Pulse Glazer: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Chikara. Chikara is a lucha influenced American independent operated by Mike Quackenbush and run in Pennsylvania. The company is populated mostly by trainees of Quackenbush’s Chikara Wrestling Academy, but they teach such a wide variety of styles from lucha libre, to traditional, to Puro, that the company is a great mix of talent and one of the most fun experiences you can have at a live wrestling event, including my beloved Ring of Honor. The experience holds up on DVD and you really should check Chikara out. You can find a Best of Chikara DVD at all DVD outlets like FYE and Best Buy for only $10, so please, do check out their unique product. I’ll be handling star ratings and analysis. Chapter 11 is this year’s season ending show and for more of an introduction on what to expect, here’s our resident Chikara expert, John Kirschner. Reader Jason B. and feature columnist Big Andy Mac will be chipping in with introductions to talent.
John Kirschner: As you can tell by Aaron’s introduction, Chikara is unlike any wrestling promotion you have seen or heard of before. Chikara runs their shows in Seasons, 2007 being their 6th. Eddie Kingston and Hallowicked have been battling it out for the most part of the 2007 Season for the spot of “Chikara Wrestle Factory’s Best Student”. The feud winds down tonight as the two face off in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. At the same time, Mitch Ryder made his Chikara return along with the debut of Lince Dorado at King of Trios back in February. Mitch Ryder has a suspicion that Lince Dorado is a fraud, an illegal immigrant. This feud, which has also been occurring for the most part of 2007, will finish tonight when Mitch Ryder and Lince Dorado face off in a Mask vs. Hair Match. Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli’s feud was supposed to end tonight, but due to the injury of Lince Dorado their match was canceled. The rest of the matches are the usual fun Chikara Trios lineups with some fun singles and tag matches mixed up. We’ll introduce the other wrestlers as we go on and ff you want to see any of these wrestlers, check www.Chikarapro.com and its roster page, but for now, its Showtime. I’ll be adding fun factor ratings to each match.
JK: While I was waiting in line, I saw an unmasked Equinox hobble past us. He was still sporting his tights, and no shirt. The only thing that was keeping him warm was a towel. As soon as we got in, we grabbed the best seats available. The announcer informed us that Jigsaw was unable to make the show, but they found the replacement of Trik Davis. After a few episodes of watching the CHIKARA Podcast A Go-Go, the lights dimmed and the action was underway. We would open up with a Trios Match.
Match 1: Chuck Taylor and Team FIST of Icarus and Akuma vs. Los Ice Creams and Tim Donst
JK: The traditional Chikara match is the Trios Match. The rules of this match are much like you average American 3 vs. 3 matches, but with some added stipulations. In addition to physically tagging in your partner, another way to tag one of your partners in is to simply roll out of the ring. One of your two partners will decide who will be the legal man, and wham-o. You’ve got yourself a “Lucha Tag”.
JB: Team Friends in Similar Tights (Actual name): This is the longest running team in CHIKARA. They’ve been teaming for what seems like forever, ever since 03 or even 02. On one side, you have Gran Akuma. Akuma is known for being stiff with his lethal kicks and strikes. Icarus is know for being as heel as he can be. The fan’s start loud and seemingly never ending ‘BOOOOOOOOOOOO’s whenever he is in the ring. Both work well in the ring. This year, they dominated the tag team division, deafeting nearly everyone who got in their way, holding the Los Campeonatos de Parejas high in the process.
Chuck Taylor: From scaring little kids to having great matches, enter “Sexy†Chuckie T. Taylor’s year in CHIKARA has been near golden. He was on the cards late last year and has been a roll ever since. Taylor is well known for his antics with small children in the crowd, going so far to make them cry before the match actually takes place or even during the match. Chuck is one of CHIKARA’s fastest rising stars. This year alone, he won the mini tournement that was Rey de Voladores and even won CHIKARA’s own Young Lions Cup which he held for most of the year. The possibilities for Taylor are endless, no one knows what great stuff he will do in 2008, one can dream t hat he out does the great year he has had so far. Taylor, Icarus and Akuma are members of the Kings of Wrestling stable.
Tim Donst: Arguably, Donst has made the largest impression in CHIKARA in such a short amount of time. His fortunes sky rocketed when he took on Eddie Kingston in what many say was the biggest and best beating in CHIKARA history. After that, Donst sky rocketed through the mid card, having great matches and proving everyone that he is a young man that should be noticed. He’s wildly over, drawing chants and large pops. One hopes that Donst will have a great year. He has CHIKARAfans.com forum members on his side, will they drag him to his ‘Destiny’?
Los Ice Creams: El Hijo Del Ice Cream and Ice Cream Jr, two wrestlers that prove the wacky side of CHIKARA. Both debuted in the summer of last year and have been regulars ever since. People love these guys, and it’s kind of hard no to love them. They’re funny, they’ve got the basic tag formula down, and had a hot streak over the summer. They even got a shot at the Campeonatos de Parejas. As of now, they’re trying to get their ‘creamy’ hands on those same titles. They show promise for more improvements. Their antics make them among the most fun on the card and a team to watch out for.
JK: The traditional Chikara match is the Trios Match. The rules of this match are much like you average American 3 vs. 3 matches, but with some added stipulations. In addition to physically tagging in your partner, another way to tag one of your partners in is to simply roll out of the ring. One of your two partners will decide who will be the legal man, and wham-o. You’ve got yourself a “Lucha Tag”.
JK: Perfect opener for such an anticipated event. Tim Donst is getting super-pops galore with “Donst” chants and “USA” chants early on.
AG: Chuck Taylor, naturally played to these, noting that his entire team is from America.
JK: After some Los Ice Cream trickery, they make the tag to Donst. He comes in and cleans house, but is eventually broken down by Icarus and Akuma. Donst almost turned the tables while an Ice Cream was holding one of the Rudos, but the Rudo dodged the chop and Donst hit the Ice Cream. The Ice Cream was mad, and gave Donst the cold shoulder. The three trade off on beating Donst until he reverses one of Taylor’s irish whips into the corner. Donst charges the corner and accidentally hits an Ice Cream. Los Ice Creams get fed up with Donst’s accidental hits, and ditch him. The crowd hates this and boo Los Ice Creams to the back. Donst begs and pleads for them to come back, but to no avail.
Team FIST and Chuck Taylor absolutely MURDER Donst with the Omega Driver from Chuck Taylor, and then a Pedigree followed up by the CHIKARA Special from Icarus. And THAT was all she wrote.
Team FIST and Chuck Taylor defeat Tim Donst and Los Ice Creams (Submission, Icarus Chikara Special on Donst, Fun Rating: 7/10)
Like I stated earlier, perfect opener for the given event. Everyone got their spots off just right, and Los Ice Creams stole a couple of Taylor’s moves which was funny. I don’t see where they’re going with Los Ice Creams ditching Donst. Maybe a Donst/Los Ice Creams feud? Probably nothing more than a Los Ice Creams heel turn
AG: Chikara put some of the most over men on the roster in the opener. Taylor’s crowd interactions are second to none, as are Los Ice Creams antics. Adding in that FIST are a great heel team and Donst generates a ton of sympathy in a beating and this one was perfect for the crowd. Antics and crowd interaction followed by a heat segment on Donst. It’s amazing how over Chikara has gotten everyone by just playing to their strengths. Donst looked great taking his beatdown and had to be destroyed to be defeated. Good, hot opener (*** ¼)
Match 2: Hydra with Ultramantis Black vs. Robbie Ellis
JB: Robbie Ellis: Lets get one thing clear. Robbie Ellis is over 60 years old and is an active wrestler. You might think that he’d be boring, but he is actually GREAT to watch. He’s nailed Slice Bread #2’s, Head scissors and even recently a BURNING ****ING HAMMER. He’s CRAZY for a guy his age and I love it. Who knows, he might lead a even more active roll in CHIKARA in 08. Maybe.
AG: Hydra is a member of the Order of the Neo Solar Temple. He’s a small, skinny white man, but not in Chikara. In Chikara, he’s a giant sea monster who gets beat about pretty badly regularly. Ultra Mantis Black is an evil insect and leader of the Order of the Neo Solar Temple. He’s good when he wrestles, but seems to focus more on commentary and managing now. They’re both hilariously evil.
JK: Hydra comes down to “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse and is dancing around like he is hyped up on cocaine and steroids. He takes off his robe and is totally buff. I mean, buffer than Batista (AG: A Muscle suit dears). It was pretty scary. Robbie Ellis came down to “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake, and let me tell you, he did just that. He brought sexy back AND some. Robbie Ellis did some of his poses and Hydra was victim of the accusation of being on steroids by the fans. Ellis got Hydra tied up for the Burning Hammer, and connected it! 3 Count after 3 minutes of hilarity.
Robbie Ellis defeats Hydra (Pin, Burning Hammer, 8/10)
Very fun break of Lucha Action. The crowd went WILD after the Burning Hammer. If only Ric Flair could move like Robbie Ellis.
AG: This was pure comedy, but it was absolutely hilarious. A sea monster in a muscle suit vs. an old man who’s in better shape than me? That’s money. This rating is based entirely upon comedy. (***)
Match 3: Player Uno, Stupefied and Shane Storm vs. The Colony of Worker Ant, Soldier Ant and Fire Ant
BAM: Shane Storm – Storm wears sort of a clown mask with a blonde mullet. He is the unionized traffic regulator and has been with Chikara since near the beginning. He wears sort of a clown mask with a blonde mullet. He employs the Air Raid Crash and “That Japanese Move” (shining wizard) as his finishes. He is quite over with the Chikara faithful.
Stupefied – He, along with Player Uno, make up the Super Smash Brothers. While he would be cooler with a video game gimmick, he is an impressively indy-tastic flip flop and flier. Think Matt Sydal.
Player Uno – Player Uno is the 8 bit Luchador. His offense is based on the most popular video game characters including the mushroom stomp, frogger splash, and Hadoken. His biggest weakness is his pause button which stops him in his tracks.
JB: The Colony: Fun little trio here. They’re made up of SOULJA Ant, Fire ant and Worker ant. All three are still pretty green, only one and a half year pro. They’ve made a rather drastic improvement over the year they’ve been with CHIKARA, they really know how to tag and work well as a team. For me, Fire Ant is the best of them, but that’s just a humble opinion that I want to throw out there. But yes, with King of Trios only several months away, I wouldn’t be surprised if these three come very close to the top Best wishes to these youngsters.
JK: Yet another amazing trios match from CHIKARA. Stupefied landed some pretty nice spots and will fit in with CHIKARA perfectly. A maskless, shirtless Equinox comes up next to me and takes a seat to watch what he was once part of. He looks distraught and depressed like no other. Nonetheless, onto the match. It started off with everyone getting their chance to get their spots in and Player Uno climbed to the top rope. One of the ants pressed the PAUSE button on his tights, and he was frozen there for a good 3 minutes.
After some Trios moves, the team of Player Uno, Shane Storm and Stupefied were on the outside of the ring trying to recoup. Solider Ant and Worker Ant launch Fire Ant way into the air and he splashes on top of the opposing Trios. The Colony had Stupefied in the middle of the ring and held by his limbs, so he was propped out like a table. Fire Ant climbs atop his partners and splashes onto Stupefied and gets the 3 Count.
The Colony defeat Stupefied, Player Uno and Shane Storm (Pin, Fire Ant Assisted Splash on Stupefied 8/10)
After the match, Equinox walked up to the gate and stared onto the 6 Men who were shaking each other’s hands. Once again, outstanding performance from all 6 men.
AG: This was great. Anyone who’s a fan of Dragon Gate style matches needs to check this out. The storytelling wasn’t anything special, except the Colony worked better together, while their opponents were superior individually. The spots built awesomely here and everything was crisp. The Colony have some awesome triple team maneuvers and that was the difference. (****)
Match 4: ICWICWA Texarcana Television Title Match: Larry Sweeney © vs. Byran Alvarez
BAM: Larry Sweeney: Sweeney is a member of the somewhat together Kings of Wrestling Stable and an old school heel in the Memphis tradition. His flying elbow and piledriver are the hallmarks of his offense, and he is frequently the holder of the ICW/ICWA Texarkana Television Championship.
Bryan Alvarez – Bryan Alvarez may be more well known as a write for Figure Four Weekly and former Wrestling Observer Live co-host, but he is also a decent wrestler. He uses the superkick as a finish.
AG: Sweeney had his own ref out for this. He and Alvarez took it to each other in a slow, old school match. Considering it’s between a largely comedy act and an internet writer, it’s annoying how straight this was played. The finish saw Sweeney scuffle with his ref and turn into a superkick from Alvarez who won the belt.
Bryan Alvarez defeats Larry Sweeney (Pin, Superkick, * ½)
Alvarez wasn’t bad, threw great chops and was in very good shape, but god, did the crowd not want to see the ‘net writer in a serious match. Putting him over basically clean is a head scratcher too.
Match 5: Up in Smoke and Delirious vs. Passion Hasegawa, Miawaki and El Pantera
AG: Up in Smoke: Up in Smoke are made up of Cheech and Cloudy. Both are very good fliers and play a good classic face team, a la the Midnight Express. They work extremely well together and are perennial tag team contenders.
Delirious: Del is the ROH regular, half lizard man who is almost totally incoherent. He’s a very good wrestler, his antics are great, and he fits in with Chikara perfectly. His team with Hallowicked is currently one half of the Campeoanos De Pareja.
JB: Miyawaki – WAKI came to CHIKARA during the Tag World Gran Prix 2006 and MAN, what he made an impression. Right of the bat, people loved him. He’s had very memorable matches, even a few CHIKARA MOTYC’s. Only bad thing with him is that he lives in Japan, so he isn’t in the regular roster. He usually shows up at ‘major’ events and always gets a standing ovation from the fans. Just a little while ago, he had a 2 minute standing ovation after a very hard fought match with Claudio. I really hope MIYAWAKI comes over more often, he’s just too darn awesome to pass down.
JK: El Pantera: Pantera debuted at the first annual King of Trios in February teaming along with Lince Dorado and Sicdelico Jr.. He now appears whenever he is available in America (He also takes bookings in Japan and Mexico), usually 2 times a month teaming with Lince Dorado. He moves a little bit slow, but is still usually the highlight of the match. (See the Lince Dorado/El Pantera vs. Kings of Wrestling match at Maximun Overdraft).
Passion Hasegawa: Passion Hasegawa is debuting tonight at Chapter 11, and he delivered. He came down to the ring in a pink Matador’s costume, so I suspected he was quite flaming. As soon as he got in the ring he started dancing and swinging his hips to mock his knocked-out opponent. He has quite the silly character, but can get right down to business with a nice Lucha/Strong Style.
3rd Trios match of the night, and the 3rd awesome trios match of the night. This had international fun written all over it. Miyawaki and Delirious traded off some stiff battles with some loud headbutts. Cheech and Cloudy didn’t really get to do their normal spots, but still managed to look fantastic. Passion Hasegawa looks like a flaming Tito Santana with scars all over his chest. He didn’t really amaze me here, but you don’t have to be amazing to be entertaining. He did a little hip dance (Rocky Romero Style) and that’s always funny. Turns out funny doesn’t get you far. Delirious kills Passion Hasegawa with the Bizzaro Driver for the 3. Afterwards, Miyawaki motions that he is going after Delirious’ Campeanao De Pareja.
Delirious, Cheech and Cloudy beat Passion Hasegawa, Miyawaki and El Pantera (Pin, Bizzaro Driver, 7/10)
Fun, fun match with a bunch of stiff looking hits. There were a lot of 6 person spots which added onto the fun factor a bit.
AG: This was the weakest of the three trios matches. Up in Smoke seemed to barely do anything and the match was mostly carried by Delirious’s personality and some awesomeness by El Pantera. I really, really never want to see Delirious do fighting spirit like he did here again.(***)
INTERMISSION – AG: MMMMM, Meatball thing. JK: I called a dame and told her to have my dinner ready by the time I got home. I also had a hot dog. AG: The dame was likely Chuck Taylor.
Match 6: Mike Quackenbush, Trik Davis and Helios vs. Hawke like an Egyptian of Shane Hawke, Amasis and Ophidian
JB:
JK: Helios: Chikara newcomer that debuted with a bang at New Star Navigation on 10/27. He defeated Chuck Taylor for the Young Lions Cup, ending Chuck Taylor’s perfect defense since May. During the match, Chuck Taylor blamed Helios of being Ricochet under the mask (Taylor kicked Ricochet out of Chikara at International Invaders Weekend), and I have to admit, he does look a little bit like Ricochet.
Trik Davis: Trik, A Chikara rarity, and is usually booked as a replacement due to his local availability in Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, replacement or not, he is a fantastic addition to the roster and can wrestle a fine American/Lucha style.
Shayne Hawke: Hawke is a Chikara Rudo who likes to talk to the crowd during his matches. Though that would be a distraction to most, his style is built around getting in the head of his opponent by gabbing his jaw.
The Osirian Portal: The team of Osirian Portal (Amasis and Ophidian) is a team like you have never seen before. With the gimmick of a black pharoah (Amasis) and a crazy crawling cobra (Ophidian), you can be sure to have a smile on your face at the end of the match.
JK: What is this, the 4th Trios match of the night? And I’m still not tired of Trios Action! This was a great Tecnicos vs. Rudos match. Ophidian came down the ramp crawling like a cobra and started hissing. Amasis just looks like a beast wrestler, I hope to see him in singles action soon.
AG: Quackenbush’s entrance with a ton of title belts was absolutely awesome and reminiscent of Ultimo Dragon. I completely marked out.
JK Quack spent most of the match on the apron because he is still feeling some effects of the concussion he received from TPI 2007. Helios and Amasis had a pretty good face off in the middle of the match, as I would expect.
While Quack had Amasis hoisted on his shoulders, Amasis, “The Funky Pharaoh”, just had to break dance a little bit. Quack cracked a smile on his face and just gave Amasis an electric chair. Funny spot. Heliochet and Amasis were about to face off once again, until he made the Lucha tag to Ophidian! The crowd then began to hiss. That is the best crowd chant ever. Even with all the hissing and dancing, Heliochet pinned Amasis with a twisting splash for the three.
Quackenbush, Helios and Trik defeat Hawke, Ophidian and Amasis (Pin, Helios Phoenix Splash on Amasis)
Cool match. Though it was the fourth trios match of the night, the format still didn’t get old. Hawke was funny, and this was just a whole bunch of fun.
AG: The trios matches don’t get old because though they are all lucha style, they are very different stories and thus keep fresh. Quack is ridiculously over and Helios had the heels number all night, so the heels tried to isolate Trik Davis. Davis was too good to stay down though and the faces were able to come back. Helios is just too fun and beat Amasis after a cool showdown.
Match 7: Falls Count Anywhere: Hallowicked vs. Eddie Kingston
< b>JK: Hallowicked: Hallow has been with Chikara since the beginning and will stick with them until the end. Originally brought in as a Rudo under the wing of Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked has transformed into a Tecnico after teaming with Delirious back in 2006. His mix of strong style (Killer Yakuza Kick) and amazing ability to switch to Lucha anytime is what sets him apart from most of the Chikara students.
JB: Eddie Kingston: Kingston has been on a WAR PATH this year. Living in the rough streets of New York for most of his life, doing time and even getting stabbed while he was younger. As stated, Kingston has been out for blood. Hallowicked’s blood, that is. Kingston usually argues that he is the best wrestler that CHIKARA has produced, Hallowicked begged to differ and the match was made. This year alone, Kingston has beaten down countless younger wrestlers to prove a point to everyone that he isn’t a joke and can carry CHIKARA on his back. He’s promo skills are some of the best outside of WWE/ROH/TNA, some call him the best promo cutter in the US Indies in general.
JK: I was excited as hell for this big blowoff of the feud. But for some reason, I was hungry as hell too. So at the beginning of the match while Hallowicked and Eddie Kingston were exchanging forearms and headbutts I got myself my 5th Hot Dog. When I came back, they were still exchanging shots. They spilled to the outside and the action got even better out there. They went to the ramp and teased a suplex, and they finally did it. It had to be one of the loudest thuds I’ve ever heard in the Alhambra, I felt the ground shake. Hallowicked was still trying to payback Kingston for the Exploder Suplex on the concrete floor back in April and attempted tons of suplexes on the bare floor.
After a few attempts, he connected with a sickening Michinoku Driver. After a couple more minutes of edge-of-the-seat brawling, Kingston threw Hallowicked in the corner of the ramp. The ramp just fell apart and Hallowicked was sent back a couple of rows. The match came back inside and the two started trading vicious strikes again. King hit a series of chops and punches and hit the backdrop driver. When Hallow kicked out, King then went for the Spinning Backfist, but Hallowicked kicked it away. Kingston ducked a Yakuza Kick and caught Hallowicked off guard connecting with the Spinning Backfist. King went for the pin and got the three count.
Eddie Kingston defeats Hallowicked (Pin, Spinning Backfist, 9/10)
A Falls Count Anywhere match is out of the ordinary for Chikara, and it was really something to remember. The fact that these two hated each other so much as to turn Chikara into a not-so family friendly show for a little bit was awesome.
AG: Eddie Kingston and Hallowicked put on the match of the night. Hallow knew he needed the extra impact to take out Kingston, so surprisingly, he went for a lot of impact maneuvers on the floor. This lead to some awesome “in pain†back selling all night from Kingston, even on offense. King, for his part, added a lot of passion and hate, even using the rare (in Chikara) chair shot. He took out Hallowicked’s back, which prevented Hallow from hitting the Go to Sleepy Hallow after a Michinoku Driver on the floor, which would have finished. Kingston managed to connect with a backdrop driver. He then claimed it was time for Hallowicked to die and nailed another. A reversal sequence ended with the spinning back fist and Hallowicked was finally knocked out and Kingston shown the best student and best indy worker not a semi-regular in ROH. (**** ¼)
Match 8: Hair vs. Mast: Mitch Ryder with Larry Sweeney and Shane Hawke vs. Lince Dorado with El Pantera
JB Mitch Ryder: Mitch is your basic VERY old school heel. Cheating to win, breaking the rules in a very old school way. Mitch’s current objective is going after all the Lucha stars for whatever reason he has against them. Flipping around? Maybe. Ryder is just filled with charisma. When he’s on the mic, it’s best that you listen and listen good. Who knows, he might continue his anti-lucha spree throughout next year.
Lince Dorado: The Golden boy of CHIKARA. Only 20 years old and has made a huge name for himself in CHIKARA. He defies gravity as a whole and takes such high risk moves. He’s been an under dog in most of his CHIKARA bookings, taking on the likes of Quackenbush and even Chris Hero. He has some big victories under his belt and the crowd is firmly behind the luchador.
Mitch Ryder came down to the ring with Chuck Taylor and Shayne Hawke in his corner, and Lince came down with El Pantera. The crowd was really into this match, and we couldn’t wait for what would follow. The match opened up with both men trading the advantage, and Mitch Ryder would have the upperhand. On the outside of the ring, Chuck Taylor and Shayne Hawke knocked down El Pantera, which resulted in Pantera getting carried to the back. Lince was all by himself. Most of the match was about Ryder being overpowering, with Lince getting little or no offense in. Lince would get the upperhand after Mitch Ryder under-estimated him, allowing Lince to catch Ryder off guard. The rest of what followed was Lince using his speed and agility to get around Ryder’s moves. Lince springboard cross-body blocked Ryder, which caused Ryder to bump into referee Bryce Remsburg. Oh no, the referee bump.
You can see Chuck Taylor and Hawke think about getting in the ring, then you look at the ramp and see Mike Quackenbush run down. Then Los Ice Creams. Then Tim Donst. You think it’s over, but you here more footsteps on the ramp. Icarus makes his way down, along with a hobbling Gran Akuma. After a bit, the locker room emptied and we saw The Tecnicos of the Cibernetico Team in Lince’s corner, rooting him on making sure the Rudos didn’t interfere. And on the other side, you saw the Rudo Kings of Wrestling (minus Hero and Castagnoli) cheering on Mitch Ryder. From the locker room emptying to the finish of the match was the most electric and amazing experience I’ve ever witnessed at a wrestling event.
The finish saw the two reverse their signature moves, and Lince finally had Ryder on the ground out cold. He dragged Ryder to the corner and climbed to the top. We thought he was going for the Lynx-Sault, but what followed was the craziest part of the night. Lince Dorado executed a Shooting Star Senton and landed right on the sternum of Mitch Ryder! The house was on fire and everyone was on their feet. But there was something wrong. Lince wasn’t moving. The Tecnicos yelled for Lince to pin Mitch, but no response. Mitch could tell something was wrong and nonchalantly placed Lince’s arm over his own chest, giving Lince the win.
Lince Dorado defeats Mitch Ryder (Pin, Shooting Star with an extra spin, 10/10)
This was a truly special experience. They went all out, trying to make this an epic matchup and they succeeded. The locker room emptying was a great addition.
AG: This match was no great shakes, but the booking here absolutely was. The story was good, but Mitch was a bit slow. The crowd was hot and survived it, mostly do to the fabulous booking of the ref bump. There was no interference whatsoever, but the faces uniting in the threat of it was fabulous. The finish was hot and Lince’s nearly suicidal move was spectacular. (*** ½)
JK: After the match was said and done, and the crowd died down a bit, you could see Lince convulsing in the ring. The crowd grew more and more silent until there was no sound. Not one peep. It was more quiet than a church sermon. Not trying to be funny, but that’s what I can compare it to. Quack hopped in the ring and started talking to Lince. No response, more compulsing. After a good 20-30 seconds of him shaking, he stopped. He stopped moving completely. Daizee Haze ran down to the ring and tried to get Lince Dorado to talk. Still no response. The locker room emptied and huddled around him. They took his mask off and placed a towel over his head so nobody would see his face.
I wasn’t timing, but what seemed like 10 minutes atfter the match he still wasn’t moving. The Colony ran to the back along with a Chikara security guard and returned with a wooden table. A towel placed over his head, not moving, not talking, not responding in any way, shape or form, a limp Lince Dorado was lifted and placed onto the table. They carried him to the back and the crowd applaused. Not another sound was made after the applause.
After quite some time, Mike Quackenbush informed us via. microphone that the show would go on. The crowd let out a collective beg to stop the show. There wasn’t one person in that arena that wanted the show to continue. We all felt that it would be wrong to stay there and make Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, two guys who trained Lince Dorado since the beginning, get out there and wrestle.
Quackenbush came out 6 minutes later and informed us that the rest of the show was canceled, and the crowd cheered. Along with telling us that the show was canceled, he asked us not to leave the Alhambra due to the chance of cars blocking the oncoming ambulance. We heard screams and cries of women backstage. Yelling at the top of their lungs. 3 of my friends, Big Andy Mac, Aaron, and myself were standing by the side of the front door. I’m looking towards the curtains and some girl walks out, crying, barely able to keep herself on her feet. A man was walking along side of her to make sure she didn’t faint or anything. She made her way towards the front door, and each step she took closer towards me, the more and more weak and sick I felt. Eventually the Ambulance left and we departed.
AG: It turns out that Lince had sufferred a bad concussion, but was released from the hospital that night. Thank God.
Okay, incase you couldn’t tell by the huge review coverage, we loved Chikara. The show was a blast, the atmosphere was great. ROH is mainstream wrestling done right. CHIKARA is a true alternative form of entertainment, Sports Entertainment, Lucha, Puro . None adequately explain the greatness that is Chikara. Although this was their last live show until February (they run in seasons, brilliantly), expect a lot more Chikara coverage on the Pulse from here on. See you all soon and remember to check back soon! – Glazer
