Guerrilla Chikarticles: A Recap of Everything Indy

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The Opening Segment
Young Lions Cup Projections (Part One)

It’s creeping up on us quicker than you’d think. Chikara’s Young Lions Cup is to take place in May, all three nights in Hellertown, and there has yet to be one name confirmed for the tournament. Twenty-Four spots remain vacant for wrestlers under the age of twenty-five, and here I will throw out some potential names for the open spots.

Spot Number One: Chuck Taylor
Chuck Taylor only 21 years old, stormed through Chikara and won the Young Lions Cup V Tournament as well as claiming the crown as “King of the Little Flippy Dudes”. In IWA Mid South, he won the IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Title the IWA-MS Women’s Title and holds the record for the longest reign with the IWA-MS Title. Chuck Taylor stands out above anyone and definitely needs the number one spot.
Check Out: Chuck Taylor vs. Ricochet at (Chikara) Young Lions Cup V Night Three. It’s one of my favorite matches of 2007 and displays Taylor for everything he is.

Spot Number Two: Helios
The man who won the title from Taylor in October gets spot number two. He is the current and reigning Young Lions Cup holder and though we haven’t seen him before his debut in October, he is holding his own against challengers (Fire Ant and Hydra) for the Cup. By the time the tournament rolls around, his trophy will be vacated, and it’s only fair if Helios gets a chance to regain his glory.
Check Out: Helios vs. Chuck Taylor at (Chikara) New Star Navigation. Helios’ debut match where he steals Taylor’s thunder and pulls out a rookie upset.

Spot Number Three: Joker
At 24 years old, Joker has done nothing but impress Chikara faithful in the past. His performance at King of Trios Night Three against Team Mucha Lucha was most likely one of the best I’ve seen from him live. He won CZW’s 2007 Best of the Best and is the current IWA-MS Tag Team Champion along with Ricky Reyes.
Check Out: Joker vs. Drake Younger at (CZW) Best of the Best 7. It’s really nothing standout, but it shows even though we’ve seen Joker in trio and tag action a lot, he can do more than put on a good singles match. His aggression in the ring is unlike anyone else I’ve ever seen before, and that adds a great amount of emotion to the match.

Spot Number Four: Roderick Strong
I just want to hear what the chops would sound like in Hellertown.
Check Out: Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero at (PWG) All Star Weekend V Night One. Yet again, another one of my favorite matches from 2007. They just hit each other really freakin’ hard.

Spot Number Five: Tim Donst
Donst earned his spot in the 2008 Young Lions Cup when he came out of his mother womb. Honestly, the first moment Donst stepped foot in the ring with his headgear on the crowd saw something new and fresh in him, and he just rolled with it. One year later and he has the fans in attendance chanting “USA” whenever he enters the ring. He choked out seven other people at King of Trios Night Three, he had a MOTYC with Eddie Kingston and the rumor is his face is being carved into Mount Rushmore.
Check Out: Tim Donst vs. Eddie Kingston at (Chikara) Showdown in Crisisland. Tim Donst didn’t get more than one minute of offense in on Kingston, yet he made all in attendance care for him more than they’ve cared for anyone in their lives.

Independent Wrestling News
Featured This Week: Chikara, PWG, IWA-MS

Chikara News
1. Hellertown, Pennsylvania will hold “Deuces Wild” on April 19th. Five matches have been confirmed for the event. Check them out in the “Upcoming Events” section.

2. The very next day, Chikara moves to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to put on “Passion and Persistence”. Six mega-super matches have already been confirmed.
3. Chikara has brought back the “Create a Wrestler” Contest to 2008. Information on this contest can be found here.

4. Smart Mark Video has finally released King of Trios 2008 and all 3 Nights are available for only $20.00 a pop. Get ‘em, it’s all worth it baby.

<b?Pro Wrestling Guerrilla News
1. “It’s a Gift… and a Curse” will take place on April 5th. And for some reason, Hello Kitty is wrestling.

2. At “1.21 Gigawatts”, Scott Lost and Joey Ryan walked in as PWG Tag Team Champions and walked out with NOTHING. Kevin Steen and El Generico beat The Dynasty after a Brainbuster/Package Piledriver Combo on Ryan for their second reign as PWG Tag Team Champions.

IWA Mid South News
1. “April Blood Showers” will take place on April 12th. The main attraction is a No Rope Barbed Wire Grudge Match between Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer.

Upcoming Independent Wrestling Shows
Featured This Week: PWG, IWA-MS and CHIKARA

UWA (3.28.2008 in Toronto, Ontario)
1. Josh Prohibition © vs. Josh Abercrombie (UWA Canadian Title Match)
2. Up In Smoke © vs. BLKOUT vs. Gran Akuma and Hallowicked vs. The Ring Crew Express (UWA Tag Team Title Match)
3. Chris Hero vs. Lionel Knight
4. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Matt Cross
5. Dan Paysan © vs. Derek Wylde (UWA Light Heavyweight Title Match)
6. Jimmy Olsen vs. Ricky Reyes
7. Brodie Lee vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Shane Hollister

PWG “It’s a Gift… AND A CURSE” (4.5.2008 in Reseda, California)
1. Joey Ryan and Scott Lost vs. Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli
2. Chris Hero vs. Roderick Strong
3. Phoenix Star and Zokre vs. MAZADA and NOSAWA
4. Brandon Bonham vs. Nick Jackson
5. Ronin and Scorpio Sky vs. Hook Bomberry and TJ Perkins
6. Hello Kitty ® vs. Kuromi®

IWA-MS “A Bloody Road Ahead” (4.11.2008 in Plainfield, Indiana)
1. BJ Whitmer vs. Brodie Lee
2. Dingo vs. Jimmy Jacobs
3. Chuck Taylor © vs. Ash (IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Title Match)
4. Mickie Knuckles vs. Joker
5. Eddie Kingston © vs. Viking (IWA-MS Heavyweight Title Match)
6. Michael Elgin © vs. Ricky Reyes (IWA-MS Strong Style Title Match)
7. Sexxxy Eddy vs. Hydra
8. Cheech and Cloudy vs. Devon Moore and Lucky vs. Troy Walters and Jason Hades vs. Fire Ant and Ricochet
9. Josh Abercrombie vs. Vin Gerard

IWA-MS “April Blood Showers” (4.12.2008 in Joliet, Illinois)
1. BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs (No Ropes Barbed Wire Match)
2. Eddie Kingston, Scorpio and Mickie Knuckles vs. Ruckus, Joker and Ricky Reyes of BLKOUT
3. Chuck Taylor/Ash vs. Jason Hades
4. Brodie Lee vs. Viking
5. Deranged vs. CJ Otis (Chicago Street Fight. They’re not in Chicago…)
6. Fire Ant, Jimmy Olsen, Hydra and Vin Gerard vs. Vortek, Dustin, xOMGx and Ricochet

Chikara “Deuces Wild” (4.19.2008 in Hellertown, Pennsylvania)
1. Mike Quackenbush © vs. El Pantera (NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Match)
2. Cheech and Cloudy vs. Mitch Ryder and Shayne Hawke
3. Tim Donst vs. Ultramantis Black
4. Team FIST vs. Create a Wrestler and Player Uno
5. Worker Ant vs. Vin Gerard

Chikara “Passion for Persistence” (4.20.2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
1. Incoherence © vs. Team FIST (Campeonatos de Parejas Match)
2. El Pantera and Lince Dorado vs. Eddie Kingston and Sabian
3. Mike Quackenbush, Shane Storm, Cheech and Cloudy vs. Mitch Ryder, Larry Sweeney, Shayne Hawke and Robbie Ellis
4. Hydra vs. Chuck Taylor
5. Tim Donst vs. Ophidian
6. Player Uno vs. Jimmy Olsen

The Question: Are Deathmatches Necessary in Wrestling?
The Deadline: April 11th 2008
The Prize: A Sealed Copy of Best of Chikara (retail) and a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla DVD

Format your response however you like. I’ll post this around on message boards so feel free to respond right then and there, or you can e-mail me your answers to jkirschner@4sternstaging.com.

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