Chikara DVD Review: Young Lions Cup VIII (Night 2)

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Young Lions Cup VIII (Night 2)

August 28, 2010 ~ Reading, PA

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~ Gavin Loudspeaker tries to introduce the Young Lions, but Jakob Hammermeier says there’s only one lion that matters: “The Perfect 10” Lince Dorado! The rest of the entrants are announced and the tourney gets underway.
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1. YLCVIII Quarterfinal Match: Skull vs. Ophidian – **
Skull’s entrance goes fine but they have trouble playing Ophidian’s awesome theme music so Gavin awesomely just starts singing the song himself! Ophidian arrives and the music finally kicks in. Ophidian does the dance that Amasis showed us last night. Ophidian has become an awesome personality this past year, just as fun as Amasis. Skull jumps Ophidian but the serpent doesn’t take long to regain control with a few nasty submissions. He hits a Bronco Buster variant, a big backdrop and a few chops but Skull comes back with a spinning roundhouse to a kneeling Ophidian. 1…2…Ophidian kicks out. Skull goes on offense with some weak heel stuff. Ophidian comes back with a flying elbow, a wheel kick, and a second-rope shoulder tackle ala Amasis! A bridging Fisherman Suplex gets two. Ophidian gets a hissing chant going and misses a Bermuda Triangle to the inside. Skull hits a baby Complete Shot for two and follows up with a standing SSP for another two. They trade roundhouse kicks but Ophidian drops him with a run behind sick kick! He locks on a satellite Death Grip! Skull taps! Ophidian advances in a much better match than I anticipated. Not great by any means, but Skull didn’t botch or move with near the stupidity of his overall appearance and it was just the right amount of time.
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~ Eric Ryan cuts a standard indy promo but with a kind of nonchalant tone that, quite frankly, didn’t suck. He even takes a jab at King James at the end. Better than most guys I’ve seen this weekend, that’s for sure.
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2. YLCVIII Quarterfinal Match: Eric Ryan vs. Cameron Skyy – **1/2
Skyy bails early on, so that makes him the heel! The do a test of strength and trade arm locks and Ryan hits a big dropkick, sending Cam back outside. Ryan teases a dive, Skyy ducks, and Eric hits Cam with a sick double stomp to his back on the outside! Ryan rolls back in, gets some momentum and hits the suicide dive he was initially looking for! Back in, Skyy drops Ryan on his head with a half-and-half suplex! 1…2…Ryan kicks out. Skyy hits a rope-hung lariat to absolutely no noise whatsoever. Shades of Hollister/Davis from last year’s tourney here: big moves signifying nothing. Skyy botches his own phrase and everyone laughs at him. He continues to work over Ryan, who fires back with a nice blockbuster for two. Skyy comes back with Maximum Bosh for two of his own. Skyy continues to talk and sound foolish, slapping Ryan in the corner. Eric comes back with a release German and dropkick in the corner. He hits rolling Northern Lights suplexes and a 2K1 Bomb! 1…2…Skyy kicks out! Cameron tries a cradle but only gets two. He takes Ryan down with a Russian Legsweep and pulls playing cards out of his tights. He time travels to 1999, tosses the cards, yells “Deal me in!” and hits an elbow drop back in the present. 1…2…Ryan kicks out as Skyy complains about…something. Ryan surprises Cameron with a DVD into the corner aka Icarus’s Blu-Ray. Guys, know your moves before you come into someone else’s house using them. I’m looking at you, Josh Pain. 1…2…Skyy kicks out. Skyy drops Ryan with the Sin City Something for another two. He completely botches a lucha roll-up for the three count. Cameron Skyy advances to the Eliminator with one insanely weak finish. Skyy looked absolutely awful but, much to my surprise and delight, Eric Ryan looked pretty damn solid. WRONG KID DIED…er…ADVANCED. “Walk Hard”. Go watch it.
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~ Dustin Rayz laughs like a moron, says “me” a lot, and calls himself his own hero. Boy, what’s not to like……
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3. YLCVIII Quarterfinal Match: Obariyon vs. Dustin Rayz – **3/4
Rayz is a pretty big dude. Obariyon has a distinct “Crow” vibe about him. Obariyon bails and scares a bunch of people at ringside…twice. It was supremely entertaining. Rayz goes for the Tiger Bomb early but Obariyon smartly bails once again. Rayz hits a headbutt and a dropkick that sends out a third time. Rayz chases Obariyon back inside but hits a sick lariat that turns Dustin inside out on the apron! He beats Rayz around the ring with uppercuts and kicks. Back inside, the two men brawl but Obariyon dumps Rayz outside in painful fashion. Obariyon follows out with a big chop as UltraMantis comments that he looks like “a man possessed”. Obariyon drops Dustin with a boot and slides back inside. Dustin makes in back inside before the twenty count. Obariyon locks on his own version of Christo in the center of the ring and Rayz falls into a pin. 1…2…Dustin kicks out. Rayz charges into the corner but Obariyon fires back with a feint lung blower! UltraMantis & Bryce hilarious disagree over the appropriate name. Obariyon went for a diving splash but Rayz moves and takes Obariyon down with clotheslines and a big back drop. Second rope gamengiri to Obariyon! 1…2…Obariyon gets the shoulder up. Rayz places him on top but Obariyon fights him off and drills him with the Deep Impact DDT! 1…2…3! Obariyon advances in a match that flirted with being memorable at times. Finish was a bit meager, but Obariyon sure looked great. Rayz didn’t look too bad and could easily get better over time. I like that this show is steadily getting better and better.
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~ Mike Sydal cuts one of the corniest and dumbest promos I’ve ever seen. Seriously, just watch it HERE.
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4. YLCVIII Quarterfinal Match: Keita Yano vs. Mike Sydal – ***
Sydal is already annoying me with his air guitar nonsense. Yano, however, is awesome. He enters and makes people move so he can walk on their chairs…FOR NO REASON. Purposeless annoyance is a seldom-used heel tactic that just works wonders. Yano wipes off Sydal’s thick hair gel from his hands and goes to work, showing himself to be much more proficient on the ground than Sydal. Yano kicks Sydal and it causes his shoulder to pop out. Yeah right. Mike gets the ref to “pop it back in” and he puts on his best Diego Sanchez Angry Face. This was beyond masturbatory. Sydal is in Davey Richards’s territory on my “Crap List” right now, it annoys me that much. Yano goes back to work on Sydal, targeting the injured shoulder. Sydal counters an uppercut with a crossbody for two but Keita is right back on him afterwards. Yano applies a sick cravate variant but lets it go. Yano catches Sydal foot, forces him into a split and hits a body splash to the back of his neck! SICK! He applies a version of the Alligator Clutch. 1…2…Sydal kicks out. Keita keeps Sydal grounded with a neck twist and his sick-looking version of a cobra clutch but Sydal fires back with a headscissors, a dropkick, a corner lariat and a top rope knee strike. 1…2…Keita kicks out. Sydal screams, “I wanna rock!” to which Bryce laughs “Sometimes it’s good to yell how you feel.” Sydal misses a kick, allowing Yano to get a cover. 1…2…Sydal kicks out. Mike is hung in the Tree of Joey Lawrence, where Yano tucks Sydal’s leg behind his head! A fist drop to his face drops Sydal! Good grief. Yano drives Mike’s face down with his version of calf branding! He goes for a big kick but Sydal turns it into Bananarama. Sydal goes for the Sydal Family’s World Famous Tuck Moonsault but Yano barely gets the knees up. Mike butchered that spot. Yano hits a baby Pepsi Twist, locks on a bridging arm triangle choke and Sydal has to tap. Keita Yano advances in a fun but uneven contest. Basically, whenever Yano was on offense, it ruled; whenever Sydal was doing anything but writhing in pain, he was absolutely terrible. This is the worst performance so far the YLC tourney, simply because I expected more. With Josh Pain & BMT, I know what I’m getting. If you’re last name is “Sydal” and you use the same moveset, you’d better be able to handle expectations being attached. Mike has a long road ahead of him. Yano is awesome in the present.
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~ Lince Dorado’s opponent could not make it, so Jakob Hammermeier, referee Derek Sabato & Director of Fun Dieter VonSteigerwalt must draw his challenger from The Hat. It’s clearly rigged and his opponent is Greg Iron. Dorado makes fun of him for being handicapped due to cerebral palsy. This was really tasteless humor, but I don’t think it went too far. I mean, Iron himself plays up the disability so it wasn’t over the line. Greg attacks before the bell and the match gets underway.
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5. YLCVIII Quarterfinal Match: Lince Dorado vs. Greg Iron – ***1/4
Iron takes down Dorado with elbows, arm drags and a spinning headscissors. He gains speed and hits a suicide dive to the outside! Back inside, Dorado works over the disabled arm of Iron and pins him Jericho-style for an early two. Lince hits a rolling double stop into a springboard stomp as the crowd chants for Iron. Bryce takes this to mean they’re cheering for their favorite element. Dorado hits a basement dropkick and covers. 1…2…Greg kicks out. Lince hits a German Suplex and rolls to his feet, hitting a follow-up Tiger Suplex! 1…2…Iron kicks out! They knock heads and both go down as Papagiorgio counts them down. Iron hits a reverse DDT for two and follows with a running elbow strike. He teases a chokeslam with his bad arm, but Lince Dorado fights out. Standing bulldog on Dorado! 1…2…Lince kicks out. They both meet at the top where Iron drops him with a front suplex and follows with a top rope elbow drop! 1…2…Dorado kicks out. Iron locks on a cross armbreaker ass the fans chant for Lince to tap. Lince lifts him up and they exchange reversals. Dorado hits a buzzsaw kick, makes a hand-motion mocking Iron but misses a Lionsault. Greg turns him inside out with a lariat! Acid Drop! 1…2…Lince kicks out! HANDICAPPED PARKING! 1…2…NO! Dorado kicks out! Lince sweeps the legs and applies a cover with his feet on the ropes! 1…2…3! Lince Dorado advances over as the Golden Lynx bests Greg Iron, who gets a standing ovation after the match. This was really good and benefitted from an extremely strong crowd. Both guys played their rolls to perfection and it was very smartly booked. Seriously, just look at the ratings. I just LOVE shows that keep improving like this has.
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~ Kyle O’Reilly cuts Standard Indy Promo #127. Almost all of these promos have been complete wastes of time, while a guy like Cole, who’s clearly playing heel in the contest, could’ve used the spotlight better. Whatever.
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6. YLCVIII Quarterfinal Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole – ***3/4
Early on, Cole complains about a phantom hair pull as does O’Reilly, but only to agitate young Adam. Loudspeaker says on commentary that these two are not familiar with each other at all. WHAT?! They made their names against one another, Gavin. Sheesh. They trade shoulderblocks and pinfalls early and dodge each other’s kicks. They trade reversals on the mat yet again, going from sub to pin seamlessly. O’Reilly hits a series of sick strikes to ground Cole. Kyle hits rolling butterfly suplexes and goes after the arm but Cole gets to the ropes almost immediately. O’Reilly goes to the top and leaps but Cole catches him on the way down. 1…2…O’Reilly kicks out. Cole fakes a kick and applies a chinlock. I like Bad Boy Adam, who continues to work over the back of Kyle with suplexes and grounded submissions. O’Reilly fires back with elbows and catches Cole with a rolling leg lock, but Cole quickly makes it to the ropes again. Cole counters a Tornado DDT with the Corona Kick. 1…2…O’Reilly kicks out and gains control again with an impressive mix of strikes, a superkick and a HARD lariat! He’s slow to cover though. 1…2…Cole kicks out. O’Reilly drops him with a rope-hung dragon screw and locks on an ankle lock! Adam writhes in but makes it to the ropes. Cole hits an enzuigiri and a fireman’s carry neckbreaker. 1…2…O’Reilly kicks out. Cole heads north but misses. O’Reilly tries a rolling pin but Cole turns it into a wheelbarrow suplex for another two. O’Reilly gets a big kick, a running kick, and a rolling Tornado DDT into a brainbuster! 1…2…Cole kicks out, but O’Reilly locks on the ankle lock yet again! He grapevines it! Cole finally drags himself to the ropes to break the hold. They fight on the apron and Kyle punches Cole in the gut at the behest of some self-serving fan in the front row. Cole with a sick knee strike! COLEATERAL ON THE APRON! They both roll on the floor in pain but eventually make it inside to beat the count. They trade shots from their knees, trade standing yakuzas and O’Reilly hits some stiff kicks to Cole’s back. Adam dodges a kick and hits First Flash! 1…2…NO! O’Reilly kicks out! O’Reilly goes back to the ankle lock but Adam fights off. Flash package from Cole! 1…2…3~! Adam Cole advances as the last man in the Eliminator. Man, they saved the best for last. Both guys work incredibly well together, filling in for the small holes in each guy’s game. Of the two, Cole is clearly ahead but O’Reilly has an impressive offensive array and, if he actually develops a personality, he could break out in a HUGE way. For the fifth consecutive time tonight, the following match bested the previous one. Also, nothing has outright sucked. I’m in heaven.
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7. Super Smash Bros. vs. 3.0 – ***1/4
Scott “Jagged” Parker & Shane “Big Magic” Matthews get a “USA” chant going even though everyone in the match is from Canada. Heaven… Player Uno & Shane start things off with some big man posturing. The leaner Jagged and Player Dos come in and it’s all cartwheels and ranas. Jagged and Dos trade holds and Dos goes low with two dropkicks for an early two count. Uno tags in and gets speared, allowing 3.0 to hit some slick double team moves on the Smash Brothers. Heaven… Dos grounds Matthews with an enzuigiri and a leaping leg drop and the SSB hits a few tag moves of their own on Jagged & Big Magic. Matthews hits a big dropkick and tags in Parker, who eventually eats a neckbreaker from Uno, allowing Dos to get the tag. Matthews gets a “DEFENSE” chant going so Uno gets an “OFFENSE” chant going afterwards. Heaven… SSB double teams Jagged in the corner and Uno hits a baby suplex for another two. Parker drops Uno with a flapjack and makes the tag to Big Magic, who goes nuts on the Super Smash Brothers! He continues to call out “headscissors” before dropping the SSB with, well…yeah. Heaven… Double STO on Uno! Assisted Spear on Dos! Cover! 1…2…Dos kicks out! Double Pele Kick from Dos to 3.0! Dos hits a big running tope on Shane! Modified Pitfall from Uno to Jagged! 1…2…Scott kicks out! SSB hit their version of a sidewinder for another two. They look for Rad Racer…and it connects! 1…2…Matthews breaks it up. Falcon Punch to Matthews! Sick Kick to Uno! Superkick to Jagged! A lariat to Dos has all four men down! Matthews places Dos on top but Uno catches Shane with Game Genie! Cartwheel Enzuigiri knocks Dos down! Level 17 Wizard to Jagged as Uno sets him up top. Parker counters with a sick second rope whiplash but Dos comes off the top, hitting a sloppy Frog Splash to put everyone down again. Dos freaking powerslides into a superkick to take Big Magic down! Heaven… He heads north for a Phoenix Splash but he misses. Sweet Taste of Professionalism on Dos! AND ANOTHER! 1…2…3! 3.0 get the big win for their second point towards a tag title shot. As you can see, this was not as epic as O’Reilly/Cole. The “succeeding match besting the previous one” streak ends but the one about no matches sucking is still very much intact. I used the word “heaven” a lot here, as this was just so much fun to watch. Big moves, funny exchanges, shenanigans abound…I loved it.
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~ Christian Able interrupts and brings out Josh Raymond to be his life partner…er, tag partner…in an open tag challenge to anyone on the Chikara Roster. The House of Truth gets a response from…
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8. Josh Raymond & Christian Able vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw – ***1/2
Quack & Jig sprint to the ring, clearly desperate to get points after losing their two the previous night. Quack drops Able with a springboard lariat and Jigsaw tries for a Jig N’ Tonic on Raymond but Abel pulls him outside. The House of Truth regroups and QuackenSaw hits them with twin baseball slides. Back inside, they double team Able, who uses his power to regain control for The House. Raymond tags in and plays to the crowd. Abel works over Quack’s back, so he’s clearly done some kind of research. Quack fights them off but they hit a neckbreaker / senton combo and Raymond covers. 1…2…Quack kicks out. They knock Quack to the outside with twin dropkicks, allowing Jig to enter. They get rid of him immediately and toss Quack back in to continue their work on him but he gets a cradle. 1…2…Raymond gets the shoulder up and tags in Christian. HOT is just assaulting Quackenbush right now with some brutal tag moves. Seeing Quack on this back this much is quite surprising, so kudos to Team YYYEAAAHHH!!!! Quack dodges attacks from The House and tags in Jigsaw, who drops Raymond with a springboard dropkick. They botch an armdrag but Quack takes out Abelle with a running apron senton! Michinoku Driver on Raymond! 1…2…Josh kicks out. Raymond goes for the Taliban Backpack, but Jig blocks and takes him down with a sick double springboard ace crusher! 1…2…Raymond kicks out again! Jig N’ Tonic attempted again but Christian clotheslines from behind to stop the attempt, allowing The House of Truth to slow down and regain control of the contest. They double team Jigsaw with more impressive, innovative offense. Gotta say, I’m becoming a big HOT fan…well, not Truth Martini. He’s just annoying. After a very long beating, Jigsaw dives out onto Raymond, allowing Quack to tag and take it to Aybull. Quack hits a few hard elbows, a dropkick, a second rope elbow drop and a Swanton Bomb! 1…2…Christian kicks out. Abelly drops Quack with a lawn dart toss and a hard lariat. 1…2…Jigsaw breaks it up. He avoids a toss and superkicks Abelincoln in the back of the head and heads north. Raymond stops him and drops him with a front suplex. Shooting Star Crossbody! 1…2…Quack breaks it up! Enzuigiri to Raymond. Seated Shotgun Dropkick! Brainbuster! 1…2…Christian throws Quack into Jig to break it up. The crowd is quite tired. HOT hits Quack with an elevated lionsault and Abenfranklin drops Jigsaw with an Alabama Slam. Raymond heads to the top for a Corkscrew Moonsault but he misses…badly. Quack drops Christian with a superkick and a bizarre, painful-sounding springboard leg drop on the outside! First Flash to Raymond! JIG N’ TONIC! 1…2…3! QuackenSaw win and get their first point towards a title shot. This was four stars of work in front of a worn out crowd. Raymond messed up a few big things along the way, but Abel was once again very solid throughout. The good news is that HOT’s tag offense was really cool without being too gimmicky. It was well-thought out and pretty seemless. Quack and Jigsaw were, as usual, very strong. Jigsaw got to show off some new stuff, and he had no trouble getting it over quick. All in all, a very strong tag match.
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9. YLCVIII Eliminator: Dorado vs. Ophidian vs. Skyy vs. Yano vs. Cole vs. Obariyon – ***3/4
Derek Sabato’s the referee, so shenanigans will make a few appearances. It’s five bad dudes against one good guy, so they all attack Ophidian at the bell! They then turn on the annoying Lince and go back to work on Ophidian. They slowly turn on each other as well. It ends up as Skyy and Ophidian in the ring, where Ophidian shoves him outside and dives out onto him. Dorado takes out Yano, Cole & Obariyon with an asai moonsault and Ophidian hits a buzzsaw kick on Skyy back inside. Cameron drops him with a Yakuza Kick. Sabato: “C’mon guys, back inside. Lince, you okay?” Cameron drops Ophidian again and Adam Cole enters to cheers. Skyy drops Cole with a reverse sling blade thingy and can’t buy a crowd reaction. He retargets Ophidian and goes for that stupid elbow drop again but Ophidian stops it and rolls into a prawn hold. 1…2…3! Mr. Skyy is out and “ADAM COLE!” is back inside. Ophidian tries to springboard but Cole dropkicks him down. Lince enters and gets a sucker elbow on Cole. Lince comes back with a corkscrew plancha and a really sloppy belly-to-belly suplex. 1..2..Cole kicks out of a very fast count. Cole catches Dorado with a kip up gamengiri and a Saito Suplex. Obariyon enters and Sabato only really cares about Lince’s wellbeing. Cole drills Obariyon with Coleateral! 1…2…Obariyon kicks out. They head to the top, but Obariyon pushes him off and drops him with Deep Impact! 1…2…3! Cole is out and Yano comes roaring in with a hard clothesline that sends Obariyon outside. Double knees from Ophidian to Yano! 1…2…Keita kicks out. Ophidian looks for the Death Grip and lock it in but Yano breaks it with a sick double heel lock! Yano hits a slap to the face but gets low bridged outside. Yano slides back in and applies a rolling cradle. 1…2…Ophidian kicks out but Yano locks on a unique ankle lock! Ophidian blocks a lariat, hits a Tornado arm breaker and locks on a fujiwara armbar! He’s wrenching back! Yano rolls through into a pinfall for two and levels Ophidian with a dropkick. Ophidian ends up on the apron where he takes down Yano and Dorado. He goes to the top but Obariyon shoves him down! Deep Impact tot Yano! 1…2…3! Yano’s out now, too. As cool as Deep Impact is, this dude has yet to hit the damn thing correctly. Lince pounces with a crossbody and a Lionsault! 1…2…Obariyon kicks out. Obariyon levels Lince with a hard clothesline and Ophidian reenters. Obariyon spikes Ophidian with an Air Raid Crash and covers. 1…2…Ophidian kicks out and Obariyon heads to the top. Ophidian blocks Deep Impact and heads to the top. A frankensteiner takes Obariyon down and Ophidian goes back up, but Lice stop him. He grabs Ophidian’s head…leg drop to Obariyon with a second rope stunner to Ophidian! He covers Ophidian. 1..2..Ophidian kicks out. He covers Obariyon, but he too kicks out of a fast count. Obariyon plants Lince with Chaos Theory to huge cheers from the crowd! Ophidian back rolls onto Obariyon and into a Prawn Hold! 1…2…3! Obariyon is out, and now it’s just Lince vs. Ophidian! Dorado drops Ophidian as Sabato continues the fast counting in Dorado’s favor. Ophidian hits a basement dropkick and Ophidian quickly gets back to his feet! Double superkicks and both men are down! Bryce is shouting at Sabato to count and it’s AMAZING. “Three’s next, Sabato!” and the like. They trade exhausted elbows. Dorado ducks a spin kick and nails a German, but he rolls through looking for a Tiger Suplex as well. Ophidian turns it into the Duat Driver! He slowly rolls him over! 1……2……Lince kicks out, of course. Ophidian low-bridges Lince and goes to dive. Flip dive, but Lince catches him! OPHIDIAN SPIKES LINCE ON THE FLOOR WITH A RANA! Good lord! Ophidian gets back inside and Sabato is now slow-counting a ring out! Ophidian argues with him and Sabato just starts over for no reason! Ophidian realizes that he ain’t winning this way, so he tosses Lince back inside and drops himwith double knees…but he’s not done. Death Grip Suplex to Lince and Ophidian is still not done! SATELLITE DEATH GRIP! Lince is fading away and Dorado finally ta-No! Sabato stops him from tapping and yanks him towards the ropes! GRAH! The fans call for Bryce to help as Sabato blocks a suplex, allowing Lince to hit Orange Crush! 1..2..Ophidian kicks out! Kicks to Ophidian but he won’t go down. Dorado botches a springboard moonsault into a piledriver for another close two! The fans chant that Dorado can’t beat Ophidian, who dodges a Dorado attack. DÉJÀ VU DESTROYER! OH MY! SABATO ROLLS DORADO TO THE OUTSIDE! They continue to plead for Bryce to intervene but he is not allowed per orders from Dieter. Ophidian goes to dive but Sabato is stopping him. He finally gets to Dorado and rolls him in! 1…………2…………Lince barely kicks out. Ophidian looks to end things with the 450 Splash but Lince drops him and heads to the top himself. SPANISH FLY! He covers. 1-HE KICKS OUT! OPHIDIAN WILL NOT DIE! Flipping DDT from Dorado! 1…2…NO! Ophidian gets the shoulder up! Spike Michinoku Drive! SSP! 1…2…OPHIDIAN KICKS OUT AGAIN! Lince locks on the Inverted Chikara Special! Sabato lifts his hand to check on him and just calls for the bell! Dorado advances to the Finals via bull****. This was a ballsy move on Chikara’s part, and it would buy them a lot of heat for the Night 3 Finals, but it really killed a lot of spirits in the crowd. This match was almost at that can’t-miss level, but the shenanigans went on a little too long and the crowd was really burnt, so they could only pop for the big stuff. Outside of some sloppiness I’ll attribute to fatigue, this was a really great contest.
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Overall – 7.75 / 10

This is right up there with Chikarasaurus Rex & Wit, Verve And A Bit O’ Nerve as one of the best Chikara shows this year. The best is still King of Trios: Night 2 in my opinion, so this show keeps the trend going of awesome Night 2 shows. It suffers a little bit because, quite frankly, it’s really frickin’ long. Clocking in at close to three hours, this may also be Chikara’s lengthiest show this season, too. I can’t be sure and I’m certainly not going to research it. Two matches, the main event Eliminator and O’Reilly/Cole, are worth watching all by themselves. QuackenSaw/HOT was also excellent and 3.0/SSB was a ton of fun. The first few matches are ho-hum but not outright bad. You will find nothing truly bad on the DVD, I can tell you that…well, not counting Mike Sydal’s promo. Yikes. Despite that, I can easily recommend this for Chikara fans and indy fans alike.
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The All-Important M’s

Match: It’s really close, but I think I’ll find myself wanting to watch O’Reilly/Cole again before I sit through the really, really long main event Eliminator again. Don’t get me wrong; it’s very good. I’m just…I don’t…it’s really long, okay?!
Move: That crazy spike dragonrana to the outside from Ophidian to Lince. It was an absolutely disgusting bump and lead to Sabato’s best heel moment yet: slow counting Lince on the outside while the crowd counted for real, Ophidian paced like a mad…snake…and Bryce screamed about how counting works in the real world. Awesome.
Moment: Tough one here. The only real issue I have with this show is that there were no, like, HUGE moments that stand out. Obariyon’s debut was cool. The Lince/BDK stuff was dastardly. I’m going to go with the standing ovation Greg Iron got after his match against Dorado. This wasn’t some “oh, he’s crippled” cheer. This was a thank you for putting on a truly great performance against insurmountable odds.
MVP: The feats of Keita Yano: he broke Mike Sydal, irritated fans for no reason, showed both in-ring talent and personality, traded subs with Ophidian like a champ and, honestly…he won my heart. KEITA……WINS.
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– Please leave any comments or questions you might have and I’ll do my best to respond with as much ravenous Portuguese dirty talk as I can conjure. I’d like to do a contest or something cool like that, but I’m not sure how much interest there’d be. Let you voice be heard! Also, let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see in the column, like fantasy booking, treasure hunts, wish-lists, secret handshakes, etc.

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