Reviews From The City of Orange: Chikara: Revelation X – 1/25/09

REVELATION X
January 25, 2009

It’s been a while since my last foray into reviewing U.S. Indy feds, so I’m treading lightly by going with Chikara, a promotion that rarely leaves me feeling disappointed. To paraphrase Bubba Ray Dudely, it’s like a Kiss show. You don’t really get bored.

Colin Delaney . . . digs his workboots out and wrestles like Colin Olsen, rather than a deluded “Big League Superstar.”
The Colony . . . once again proves why they’re one of the better acts in the company, even in defeat.
Jimmy Olsen . . . dons a mask and outsmarts the master of mind games in Chikara’s first ever Ladder Match.

LINCE DORADO/HELIOS vs. ICARUS/GRAN AKUMA
This match is a good example of why I’m such a big fan of this promotion. It’s got something for everyone. Dorado and Helios bring the spunkiness, flying, and some innovative stuff, Icarus and Akuma do their part to rain on their parade. There’s a great moment early on when Helios catches Akuma in a spinning head scissors with quite a few rotations, which gets the crowd cheering, and as soon as Helios gets to his feet Icarus steals control of the match with a big spear. Helios gets a sort of revenge spot a bit later, when Icarus sees him charging and pulls down the top rope, thinking that Helios will go tumbling to the floor, but Helios sees it coming and takes the opportunity to hit a dive to the floor on Akuma. If there’s one thing that the Chikara roster seems to have down to a science it’s building to a hot finish with good near falls, and this isn’t any exception, although the actual finish is a bit sudden, Icarus attempts the pedigree and Helios blocked it, so Icarus did a standing switch and killed him with a German suplex. It’s a perfectly fine, and logical finish, which I appreciate, but it just seemed a bit out of nowhere.

BRODIE LEE/GRIZZLY REDWOOD vs. HALLOWICKED/FRIGHTMARE
Now this is more of a straight-up formula tag match. It starts off hot and heavy with Brodie and ‘Wicked brawling on the floor (they’ve got a preexisting issue), which allows ‘Mare to hit a big dive. The technicos have their way with Grizzly for a bit, with a series of ugly jumping armdrags, I don’t know if Grizzly didn’t know how to take them properly (he was trained by ROH not Chikara) or if ‘Wicked’s size and/or ‘Mare’s inexperience were a factor as well. Brodie hits a cheap shot lariat from the apron to let the rudos take over and it’s a lot of clubberin’ although it’s amusing to watch Grizzly act like he’s a big bad ass, sort of like a Chihuahua thinking it’s a Great Dane. There’s a sick spot when ‘Mare tries a wheelbarrow and Brodie blocks and hits a German suplex. A rudo mis communication lets ‘Wicked tag in, and he goes right after Brodie and hits Grizzly with the GTSH (Go To Sleepy Hollow). Brodie and ‘Wicked fight to the floor and Brodie takes him out with a chain, but then he accidentally runs into Grizzly and ‘Mare scores the pin with a prawn hold. Solid tag team action, and continuation of the Brodie/’Wicked feud, no complaints here.

SARA DEL REY vs. DAIZEE HAZE
Aside from the low placement on the card, and Sara not wearing the war paint, there’s very little that would separate this from the sort of match they’d have in a SHIMMER ring. The early work on the mat is very smooth and well done, which is to be expected from Sara but it’s great to see Daizee not only keep up, but also show her own technical skills. This starts going somewhere when Daizee misses the plancha to the floor, well she didn’t so much miss as Sara just sidestepped her and let her crash and burn. Sara is right there to pick up the pieces by dropping her across the guardrail, trying to submit her with an abdominal stretch, and getting a couple of near falls from what I can only describe as a Gory Special pin. Daizee comes back with a few near falls of her own, culminating in a spinning head scissors into a school girl roll-up for the upset. The work itself is perfectly acceptable, but it suffered from a lack of heat due to so many near falls before the finish, and also, likely, due to Sara working over Daizee’s midsection after the plancha not going anywhere.

MIKE QUACKENBUSH/JIGSAW vs. ULTRAMANTIS BLACK/CROSSBONES
The primary message of this match seems to be to show that Quack and Jigsaw have fully patched up their differences and are still (or again, depending on your point of view) ready to take Chikara by storm. There are a few little side stories as well, but nothing that really lasts or has any great impact. The early portion featured an in-ring interrogation of Mantis by Quack to find out why Dr. Cube wanted info on the Chikara Special, it was fun to watch Quack work him over, but when Mantis spilled his guts (it was apparently for Bob Saget) it didn’t really make sense (at least not yet). A bit later on, Crossbones catches Quack by surprise with a lariat when Quack was ready to dive onto Mantis and hits a big splash. The rudos start working over Quack’s midsection, and Quack’s selling is top notch, but, again, it really doesn’t lead anywhere. Jigsaw appears to get the hot tag, but he winds up in trouble as well, and it’s a much more traditional technico in peril segment.

After the hot ‘tag’ (Jigsaw rolled to the floor for a Lucha tag) Quack and Jigsaw start showing their stuff. They’re in nearly perfect synch when they hit Crossbones with the double superkick, and their spot when Jigsaw hits the diving footstomp, and then Quack does his own right afterward really had the crowd going. Crossbones tries to help by taking Mantis to the floor, and Quack dives onto both of them. He throws Mantis into the ring and Jigsaw quickly finishes him off with the Jig ‘n’ Tonic. The result is the only thing that truly matters though, Quack and Jigsaw won their first official foray into tag team action, proving that, despite not having officially teamed up in more than a year, that they could still get the job done.

COLIN DELANEY/STIGMA vs. CHEECH/CLOUDY
I don’t care if it’s his real name nor not, Colin is, and always will be, Colin Olsen to me. The match has plenty of things to like, Cheech and Cloudy bring plenty of fun touches, whether they’re taking to the air, working their surfer gimmick, or Cheech impressively busting out some nice matwork. The good wrestling is apparently infectious tonight, Colin even drops his ‘big league superstar’ shtick and shows some of his own actual wrestling skills, even doing the falling lariat for the first time that I’ve seen in quite a while. Colin and STIGMA make a fun pair of heels, with tactics like their Colin holding Cloudy in place for a STIGMA boot scrape, and STIGMA slamming Colin onto Cloudy. They run through the usual Chikara finish run with some hot near falls for both teams, and throw in a cute nod to the opener STIGMA killing Cloudy with a big German suplex for a near fall, and then finally finishing him off with a spike Tombstone. It’d have been nice to see something a bit more story-driven, but that’s the only real criticism I have, when even Colin is busting his hump, you know you’re watching something good. ***

MITCH RYDER/LARRY SWEENEY vs. EL HIJO DEL ICE CREAM/ICE CREAM, JUNIOR
I’m not a Spanish expert by any stretch, but aren’t “el hijo del” and “junior” the same thing? In any case, this is fun, at times, but the comedy bit gets old when it’s repeated so often. Ryder and Sweeney are a classic pair of southern heels. They’d look right at home in the Continental Territory teaming up with Jimmy Golden, being managed by Robert Fuller, and using “Hard To Handle” by Otis Redding as entrance music. It’s fun to watch Los Ice Creams bump Sweeney around, especially when Sweeney stooges after the slingshot into the corner and the second one into the backside of Junior. This loses steam when Ryder tags in, the spot they work is funny . . . the first few times. Junior pinches Mitch in the ass, Ryder chops him in the chest, and Junior starts to cry, and does the Curly shuffle. But they repeat the spot again and again. They finally change things up with Junior charging into a boot in the corner and having to stop and adjust his head (from falling off the cone, we can all relate to that disappointment) and then charge back into the boot. Junior tags in Hijo, but Larry takes him out of commission with an Alabama slam. Mitch gives Junior a piledriver and the flying elbow from Sweeney finishes him off. Like the previous match, it’d have been nice to see something as far as story goes, but this was probably thrown together the night of the show (this was supposed to be a King of Trios qualifier), so it’s hard to fault them too much.

EDDIE KINGSTON vs. DELIRIOUS
I guess this could be considered a continuation of the Roughnecks/Incoherence feud that Brodie and Hallowicked established, although there isn’t anything here to suggest that the match has anything personal for Delirious or Kingston. It’s fun to watch Delirious take it to Kingston, on paper, this looks like a quick win for Kingston, but not on this night. Delirious takes the fight to him and, honestly, Delirious probably gets in too much offense. He gets in just about all of his trademark spots. The Panic Attacks, two attempts at Shadows Over Hell, Cobra Stretch, and multiple lariats in the corner, not to mention his share of things like regular lariats, chops, and the headbutt to the stomach. The only big spot that Delirious doesn’t seem to use is his finisher, the Chemical Imbalance II.

Although this seems to be a bit lopsided as far as offense goes, Kingston brings quite a few good things himself. He’s really good at showing his surprise at how well Delirious not only fights back, but fights back successfully. He also adds a few smart touches, such as the way he drops down and trips Delirious early on, and also simply sidestepping Shadows Over Hell. It’s also refreshing to see some psychology thrown in as well. Kingston keeps his offense somewhat aimed at Delirious’ head and neck areas, which makes sense with Kingston’s finishers (spinning backfist, backdrop driver, and Sliding D), and it had the bonus of Delirious’ propensity for headbutts working just as well for Kingston as it usually does for Delirious. Kingston is also smart enough to try to keep his finishers somewhat protected, when the Sliding D and Backfist fail to keep him down, he doesn’t lose focus and he plants Delirious with the backdrop to finish him off. I don’t think there’s anything they could have done to put on a significantly better match, Delirious’ comedy stuff wouldn’t gel with Kingston, and Delirious is too talented and established to be squashed in short order.

AMASIS/OPHIDIAN © vs. FIRE ANT/SOLDIER ANT (Campeones de Perajas)
It’d be easy to write this off as a spotfest, but that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Yes, there is a truckload of big spots and a few elaborate sequences, but that’s not the only thing that both teams bring to the table. The match is structured quite well, unless you’ve read the results carefully, then you’ll be sure time and time again that the match is over, only to be shocked when there’s a kick out or a save made. That’s become par for the course with The Colony, as seen in their 2007 series with BLKOUT as well as Fire Ant’s match with Vin Gerard in the finals of the 2008 Young Lions Cup Tournament, even when they lost, the ants were able to raise their stock with their fighting spirit. However, thankfully (at least for now) it never gets cliched or boring to watch them fight from underneath. The Portal does their part by heeling things up when they can, they attack before the bell during pre-match the ceremony, and Amasis fakes a foot injury (playing off a legit injury from a few months before) when the ants start having success. Their reactions to their subsequent failures to put them away are also great, especially after the stereo 450 splashes in the corner. When the ants both avoid the Osirian Sacrament, the fans roar to life.

The main draw for this is the fun in watching The Colony try to defy the odds and win the titles. There’s plenty more to like. Both teams show some quick thinking, Solider literally dives in and uses his head to prevent Ophidian from skinning the cat back into the ring. When the champions try to hypnotize Soldier, he blocks the effects of Ophidian’s charming, and it allows Fire to hit a big splash to Ophidian’s back. Soldier applies the Chikara Special to Amasis early on, and Ophidian makes the save by locking in the Ophidian Death Grip, but Soldier is too fresh, and winds up doing a senton onto Amasis with Ophidian still on his back. Ophidian’s Egyptian Destroyer that essentially KO’s Fire (although it was the death grip that officially finished him off) was a counter to Fire’s Beach Break. This really is a case of the result itself not mattering a great deal, the ants were able to raise their stock a little bit more, and by managing to beat them, The Osirian Portal raised theirs as well, not too shabby for eighteen minutes of work. ***1/2

EQUINOX vs. VIN GERARD (Ladder Match to decide the vacant Young Lions Cup)
If you’re expecting anything resembling a WWE or TNA ladder match, you’ll be woefully disappointed, and that is actually a wonderful thing. Instead of focusing on crazy bumps and dives, this is based around smart work and storytelling. One could almost call this the anti-ladder match (un-ladder match might be more fitting, since Vin heads up the Un-Stable), the few spots that incorporate the ladder are very effective and instantly cause the momentum to change. Vin and Jimmy even go as far as to thumb their noses at conventional ladder matches early on by seemingly setting up commonly seen spots, but going in a different direction. The first is when Jimmy sees Vin charging for the baseball slide and lifts the ladder to avoid the blow. Granted, Vin does another common spot afterwards, when he does the Russian legsweep into the guardrail, but it was done with clear meaning and purpose. A few minutes later Vin bridges the ladder on the apron and he and Jimmy take turns trying to powerbomb each other, but instead of wasting a big bump, they go the other way and Jimmy takes a back drop into the ring.

This really starts picking up nicely when Vin starts going after Jimmy’s leg. It’s got a double meaning, it softens him up for the STF, which is Vin’s finisher, and it also will prevent Jimmy from climbing the ladder and grabbing the medallion. Vin’s look gives the aura of a brawler with minimal wrestling skills, but he shows firsthand how good he is, using all sorts of various leg holds to work over Jimmy’s knee. Jimmy’s selling isn’t great nor is it bad, it’s just sort of there. There’s a nice moment when he surprises Vin with a dropkick and remembers to sell it, but that’s the best that it gets.

What better way to follow up intentionally smart work and good storytelling than by also smartly incorporating the storyline into the match? When tearing his knee apart isn’t enough to keep Olsen down, Vin does a hanging DDT on the stairs and Jimmy is totally out. Vin could have probably climbed the ladder and gotten the medallion while wearing a blindfold. But, he winds up showing just how much Olsen putting on the mask and becoming Equinox actually got to him. He rips off the mask and starts to gloat and admire his handiwork. By the time he starts climbing, Olsen is on his feet and taunting Vin because he’s still standing. Vin takes the bait and drops down to go after him, and eats a DVD onto the ladder, and that allows Jimmy to climb the ladder and grab the medallion to win the cup. In effect, Jimmy outsmarted the master of mind games and took his title as a bonus. It’s not deep on the level of what the All Japan crew could do during their glory days, but it’s still a really impressive effort.***1/2

The 411: The two title matches are the main reason to seek this out, but, it’s a great example of how much fun this promotion is to watch, so I definitely recommend picking this up.
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]