Back again with an edition of the Run Down and this week I will be highlighting this weekend’s Chikara shows and what is in store with Chikara for the future.
La Loteria Letal & Style and Substance
The concept for the La Loteria Letal show is quite simple. 18 wrestlers have been chosen and from those 18 wrestlers, 8 teams will form at random. Then, the two wrestlers who are left over will face in a singles match. Once the 8 teams are formed, they will compete in a tournament. The tournament will feature 4 quarter final matches and two semi final matches. No final match is currently scheduled for the event. Various names which make up the field of 18 include Mike Quackenbush, Eddie Kingston, Claudio Castagnoli, Shane Storm, Larry Sweeney, Vin Gerard, and the returning Colin Olsen (also known as Colin Delaney). For all 18 names, head over to Chikara’s official website.
The second half of the double shot weekend is Style and Substance. Eddie Kingston has brutalized Lince Dorado in two previous matches but Dorado won’t give up and is determined to prove that he can hang with a wrestler the caliber of Kingston and that he won’t be easily bullied. So, this has set up a third encounter between the two. Another match which major ramifications is Mike Quackenbush & Tim Donst vs. Vin Gerard & Shane Storm. Quack and Storm are currently embroiled in personal feud and recently Gerard as taken Storm under his wing and has even guided Storm into removing his trademark mask in favor of a more darker and grittier mask. Also, Storm is looking to get his hands on Donst for “selling him out” to Quack. The main event of the evening features the final chapter in the Claudio Castagnoli and Brodie Lee feud. The feud will be ended inside the confides of a steel cage.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie Lee
The feud between these two big men started out innocently enough as a battle of the big men match back in April at Passion & Persistence. The match finished with some controversy as Claudio accidentally hit the referee with a bicycle kick and then would go on to pin Lee after another referee interjected. The original referee awarded the victory to Lee via DQ while the second referee contended that the contact was incidental and that Claudio was the winner. However, it’s the original referee’s discretion and Lee was awarded the win in the end. Following the match, Lee delivered his trademark big boot to Claudio thus igniting the feud.
These behemoths would lock horns once again at May’s AniversarioCT and the match would see a similar result to the match in April. However, this time around it was Lee who incidentally big booted the referee and was on the losing end of the match via DQ once the referee cam to. Once again nothing was solved between these two. In August at Tragedy & Triumph, Claudio and Lee would clash once again but this time in a no DQ match with two referees overseeing the match. Lee was able to get a pinfall victory on Claudio following a fireball from Mitch Ryder. With that, the feud was taken to a personal level and now Claudio is out for vengeance inside the steel cage. What was once a innocent match to see if Lee could hang with other big men in Chikara has escalated into a heated feud which will come to a close this Sunday inside the unforgiving steel cage.
What’s In Store For The Future?
The next few months appear to be the biggest few months in Chikara’s history. Chikara now begins the descent into it’s final shows of the year. One thing to look out for is the Global Gauntlet which is set for October. Chikara has sent out an invitation to 12 promotions to assemble a team to face Chikara’s best. The next thing to look out for is later this month when Chikara makes their midwest debut and the shows are already looking stacked. The final thing to look out for is the return of the Tag World Gran Prix in the month of November.
Feuds such as Shane Storm vs. Mike Quackenbush and Vin Gerard vs. Fire Ant will certainly heat up even more as we head down the stretch into the final shows of the year. One final thing to look out for is Incoherence’s quest to become the longest reigning Campeonatos de Parejas in Chikara history which can be achieved if they make it through the month of October as champions.
