wrestling / Columns
The CHIKARA Special 7.04.10: Wlid and Young
Insert superfluous opening remarks!
Midwest Success
Last weekend CHIKARA returned to the Midwest with shows in Taylor, MI and Cleveland, OH. This was quite the gamble, as CHIKARA’s first venture to the Midwest in the latter part of 2008 wasn’t a rousing success. Business wise and travel wise, it seemed like another trip back was highly unlikely. However, roughly two years later CHIKARA decided to give it another shot. A few things they did seemed to make things better this time around.
– CHIKARA teamed up with two well known wrestling organizations in the area to help co-promote and draw larger crowds. In Michigan, CHIKARA partnered up with CLASH Wrestling. CHIKARA ran a venue that CLASH runs with great regularity and used some of their top talent in a special attraction tag match. CHIKARA did the same with their return to Cleveland, as they once again partnered up with Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) and ran one of their most prominent buildings (the West Park Party Center). Co-promoting with two companies lessens the gamble factor, as you have two established fan bases as well as CHIKARA-starved fans showing up for these shows. It also helps that AIW ran their largest show of the year, Absolution V, immediately after the CHIKARA show. From the reports and footage I have seen, the crowds seemed much more lively and plentiful this time around than the first go-around.
– The cards of the shows this time around seemed much stronger. It was astonishing how many matches seemed like they could main event the shows. Myself and fellow CHIKARAphile Justin Houston were discussing how a match like The Colony vs. The Super Smash Bros., a tag match between two former Campeonatos de Parejas, could be such an afterthought. Stuff like Delirious’ first two matches as a member of the BDK (against Ultramantis Black and Eddie Kingston, respectively), two title defenses (The BDK against the Future Is Now and Tim Donst against Frightmare), the return of the Soul Touchaz, Johnny Gargano~!, and matches in ongoing feuds (3.0 vs. F.I.S.T., The UnStable vs. The Osirian Portal, etc.) made for quite a fun, important, and overall successful weekend. Oh, and there was that one guy…
– Bryan Danielson’s return to the independent scene occurred on this weekend of shows. What a coup for CHIKARA to be the company to be the first company to snag him. Because of it, the coverage of this set of shows was more abundant. Even here at 411 we covered the speech he gave to the fans after the Taylor show. Danielson was a huge hit with the crowds both in and out of the ring. Reports say he stayed for hours after the shows to sign autographs and take pictures with the fans. I received nothing but an outpouring of support for Danielson, with fans talking about how big of a class act he was and how wrestling needs more people like him. It was well worth CHIKARA reshuffling these shows to have him on, as we the fans finally got a dream match we have been waiting years to see: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston. In addition, we got a match between two mat technicians with Danielson taking on Tim Donst. I admit, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see the Kingston vs. Donst rematch that weekend, but I am certain CHIKARA will deliver on that rematch in the not-so-distant future. Here’s to hoping Danielson comes back on future CHIKARA shows. The cool thing about this is that Danielson has so much stuff to do in CHIKARA in terms of original matches and storylines, if he becomes a regular. I say we just enjoy what he does for the time being.
This weekend wasn’t just about reviving a past market and putting on good shows however. In addition, CHIKARA did a good job of advancing some storylines. Here’s some of the more important matters of the weekend:
– The BDK’s championship dominance still remains in tact. Claudio Castagnoli & Ares successfully defended their titles against The Future Is Now duo of Jimmy “Equinox” Olsen & Helios. Like they did with their first title defense and title victory, the BDK jumped their opponents before the bell and won the first fall in a matter of seconds. It took a lot of work on their end to win the second fall, but they were able to do so in the end, even with the CHIKARA roster surrounding the ring in overwhelming support of the Future Is Now. In addition to that, Tim Donst retained his Young Lions Cup against Frightmare. Donst used some nefarious tactics to hold onto the Cup as well, including choking Frightmare with a tie as a nod to Donst’s match the next night with Bryan Danielson. The BDK continues to be a thorn in the side of CHIKARA and still holds both major titles.
– The BDK had other stuff going on outside of their titles. In the win column, the duo of Pinkie Sanchez & Lince Dorado managed to rack up two points by defeating The Osirian Portal and Team Frightning (Mike Quackenbush & Frightmare) on back to back nights. In addition, Tursas was able to squash the much smaller Player Dos in Cleveland. On the losing column Tim Donst went toe-to-toe with Bryan Danielson (as mentioned above). Danielson came up on the winning end by locking in his trusty Cattle Mutilation, showing the world that “he’s still got it”, clap clap clap-clap-clap. Lame. The BDK had some surprising losses as well. Delirious came up short in both of his matches (against Ultramantis Black and Eddie Kingston) which does not bode well for him. Maybe the BDK will find him useless and dump him off. I mean, they were doing just fine without him, and now he comes in and loses both of his matches first weekend in? Seems like he may be a little more expendable then we thought. However, the biggest upset came when the King of Trios BDK triumvirate (Claudio Castagnoli, Ares, & Tursas) lost to the Soul Touchaz. On their side was Eddie Kingston who distracted the BDK, but a win is a win. In fact, it’s the first loss any of those three have had since joining the BDK in CHIKARA. The fact that the Soul Touchaz were the first trio to upset them is a big deal and it makes you wonder if this was a one off win to make the hometown crowd happy, or if something bigger will come from this.
– 3.0 and F.I.S.T. had a few battles in the hopes to settle the score. First, 3.0. and The Future Is Now teamed up to defeat the F.I.S.T. duo of Icarus & Chuck Taylor as well as Vin Gerard & STIGMA of the UnStable. In that match, Helios pinned Icarus. The next night, the same F.I.S.T. duo lost to 3.0 in a tag match, and Chuck was the one being pinned. With all this talk about “who is the weak link in F.I.S.T.” stemming from some off-handed comments from Mr. Johnny Gargano. By the way, Gargano defeated Player Uno in a singles match and now has a spot in the upcoming Young Lions Cup tournament. We’ll get to this “weak link” talk later.
– The UnStable vs. Osirian Portal feud has reached another level. After both suffering defeats in Taylor, the teams met in a rematch from Wit, Verve, and a Bit O’ Nerve in Cleveland. The UnStable had led us to believe there was a rift in their group, with Vin Gerard & STIGMA going to the Tecnico side and Colin Delaney sticking to his Rudo ways. However, the UnStable pulled a fast on us and showed us that they were together all along. This whole ruse was a way to pull a fast one on The Portal and get a point. What jerks! Again, it will be interesting to see what the fall out of this is.
– The Colony are the only other group to really report on. Fire Ant and Soldier Ant have gotten back into the points game by defeating The Super Smash Bros. for point number one. Green Ant faced Mike Quackenbush in a singles match and came up on the losing end. The Colony then came together as a trio the next night, only to lose to the dominant Soul Touchaz who went 2-0 this weekend overall.
Quick Results, thanks to CHIKARA themselves:
“We Must Eat Michigan’s Brain” – Taylor, MI – 6.26.2010
0. CLASH Showcase Tag Match: Cameron Skyy & J Miller def. Tommy Treznik & GQ Gallo in 9:41 with a Bulldog
1. Mike Quackenbush def. Green Ant with a Half Crab in 6:09
2. Lince Dorado & Pinkie “Pink Ant” Sanchez def. The Osirian Portal in 15:32 with a High Speed Prawn Hold.
3. Ultramantis Black def. Delirious in 6:07 with an O’Connor Roll.
4. The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) def. The Super Smash Bros. with a Lateral Folding Press in 11:55.
5. Bryan Danielson def. Eddie Kingston with a Small Package in 15:19. Claudio Castagnoli distracted Eddie Kingston.
6. The Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett, & Willie Richardson) defeated The BDK (Claudio Castagnoli, Ares, & Tursas) in 10:58 with a Small Package (thanks in part to Eddie Kingston).
7. Tim Donst def. Frightmare in 11:45 with a Sleeper Hold to retain the Young Lions Cup.
8. The Future Is Now (Jimmy “Equinox” Olsen & Helios) and 3.0. (Scott “Jagged” Parker & Shane Matthews) def. F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Chuck Taylor) and The UnStable (Vin Gerard & STIGMA) in 15:47 when Helios hit Icarus with a 630 splash.
“Faded Scares & Lines” – Cleveland, OH – 6.27.2010
1. Tursas def. Player Dos in 4:22 with a High Cross Body
2. The Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett, & Willie Richardson) defeated The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, & Green Ant) in 9:12 with a Flying Legdrop
3. 3.0. (Scott “Jagged” Parker & Shane Matthews) def. F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Chuck Taylor) in 8:52 with the Sweet Taste of Professionalism.
4. Johnny Gargano def. Player Uno with a Flatliner in 11:52.
5. Lince Dorado & Pinkie “Pink Ant” Sanchez def. Mike Quackenbush & Frightmare in 15:10 with a schoolboy.
6. Eddie Kingston def. Delirious with the Backfist to the Future in 9:47.
7. The UnStable (Vin Gerard & STIGMA) def. The Osirian Portal in 14:35 with a Crucifix.
8. Bryan Danielson def. Tim Donst with the Cattle Mutilation in 18:37.
9. The BDK of Claudio Castagnoli & Ares def. The Future Is Now (Jimmy “Equinox” Olsen & Helios) in two straight falls to retain the Campeonatos de Parejas. The first fall was won in 0:09 after Ares hit a Tiger Driver on Equinox (he had been attacked by the BDK before the bell). They would win the second fall in 12:45 when Claudio hit a Pop-Up European Uppercut on Helios.
Keep your eyes peeled folks. Next week their will be a brand new contest. Here’s some hints
– It involves pro wrestling (duh)
– It involves music (kinda)
– It involves creativity
– It involves a crucial member of the CHIKARA family
– That person will be directly involved in the contest.
Stay tuned for NEXT WEEK’s edition of the CHIKARA Special for more details. But before we go, let’s get to the usual business.
The 219th CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go is live! This week, Wiggly and Bryce cover “Wit, Verve, and a Bit O’Nerve”, the season finale from 2009. This episode covers Tursas vs. Green Ant and The Osirian Portal vs. The UnStable.
Bryce Remsburg brings us the latest on “Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show” in the CHIKARA Event Center.
Here are hype videos for Aniversario Zehn and Aniversario Elf . As usual, you can pick up all these titles at Smart Mark Video or stream them at Hybrid Entertainment Television
My CHIKARA blog, The CHIKARA Special, is still going strong. I have tons of new reviews of and entire 2004 shows up there right now. Also, CHIKARA matches from other companies such as ROH, FIP, PWG, and others will be up there shortly. Go there, subscribe to the blog (on the right) and continue reading my sweet CHIKARA related reviews. Subscriptions are good because: A) They let me know you’re reading and B) They get delivered right to your inbox. Its good times, so check it out and tell your friends about The CHIKARA Special.
This week, myself and Jerome Cusson conducted a Mid-Year review for CHIKARA, Dragon Gate/Dragon Gate USA, WWE, and EVOLVE in a podcast at Pro Wrestling Ponderings. It’s roughly 75 minutes of fun, interesting audio so please check it out. Get yer listen on right here!
Brad Garoon’s blog, Open The Garoon Gate is all about Dragon Gate and Dragon Gate USA. He reviews every Infinity, PPV, appearance of a Dragon Gate wrestler in the U.S. and other Japanse promotions , etc. Almost daily Brad has something new added to his tremendously large archive. You owe it to yourself to check out that blog, as well as his Toryumon and dragondoor/El Dorado/Secret Base blogs which you can find links to on his Dragon Gate blog.
Jake Ziegler, another Cool Kids Table founder, writes some fantastic wrestling DVD reviews in his A 2 Z Analyzis. This guy has been working so hard, reviewing every single TNA Slammiversary show and every single ROH Death Before Dishonor show. Every single review is very good and absolutely worthy of reading. Make sure to support him!
Ari Berenstein gives us his thoughts on “Death Before Dishonor VIII”, “Pick Your Poison”, and “Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2” in this weeks Column of Honor.
If you have not begun listening, Mike Quackenbush and Clayton Morris (of FOX News & Friends) host a pop-culture podcast known as The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe. Clayton and Mike talk about all things geek such as movies, music, television, comic books, tech stuff, and wrestling here and there. I find it wildly entertaining, as Clayton and Mike play off each other very well. It’s also really cool to hear Mike talk about non-wrestling stuff as well. So please, check out The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe and subscribe to their podcast on iTunes.
That will do it for this weeks edition of the CHIKARA Special. In the mean time, please visit my nifty blog for some awesome CHIKARA reviews. Next week I’ll talk some Chikarasaurus Rex, Young Lions Cup VIII, and of course…the brand new CHIKARA Special Contest! See you in seven, and have a fun, safe Fourth of July!
Links!
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