DVD Review: CHIKARA “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” (10.17.2009)

Reviews, Wrestling DVDs

After taking a break from the Pennsylvania area in September, CHIKARA returns to Easton for the fourth to last show of 2009, “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”. Big matches previously announced on the card were Player Dos defending his Young Lions Cup against Frightmare, as well as Fire and Soldier Ant of the Colony defending their Campeonatos de Parejas for the first time against Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood, the Roughnecks.

The event following “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” was none other than “Cibernetico Increible“, which took place in Philadelphia the night after this show took place. Unfortunately, I do not have the money at the moment to buy every CHIKARA show, so I have to pick and choose. For whatever reason, I went with “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” over “Cibernetico Increible” this time around. For the record, I plan on buying both November season finale shows as soon as they’re released, so you won’t miss a beat going into 2010.

For your own interest, “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” is currently available for purchase on DVD at Smart Mark Video for twenty dollars. Follow along if you would like. Then, share your comments and feedback on “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” below or via e-mail at royreynolds@4sternstaging.com.

Before the event officially began, CHIKARA announced via their Twitter page that Chad Badd and Brad Badd, the Badd Boyz, were stopped at the Canadian border and thus, would not be able to compete for CHIKARA this weekend. As a result of this, their matches in Easton and Philadelphia were both strapped. Time for some impromptu booking, Chikarason.

Louden Noxious plays a tune on his guitar, which supposedly chronicles his past. Apparently, Louden was in a huge rock band back in the ’90s. Quite frankly, this may be my favorite Louden Noxious song to date. I really wish I had the YouTube video available. Maybe it’ll pop up on that website some time within the next few months. Keep your eyes peeled, CHIKARMY.

Lince Dorado, Jimmy “Equinox” Olsen, and Helios of the Future Is Now are all backstage. Lince tells Equinox and Helios that he has a surprise for them — new Future Is Now wrist gauntlets. As the three members rejoice, Jigsaw suddenly walks on camera. He asks Lince where his wrist gauntlets are, but Dorado awkwardly tells Jigsaw that he only got three pairs. Lince, Equinox, and Helios all walk off camera, as Jigsaw looks on, clearly highly disappointed.

Vin Gerard defeated Lince Dorado via pinfall (2K1 Bomb) – Lince Dorado was initially booked to team with Helios against the Badd Boyz, but because the Badd brothers could not make the show, the match was changed to this. Vin Gerard came out wearing a SARS guard, pretending to have swine flu. In order to catch Dorado off guard, Vin Gerard would sneeze and cough at Lince whenever possible. At one point, Vin even stuck his finger into his mouth and placed it back into Lince’s. Gross! More of a comedy match than anything. Lince pulled off a few cool lucha spots, but it was awfully limited. Lince missed the shooting star press and then, Vin proceeded to dump Dorado on his head with the 2K1 Bomb for the three count. I’m pretty sure that Vin and Lince are both capable of putting on better matches with one another, but this was okay for an opener. **½.

Claudio Castagnoli defeated Player Uno via pinfall (UFO) – A short, but really fun match. Uno really took Castagnoli to the limit and there were plenty of times when it looked like he was going to pull off an upset. In fact, Nick Papagiorgio was actually knocked down at one point and Uno got Claudio down with a schoolboy for seemingly a three count. When Papagiorgio recovered, though, it was Claudio who quickly nailed Uno with a bicycle kick. Claudio then lifted Uno up and threw him down with his new finisher, the UFO, for the pinfall. For the record, the UFO is a no-hands helicopter spin. This bout was a bit better than the opener, but nothing too special. **¾.

Ophidian and Amasis of the Osirian Portal are backstage. New gold, red, and turquoise gear, by the way. Amasis mentions how the Portal were essentially off their game in Nashua and because of that, the Colony are the new Campeonatos de Parejas. Ophidian explains the importance of the four-way tag team elimination match, in which they can gain three points in one bout and become the new number one contenders. Amasis tells the Colony to “shine up those belts because they’re coming back to Egypt once again”.

Ophidian and Amasis beat Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson, Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton, and Icarus and Chuck Taylor via pinfall (Osirian Sacrament) to win a four-way elimination tag team match – Sugar Dunkerton challenges Icarus to a tip-off before the match. As Icarus leaps for the ball in the air, Dunkerton nails him in the nuts on the way down. The Throwbacks of Hatfield and Dunkerton really held their own in this match. Dasher even managed to put away F.I.S.T. by pinning Icarus with a springboard Oklahoma roll. As the Throwbacks were celebrating their first point, Sugar Dunkerton was put into a trance by Amasis. From that point on, the Throwbacks never really recovered. Egyptian Conniption by Amasis on Dunkerton was enough to get the Throwbacks eliminated. Next, we saw a rematch from “King of Trios 2009”, in which the Osirian Portal took on two thirds of Team PWG, the Young Bucks. Nick nailed a 450 splash on Amasis late in the match, but he somehow managed to kick out. Shortly following that, Nick got locked up in the Death Grip. Matt was able to break it up, though. After some miscommunication by the Bucks, the Amasis pins Nick Jackson following the Osirian Sacrament to pick up their second point of the match. Excellent match with the Throwbacks quickly coming off as being future threats to the Campeonatos de Parejas. F.I.S.T., the Portal, and the Bucks also looked superb as usual. ***½.

Helios defeated Hallowicked via pinfall (630 senton) – Like the opener, this match was not announced before the show, so the fans really didn’t know how to react to it. When it’s tecnico versus tecnico, things can be a bit awkward, anyways. A lot of the internet fans bashed this match, but I really didn’t think it was all that bad. There weren’t any amazing spots, but it was a nice, standard exhibition. Helios and Hallowicked both looked solid, too. Helios wins the bout following a 630 senton in a little over seven minutes. I’m actually a bit surprised that Helios was put over here, but it is what it is. Handshake post-match and all that other good stuff. **½.

Jigsaw defeated STIGMA via pinfall (sunset bomb) – I am not ashamed to admit that one of the main reasons I bought this DVD was for this particular match. I’m a big fan of both wrestlers and they go back, once being tag partners as “ShaneSaw”. Vin Gerard accompanies STIGMA to the ring, and joins Bryce Remsburg on commentary. STIGMA blocks Jigsaw from entering the ring with a hard knee to the gut. Jig and STIGMA brawl around the venue for a bit. Jigsaw actually gets the upper hand after nailing a headscissor on STIGMA off the bleachers. Cool spot, as one can imagine. Jigsaw goes for That Japanese Move, but he blocks it and tries turning it into the Jig ‘n Tonic, but to no avail. Jigsaw catches STIGMA off-guard and catches the big man of the UnStable with a perfectly-executed sunset bomb to pick up the victory. Immediately following the match, a hooded wrestler half nelson suplexes Jigsaw. The man pulls down his hood, and it’s none other than Gran Akuma. Akuma leaves rather quickly and this one’s in the books. Super good match that’s worth checking out by any CHIKARA fan. Believe it or not, STIGMA has looked quite impressive in a CHIKARA ring lately. I think the CHIKARMY is finally starting to realize that, too. Good for him. ***½.

Sal Rinauro debuts a new shirt, which promptly reads, “Sal-Mark”. I guess it’s supposed to be a play on Wal-Mart or something. He puts himself over as being “Your Favorite Wrestler’s Favorite Wrestler” and claims that he will be taking the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship back to the Deep South.

Mike Quackenbush defeated Sal Rinauro via pinfall (headlock takeover) to retain the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship – Sal Rinauro grabbed a microphone before the match and says that the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is about tradition, not “lucha libro”. As Quackenbush was making his entrance, he slipped on the speakers and swiftly acted like nothing had happened. Words don’t give the moment justice. Quack basically controlled Rinauro with a headlock for about thirty minutes and was eventually able to pin him down with a headlock takeover in about five minutes to retain his strap. A decent comedy match that probably came off a bit better live than on DVD. Nevertheless, Sal Rinauro is a funny, funny man. The very same can be said about Mr. Quackenbush. **.

UltraMantis Black and Crossbones of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple are wearing black and white sweater vests. Yes, that is not a typo. UltraMantis mocks the “BDKorg” gentlemen by saying “a war is coming” over and over again. He states that his Order of the Neo-Solar Temple army is growing. Vökoder, a man that may potentially know the future, could be with them very soon. Crossbones questions the validity of Vökoder’s powers, but UltraMantis Black shuts him up. Black states that anyone who crosses the Order’s path will “rule the day forever”. That’s what I think he said, anyways.

UltraMantis Black and Crossbones beat Green Ant and Carpenter Ant via pinfall (Praying Mantis Bomb) – After not wrestling in a CHIKARA ring since the summer, the Easton fans seemed to be pleased to see Crossbones back once again. Green Ant took a beating from the Order, but continuously kicked out of everything that was thrown at him. Green Ant’s a really gutsy wrestler, that’s for sure. Green finally made the hot tag to Carpenter and he cleaned the house. Carpenter then attempted to steal the Order’s staff, but Crossbones seized it from him. Green Ant went for a sunset bomb on Crossbones, but UltraMantis Black broke up the pin attempt at the last possible second. Vökoder then came out and argued with Papagiorgio, which gave UltraMantis enough time to whack Green Ant with the staff and plant the newcomer with a Praying Mantis Bomb for the pinfall. That’s two points for the Order combination of UltraMantis and Crossbones now. A great match to pull the crowd back in, following a comedy match like Mike Quackenbush versus Sal Rinauro. Very enjoyable stuff from both teams. ***.

Following the bout, Crossbones is scolded at by UltraMantis Black backstage. UMB is angry that Crossbones let Carpenter Ant get near the staff and even almost costed them victory. UltraMantis tells Crossbones that if the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple was not in such a mess at the moment, then there is a chance that Crossbones would be kicked out of the Order. Strong promo with a lot of emotion. You’ve got to wonder what CHIKARA will do with this angle next.

Player Dos defeated Frightmare via pinfall (B13) to retain the Young Lions Cup – Hallowicked is out with Frightmare to support the youngster in his first CHIKARA title match. This was fast-paced action at it’s best. Almost felt like something you would see on a Dragon Gate USA pay-per-view or something. Louden Noxious and Leonard F. Chikarason did a great job on commentary, making it seem like Player Dos shouldn’t have been taking Frightmare too lightly. Frightmare took Dos out early with a cannonball-esque dive to the floor. A few minutes later, Dos responded back by suicide diving onto Frightmare into some chairs. Frightmare with a beautifully-executed crucifix driver, but it only gets him two. Superkick attempt by Dos is blocked, but P2 fires back with a second one and catches him on the side of the head. Both men battle on the top rope with forearm exchanges, but Dos eventually gets the best of it. B13! One, two, three. In about ten minutes of action, it’s all over. Following the match, Dos and Frightmare both shook hands and hugged one another. Up to this point, my favorite match on “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”. Player Dos is awesome and Frightmare continues to impress. Not to mention, they are two of my favorite guys on the CHIKARA roster at the moment. ***½.

Fire Ant and Soldier Ant beat Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood via pinfall (spiked Beach Break) – Random observation, but the Colony look really cool with those Campeonatos de Parejas around their waists. Fire Ant was brutalized by Brodie Lee in the early going. Redwood got in a fair share of offense on Fire, as well. Grizzly looked to do excess damage, but Brodie eventually got sick of his antics and just tossed him out of the ring. Brodie Lee is an absolute animal! Suicide dive! He just took out Fire, Soldier, Grizzly, and the first three rows! Redwood with a crazy spinning DDT on Fire. Grizzly goes to the top, but gets nailed with the Heat of the Moment. Spiked Beach Break by the Colony on Grizzly! Fire and Soldier win the first fall. Brodie goes right back on the attack on his own. Big boot on Fire. Superkick on Soldier. Lee nails Fire with a Liger Bomb, but Soldier breaks it up. Hard slaps and kicks to the faces of the Colony. Soldier ducks a big boot, Brodie gets caught on the ropes, and Fire nails him with the Heat of the Moment. TKO by Soldier on Brodie! Grizzly hops back into the ring, but gets a kick to the skull. Spiked Beach Break again! Soldier takes Brodie out with a suicide dive on the outside! Fire makes the cover, and in two straight falls, the Colony are still your Campeones de Parejas. This was so damn good. It may even go down as being one of the finest Campeonatos de Parejas defenses in all of 2009. Who would have thought that Grizzly Redwood would be apart of a near-four star match at the beginning of this year? ***¾.

I don’t know exactly why at the moment, but “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” may just be one of my favorite CHIKARA shows of 2009, right up there with “Aniversario Yang”, “Young Lions Cup VII: Night 3”, and “Hiding in Plain Sight”. Even though the majority of them were not spectacular, the matches on this DVD are ones that I can definitely see myself watching more than once.

With that all being said, I definitely do recommend this event for purchase. The four-way tag team elimination match was awfully fun, as was the Order versus the Colony. The Young Lions Cup and Campeonatos de Parejas matches are also ones that are going to stand out as being top CHIKARA “Match of the Year” candidates of 2009, I’d say. If you have the money to spare, pick up this show as soon as possible. It’s officially Reynolds-endorsed, after all.