100 Percent Fordified: CHIKARA Not Without My Daughter

Chicago, IL – 10.23.2015

Championship Rundown
Grand Champion: Hallowicked
Campeones de Parejas: N_R_G (Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell)
Young Lions Cup Champion: Heidi Lovelace

Commentary is provided by Mike Quackenbush, Leonard F. Chikarason, Rod Diamondfire and Bryce Remsburg.

Challenge of the Immortals
The Gentleman’s Club (Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy) vs. The BDK (Jakob Hammermeier & Soldier Ant)

Hammermeier chops Cassidy and Cassidy’s sunglasses off. That’s enough for Cassidy to leave the ring. Taylor absorbs Hammermeier’s running shoulder block and responds with one of his own. Cassidy lazily applies a headscissors. Hammermeier shoots him off, but Cassidy is able to slowly crawl between his legs. Surprisingly, he drop toe holds Hammermeier onto the bottom rope. Taylor poses besides him and then snaps his neck on the top rope. Cassidy gives Hammermeier a pair of chops. He connects with Old School. Taylor knees him in the stomach for two and bites him in the ribs. Taylor slams him into a walking splash from Cassidy. A Corporate Kane throat thrust follows. Taylor goes for a knee lift, but Hammermeier moves and Taylor hits himself in the face! He kicks Cassidy into Taylor and tags in Soldier Ant. Soldier Ant turns Cassidy inside out with a lariat. He wants the Trench Slam but Cassidy goes to the ropes. Soldier Ant biels Cassidy all the way across the ring twice before putting on a Military Cross Kneebar. He then Giant Swings Cassidy into the corner. Cassidy rolls to the floor. Taylor gives Soldier Ant Sole Food. Unfazed, Soldier Ant nails a forearm strike to Taylor’s chin. Being as their long time rivals, we see a glimpse of familiarity from Soldier Ant who almost salutes to Taylor. Taylor hits him the Brodie Knee, superkick, and DDT. Cassidy falls off the top with a splash for two. Taylor enzuigiri’s Hammermeier from the apron. Cassidy accidentally spits orange juice into Taylor’s face. Soldier Ant sends Taylor into the ring post. Hammermeier’s haymaker on Cassidy. Cassidy seems fine, then collapses, giving Hammermeier the pin at 8:45. They did a glass breaking effect when Hammermeier hit his haymaker, which was REALLY lame. The match itself was super fun. I don’t know how any CHIKARA fan could not love the Gentleman’s Club. **¼

The Estonian Farmerfrog is happy to be in CHIKARA. He wants to world to know that farming is number 1.

Oleg the Usurper vs. The Estonian Farmerfrog

Oleg isn’t sure what to make of the Farmerfrog. They trade control in a test of strength. Farmerfrog transitions into a side headlock. Oleg shoves him off and knocks him down with a shoulder block. Farmerfrog leapfrogs over Oleg, but Oleg gives him a chokeslam for two. Farmerfrog hits the apron to avoid a whip to the corner. He hits Oleg with some running axe handles to the face. Oleg cuts him off with a boot. He tries a vertical suplex, but Farmerfrog turns it into a Gourd buster. Oleg rolls to the floor. Farmerfrog follows him with a double axe handle off the top turnbuckle. Farmerfrog celebrates with the fans, but Oleg catches him with a boot to the sternum. Oleg then tumbles off the apron with a cannonball senton. In the ring, Oleg picks up speed off the ropes and splashes Farmerfrog in the corner. However, Farmerfrog catches Oleg with a bear hug and throws him out of a belly-to-belly suplex! They trade forearm strikes as both men get to their feet. Oleg splashes Farmerfrog against the ropes. He then gives him a Black Tornado Slam across his knee, following up with a big boot and somersault senton. Farmerfrog kicks out of the pin attempt. Oleg wants a shoulder breaker. Farmerfrog counters by flipping over into the Oklahoma Stampede. He hits the Slop Drop for two. Farmerfrog goes to the top rope. Oleg brings him down with a super chokeslam for the pin at 8:46. This turned into a surprise Hoss Division battle, with these two tossing each other around, hitting hard, and an occasional flip to boot. The crowd’s fondness for both competitors added to the overall atmosphere. **¾

Challenge of the Immortals
The Nightmare Warriors (Frightmare & Blind Rage) vs. The United Nations (Juan Francisco de Coronado & Prakash Sabar)

Rage wastes no time, pounding away at Sabar’s back right at the bell. Coronado knees Rage in the back when he hits the ropes. Sabar gives him a spin kick to the chest and a series of kicks follows. Frightmare knocks Coronado off the apron. Rage holds up Sabar in a Gory Gallows and Frightmare brings him down with an Ace Crusher. Frightmare snapmares Sabar into a back kick. Frightmare tries knocking Coronado off the apron, but this time Coronado is ready for him. Sabar uses the ropes for a bulldog. He hits the Bronco Buster after knocking Rage to the floor. Frightmare rolls out. Rage catches Sabar’s Frankensteiner attempt. Coronado dropkicks Rage’s legs out, and Sabar lands on Rage in another Bronco Buster. Coronado suicide dives onto Rage when Rage hits the floor. Frightmare yakuza kicks Sabar out with them and tope con hilo’s onto everyone. In the ring, Frightmare comes off the top with a dropkick to Sabar. He uses the ropes to accelerate into a double stomp. Coronado sends Rage into the ring post. Coronado sneaks in and gives Frightmare the Tiger Suplex. Rage picks up Coronado into a reverse suplex. Sabar breaks the pin but is given a Michinoku Driver. Sabar kicks out. Rage tries attacking Coronado on the apron. Coronado stops him and slingshots in with a German suplex. Frightmare double stomps Coronado’s stomach to break his bridge. Frightmare hits the Here It Is Driver. Sabar kicks Frightmare to stop the pin. Sabar wants the X-Factor. Frightmare counters with Go 2 Sleepy Hollow. Kneecolepsy gets Frightmare the pin at 5:07. This was all action. I had no idea how these teams would work together, but they overachieved expectations. **½

N_R_G is standing by with Heidi Lovelace. Race says a year ago nobody would have believed in them, but now all of them are champions. Heidi is excited to be teamed up with N_R_G. She says she learned from being with Dasher’s Dugout that “teamwork makes the dream work”, a mindset she looks to bring to this bout.

N_R_G (Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell) & Heidi Lovelace vs. Blaster McMassive, Missile Assault Man & The Proletariat Boar of Moldova

Jaxon and Missile fight for control. Jaxon even mocks Missile by yelling his own name while wrenching on a cravate. Jaxon tags in Lovelace while he has on a wristlock. Lovelace shoves him. Missile tosses her to his corner like a ragdoll. She throws forearms to McMassive and gives him a sole butt kick. She tries a sunset flip. McMassive easily picks her up, but Lovelace lights him up with chops. She tries a suplex to which McMassive responds with a hard forearm to the back. He easily tosses her off of his shoulders with a slam. She rolls out, bringing in Rockwell and Boar. They absorb each others running shoulder blocks, but Rockwell is able to send him out with a shoulder block after hitting the ropes twice. Rockwell monkey flips Lovelace into a headscissors to Missile. Jaxon hops off of Rockwell’s back, but McMassive cuts off his dive by jabbing him in the throat. Boar disposes of Rockwell and gives Jaxon a few shoulder blocks to the mid-section. Jaxon ducks a clothesline and hits the floor. Rockwell misses a clothesline and gets booted out of the ring. Jaxon dropkicks Boar out. Missile clotheslines Jaxon out with them. Lovelace counters the Missile Launcher by shoving Missile to the floor. McMassive slaps her in the face and tosses her outside onto N_R_G, Missile, and Boar! Missile beats down Lovelace back in the ring, cracking her face first with a reverse waterwheel slam the turnbuckles. N_R_G are eager to pounce but the Rudo triumvirate keeps Lovelace trapped in their half of the ring. Lovelace manages to evade a big boot from both Boar and Missile. She sends them both to the floor. She also avoids a boot from McMassive and uses the ropes to spike McMassive with a DDT! Jaxon tags in and high crossbody’s onto Boar. He hits the Energizer through the ropes. Rockwell drives Boar into the corner. Both of N_R_G splash Boar in the corner. Rockwell Finlay Rolls him into a top rope elbow drop from Jaxon. Some miscommunication causes McMassive to accidentally crotch Missile on the top rope. Lovelace bodyslams McMassive! Jaxon elbow drops Missile off of the top into a backbreaker from Rockwell. Lovelace plants Missile with the Heidicanrana for the pin at 11:40. This was another action packed contest. Lovelace is the best at being tossed around and the Hoss Rudos used that to their advantage. I also liked that they re-visited the Missile and Heidi issue during the match and them involved in the finish. On top of that, the crowd was hot for all of it. Great stuff. ***¼

Eddie Kingston says that when CHIKARA was relaunched, “she” was taken away from him. The person to take her away was his opponent tonight, Icarus. Tonight they meet in a Challenge of the Immortals match, but the tournament could mean less to Kingston. He’s already immortalized himself by being the first ever Grand Champion. He tells Icarus that he will always be number 2 to him, and tonight, he will do his best to keep Icarus from being immortalized.

Challenge of the Immortals
Icarus vs. Eddie Kingston

Icarus represents Dasher’s Dugout while Kingston represents the Snake Pit. A rough collar-and-elbow tie up takes both men to the mat where they’re forced to let go. They get into a chop battle. Icarus weaves Kingston into a Shiranui. Kingston rolls right to the floor. He kicks Kingston a couple of times in the shoulder. They get into a shoving and slapping fight where Kingston tells Icarus that he will “always be number 2.” Icarus sends Kingston face first into a ring post. In the ring, he snapmares Kingston into a back kick. Kingston shoves Icarus from his knees. Icarus throws two kicks to the chest which Kingston absorbs. He throws a chop. Icarus kicks Kingston in the shoulder, sending him down in the corner. He works over Kingston’s perpetually hurt right hand and arm. He twists up Kingston’s arm in the ropes. Kingston clotheslines Icarus in the corner and follows up with a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. Kingston clobbers Icarus in the chest, sending him into the mat. He snapmares Icarus into a kick to the neck. After a chinlock, he gives Icarus a chinbreaker. Icarus fires up as Kingston unloads with chops, eventually falling to the canvas. Kingston locks on a stretch plum, switching into a crucifix pin. Icarus kicks out and gets in a few shots before Kingston cuts him off with multiple headbutts. Icarus gets up right before a count of ten, but Kingston yakuza kicks him right back down. He lights up Icarus with rapid fire chops. Icarus responds in kind. Kingston chops Icarus and whips him across the ring. Icarus avoids a corner attack and rolls Kingston into an enzuigiri. A corner dropkick and swinging Frankensteiner send Kingston to the floor. Icarus follows with a suicide dive. He quickly brings Kingston back in the ring for a two count. Icarus goes for a tornado DDT. Kingston counters with a DDT of his own. He hits the 2k1 Bomb, but Icarus kicks out just in the nick of time. Kingston tries a powerbomb. Icarus escapes, kicks out Kingston’s bad knee, and hits him with two running knee strikes to the face. Kingston kicks out. Icarus wants the Wings of Icarus. Kingston fights free and gives Icarus an exploder suplex. He hits a shotgun lariat for two. Kingston trash talks Icarus before spitting in his face. Icarus blocks a Backfist. He cradles Kingston, and after both men trade control in the cradle, Icarus gets the pin at 14:44. Kingston Backfists Icarus after the bell. This was as good as I expected it to be, with Kingston being reckless and aggressive and Icarus standing his ground. Like he’s wont to do, Kingston let his frustration get the better of him and his carelessness led to his downfall. It was a great story and served as a preview of what’s to come. ***½

Elimination Match
The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield & “Mr. Touchdown” Mark Angelosetti) vs. Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.) vs. Arik Cannon & Darin Corbin vs. The Punk Rock All Stars (Drake Carter & Shaun Cannon)

Hijo starts off with a monkey flip to Angelosetti. He goes for a second one, but Angelosetti holds onto his legs and places him on the top turnbuckle for a chop. Hijo comes down looking for a hip toss. Angelosetti resists and gives Hijo a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. After a few splashes he poses like Tebow. Hijo kicks Angelosetti in the side of the head. Hijo wiggles out of a gorilla press. He looks to pinch Angelosetti’s buttocks when Shaun jumps in and attacks both men. Jr. gets placed in a tree of woe where Carter hits him with a knee strike. Shaun gives him a back suplex. Jr. exits and Hijo pinches Shaun’s fanny. He comes off the second rope with a crossbody. He sends Shaun into Carter with an atomic drop. Jr. throws Carter off the top and Shaun attacks him from behind. They double elbow Hijo. Hijo rolls out and AC/DC throw the Punk Rock All Stars to the floor. AC/DC gives Hatfield tandem dropkicks to the side of the head. Angelosetti jumps in. He and Corbin draft a football scrimmage with Los Ice Creams. Angelosetti ends up giving Corbin a huge spinebuster when it’s over. The Punk Rock All Stars clean house. Los Ice Creams double team Shaun in the corner. Carter saves his partner. Slow-mo comes into play with Corbin fighting off the Punk Rock All Stars. Los Ice Creams take down Shaun with a corner crossbody/dropkick combo. Carter knocks down Hijo with a forearm strike and stomps on Jr.’s face. He forearms Corbin to stop the slow-mo session. Los Ice Creams swing Shaun into the corner with the Galleon. They toss Carter onto Shaun with another Galleon. The All Stars recover. Hijo takes a blue thunder bomb/neckbreaker combo for the pin at 8:51. Arik splashes Hatfield, then assists Corbin with a standing Shiranui. Shaun send Arik to the floor. Carter high fives Corbin, then shoves him into a roll-up from Shaun. He holds the tights and gets the pin at 9:28. Shaun pummels Hatfield. Angelosetti jumps in but Carter throws him back outside. Hatfield is able to snapmare Shaun into a basement dropkick. Shaun rakes his eyes so he and Carter can continue to isolate him. Hatfield drops Carter with a spinebuster. He goes for a People’s Elbow but Shaun stops him with a flying forearm attack. Hatfield is able however to take down Shaun with a Jackhammer. Angelosetti gives Hatfield his elbow pad back, then tags in and cleans house. The Throwbacks double hip toss Carter into two falling headbutts. They call for the 3D. Shaun takes out Angelosetti. Carter then picks up Hatfield for a backbreaker/neckbreaker combo with Shaun for two. Angelosetti runs from corner to corner attacking the All Stars until Carter takes him out with a Stun Gun. Hatfield goes for the Cyclone neckbreaker on Carter. Shaun stops Hatfield. He uses Shaun’s head as a battering ram for Carter. Hatfield puts on his elbow pad. Shaun is able to stop the oncoming charge. Carter kicks Hatfield in the side of the head. Angelosetti looks to fight them off, but the Blue Thunder Bomb/neckbreaker combo gives the Punk Rock All Stars the win and 3 points at 15:03. I thought it was interesting CHIKARA decide to bring in a Maryland based team when the Midwest is littered with very talented tandems: now we know why. This was alright, but I think the match got progressively less interesting as the eliminations occurred. **¾

Shynron reminds us that the last time he was in Chicago, he was on the Expansion Pack. Over one year later, he’s in the main event challenging for the Grand Championship, and he plans to bring that title home.

Grand Championship
Hallowicked vs. Shynron

Hallowicked has been champion since 4.6.2015 and this is his fifth defense. The beginning lock-up leads to some fast paced chain wrestling which leads to a stalemate. They both look for control on the mat where Hallowicked sneaks in a couple of nearfalls. Out of a wristlock, Shynron trips Hallowicked into a leg and arm stretch. Hallowicked rolls his way free. From the apron, Shynron sends Hallowicked to the floor with a Frankensteiner. He delivers a baseball slide before going to the apron for a tiger feint kick out of a one handed headstand. Then then lands a kickflip senton off the ring post. Back in the ring, Shynron hits a slingshot elbow drop for two. He snapmares Hallowicked into a crucifix pin for two. He gets in a headstand where Hallowicked cuts him off with a sliding dropkick. Shynron recovers quickly, rolling Hallowicked into a seated Octopus stretch, turning him into a modified crucifix pin for two. Shynron charges and Hallowicked catches him with Go 2 Sleepy Hollow. Hallowicked throws him face first into the second turnbuckle. He throws him off the second rope with a super snapmare for two. Hallowicked fiercely throws Shynron face first into the turnbuckles and pummels his back. He pulls Shynron out of the corner by his feet causing Shynron to crash onto the canvas back first. He snapmares Shynron into a back senton for two. Shynron catches Hallowicked with a Frankensteiner and a spinwheel kick. Shynron gets the better of a strike exchange, but Hallowicked knees him in the mid-section and further pounds on his shoulders and back. Shynron palm strikes Hallowicked to the corner. He ducks Hallowicked’s yakuza kick. He slingshots in from the apron with a neckbreaker. Shynron goes back to the apron and hits a slingshot corkscrew senton for two. He lands a cartwheel elbow drop in the corner. He wants another, but Hallowicked catches him and hits the Rydeen Bomb. Shynron kicks out. He drops Hallowicked with a back handspring Ace Crusher. Hallowicked rolls to the apron to avoid being pinned. Shynron locks on the Tarantula for four seconds, then cartwheels out and dropkicks Hallowicked in the side of the head. Shynron follows Hallowicked to the floor with a cartwheel plancha! Back in the ring, Shynron goes for another back handspring Ace Crusher. Hallowicked stops him as he springs back with a yakuza kick to the back of the head. Hallowicked busts out the Graveyard Smash, but Shynron kicks out. Hallowicked can’t believe it. He tries another super snapmare. Shynron flips forward. He also avoids a yakuza kick and nails a Pele kick. He lands a 450 splash off the bottom rope, but Hallowicked kicks out. He then looks for the Spirit Bomb. He notices Hallowicked has come to, so he hops off the ropes and instead hits the Dragon Twist. He follows that up with a coast-to-coast dropkick across the hypotenuse of the ring! Just barely Hallowicked gets his foot on the bottom rope to stop the three count. Once again Hallowicked gets up to avoid the Spirit Bomb. He buckle bombs Shynron and drops him with Never Wake Up for the pin at 14:57. More than any other match, Shynron showed how well rounded he is as a wrestler. He did so in the match when it mattered most, and that change paid off, as the Chicago crowd bit on Shynron becoming the new champion a few different times. I love that each competitor went to multiple big moves in their arsenal for the win and that Shynron’s Spirit Bomb was kept out of the equation to prevent it from losing some of its impact in future matches. This was very smartly orchestrated and is my favorite defense of Hallowicked’s reign thus far. ***¾

Encore Match
Fire Ant vs. Ophidian vs. Princess Kimberlee

Fire Ant takes over Kimberlee and Ophidian at the same time with a Frankensteiner. He then springboards off the top with a somersault senton onto both of them. In the ring, Ophidian takes the Yahtzee Kick. He counters a stunner and armdrags Fire Ant to the corner. He drives his knees into Fire Ant’s chest twice. He hits Meteora. Kimberlee pulls Ophidian up into a vertical suplex, then gives one to Fire Ant. She throws forearms at both of her opponents before vertical suplexing them simultaneously! She comes off the top with a crossbody onto both Fire Ant and Ophidian on the floor. In the ring, Kimberlee puts Ophidian in an Anaconda Vise in the ropes. Ophidian carries Kimberlee out, but Kimberlee turns him over in a Yoshi Tonic! Fire Ant kicks Kimberlee in the face to stop the pin. She kicks Fire Ant in the side of the head. Ophidian uses his leg to counter Kimberlee’s kick. Fire Ant high crossbody’s onto Ophidian, then spikes Kimberlee with a tornado DDT. He and Ophidian trade kicks. Ophidian Skins the Snake onto Fire Ant on the floor, ending with a big DDT. Ophidian looks for a flying headscissors on Kimberlee. Kimberlee powerbombs him mid-air and folds him up into the Alligator Clutch for the pin at 4:26. That was an awesome sprint from all three competitors, and even though they all looked strong, Kimberlee winning was the right choice. **½

Challenge of the Immortals Leaderboard
Dasher’s Dugout: 12 Points
The Wrecking Crew: 10 Points
Crown & Court: 9 Points
The Nightmare Warriors: 7 Points
The United Nations: 6 Points
The Arcane Horde: 6 Points
The Gentleman’s Club: 6 Points
The Snake Pit: 6 Points
The BDK: 6 Points
Battle Hive: 6 Points

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Chicago CHIKARA shows are usually the cream of the crop and this one is no different. A hot crowd with some really excellent wrestling make this a show you want to check out. One of my favorite offerings from the company this year.