Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Chikara 12 Large Summit

May 21, 2011
Block A

Mike Quackenbush [0 Points] vs. Hallowicked [0 Points]
This may come as a surprise, but these two started the match by trading holds. Hallowicked managed to send him to the floor, and he then took out Quack with a tope suicida. Quack came back with an Asai Moonsault. Quack landed sitting down on a chair. I love when that happens. Back in the ring, Quack was in control. Quack was going after the left arm of Hallowicked. Hallowicked came back with a one-armed swinging neckbreaker. Quack came back with a superplex. Hallowicked fell to the floor, and Quack promptly hit him with a triple jump senton plancha. Jeebus. Hallowicked avoided a springboard move. Hallowicked then hit a Sky High and followed it up with a Michinoku Driver: 1…2…NO! Quack came back with a rolling palm strike and a Venus. Hallowicked avoided an Iconoclasm. Quack then hit a nifty bridging suplex for a nearfall. Quack then hit an Air Raid Crash: 1…2…NO! The last minute or two was quite sloppy, which was very surprising. Quack avoided Go-2-Sleepy Hollow. They traded pinning combinations. Eventually, Hallowicked reversed a pendulum into a pin: 1…2…3!

This was a very well-worked match, as one would expect. The lack of crowd heat and the surprising sloppiness near the closing stretch too away from what was otherwise a very good start to the tournament.
Match Rating: ***1/4

May 22, 2011
Block B

Brodie Lee [0 Points] vs. Vin Gerard [0 Points]
Gerard tried to get Brodie to agree to the Fingerpoke of Doom. Brodie slapped him for his troubles. Brodie then took him out with a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Gerard worked Brodie over for a bit, but Brodie came back with a super butterfly suplex. Gerard hit a 2K1 Bomb for a surprising nearfall. Brodie came back with a superkick and a half-nelson suplex. Brodie followed it up with a Yakuza and the Truck Stop: 1…2…NO! Brodie went for a powerslam, but Gerard caught him with a small package: 1…2…3!

This match was fine. Brodie was great as usual, and Gerard was a fun scumbag rudo. They didn’t go out there with the intent of stealing the show or anything like that though.
Match Rating: **1/2

June 24, 2011
Block A

Sara Del Rey [0 Points] vs. Icarus [0 Points]
Sara was still in the BDK at the time, but with Icarus in the ring, Sara was clearly the tecnico to this crowd. Icarus tried to run away early, but Del Rey just repeatedly kicked him. Icarus finally cut her off by kicking her in the face. Icarus got the heat after that. Icarus went to the top rope, but Sara came back with a koppou kick and a superplex. Sara delivered more kicks. Sara finished up this sequence with a brutal axe kick to the back of the head: 1…2…NO! Icarus came back with a Blu-Ray: 1…2…NO! Sara avoided the Contra Code once, but Icarus was successful on a second attempt: 1…2…NO! Rolling forearm from Sara. Spear from Icarus: 1…2…NO! Sara came back with an arm-trap Drunk Slam: 1…2…FOOT ON THE ROPES! Icarus went for the pedigree, but Sara reversed it into jackknife pin: 1…2…3!

This was a fun match, but it was definitely less interesting when Icarus was in control. Del Rey just running through opponents leads to a great environment whether she is a rudo or a tecnico, and I think it would have made for a better match here.
Match Rating: ***

June 24, 2011
Block A

Claudio Castagnoli [0 Points] vs. Hallowicked [2 Points]
They went back and forth for a good while. Claudio eventually got the advantage, and he worked over Hallowicked for a while. Hallowicked finally came back. He hit a step-up hurricanrana and a step-up enzuigiri. Hallowicked got an Octopus hold. Claudio escaped. Hallowicked avoided a Brogue Kick and then hit a Sick Kick: 1…2…NO! Hallowicked went for another step-up enzuigiri, but Claudio managed to crotch him on the ropes: 1…2…3!

The lack of recap for the first half of the match is indicative of how interesting I found it. Their back and forth stretch was fun, but it never came across as especially substantive. While I hate to throw out this phrase too often, I felt like this was a “Smackdown” effort, and I was kind of hoping for something more. Regardless, this match is definitely worth watching.
Match Rating: ***1/4

June 24, 2011
Block B

Fire Ant [0 Points] vs. UltraMantis Black [0 Points]
This is a delightfully random matchup. Fire Ant got an early nearfall with a brainbuster. They ended up on the floor, where UltraMantis managed to send Fire Ant into a ringpost. Back in the ring, UltraMantis worked over Fire Ant for a while. UltraMantis locked in the Safari Stretch, but he couldn’t keep the hold locked in. Fire Ant avoided a Jaydriller and then sent UltraMantis to the floor. Fire Ant then hit a tope suicida and a tope con hello. UltraMantis came back with a powerslam on the apron. Fire Ant came back with a diving gamengiri. Fire Ant then hit a roundhouse kick and a Beach Break: 1…2…NO! UltraMantis came back with a super butterfly suplex and a Cosmic DOOOOOOM: 1…2…NO! UltraMantis gets frustrated for a moment, but then hits the Praying Mantis Bomb: 1…2…3!

This was a really fun match, as I was pleasantly surprised by how much chemistry these two had. The only slightly disappointing part was the result. I strongly believe Fire Ant could and should be a singles main eventer in Chikara, and I think the 12 Large Summit could have been the place to jump start that push.
Match Rating: ***

June 25, 2011
Block A

Mike Quackenbush [0 Points] vs. Ophidian [0 Points]
These guys traded a lot of holds early on. Ophidian had Quack trapped, but Quack managed to reverse it into an Air Raid Crash. They continued to trade lots of holds. Quack got a modified STF, which forced Ophidian to have to get to the ropes to break the hold. Ophidian came back with a Divorce Court DDT. Ophidian managed to kick Quack to the floor. Quack came back with a strike to the chest. Quack then slammed Ophidian into a pillar. Ophidian came back with a hurricanrana on the floor. Ophidian went for a crossbody, but Quack reversed it into a powerslam. Quack hit a Black Tornado Slam. Ophidian managed to come back with the Ophidian Death Grip! Quack was able to escape. Ophidian went for the double jump Lionsault, but Quack avoided it. Quack hit the Quackendriver III: 1…2…NO! Quackendriver IV: 1…2…NO! Quack locked in Lightening Lock Beta, but Ophidian somehow made the ropes. Quack went for the QDI, but Ophidian reversed it into a bridging submission. Quack escaped again. Quack came back with a middle rope Black Tornado Slam! 1…2…3!!!

This match ruled, and it was easily the best 12 Large Summit match so far in the tournament. Ophidian was amazing in 2011, and Quack helped to make him look like a million bucks here. This had to be considered one of the most fun matches from Chikara’s 2011.
Match Rating: ***3/4

June 25, 2011
Block B

Eddie Kingston [0 Points] vs. Ultramantis Black [2 Points]
These two haven’t had a singles match together since 2002. Wow. It was always amazing to me how Chikara managed to keep so many singles matchups fresh over their years.

Kingston and Mantis did some nifty stuff early on. Eddie can do the traditional Chikara lucha when he wants to. Mantis hit a rolling senton off the apron. Vin Gerard came out to distract Kingston. Kingston started going after Mantis’s neck, and he was in complete control of the match. One Vin Gerard distraction too many allowed Mantis to hit Kingston with a DDT. Mantis made a big comeback. Kingston came back with a lariat for a nearfall. Out of nowhere, Mantis hit a Cosmic Doom: 1…2…3

Kingston’s leg was very clearly in the ropes. The match restarted. I think they botched something. Eddie came back and hit a Sliding D: 1…2…no. Eddie locked in the guillotine. Mantis escaped, but Kingston hit a backdrop driver and a pair of Backfists to the Future: 1…2…3.

This match never really connected with me. It was fairly logical, and I liked how all of Kingston’s offense was based on attacking the neck. Other than that though, I wasn’t really into this.
Match Rating: **1/2

July 30, 2011
Block B

Fire Ant [0 Points] vs. Jigsaw [0 Points]
Jigsaw was injured when the tournament first started, which is why his first Summit match is happening later in the year.

They went back and forth for a while. They pulled out a lot of cool tricks, and it was all very entertaining. Jigsaw started selling his injured left arm. Fire Ant his a tope suicida and a tope con hello, back to back. Fire Ant was in firm control after that. That didn’t last all that long, as Jigsaw made a comeback and hit a tope suicida. Fire Ant revered a brainbuster into a stunner, and he then hit a brainbuster of his own: 1…2…NO! The crowd was riled up by this point. Superkick from Jigsaw. Fire Ant reversed a Jig ‘n’ Tonic into a cross armbreaker! He eventually transitioned into a kimura, and Jigsaw immediately tapped after that.

This was an early highlight of the tournament. Everything they did was fun and made sense. The crowd wasn’t “red hot,” but it was a pretty good atmosphere as well. Huge thumbs up for this one.
Match Rating: ***1/2

July 30, 2011
Block A

Claudio Castagnoli [2 Points] vs. Mike Quackenbush [2 Points]
This is a BIG matchup. Not only was the 12 Large Summit going on, but these two were still pretty much at war because of the BDK.

Quack did a wacky handstand headscissors to the floor, which was the first major move of the match. Claudio got the advantage by driving Quack into the ring apron and into the ringpost. Claudio broke an American flag, but kept the wooden stick and used it on Quack. The referee finally saw it and took it away. Claudio was in control for a while. After a surprisingly long time, Quack finally sent Claudio to the floor and hit a HUGE Asai Moonsault. Quack went for a swinging DDT, but Claudio reversed it into a pop-up European! UFO from Claudio: 1…2…NO! Quack avoided one Ricola Bomb in the ring, but Claudio then hit one from the apron to the ring: 1…2…NO! Claudio called for another pop-up European, but Quack avoided it and locked in the Chikara Special! CLAUDIO TAPS OUT!

These two are always beautiful to watch in the ring together, but I was a tad underwhelmed by the first half of the match. Yes, Claudio dominated him, and Quack made a valiant comeback, but there was nothing about it that contributed to the closing sequence. It just made the match longer. Claudio and Quack had unbelievable chemistry but a number of their matches seemed to be missing something to make them truly great. I need to track down their class IWA-MS match.
Match Rating: ***1/2

July 31, 2011
Block B

Eddie Kingston [2 Points] vs. Jigsaw [0 Points]
Kingston got the first advantage. He started going after Jigsaw’s injured left arm. Kingston hit a tope suicida. Jigsaw managed to slow down Kingston by going after his left knee. Jigsaw got a nearfall after he killed Eddie with a combination of strikes. Jigsaw sent him to the floor and hit a tope con hello. Vin Gerard came out, but Jigsaw greeted him with a superkick. Eddie hit an exploder and then locked in a kimura. They had a clunky spot that led to a sloppy German. Kingston came back with a release Tiger suplex and then a lariat: 1…2…No. Jigsaw came back with two superkicks and a double stomp: 1…2…NO! Eddie came back with a Backfist, a German, and a Sliding D: 1…2…No? Jigsaw hit the Jig ‘n’ Tonic: 1…2…no. They traded slaps from their knees. They traded leaping enzuigiris. Kingston avoided the Coast-to-Coast and hit a couple back suplexes. He then hit a bridging saito suplex: 1…2…3

This match was solid. They were going for epic and came very short as far as I am concerned. You can tell just by how the crowd’s reactions are incredibly inconsistent and they seemed to be lost by the end of the match. The thing that I personally did not like about the match was that the first half was all about working body parts. Kingston went after Jigsaw’s arm, and Jigsaw went after Kingston’s knee. Neither of those stories paid off in the finish, as the match ended up being all about kicking out of movez. If the crowd stayed with them the whole time, I wouldn’t have cared as much.
Match Rating: ***1/4

July 31, 2011
Block A

Claudio Castagnoli [2 Points] vs. Sara Del Rey [2 Points]
Claudio wanted Sara to lie down for him, but she refused. I wish these two wouldn’t let their personal affairs spill into the public sphere. Sara refused and hit Claudio a lot. Tursas interfered to give Claudio the advantage. Despite being in the BDK still, the fans were very into Sara here. Sara finally managed to escape the beatdown when Claudio crashed into a ringpost a la Kurt Angle. Death Rey then took out Tursas with a rolling senton off the apron. The crowd was hot for her. Del Rey got a cross armbreaker, but Claudio got to the ropes and then hit a pump kick. He then got a nearfall with the UFO. I miss the UFO. Del Rey came back with a corner koppou kick. Sara got another cross armbreaker, but he picked her up and slammed her down. SHE GOT THE AMRBREAKER STILL! Claudio just managed to get to the ropes. Claudio’s left arm was injured, but he hit a lariat with his right arm: 1…2…NO! He hit another lariat and then a Ricola Bomb: 1…2…Claudio picked her up. He must teach this woman a lesson. He hit a massive uppercut. He had the match won, but he picked her up again. Sara caught him with a crucifix pin: 1…2…3! Derek Sabato was the referee, and he looked distraught at what happened.

These two told a simple story throughout the match, and the crowd was hot for it. The match has to be considered a big success…but the finishing sequence bothered the fuck out of me. I would have much rather seen Sara Del Rey finish Claudio decisively instead of having Claudio’s own arrogance cost him the win. Yes, Chikara can get away with this stuff, and there’s no denying that the story “worked.” It’s just not a story that interests me when this is the last match these two will have together in all likelihood. Del Rey was booked much better after this match for the rest of 2011 thankfully.
Match Rating: ***1/2

August 27, 2011
Block A

Sara Del Rey [4 Points] vs. Hallowicked [2 Points]
It would be very foolish for Death Rey to lose coming off her big win over Claudio.

Del Rey was going after the left arm of Hallowicked. Wicked came back, but he couldn’t get control of the match. Wicked started going after the left arm/shoulder of Sara. Sara fought back with a series of kicks. She damaged her arm some more after hitting a crossbody. She got a nearfall with an axe kick. They went back and forth. Sara could not lock in the Royal Butterfly. Wicked then got a Go-2-Sleepy Hallow/La Magistral Cradle combo: 1…2…3!

This match had substance, logic, and a sound in-ring story. It was just devoid of almost all emotion. It was enjoyable enough, but it’s not something I’ll remember.
Match Rating: **1/2

August 27, 2011
Block B

Vin Gerard [2 Points] vs. Fire Ant [2 Points]
These two had one of the best Chikara matches ever in 2008.

The fans chanted “Ugly Ring Gear!” at Gerard. Ok, maybe it was four fans. Gerard got control quickly and worked Fire Ant over for too long. Fire Ant finally started a comeback. He got a nearfall with a brainbuster. Gerard came back with a pair of powerbombs for a nearfall. Fire Ant came back with a tope suicida and a tope con hello. Gerard came back on the floor. He appeared to be trying to win by countout, but then he broke the count. He hit a brainbuster on the floor. He rolled him back into the ring: 1…2…no. Gerard randomly went for a Red Star Press, but Fire Ant rolled out of the way. Gerard got the Chikara Special, but then transitioned to the STF. Fire Ant survived and hit the Burning Hammer: 1…2…3

This match sucked. I’ve read that this match featured some callbacks to their epic 2008 encounter, but nothing about this match engaged me at all. If longtime fans got a lot more enjoyment out of it than I did, that’s fine. The match just felt like a waste of time for me.
Match Rating: *

August 27, 2011
Block B

Claudio Castagnoli [2 Points] vs. Icarus [0 Points]
Well, this sucks. It’s the last match of Claudio’s Chikara career. He was finishing out his independent dates at this time.

With both guys being rudos, they kept their tactics a little bit more comedic than they may have otherwise. They went back and forth for a bit. Claudio got control and worked over Icarus. Icarus avoided the Ricola Bomb. There was a ref bump. They did stereo fake selling of shots to the crotch. The ref did not believe either of them. Icarus hit a superkick for a nearfall. Claudio got a pop-up European for a nearfall. Icarus hit a spear. They traded pin attempts with the ropes. They traded pin attempts with handfuls of tights. The crowd is dead. Icarus then got a pinfall with the ropes and tights in hand: 1…2…3!

This match had some amusing moments, but the lack of energy from the crowd brought it down. It’s a shame that Claudio went out with a whimper (and not against Kingston), but I guess it’s somewhat fitting his last Chikara match had a lot of emphasis on “fun.”
Match Rating: **1/4

September 17, 2011
Block B

Jigsaw [0 Points] vs. Vin Gerard [2 Points]
“I think Vin must have lost the key to the gym” – Gavin Loudspeaker. Jigsaw was mostly running through Gerard to start the match. Gergard finally got some momentum after cutting down Jigsaw via the injured knee. Gerard worked over that knee for a while. Jigsaw came back, but his knee was hurting. Gerard cut him off, but he distracted himself by jawing with Eddie Kingston on commentary. Gerard hit a backfist. Jigsaw kind of stopped selling the leg. Jigsaw got a nearfall with a brainbuster. Gerard avoided a kneeling superkick and locked in the STF. Jigsaw survived and hit a kneeling superkick: 1…2…3

This match started off well, but the macro story lines (Gerard vs. Kingston) ended up overwhelming the match for me. The action and in-ring story (Gerard distracted himself, which cost him the match) were entertaining enough.
Match Rating: **3/4

September 17, 2011
Block A

Icarus [2 Points] vs. Mike Quackenbush [4 Points]
Quack quickly hit a tope con hello. Icarus cut him off quickly enough though, and he worked Quack over for a while. Quack came back with a backbreaker on the floor. Quack caught him in a sharpshooter, but Icarus got to the ropes. Quack got a reverse sharpshooter, but Icarus got to the ropes again. They traded some pinning combinations. Quack got the Chikara Special, and Icarus had to tap out.

While this match did not have a focus in-ring story or deal with major story lines, I enjoyed it way more than some of the recent matches for being…fun! They kept a great pace, and I enjoyed every second of it. Thumbs up!
Match Rating: ***

September 18, 2011
Block A

Sara Del Rey [4 Points] vs. Ophidian [0 Points]
The Death Rey was in complete control to start the match. Ophidian came back and went after the arms of Del Rey. He first went after the left arm and the right arm. I’m not sure if that was on purpose or not. Del Rey caught him with a big boot. She delivered a few more strikes before connecting on a koppou kick for a nearfall. Ophidian got some pinning combinations, but Del Rey survived. Ophidian hit a 450: 1…2…NO! Del Rey killed him with a folding powerbomb: 1…2…NO! Ophidian got the cobra clutch, but Del Rey reversed it into the Royal Butterfly: 1…2…3!

This was a super fun match, and it was the first match I was grateful to have seen from this tournament in quite a few matches. They drifted a bit from the in-ring story at times, but they never lost the crowd. I really enjoyed this.
Match Rating: ***1/2

September 18, 2011
Block A

Eddie Kingston [4 Points] vs. Fire Ant [4 Points]
Before the match, Kingston was trolling a fan who booed him. Fire Ant used his speed to stay ahead of Kingston early on. Kingston came back with a big boot and a sloppy tope suicida. Kingston was working over Fire Ant for a while. This really went on for much longer than needed. Fire Ant came back with a tope suicida and then a springboard senton into the crowd. Fire Ant followed that up with a plancha into the crowd. Vin Gerard started attacking Kingston out of nowhere. He was chased away by security. Back in the ring, Fire Ant hit a back senton. Kingston tried to fight back, but his knee gave out. This match has lost a lot of momentum. Kingson came back with a couple of movez. Kingston got a few nearfalls. Fire Ant finally came back with a stunner and a kick to the head. He avoided the Backfist and hit an Air Raid Crash: 1…2…NO! Fire Ant got a kneebar. Kingston survived and hit a Backfist, but Fire Ant kicked out at one. Kingston followed that up with a saito suplex and a sliding D: 1…2…NO! Sliding D to the back: 1…2…3!

This match was all over the place. It started with Kingston jawing with fans and Fire Ant in control. Kingston came back with a long heat segment. Fire Ant hit a couple of dives, but then Vin Gerard interfered. The match’s momentum came to a halt with that. It looked like Eddie was cooked, but then he came back and the fans were kind of eh. Fire Ant went back to working on the knee, but Eddie survived. Finishers/kickouts/finish. It was just weird to experience, and it did not feel like a cohesive match. I was entertained though.
Match Rating: ***1/4

October 7, 2011
Block A

Icarus [2 Points] vs. Hallowicked [4 Points]
For long time fans, this matchup is probably pretty cool since these guys have been with the company since 2002. For a relatively newish fan, this matchup is just okay.

They did some tomfoolery with Icarus’s jacket for a while. The crowd was into it. Icarus managed to throw the jacket in Jon Barber’s face, poke Wicked in the eye, and then hit him with a spear. Icarus was in control for a bit. Eventually, Icarus went for a frog splash, but Wicked avoided it. Wicked made a big comeback. He got a nearfall with Go-2-Sleepy Hallow. They started going back and forth. Icarus hit a Shiranui for a nearfall. Icarus hit a frog splash, but Wicked kicked out. Wicked connected on a yakuza for another nearfall. Icarus hit the Blu-Ray: 1…2…3

They spent the first half of the match establishing the character dynamic, which was quite fun. The last half of the match was trading movez. That was less fun. However, despite the lack of creativity in the closing sequences, I enjoyed this.
Match Rating: ***1/4

October 7, 2011
Block A

Mike Quackenbush [6 Points] vs. Sara Del Rey [6 Points]
The winner of this match becomes the winner of Block A. At the time, I was very conflicted about who I wanted to win.

Both wrestlers were in uber serious mode. Quack got the advantage after dropkicking out her right knee. He worked over the knee after that. Death Ray managed to escape and then school boy Quack headfirst into a turnbuckle. Quack went right back to work on the injured knee. This was awesome. Quack was absolutely relentless. Death Ray finally escaped enough to hit a koppou kick and then the Royal Butterfly. She was slow to cover, and Quack was able to kick out. Quack was on the mat and kicked out Death Ray’s injured knee. He called for the figure four, but SDR reversed it into a small package for a nearfall. Quack hit a palm strike and then rolled into a stretch muffler! Death Ray tapped out!

Quack and Kingston stared each other down a bit after.

While this match could have benefitted by being in front of a hotter crowd, this was truly a unique match that everyone should go out of their way to see. It’s amazing that matches like this are so rare. So many wrestlers are content to not do anything different. Quack and Death Rey deserve a ton of credit for going above and beyond the call of duty here.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Ultramantis Black vs. Archibald Peck (w/ Veronica & Colt Cabunny)
Mantis defeated Vin Gerard by forfeit for two 12 Large Summit points. Mantis wanted another match anyway, and we got this. Yay!

Archibald Peck was a replacement for Vin Gerard in what was supposed to be a 12 Large Summit match. Peck had also just introduced Colt Cabunny as his mascot. Black had the advantage right away. Peck sent Black to the outside, set up for a suicide dive, but he instead decided to do some marching in the ring. Black got a chair and went to hit Peck, but Peck pushed Veronica in his way. Black hesitated and Peck booted the chair into Black’s face. Peck started to work over Black after that. Back in the ring, Peck hit his nifty flip neckbreaker. Peck then hit a middle rope diving forearm. He went for a second, but Black got his boot up to block it. Black started to rain down some forearms, but Peck caused him to run into the ring post shoulder first. Both men ended up on the ring apron. Black went for the Praying Mantis Bomb, but Colt Cabunny and Veronica conspired to prevent it. Black decided to not hit the bunny, and he instead hit a rolling senton onto Peck. They brawled into the crowd some after that. Back backdropped Peck onto the entrance ramp. Back in the ring, Peck crotched Black on the top turnbuckle. Black then hit a Finlay roll off the middle rope: 1…2…NO! Peck hit a powerslam for a nearfall. He then called for his finisher. Black avoided the diving headbutt. Black blocked a big boot and hit a Falcon Arrow (He’s Done the Deal!): 1…2…3! Veronica is not going to like that!

This was a really fun mid-card brawl with two of my favorite Chikara characters. If you have never seen either of these men, I strongly suggest that you check it out.
Match Rating: ***1/4

October 8, 2011
Block A

Hallowicked [4] vs. Ophidian [0 Points]
Both men have no chance to make it to the finals of the 12 Large Summit. That makes this match rather pointless.

Ophidian is on a bit of a losing streak at this point. Ophidian went after the left arm of Wicked. Wicked briefly came back, but Ophidian cut him off with a dropkick to the injured arm. Wicked caught him with a spinebuster. Wicked made a comeback. Ophidian managed to get the cobra clutch. Wicked escaped and killed him with a yakuza: 1…2…NO! Ophidian hit a 450: 1…2…NO! Wicked blocked a dive with a kick and then got La Magistral Cradle: 1…2…3!

This ended up being way more entertaining than I expected. Ophidian’s desperation to get any win made everything he did more meaningful.
Match Rating: ***1/4

October 8, 2011
Block B

Jigsaw [2 Points] vs. UltraMantis Black [4 Points]
This is the first singles match between these two. Apparently, Mantis is not mathematically eliminated yet.

Jigsaw was the first to get control of the match, and he worked Mantis over for a bit. They did some shenanigans with the bottom rope because the bottom rope had its issue during the first half of this show. Mantis finally came back with a full-nelson slam. Jigsaw killed him with an apron powerbomb. He then got a nearfall with a double stomp and then another one with a brainbuster. Mantis then dropped Jigsaw on his head with a throw. Mantis hit the Praying Mantis Bomb, but Jigsaw rolled to the ropes. Mantis pulled him back, but Jigsaw caught him in a small package: 1…2…3!

I assumed a lot of fans enjoyed this more than I did, but I couldn’t help but find it unsubstantial.
Match Rating: ***

October 29, 2011
Block B

Eddie Kingston [6 Points] vs. Vin Gerard [2 Points]
Gerard was attempting to cash in on the bounty to keep Kingston out of the finals. He failed. Regardless, this angered Kingston.

They brawled on the floor and in the stands to start the match. Once they got to the ring, Gerard got the advantage by going after the injured knee of Kingston. That went on for a while until Kingston caught him with a backfist out of nowhere. Gerard distracted the referee by tossing a wrench into the ring. He then low blowed Kingston and locked in the STF. Kingston made it to the ropes once, but Gerard locked it in again. Kingston had to tap out!

I actually really enjoyed the story of this match, and it successfully set up a challenger for Kingston after he won the belt. Thumbs up!
Match Rating: **3/4

November 13, 2011
The 12 Large Summit Finals for the Chikara Grand Championship

Eddie Kingston vs. Mike Quackenbush
The building is electric. Lock up to start; they end up in the corner and do a clean break. SPORTMANSHIP! Quack went to work on King’s arm to start but he didn’t get too far with that strategy. Quack ran into a spinebuster for an early two count. Quack grabbed King’ bad knee and slammed it into the ring apron, which got some boos from the crowd. King sent Quack to the outside, but Quack was able to again, slam the bad knee into the apron. Back in the ring, Quack went to work on the bad knee. King fought back and locked in a sleeper, but Quack escaped and went back to work on the knee. The crowd was pretty much universally behind Kingston. King kicked Quack away, but the founder of Chikara came right back with chops. Eddie got a sunset flip pin, but Quack rolled through and grabbed a leg lock. King made the ropes, but Quack THUMBED HIM IN THE EYE! THERE GOES THE SPORTSMANSHIP! Quack went right back to work on the knee, as Chikara roster members came down to watch the match at ringside. King gave Quack an inverted atomic drop and used his bad leg to kick Quack. Quack kicked the inside of the bad knee and went right back to work. Quack was trying to lock in a figure four, but the two men started striking each other on the mat. Back to their feet, Kingston delivered a big back suplex and lariat: 1…2…NO! The entire locker room is watching at ringside now. Kingston went for a Backfist, but Quack hit a driver for a nearfall. SWANTON BOMB FROM QUACK: 1…2…NO! Apparently a bunch of old Chikara regulars came down to ringside, but they weren’t shown on screen. Quack got the Lightening Lock on the bad knee, but Kingston crawled and crawled and made the ropes. Kingston missed another Backfist, and Quack hit a Quackendriver Three: 1-HE KICKED OUT AT 1! Quack went for a diving double knee, but Kingston rolled out of the way, and Kingston kicked out Quack’s knees. They both were on the top rope; Kingston got knocked down, but he hit a Backfist to the Future on Quack’s knee. King locked in the Condo Clutch! KINGSTON HAS IT GRAPEVINED! Quack crawls and escapes the hold. “THIS IS WRESTLING!” “CHIKARA” Both men are on their knees and trading strikes. Quack got to his feet first and hit some strikes, but Kingston turned him inside out with a lariat! BACKDROP DRIVER! TIGER SUPLEX! BACKFIST TO THE FUTURE! BACKFIST TO THE FUTRE AGAIN!: 1…2…3!!!!!!!!! The entire arena chants for Eddie Kingston.

A fantastic main event to end the 12 Large Summit, to crown the first Grand Champion, to end the first Chikara iPPV, and most importantly (to the performers anyway), to honor Larry Sweeney. If I am being a little nitpicky, I would say that the match maybe could have used a few more nearfalls, but the submissions were plenty dramatic throughout the match. Kingston is the most logical choice of champion for the promotion. Quack is the more consistent in-ring performer of the two, but Kingston is the biggest home-grown star in the promotion, and he is probably one of the few indie wrestlers who is capable of talking people into buildings.
Match Rating: ****1/2

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The 411: The 12 Large Summit was Chikara at its best (at least from my point of view). There were logical story lines that made me more invested in the characters and the matches. Almost everything made sense. It was everything wrestling should be. It was also representative of Chikara's last stand in terms of creative consistency/greatness. If you have been not been able to get into Chikara since 2012's season started, I recommend that you check this out. You can pick it up over at Smart Mark Video.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]