An angry Kingston smacks away at the face. Kingston locks on a Camel Clutch, and rubs his forearm across Storm’s face. Kingston continues bullying Storm but can’t get the three. Storm catches Kingston with a boot in the corner, and hits a big, cracking slap on Kingston! Kingston counters quickly and punches Storm to the mat. Kingston pulls down the straps and continues to bully Storm. Kingston hits a SICK headbutt on Storm as the camera zooms in on Storm’s bloody mask. Storm sends Eddie to the floor. Storm goes for a tope and misses. Storm grabs his knee in pain. Kingston throws Storm back in the ring and only gets a two count. Storm lands some forearm’s and turns into a DDT on Kingston. Storm then lands a suplex for the two. Storm lands a German suplex dropping Eddie on his head in the center of the ring! Eddie barely kicks out and lays in a heap in the ring. Storm picks him up and lands another forearm. Eddie reverses a whip into the turnbuckle, and takes off Storm’s head with a clothesline! Storm kicks out of a pin, and Eddie drops Storm on his head. Storm kicks out once more. A displeased Kingston lands a half nelson suplex on Storm’s head. Storm gets up and lands That Japanese Move on Eddie! Both men exchange blows on the mat, and Storm picks Eddie up. The blows continue with neither man budging. Kingston lands a big headbutt, and Storm comes back with a pair of headbutts! Eddie strikes and hits the ropes. Shane lands a spinwheel kick for the two count. Kingston gets up, covered in blood himself from Storm’s nose. Storm blocks a Back Drop Driver and lands That Japanese Move. Eddie kicks out again! Storm looks for the Air Raid Crash. Kingston nails Storm in the kidney’s to get out. Kingston lands a back drop Driver and Storm gets on his feet. A second one, and Storm gets to his feet again. Storm ducks the Backfist to the Future. Eddie turns and hits the second attempt! Eddie finally gets the pin on Storm, in an awesome match. Jeez, this was an unexpectedly hard-hitting, bloody match in the middle of a card. It really made these two look like complete bad asses. Shane’s mask looked SO gross after this match, I hope he tossed it. ***1/4
King of Trios First Round
Team IWS (The Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Stupefied) and El Generico) vs. The F1RST Family (The North Star Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz) and Arik Cannon) From “King of Trios 2008, Night Two”: March 1st, 2008
Corbin and Generico start things off. Generico and Corbin switch off looking for the advantage both on their feet and on the mat. They exchange some lucha much to the delight of the fans. Both men reach a respectful stand still. Cruz and Stupefied tag in. A lock up, and again both men are jocking for position. Some fast-paced action between these two goes on with the fans getting into it. Both go for a sunset flip only getting a two. Another stand still and handshake happens, and Player Uno and Arik Cannon tag in for their teams. Uno tries a quick schoolboy but doesn’t get it. Uno applies a headlock and Arik can’t escape. Arik pauses Uno, and then picks up a Nintendo 64 controller. Arik sticks it in Uno’s tights, unpauses Uno, and then controls his actions with the N64 controller! Uno begins to dance and slap both his partners under Arik’s control. Referee Bryce Remsburg pauses Uno and forces Arik to cut it out. Bryce unpauses Uno, and he takes down Arik with some arm drags and a leg lariat. Arik is sent to the floor and Uno hits the ropes. Ryan Cruz stops Uno with a forearm shot. Uno is able to counter Cruz’s offense, and all three members of Team IWS come in. Generico lands a standing moonsault after the SSB hit a double team elbow. Cruz gets isolated by IWS, with each member of IWS coming in and delivering their portion of damage. Some double team moves by the Super Smash Bros. only gets them the two count, as Cannon breaks up the fall. Corbin pulls Cruz out of the ring, making Arik the legal man. Smart move by F1RST. Cannon works on Stupefied, and now F1RST has a man isolated. All three men take their licks, and even hit some sweet triple team combinations. Stupefied breaks up a double clothesline from the North Stars, and hits a double Pelé kick. Generico tags in and takes out Darin Corbin. Generico chops him then lands the hop-up high cross body for the two count. Corbin rolls out and tags in Cruz, and Uno tags in. Uno puts Cruz on his shoulders and lands a hard back breaker across the knee for two. The Super Smash Bros. are both in. Stupefied catches a boot from Cruz and hits a fisherman suplex. He follows up with a standing Cancun press for a two. Stup goes up top. He backflips into an Ace Crusher from Corbin! Holy crap! Generico and Cannon stand as the legal men in the ring. Generico runs up the ropes for a DDT. Cannon stops him and hits the Total Anarchy! Uno comes in and eats a huge slap from Arik. The two men exchange blows ending with Uno kicking Arik in the head. Arik avoids an attack from Uno, but then eats the Yakuza Kick from Generico! Uno follows with the M. Bison Stomp and a frog splash from Stupefied! The North Star Express breaks up the pin as the fans appluade. F1RST take down Uno and pin him, but Generico and Stup break up that pin. Arik looks for an Alabama Slam, but Stupefied turns it into a huge reverse rana! Generico follows up with a half-nelson suplex onto his head, and Arik kicks out! An angry Generico gets hit with an Enzugiri and then a Back Drop Driver. Arik nails the Glimmering Warlock! Uno breaks up his pin. The North Star Express come in and beat on the Super Smash Bros. Stupefied is set up sitting on the second ropes facing the crowd. Corbin hits the Finlay Roll, and Cruz hits a flying legdrop. At the exact same time, Corbin rolls up and lands a sick back cracker on Stupefied! An amazing sequence right there. Uno somehow kicks out, and the fans go nuts. The North Star’s land their monkey flip cannonball on Stupefied and look for the Cruz Control. Stupefied moves however, and Uno throws Corbin into Cannon. Generico heads up top and hits a somersault plancha onto them. The SSB hit Pac Man Fever on Cruz for the victory! Holy crap, that was quite the 15 minute match-up here. Both these teams look incredible, and was most likely the best match of the first round. ***1/2
King of Trios Second Round
The Soul Touchaz (Marshe Rockett, Acid Jaz, & Willie “da Bomb” Richardson) vs. F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Gran Akuma, & Chuck Taylor) From “King of Trios 2008, Night Two”: March 1st, 2008
Marshe and Rockett start off. They feel each other out, exchanging go-behinds and wrist locks. Icarus has Marshe in a double leg trap and guillotine choke, but Marshe is able to roll out. Akuma and Jaz tag in for their teams. Jaz and Akuma exchange wrist locks. Jaz gets Akuma in a headlock, Akuma uses his neck strength to bridge out of it. An exchange of headlocks, then Jaz shoulder tackles Akuma out of the ring. Chucky T and Marshe come in. Chuck kicks Marshe in the gut and sends him to the ropes. Marshe lands a side Russian leg sweep and tags in Jaz. Marshe picks up Jaz in a wheelbarrow and slams him onto Chuck. Marshe then hits a big leg drop and tags in Willie. Marshe hits a splash in the corner on Chuck, and Willie hits the exclamation mark with the Pounce! Icarus comes in when Chuck rolls to the floor. Icarus slaps Willie, and Willie responds with a slap to the chest. Icarus kicks Willie in the gut and looks for a suplex. Icarus fails, of course, and Willie then lands a 30-second delayed vertical suplex of his own. The Soul Touchaz stop Akuma and Taylor from breaking the suplex with a pair of pescados. With Marshe, Jaz, Icarus, and Chuck standing together, Willie looks for a dive. Akuma trips Willie, making the fans even more angry with F.I.S.T. F.I.S.T. decide to work Marshe over in their corner with each man taking their turn, as well as plenty of triple teams. Jaz intercepts a clothesline from Akuma and hits his signature M-80! That’s a jumping Ace Crusher, by the way. Willie gets tagged in and takes out Icarus and Chuck. Akuma goes for a kick but gets caught with a side slam instead. Willie hits a spinebuster on Icarus, and follows up with a triple dropkick from all three Soul Touchaz. Willie heads up top but is caught off by Chuck Taylor. Chuck hits the Sole Food on Marshe. Marshe shakes out the cobwebs and hits a butterfly suplex. Marshe heads up top but is caught off by Akuma. Akuma hits the Exploder suplex off the top, while hanging on. Akuma lands a moonsault press and his pin is broke up by Acid Jaz. Jaz escapes the Falcon Arrow. Jaz hits a Urinagi backbreaker and then a faceplant. Willie heads up top and drops the bomb with a big leg drop! Chuck breaks up the pin in the nick of time. Jaz comes in and brawls with Icarus and Chuck. Jaz hits an Enzugiri on Chuck sending him outside. Jaz blocks the Shiranui attempt from Icarus, and spits the Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix into Icarus’ face! Jaz rolls up Icarus for the two count. Jaz tries the Shiranui but Icarus escapes it. Chuck catches Acid Jaz and hits the Awful Waffle for the win! Marshe was so close to breaking it up but was off by half a second. It’s so easy to see after this match why The Soul Touchaz were the break out stars of the weekend and why they’ve been brought back many times since. ***
King of Trios Quarter-Final Round
Team Japan (KUDO, MIYAWAKI, & SUSUMU) vs. BLK OUT (Eddie Kingston, Ruckus, & Joker) From “King of Trios 2008, Night Three”: March 2nd, 2008
BLK Out attacks Team Japan before the bell, taking the fight to the outside. MIYAWAKI and Joker end up as the two men in the ring. They exchange forearm strikes off the ropes with neither man budging. MIYAWAKI finally takes Joker down, then Ruckus comes in and sends him to the floor. SUSUMU comes in, and Ruckus takes him down with an armdrag and a dropkick. KUDO comes and double teams Ruckus with SUSUMU. Team Japan takes Ruckus over to their corner and pounds on him in the mat. Ruckus almost makes a tag, but KUDO drags him back and kicks him in the shoulder blades for his trouble. Ruckus hits a twisting spin wheel kick then tags in Kingston. Eddie takes out KUDO with a back elbow, then pulls him by his nostrils. Joker comes in and punishes KUDO as well. Joker also works on KUDO’s face, including fish-hooking his mouth. KUDO almost gets a kick in, but Joker hits a lariat and brainbuster to stop him. MIYAWAKI comes in and breaks up the pin to save the match for his team. Kingston and Joker mow down KUDO with a pair of shoulder tackles. KUDO gets up after a kick from Kingston, and knocks Kingston down with a spinning heel kick. MIYAWAKI finally gets tagged in. He slams all three of the BLK OUT down. Joker gets MIYAWAKI in a full nelson. Eddie runs at MIYAWAKI, but he slips out and Eddie hits Joker with a forearm. MIYAWAKI drops Eddie onto Joker and pins for two. He clothesline both men known, then Ruckus comes in to spoil the party. MIYAWAKI picks up Ruckus in a side slam and SUSUMU jumps off the second rope with a leg drop. He only gets the two count, then MIYAWAKI sits down in a half crab on Ruckus. KUDO and SUSUMU stop Eddie and Joker by locking on submissions of their own. Joker picks up SUSUMU and uses him to break up the submissions from KUDO and MIYAWAKI. Ruckus and KUDO are left in the ring. KUDO ducks a clothesline and hits a torpedo dive on everyone on the outside. Ruckus dives out onto Team Japan. SUSUMU goes for a dive, but the BLK OUT pulls him down. BLK OUT and Team Japana again brawl on the outside. SUSUMU hops up on the guardrail, and lands tumbleweed dive on the BLK OUT. Kingston and MIYAWAKI end up in the ring together. A suplex onto Kingston’s head and stereo dropkicks only get Team Japan a two count. SUSUMU lands a headscissors face plant for the two. Joker hits the Last Ride on SUSUMU, and KUDO hops off with a double knee strike to Joker. Ruckus then hits a flip neckbreaker on KUDO, and MIYAWAKI a slop drop on Ruckus. Kingston tries to take out MIYAWKI, but MIYAWAKI hits a dead lift German Suplex. Kingston gets up and Back Drop Driver’s MIYWAKI down. MIYAWAKI has fighting spirit though! Eddie lands the backfist and all six men are now down! Kingston slaps away at KUDO, who then kicks Kingston down to the mat. Joker breaks up the pin. Joker strikes at KUDO and catches him with a scoop suplex onto KUDO’s skull. SUSUMU lands a sweet SUSUMU Tonic (think the Yoshi Tonic with the wrestler giving the move spinning to the mat). Kingston breaks up the pin and puts SUSUMU on his shoulders. Ruckus comes off the top and lands a knee to SUSUMU’s head. Kingston only gets a two count. Kingston and SUSUMU exchange some strikes. SUSUMU looks for the tonic, but Eddie blocks. Eddie nails him in the face with the Backfist to the Future for the win! Excellent, excellent match. Joker is really great and I am sad he isn’t in CHIKARA any more. Team Japan also rocked, even if they gave my Caps Lock key a work out. MIYAWAKI should come back more often, he’s really good. ***1/4
King of Trios Quarter-Final Round
Mike Quackenbush, Shane Storm, & Jorge “Skayde” Rivera vs. Team Mexico (Lince Dorado, El Pantera, & Incognito) From “King of Trios 2008, Night Three”: March 2nd, 2008
Lince and Shane start this match off. Some basic lucha starts things off with neither man getting a clear advantage. There were a couple of sloppy and awkward looking moments, but nothing overly offensive. Incognito and Quackenbush tag in for their respective teams. Incognito takes Quack down, and Quack is able to work out while holding onto the arm. Incognito rolls over into a stretch. Quack is able to make his way up to another stand still. Incognito locks up Quack’s knuckles. Quack flips over, but is taken down by Incognito anyhow, showing up Quackenbush. Quack monkey flips Incognito who lands on his feet. He tries again but gets set on the top rope. Some more lucha from these guys, including a moment where Quack transitioned with a seated springboard into a hurricanrana. The Lucha legends of the team, Skayde and Pantera tag in. These two start off hard trying to get the advantage. Pantera spins out of a roll up pin into a head scissors twice. Pantera stretches out Skayde with both his arms and feet, and then rolls up and sits back on Skayde’s head and neck. Pantera rolls through for a two. Both men try for a cruxifix pin but only get two. Skayde takes Pantera’s leg looking for a submission. He doesn’t get a pin, so he goes back to the leg. These men each exchange painful looking submissions on one another. Skayde gets out, but appears to be favoring his leg. These two go back and forth once more reaching a stalemate. Skayde rolls Pantera into a single leg crab. Pantera moves up and sunset flips for a two count. Pantera and Skayde flip back up to their feet, shake hands, and Skayde tags Quack in. Quack gets nailed with a spinning heel kick, then Pantera tags in Incognito. Pantera and Incognito double team Quack. Skayde uses the ropes to come in and take down Pantera with a headscissors. Quack gets an assist from Skayde for a double London Bridge and double knuckle lock take down. Quack and Skayde fake out dives and flip up to their feet. Shane and Lince come back in with some more sloppy looking stuff. Thankfully Quack tags back in quickly and takes it to Lince. Skayde tags in and ties up Lince’s legs. Storm comes back in and puts Lince in an Octopus stretch. Team Quackenbush continues to keep Lince in the ring stretching out his mid-section and beating him down. Lince gets out when he turns Storm’s powerbomb attempt into the X-Factor! Lince tags Incognito as Skayde comes in. Skayde cuts off Incognito with a leg drop, but he recovers quickly and takes down Incognito with a tope to the outside. Quack and Lince come in. Quack lands a reverse brainbuster for the two count. Quack goes for another and Pantera breaks it up. Pantera blocks That Japanese Move and answers with one of his own. Quack comes in looking for the Black Tornado Slam on Pantera. Pantera tries for a crucifix pin and misses it. Pantera hits an alita, then crucifixes Quack again for the victory! Quite the surprise here, with Team Mexico beating 2/3rds of last years King of Trios winners. Anywho, this match was alright. Quackenbush, Skayde, and Pantera really looked great. Incognito and Lince were alright, and Storm looked decent when he wasn’t being sloppy. ***
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie Lee From “Passion & Persistance”: April 20th, 2009
A stare down starts this off. Brodie and Claudio each go for shoulder tackles, and neither man goes down. Finally, Brodie calls for a test of strength. Cludio puts his hand up and the fans of course yell “HEY!” They lock hands, and when Claudio is about to get the advantage Brodie attacks. Claudio finally hits a big shoulder tackle sending Brodie to the floor. Claudio hits a European and throws Brodie back in. As Claudio comes in, Brodie cuts off Claudio. Claudio tosses Brodie to the corner and hits another uppercut. Brodie follows with an elbow smash and clothesline in the corner. Brodie hits a belly to back suplex. Claudio rolls to the floor and Brodie follows. The two men exchange blows on the floor. Brodie throws Claudio into the guardrail then back into the ring. Brodie continues to use his strength to assert himself. Claudio throws an elbow, but it is all for naught as Brodie thrusts him right in the throat. Brodie applies a rear chin lock while digging his knee into Claudio’s spine. Claudio fights his way but Brodie follows and splashes him. Brodie lands a slingshot suplex for the two count. From his knees Claudio fights back up. Brodie tries to keep him down with hard forearm strikes. Claudio makes it up and catches Brodie with a powerslam as Brodie comes off the ropes. Claudio begins churning out the European uppercuts, unleashing them on Brodie. Claudio catches him with a back body drop off the ropes. He then lands an elbow off the second rope for the two. Claudio hits a spin-out X-Factor for the two count. Claudio sets up for the Ricola Bomb. Brodie pushes Claudio the corner and lands some overhand chops to the chest. Brodie takes Claudio up top, and Claudio pushes him off. Brodie runs back up damn quick for a guy his size. He hits a butterfly suplex from the top rope and that only gets him the two. Brodie looks for his Big Boot, but Claudio ducks. Claudio comes off the second rope with a big diving European uppercut. Claudio tries for a German suplex and Brodie fights out. Claudio goes for the Sweet Schwinn Music. Brodie moves, and Claudio kicks referee Derek Sabato in the face. Brodie comes back with a hard clothesline while the ref is out cold. Brodie sets up for the Liger Bomb. Claudio trips him, and Claudio spins him around in the Giant Swing! Claudio goes for the pin but the referee is still out. Claudio picks up Brodie for the Ricola Bomb again and lands it! Senior Official Bryce Remsburg comes in and counts the three, but at the same time Derek Sabato rings the bell. Bryce gives Claudio the victory via pinfall, but Derek says that Brodie wins via DQ. Regardless, Brodie Big Boot’s Claudio’s face off post match standing over him. A damn good brawl between the two giants of CHIKARA. This finish led to a great series of matches between these two, so I have no complaints. ***1/4
Mike Quackenbush, Jorge “Skayde” Rivera, & Turbo vs. Claudio Castagnoli, El Pantera, & Sonjay Dutt From “Grit & Glory”: May 18th, 2008
Wow. Just wow. I really do not know how to describe this match. Here is the best way I can describe it: Have you ever looked at a match and thought “wow, that sounds really awesome”? Well, I don’t doubt that many of you did that when looking at this match. And you know something? You would without question be correct. This match was fast and furious with so much cool stuff and spots happening all the time. This literally was total nonstop action. There was some traditional stuff, like the rudos teaming up on Skayde and each member of the team doing a strut (which was AWESOME) but the story of the match was completely secondary. These six men all went out there looking to put on a really fun, easy to watch spot fest and they delivered in spades. Everybody busted their ass off and looked great doing it. I will say that in the finish there was a sequence of reversals mid-move that Turbo and Claudio did that reaffirmed my belief that Claudio MUST DO LUCHA NOW. Speaking of these two, the finish was Claudio catching Turbo with the pop-up European uppercut and following it up for the pin. After the match, everyone in the audience was clapping and all six participants were smiling. The fans knew they did a great job, they knew they did a great job, the announcers knew they did a great job, and sweet lord did I think they did an awesome job. There wasn’t enough psychology really for it to be a five star match, but god damn did this rule. Everyone slapped hands with the fans. This match should be all the reason you need to buy this DVD; it really was something to behold. ****1/4
The 411: The first disc showcased some real good Trios action and two fine, hard hitting singles contests. What's not to love? The Team Mexico vs. Team Quackenbush match left something to be desired, but even that wasn't too bad.
