CHIKARA Chronicles: Inevitable Occurences

2009 has been an outstanding year for CHIKARA; quite possibly, their best year of the company’s entire history. From F.I.S.T. winning “King of Trios 2009” to the “Eye of Tyr” and “BDKorg” storyline to Colony finally winning the Campeonatos de Parejas, many members of the CHIKARMY will certainly look back at 2009 as being a successful one for the Philadelphia-based promotion. CHIKARA will look to cap off a great year with “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away” in Easton and “Three-Fisted Tales” in Philadelphia later this month.

Before I dive into more card revelations and general announcements regarding the company, though, I would like to announce at this time that this may be my last “CHIKARA Chronicles” article until 2010. I am working on a big project with Pulse Wrestling at the moment that is going to take up an awful lot of my free time. CHIKARA will be on a break until 2010, too, so it’s not like you guys will be missing too much news, anyways.

With that said, results to “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away” and “Three-Fisted Tales” will not be supplied in this column until several months later. You can wait for my DVD reviews to come out in December or if you’d rather follow live results, then check back on the homepage of CHIKARA Fans. Smurf, George, and the rest of the gang over there do a great job of updating information and such regularly.

CHIKARA “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away” (11.21.2009); Easton, PA

Originally scheduled for “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”, this tag team bout will now take place at “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away”. The Badd Boyz were held up at the Canadian border last month, so this match was forcefully scrapped by Leonard F. Chikarason. Lince Dorado came off an impressive showing at “Cibernetico Increible” in the Cibernetico Torneo, while Helios also shocked the CHIKARMY when he pinned Hallowicked with the 630 senton at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”. Will the Badd Boyz pick up their second point or will it be the Future Is Now who picks up their first?

HUSTLE star and protégé of TAJIRI, Yujiro Kushida, will be making his CHIKARA debut in Easton, Pennsylvania against the current-reigning Young Lions Cup Champion, Player Dos. Dos has looked more than impressive in recent CHIKARA outings and will undeniably give Kushida a fight for everyone’s money. Unless things change, it does not appear that the Young Lions Cup will be on the line in this bout. Regardless, this match should still be great and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what both men can do when put one on one in the squared circle.

The tandem of Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton can now be referred to as the “Throwbacks”. After picking up one point against Los Ice Creams at “Cibernetico Increible”, it seems inevitable that more of Sugar Dunkerton will be seen in the future. I’m a huge fan of Sugar, so CHIKARA gets a thumbs up from me. Taking on the Throwbacks in Easton will be none other than Icarus and Chuck Taylor of F.I.S.T. Apparently, the Throwbacks and F.I.S.T. got into some sort of confrontation in the four-way elimination match at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”. This tag bout will obviously serve to wrap up some “unfinished business”, as CHIKARA puts it.

Hallowicked, a member of the Chikara WrestleFactory’s very first class, will collide with Ophidian, one of CHIKARA’s fastest-rising young stars, in singles competition in Easton. On a more interesting note, Hallowicked and Frightmare currently have two points, while Ophidian and Amasis are at three. Obviously, though, points will not be on the line in this match, but moreover, their pride. Ophidian beat Arik Cannon in his last singles match at “Aniversario Yang”, while Hallowicked lost his against Helios at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”? Regardless of what the outcome of Hallowicked versus Ophidian will be, it is undeniable that this will be quite the match and potentially one of the best of the entire season finale weekend.

Leonard F. Chikarason officially announced in a recent blog that Jorge “Skayde” Rivera would be on hand for both of the season finale events this November. With that announcement, Chikarason came up with the idea to bring together all of the WrestleFactory trainers to team for a trios match. UltraMantis Black, Delirious, and Crossbones of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple are the first opponents that the trainers will go up against. With Castagnoli showing signs of turning rudo lately and the Order being stalked by the “BDKorg” gentlemen, it is surely a mystery as to what will go down during this funky trios match-up.

Call me a pansy, but there may be a tear or two in my eye following this “loser leaves CHIKARA” match. Donst attacked Hydra after the Sea Donsters lost a six-man tag team match at “Young Lions Cup VII: Night 3″. An exhibition match was set for “Man Makes Plans, and God Laughs”, but Donst beat up Hydra before the bell and quickly locked in a submission, which the “Mini-Man Monster” quickly tapped out to. During an award ceremony for Jeff “Lobsterman” Costa, Hydra was once again attacked by Tim Donst. This feud will finally come to an end in Easton. Hydra laid down the challenge in a blog, and Donst quickly accepted in a blog of his own. After “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away”, one of these men will remain in CHIKARA, while the other will be gone for good.

After Gran Akuma turned on CHIKARA by aiding YAMATO in his attack against Mike Quackenbush on the debut pay-per-view of Dragon Gate USA, Jigsaw has been targeting Akuma like a heat-seeking missile. The same could be said about Akuma, as well, for he took out Jigsaw with a suplex following his match with STIGMA at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World”. Jigsaw explained that he had simply had enough of Akuma’s actions in a blog and surely enough, Chikarason set up a “grudge match” in Easton, Pennsylvania. Will Jigsaw defend CHIKARA’s honor and capitalize on Akuma’s recent injuries or will it be Gran Akuma that rises up as arguably the most brutal and toughest member on the CHIKARA roster?

CHIKARA “Three-Fisted Tales” (11.22.2009); Philadelphia, PA

Delirious was abducted by UltraMantis Black at the beginning of 2009 and became a member of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple by using the Eye of Tyr. Hallowicked and Frightmare have not forgotten what UltraMantis did to their former friend and in Philadelphia, they will both finally get their shot at revenge on the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple leader. It should also be noted that both teams have two points, so the winner of this tag team bout will have earned enough to challenge for the Colony’s Campeonatos de Parejas. Will the “Orange and Black Attack” pick up their third point or will it be UltraMantis Black and Delirious be the team that is granted a shot at CHIKARA’s precious tag team titles?

If Yujiro Kushida of HUSTLE does not manage to defeat Player Dos in Easton, he will get another shot at being victorious in a CHIKARA ring when he takes on Helios of the Future Is Now. Helios picked up a huge win over Hallowicked at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic View” and continued his success in the actual Torneo Cibernetico bout by being one of the last men eliminated from the match. While this match may not look like much upon first seeing it on paper, a win for either men could bring back a lot to their respective home promotions of CHIKARA and HUSTLE.

You can bet that Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Jorge “Skayde” Rivera are training hard  to face the most dangerous trio in CHIKARA, F.I.S.T. Let’s not forget that Akuma, Icarus, and Taylor won this year’s King of Trios tournament, after all. It’s virtually impossible to predict a winning team for this bout, as they’re both equally stacked up. Will it be Quack and his friends that walk out of Philadelphia in triumph or F.I.S.T. that continues their winning trios ways?

Lince Dorado has had a rather unsuccessful run in CHIKARA this year, but has certainly made leaps and strides as of late. For what it’s worth, a lot of internet fans were not too high on Lince through much of 2008. Recently, though, he has slowly gained back quite a big fan base and rightfully so. There have not been too many CHIKARA wrestlers that have looked as impressive as Lince as of late. After pinning both, Dos and Jigsaw, in the Torneo Cibernetico match at “Cibernetico Increible”, Leonard F. Chikarason was apparently impressed enough to give the “Golden Lynx of Lucha Libre” a shot at the Young Lions Cup. Will Dos gain his third defense of the Cup or will Lince pick up arguably the biggest victory of his young career?

For the first time ever, CHIKARA will see a “respect” match on the company’s last show of 2009. The goal of the match is simple: beat your opponent until he tells the world that he respects you. It’s no secret that Kingston and Claudio go a while back. Heck, Kingston even wrote a powerful blog and made that more than evident recently. What makes this match more than interesting is the fact that Castagnoli has been hinting at turning rudo lately and Kingston’s been showing signs of turning tecnico. Whatever the outcome may be, though, this match should definitely be fantastic.

Could there be any better way to end 2009 for CHIKARA than yet another classic Campeonatos de Parejas match between Fire Ant and Soldier Ant of the Colony and Ophidian and Amasis of the Osirian Portal? I think not. As explained by the tag team in a special update, Ophidian and Amasis accumulated three points in record time (one weekend) by winning a four-way elimination match at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” and defeating the Roughnecks at “Cibernetico Increible”. Ophidian and Amasis have shown signs of turning tecnico lately, but certainly don’t count on the Portal to be easy-going. A win by Ophidian and Amasis here could make them the first ever two-time Campeones de Parejas in CHIKARA history. On the other hand, the Colony whipped through the Roughnecks at “An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” in their first title defense at two falls to none. Heck, the Colony did beat the Portal by that exact score to win the straps at “Hiding in Plain Sight”. There is no doubt in my mind that this match is going to be outstanding. The real question, though, is which team will go into 2010 as the reigning Campeones de Parejas?

Links For Looking

The next Dragon Gate USA event is almost upon us, in which the first Open The Freedom Gate Champion will be crowned in Philadelphia at “Open The Freedom Gate” this November. CIMA, Brian Kendrick, Gran Akuma, YAMATO, Jigsaw, Johnny Gargano, Nick Jackson, BxB Hulk, Davey Richards, Mike Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera, Matt Jackson, Lince Dorado, and Super Crazy will all be participating in the title tournament. Tickets are available now. The second highly-acclaimed DGUSA pay-per-view, “Untouchable”, is also now available on pay-per-view. Check your local listings for more details.

“An Optimistic View of a Pessimistic World” (click here for my review) and “Cibernetico Increible” from October are now available for purchase on DVD at Smart Mark Video. Get your copies, people.

Ever want one of those sweet Chikara WrestleFactory hoodies? If so, you better get down to placing your order for one as soon as possible. The only place that you can do so is on the CHIKARA Fans message board. CHIKARA is looking to get only the exact amount made that they have orders for, so make sure you act fast. If you have not seen the hoodies already, they are pretty awesome-looking.

Episodes 185 and 186 of the CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go are now up and running. Four matches from “Behind the 8 Ball”, including Ophidian and Amasis versus Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw, as well as Shadow Phoenix versus Gran Akuma, are featured. Haven’t watched the clips yet? Then, what are you waiting for? Go and check them out now.

Cip Jimperley, the mastermind behind the CHIKARA DVD trailers, is back at work with another trailer for none other than “Hiding in Plain Sight”, which took place in Nashua, New Hampshire a few months back. I was at the show live and I also own the DVD. If you haven’t picked up “Hiding in Plain Sight” already and are interested in seeing one of CHIKARA’s best shows of the year, then order a copy as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed, folks.

Although a match involving Sara Del Rey has not been announced yet for the season finale weekend, Sara apparently has her heart set on more competition in CHIKARA (as evidenced by a new blog). Just who will the “Death Rey” face off against next? Got any ideas, CHIKARMY? Go ahead and share your thoughts below.

Let’s not forget about the Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe, either. After a one week hiatus, Clayton Morris and Mike Quackenbush return to their podcasting ways for episode 55. Joining Clayton and Quack is none other than journalist and big comic book fan, Andy Ihnatko (Boston, represent)!  If you guys like comic books as much as I do, then this episode will certainly be of great interest to you all.

Pulse Plugs

Charlie Reneke reviews disc one, disc two, and disc three of the new WWE DVD, Batista: I Walk Alone. I can’t say that I am a big fan of Batista, but Reneke made this DVD sound awfully interesting, I must say.

Jake Ziegler names Ring of Honor’s top contenders for Austin Aries’ ROH World Championship in “Official Pulse Wrestling Rankings for Ring of Honor“. Agree with Jake’s picks this week? Disagree with them? Then, leave him a comment and let the man know.

Chris Morgado gives his thoughts on Kofi Kingston’s sudden push on Raw in “TCWNN“. I sort of miss Kingston’s fake Jamaican accent already, mainly because he sounds hilariously awkward without it now.

Hack Johnson observes ASWF out of Arkansas, TIWF out of Tennessee, and Ohio Valley Wrestling in “This Week in Indies“. Ever wonder how OVW is strolling along these days? Give Hack’s column a look at.

Big Andy Mac takes a look at one of Ring of Honor’s earlier shows from 2009, “A Cut Above”, in a new edition of “Big Andy Mac’s Big Andy DVD Review“. Is Jerry Lynn’s ROH World Championship defense against Roderick Strong as good as it sounds on paper?