-There was an unfortunate period of time when CHIKARA DVDs were not being reviewed here at Pro Wrestling Ponderings. This means that a number of excellent shows and matches were missed. While I do not have time to go back and review every show (I am strongly considering reviewing King of Trios 2011 regardless), I can certainly take some time to reflect on the 12 Large Summit tournament that encompassed around a dozen shows and allowed a number of individuals not typically associated with having great singles matches the chance to do so. Some of my match reviews are copy and paste jobs, but you’re still getting 14 brand new ones. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading about one of the best executed tournaments in recent memory (despite all of the injury and weather issues).
Match in Five Words or less: Where It All Begins
Match Highlights: Quack is the trainer. Wicked is one of his first and best students. Nice touch as Gavin Loudspeaker announces the accomplishments of the competitors in the match. Some basic back and forth to begin. Quack countering out of holds is more fun than watching guys hit each other really hard for no reason. Neither man can gain a distinct advantage. Quack shoves Wicked in the corner. Roll over and a small package gets two. Pace picks up. Wicked hits a running rana followed by a tope suicida. Quack ends up on the apron. Asai moonsault. Wow. Quack must be in a good mood to pull that out. Quack turns his attention to Wicked’s left arm. Wicked armdrags out of a hold and hits the step-up boot. Neckbreaker. Wicked shakes his arm out. One-armed chinlock. Cravat. Quack escapes. Wicked snapmares him down and sits down in a cravat. Wicked stands up with it. Rolling neckbreaker. To the top rope. Quack shoulder blocks him. Superplex and both men are down. Wicked rolls outside completely. Quack hits a step-up swanton to the outside. Incredible. Springboard misses. Palm strike misses. Rydien bomb hits. Michinoku driver for two. Fishermen’s buster misses. Quack hits a leg kick. Wicked hits an enziguri. Wicked rolls through on a rana attempt and almost gets the victory. Shoulder block in the corner. Iconoclasm turned into a headscissors. Quack finally manages the palm strike. Wicked lands on his feet. Palm strike. He brings him over into a cradle. Scoop up but Wicked fights out. Air Raid Crash by Quack. Wicked drops Quack in a standing iconoclasm. Both men are down. Series of counters. Quack rolls Wicked all about for two. Series of nearfalls. Pendulum hold. Wicked rolls Quack up and picks up the victory to earn himself two points. Crowd gives him a standing ovation because they like wrestling.
Match Analysis: Hard to think of a better way to get this tournament kicked off than this match. Great back and forth chain wrestling throughout. Neither guy gets the credit they deserve for the skills they bring into a ring, but they actually got to showcase what they can do in this tournament match. It was also great to see the win come with a simple counter after so many other counters contained in the match. If this is what we have to look forward to in the tournament, I’m really excited to see what’s to come.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Hallowicked/18:50/***3/4/****
Match in Five Words or less: Upset City
Match Highlights: Gerard comes out looking like a bigger mess than usual. Crowd wants Lee to kill Gerard. That’s not family friendly. Gerard ducks and dives. He pokes Lee in the chest ala “The Fingerpoke of Doom.” Lee lies down and strikes Gerard in the face. He fakes a dive but goes after him nonetheless. Hip toss back in the ring. Bodyslam and dropkick. Tope suicida. Sweet Moses.European uppercut gets two. Gerard grabs the beard and strikes him. Drop toehold and knee. He gets a one count. He rakes the eyes and clubbers him. Choke in the corner. Running hip attack. Shot to the midsection. Gerard climbs up top. Lee runs up and double underhooks him off. Headbutt. Gerard gets a boot up. Dropkick off the middle rope. Double chops from Lee get two. Gerard kicks Lee away. 2K1 bomb blocked. Running forearm. 2K1 bomb hits. 1-2-NO! Lee hits a crescent kick and half nelsons Gerard down. Lee shines his boot up. Running boot. Truck Stop. 1-2-NO! People seem fairly shocked by that kick-out. Guillotine by Gerard. Inside cradle and Gerard gets the upset win.
Match Analysis: Amazing to think that Gerard has now defeated Lee under two different personas, Equinox and of course Vin Gerard. This wasn’t a very long match, but it was good for the time allotted. Lee showcased a lot of Lucha offense while Gerard used a lot of dastardly tactics to stay alive and ultimately come out victorious.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Vin Gerard/7:15/***/***
-A mere two weeks after this event took place, Brodie Lee suffered a serious knee injury which would take him out of the 12 Large Summit. Because of this, Eddie Kingston, Ultramantis Black, Ophidian, and Fire Ant each received two points due to forfeit.
Match in Five Words or less: Amazing
Match Highlights: Icarus calls for a handshake. Del Rey has the Chicago crowd behind her big time. Icarus sticks his tongue out. Forearm and strike, Back drop. Pair of hip tosses. Icarus crawls into the corner. He blocks another hip toss. Del Rey knee strikes and hip tosses Icarus over. Kick to the back. Legdrops. Knee placed in the back. Crowd wants a tap-out. Quick roll-up gets two. Icarus gets into it with people in the crowd. Del kicks Icarus all across the ringside area in the upper body. A final kick sends Icarus over. Back in the ring. Icarus is scared for his life. Del Rey rakes the face. More kicks. A punt sends Icarus back inside, Shoulder block. Dropkick to the leg. Running punt. Choking along the bottom rope. Dropkick leads a two count. Armbar. He bridges over. Snap suplex. He rolls over into another suplex. He gets too cocky with his covers and can’t put her away. Running clothesline. Whip across. Del Rey sends Icarus over. Handful of hair sends him down. Combo kick while Icarus is on the top rope. She meets him. Superplex. Del Rey goes back to the kick attack. Trio of running boots gets two. Knee strikes to the chin. Kawada leads to a 2.9 count. Sweet Moses. Icarus counters and hits a Blu Ray. 1-2-NO! Sliced bread countered. He goes and hits it. No three there either. Spear by Icarus. Del Rey hits a Drunk Slam. 1-2-NO! Icarus rolls to the floor. He tries avoiding Del Rey. Guillotine on the throat. Pedigree rolled into a bridge. This finally gets Del Rey the victory.
Match Analysis: I’m not going to say this was a four star match like I did in a live recap last June, but this was a lot of fun to watch. Both people in this match played their role to perfection. The Chicago crowd was also really into this and gave Del Rey support. Considering this was technically heel versus heel, it’s great the crowd supported Del Rey and channeled all that hate toward Icarus. I still love this match and think it’s an example of what happens when two people can tell a story in the ring.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Sara Del Rey/13:56/***1/2/****
Match in Five Words or less: Hey, Claudio Is A Heel!
Match Highlights: The Chicago crowd, no matter what promotion Claudio wrestles for, loves chanting “HEY!” Feeling out process. Claudio establishes his nefariousness almost immediately. He pulls at the mask and stem. Unlike the previous12 Large match, but much like the first one, this is a very technical contest with lots of mat work. Wicked maintains a cravat even after being slammed. Series of counters lead to Wicked getting a nearfall on a sunset flip. Wicked sentons off the middle rope but Claudio gets his knee up. Camel clutch. Claudio focuses on Wicked’s back. Wicked works the hardest I’ve ever seen one work to get a sunset flip, but to no avail. European uppercut. Slingshot guillotine into the bottom rope. Whip to the corner. Boot and rana by Wicked. Running boot. Inside cradle gets two. Claudio out of the fireman’s carry and he forearms Wicked. Octopus. Another sunset flip. Boot blocked. Uppercut countered into a backslide. Claudio gets his knee up. Bicycle kick fails. Wicked hits the running boot. Claudio hits a vertical suplex. Whip across the ring. Wicked misses a step-up boot. Claudio crotches him, covers him, and gets the win.
Match Analysis: Claudio Castagnoli was not afraid to be a complete heel for the duration of this match, and that’s pretty great. I love the idea of this tournament featuring more technical wrestling since it leads to unique matches and really promotes the art of what these guys do. Another good match in a series of them to start.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Claudio Castagnoli/14:34/***/***
Fire Ant vs. UltraMantis Black: BLOCK B 6/24/11
Match in Five Words or less: Surprisingly Physical
Match Highlights: Quack and Gavin Loudspeaker discuss Mantis’s lack of titles in CHIKARA, a very interesting assertion. Test of strength leads to a boot by Fire Ant. Another boot. Brainbuster nearly ends things early. Flying forearm and Fire Ant is…fired up. Running boot and jumping dropkick. Forearm on the apron. Guillotine by Mantis. He sends Fire Ant back first into the apron. Then into the ring post he goes. Fire Ant rolls inside. Mantis sends Fire Ant into the buckle. Boot on the throat. Gutwrench suplex. Mongolian chops. Mantis hits a back elbow. He holds onto the leg and ankle. Headbutt. Spinebuster and he applies a Safari Stretch. Preying Mantis Driver blocked. Fire Ant leverages him to the apron. Tope suicida. Tope con helo. Battle on the apron. Cosmic Doom on the side of the ring! Coverin the ring. 1-2-NO! Garvin stomp. Fire Ant counters into an acecrusher. Back elbow after a charge. Boot. Mantis meets Fire Ant. Double underhook suplex blocked. Fire Ant hits Heat of the Moment. Kick to the side of the head. Series of counters. Beachbreak! 1-2-NO! Both men head up top. Mantis hits a double underhook suplex. Cosmic Doom 1-2-NOOOOO! Preying Mantis Bomb finally ends what turned out to quite the competitive match.
Match Analysis: Mantis is not known for his singles acumen, but this was one of his stronger efforts. Fire Ant is a tremendously underrated performer and the right choice to represent the Colony in this tournament. This was different from the other tournament matches in that there was a minimal feeling out process. The focus was on winning right from the get go, which is appreciated since the object of wrestling matches should be to give the appearance of trying to win.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/EntertainmentRating: Ultramantis Black/12:46/***1/2/***1/2
Match in Five Words or less: Ophidian’s Big Chance
Match Highlights: Ophidian is taking Amasis’ place in the tournament. Just as Quack’s previous match, this one is very much on the technical end of things. Single leg crab leads to a nearfall exchange. Quack locks Ophidian’s leg with his own. Quack works over the left arm briefly. Ophidian hits a headscissors. Quack sweeps the leg and hooks a leg submission. Quack refuses to be whipped into the corner. Forearm to the corner. Ophidian does a head stand. Quack… walks away. He charges but Ophidian eventually gets a school boy for two. Series of roll-ups. Stretch on Quack’s always injured back. Ophidian hooks an upper body submission. Quack has to slam him on the mat to break it. He hooks the leg and crabs the other. Wheelbarrow. Quack shoves him down. Surfboard…No. neck submission. Quack can’t bridge over. Surfboard. You might notice I haven’t been able to name a lot of these moves. The only person who could call this match properly is the one wrestling in it. Headbutts from Ophidian. Quack takes him over and applies an STF. He hits a modified shoulderbreaker. Divorce Court into a Rings of Saturn. Japanese stranglehold. Elbow by Quack. Death Grip quickly broken. Whip but Ophidian has a bad leg. Monkey flip. Head stand but Ophidian dropkicks him in the head. He goes over. Quack sends him back up and nails him. Quack puts on the breaks and catches Ophidian. He ends up curling around the post and ranas Quack to the floor. That was awesome. Quack powerslams him coming off the top rope. Elbow off the ropes. Black tornado slam but Quack has to release since his arm has been worked on. Ophidian kicks Quack off. Springboard. Death Grip counter! Quack quickly goes down. Head stand leads into a lungblower. Springboard moonsault misses. Hard slaps followed by Quackendriver 3. 1-2-NO! Quackendriver 4. 1-2-NO! Lighting Lock: Beta. Ophidian gets to the ropes. Incredible. Quackendriver 1 attempt turned into a Death Grip. Ophidian flips over. Quack goes down. Up top he goes. Palm strike blocked. Black Tornado slam leads to three at last.
Match Analysis: Although Ophidian is the one who lost, he may have been the ultimate winner. It’s not that he’s been ever been overshadowed, but this was a chance for him to show off his solo skills. Mike Quackenbush is an awesome wrestler who of course has delivered the goods for years, but this tournament has shown that this roster is more than capable of delivering quality singles matches. Look at the star ratings of every tournament match up to this point. Nothing below three stars. This tournament isn’t just about a championship. It’s about guys taking the chance to show they aren’t flippy masked dudes.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Mike Quackenbush/17:31/***3/4/****
-Ophidian would unfortunately suffer a broken jaw at an NWA-Force One show. Because of this, he missed the July 31 show and thus forfeited two points to Icarus. Yeah, this tournament had injury problems.
Match in Five Words or less: Not Exactly A Technical Classic
Match Highlights: Mantis is coming off a victory against Fire Ant. This is Kingston’s first tournament match and these two guys’ first singles match since Young Lions Cup 2002. Some Lucha work… from these two? I wonder how far back they went for those moves. Stalemate lock-up. Chop exchange. Kingston takes him to the corner with chops. Kingston on the outside. Mantis cannonballs on top of him. Strike exchange around the ring. Into the post and back in the ring. Whip. Kingston gets an elbow and boot up. Double stomp. Chinlock. Vin Gerard comes out to watch. Kingston maintains focus. Face wash. Neckbreaker. Kingston cranks on the submission. Elbows by Mantis. Knee to the midsection. Boot by Kingston. Mantis elbows. Kingston hits a backbreaker. Gerard pulls Kingston’s leg. Mantis takes advantage with a DDT. Mantis tells Gerard to go away. Mantis with chops. Back elbow. Mantis hits an full nelson slam. Kingston blocks a suplex. Enziguri. Running yakuza. Short clothesline. Mantis hits a chinbreaker. Cosmic Doom. Kingston gets his foot on the ropes. Ref counts three and immediately rescinds it. Kingston takes Mantis over. Then he sort of blocks a Preying Mantis Driver. Cover for two. Kingston is disoriented. Into the buckle. Mantis places Kingston on the top rope. Headbutt. Wow. Sliding forearm into the ear. 1-2-NO! Guillotine choke. Kingston rolls him toward the middle of the ring. Mantis tosses him. Backdrop driver by Kingston. Mantis comes up. Pair of backfists ends Mantis’ night.
Match Analysis: Not the best of matches, but Kingston asserted his dominance in a solid first match of the tournament for him. He out together a solid set of moves. He and Mantis put together a good but not great back and forth contest.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Eddie Kingston/11:56/***/***
-Gerard chop blocks Kingston in the knee after the match.
Match in Five Words or less: Battle Of The Underrateds
Match Highlights: Jigsaw is coming off an injured bicep, and this is his first match back. Amazing that this is actually opening the show. Code of honor is followed. Just as so many of the previous 12 Large matches, these two start on the mat. Surfboard into a dragon sleeper. Fire Ant armdrags him. He grabs the legs. Armdrag by Jigsaw. Fire Ant kips up. Sunset flip. Jigsaw locks the knuckles. Armdrag and single leg takedown by Fire Ant. Lucha sequence. Jigsaw dropkicks Fire Ant in the face. Octopus followed by a rana. Jigsaw takes him over on the apron. Armdrag. Jigsaw nurses his bicep on the outside. Quick lock-up. Jigsaw hits an elbow in the very low midsection. Pair of kicks as he still holds onto his arm. Kick to the arm sends him out. Tope suicida. Tope con helo. Chop exchange in the ring. Single leg takedown. Jigsaw kicks him away. Snapmare. Flipping senton. Kick in the chest. Slam and elbow drop. Whip across. Jigsaw dodges and hits an enziguri. Snap suplex leads to a double stomp leads to a tope suicida of his own. Dropkick off the top rope. German suplex. Jigsaw can’t maintain the hold. Fire Ant responds with a kick. Jigsaw pele. Brainbuster turned into an acecrusher. One kick. Two kicks. Brainbuster gets a two count. Fire Ant misses a kick. Jigsaw nails a superkick. Jig ‘n’ Tonic countered into a cross armbreaker. Into a Key Lock. Jigsaw taps.
Match Analysis: Great to see the injured bicep of Jigsaw play a factor in the end of the match as Fire Ant picks up a submission victory. This was a great match that made sense.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Fire Ant/11:40/***1/2/***1/2
Match in Five Words or less: A Quiet End
Match Highlights: These two have met an incredible number of times over the years in promotions ranging from CHIKARA to Ring of Honor to IWA-MS. Consider this the last dance between the two, and how fitting that it’s part of the tournament to crowd the first ever grand champion. Quack gets the fans behind him. Quick knee to the gut right away by Claudio. Double axehandle. European uppercut. Quick armdrag and a fakeout by Quack. Into the corner. Jab to the jaw as Jon Barber tries to break them up. Claudio works a headlock. Shoulderblock off the ropes. Quack armdrag. Sweep of the leg and a modified figure four leglock. Knee in the corner. Clubbering blow. Another knee and whip. Monkey flip but Quack lands on his feet. Monkey flip sends Claudio down face first. Armdrag. Quack ranas Claudio on the floor. Claudio rams Quack into two different ring posts. He tears up an American flag because he hates America. He uses part of the wood to jam it in Quack’s face. Shoulder blocks. Series of knees. Whip. Quack kicks and boots him away. Scoop doesn’t work. Claudio press slams him into this knees. Claudio continues working on the midsection. Quack sunset flips Claudio but quickly takes a headbutt to the stomach. Series of knees. Abdominal stretch. Quack reverses. Claudio hits a running boot. Knees to the back. Quack elbows out of the hold. Another headbutt. Quack lifts Claudio with his feet to the floor. Asai moonsault. Quack hits a running back elbow. Forearm and running kick. Rana off the top into a nearfall. Chikara Special blocked almost immediately. Claudio pulls Quack out of the ring. Quack sticks his tongue out. Claudio charges and gets kicked. Claudio powers Quack up for the pop-up European. 1-2-NO! UFO. 1-2-NO! Quack has a sunset flip blocked. Into a roll-up for two. Chop followed by a slap. Shoulder block by Claudio. He hits a Ricola bomb while still standing on the apron. 1-2-NO! That was unbelievable. Quack is dead weight. Claudio sends him off. Pop-up blocked. Quack goes off the shoulders. Chikara Special. Claudio taps!
Match Analysis: While this was not the best match they’ve ever had, this was certainly an excellent contest featuring two pros. Claudio matched up his power against Quack’s gumption and smarts. If not for a certain sports entertainment company, my hunch is this result would have been a little different, and we would have seen Claudio take on Kingston in the finals. However, under these tough circumstances, it was good to see Quack win in a logical way. The ending was a bit out of nowhere, but it came after a hard fought 20 minutes, and it again was Quack using his intelligence to play possum and come out of nowhere with his submission hold.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Mike Quackenbush/19:59/***1/2/***1/2
Match in Five Words or less: For Larry, Ain’t No Doubt
Match Highlights: These men both graduated with Larry Sweeney as part of the second class of CHIKARA’s training academy. This match has happened for other companies, but they’ve never been anything more than all right. Kingston powers Jigsaw down. Kick. Kingston doesn’t appreciate it. Kingston hits a chop. Well then. Armdrag by Jigsaw. Dropkick in the face. Atomic drop and a swing around bulldog. Jigsaw keeps his distance and rolls out of the way. Kingston, just as Fire Ant did the previous night, works on Jigsaw’s shoulder. Kingston hits a tope suicida. Jigsaw sent hard into various rails. Kingston throws down a chair hard. Back to the shoulder. Jigsaw dropkicks Kingston in the leg. Kick to the lower back. Jigsaw works on the injured leg of Kingston. Jigsaw has a violence party in the middle of the ring. Two low superkicks leads to a two count. Wow. That was intense. Whip sends Kingston in. Dropkick in the corner. Snap suplex. Springboard double stomp. Tope con helo as Chikarason says the 12 Large Summit isn’t cursed. Ha. Just wait until next month. Jigsaw superkicks Vin Gerard as he comes out to make trouble. Kingston hits a t-bone suplex. Ki Lock. Back fist misses. German suplex. Kingston’s shoulder is up. Kicks to the upper body. Tiger suplex. LARIAT!. 1-2-NO! Machine gun chops from Kingston. Jigsaw fires a kick. Superkick. Another to the head. Double stomp. 1-2-NO! Crowd gets behind Kingston. Clubbering blow. Back fist to the Future. Backdrop driver. Sliding forearm. 1-2-NOO! Jig ‘n’ Tonic hit. 1-2-NOOO! Slap exchange turns to a forearm exchange. Then they just slap each other until they collapse. Pele from Jigsaw. Enziguri by Kingston. Running kick from Jigsaw. Kingston responds with one of his own. Charge misses. Enziguri and springboard dropkick by Jigsaw. Coast-to-coast dropkick misses. Yakuza and back suplex by Kingston. A second back suplex. Backdrop drover into a bridge and the victory.
Match Analysis: In front of a better crowd, this match would have probably gotten over even more than it did. As it was, Kingston won and got what amounted to light applause. This was one of the stiffer and more snug matches in CHIKARA in recent memory. And to think, they’re friends in real life. Because so many of the other matches have been more technically based, it made this match more effective. The story was also easy to tell since each man had an injured body part to work. Great great match.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Eddie Kingston/19:43/***3/4/****
Match in Five Words or less: The BDK Explodes
Match Highlights: Claudio tries intimidating Del Rey to start. He wants Del Rey to lay down and tank the match since Claudio feels he should be the only BDK member to actually have a chance at being the first ever CHIKARA Grand Champion. Shove and slap. Del Rey hits a series of kicks. She does the same while entangling Claudio in the ropes. Axe kick nearly gets Del Rey the victory early on. Claudio shoves Del Rey to the corner. Big boot by Del Rey. Running kicks. Tursas pulls Del Rey’s leg. Derek Sabato didn’t see nothin. Claudio barely takes Del Rey seriously but maintains control of the contest. Claudio actually picks her up with ease and hits a gutwrench suplex. European uppercut. Running shoulder block. Sunset flip blocked. Claudio hits a legdrop. Del Rey does get a sunset flip. Kick to the chest. He calls for a vertical suplex. Small package almost provides a shocking end. Vertical suplex followed by four elbow drops. Del Rey bridges out. Claudio rams his own shoulder into the post. Kick to the shoulder and a cannonball on Tursas. Crowd is really behind Del Rey. Cross body for two. Into a cross armbreaker. Claudio quickly grabs the bottom rope. Kicks to the back. Forearm and a bicycle kick. UFO but Claudio has an injured shoulder. Charge misses. Three combo kicks to the corner. Right back to the cross armbreaker. Claudio lifts Del Rey up with ease and drops her. Del Rey locks in the hold a third time. Claudio has to get the ropes. Clothesline. Lariat and he hits a Ricola bomb. 1-2-NO! Claudio lifts her up. European uppercut. 1-2-lifts her up again. Del Rey crucifix pins him out of nowhere and gets the victory.
Match Analysis: This may not have been the best match of the tournament, but this may have the most significant result. Sara Del Rey has wrestled a lot of men, but the fact that she beat one of the best wrestlers in the world means a whole lot for her career moving forward. Now instead of being a woman fighting men, she can just be regarded as a wrestler. Again, who knows how this would have played out if Claudio wasn’t signed by WWE, but it created a special moment in Philadelphia on this night.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Sara Del Rey/13:15/***/***1/2
Match in Five Words or less: Arm Battle
Match Highlights: Feeling out process to start. They’re both tecnicos so there is mutual respect amongst them. Del Rey counters a stretch into a cross armbreaker. Wicked counters that. Del Rey drives Wicked in the corner. Snapmare into a modified armbar. Armdrag by Wicked. Wicked goes over. Short hip toss. Kick to the upper body. Sunset flip for two. Running rana. Lock-up to the corner. Dropkick blocked. She kips up and armdrags him. Dropkick. Hook of the arms into a nearfall. Series of arm wringers. Del Rey comes out on the short end of that. Wicked takes control and works the injured limb. Series of forearms followed by two boots to the head. Cross body off the middle rope but her arm is hurt. She still kicks Wicked, but the arm is hurt. Axe kick leads to a two count. Step-up boot and running boot. 1-2-NO! Del Rey hits a combo kick. 1-2-NO! Go 2 Sleepy Hollow into a la majestral cradle for three.
Match Analysis: This is one of the rare matches in the 12 Large Summit not to hit three stars, and I firmly believe that the length of match hurt it. There’s no way some of the matches in the tourney could get the kind of time they deserved because so much had to be stuffed into the now one night Young Lions Cup tournament. I feel they did the best they could with what they had. I did like that the arm work somewhat paid off and played into who won.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Hallowicked/11:56/**3/4/***
Match in Five Words or less: Rematch Of An Epic Contest
Match Highlights: Many consider the Fire Ant/Vin Gerard contest from Young Lions Cup VI to be one of the finest matches in the near ten year history of the promotion. It’s hard to argue with this point, and it’s also fitting that a rematch is happening at the same event. Chop by Fire. Gerard almost wins with an immediate roll-up. H e battle out of the corner and hits a headscissors. Fire Ant drops Gerard in a side slam. Armdrag. Quesadora into another armdrag. Firemen’s carry. Gerard rips at the mask and hits a clothesline. Pair of curb stomps. Running knee leads to a two count. Gerard walks along the ropes and hits a double stomp. Blatant choke. Kick to the back. Punts to the upper body. Fire Ant lifts Gerard into the corner. Fire Ant counters into a stunner. Kick into the corner. Running enziguri. Brainbuster into a two count. Running boot while Gerard is seated. Beachbreak blocked. Gerard hits a powerbomb. A second powerbomb and a two count. Reverse curb stomp. Hard whip in the corner. Fire Ant up and over. He catches Gerard with a kick. Cross body. Gerard rolls out. Tope suicida. Tope con helo. Gerard takes control and drags Fire Ant toward the entrance. This is a rehash of what happened three years ago. He goes back outside and hits a 2K1 bomb. Referee is told to go back inside. Gerard rolls Fire Ant inside, hooks both legs, but only gets two. Standing shooting star press misses miserably. Kick blocked. Roll-up gets a nearfall. Fire Ant blocks the STF. Gerard applies a CHIKARA Special. Then to the STF. Fire Ant roll-up almost gets the win. Hard kick. Burning hammer. 1-2-3!
Match Analysis: To expect this match to be as good as the one three years ago would be foolhardy. Nonetheless, this was still a solid contest that may have been Gerard’s best effort in a while. I liked the way they played off their previous match as well. Another good 12 Large match.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Fire Ant/11:45/***1/4/***1/4
Match in Five Words or less: Good Bye Claudio
Match Highlights: Incredibly, this is Claudio’s last CHIKARA match ever. You would never have known it watching this show. These are two of the biggest rudos on the entire roster. They try to out heel each other in great series of moments. Monkey flip but Icarus flips out of the way. Hard open slap. Armdrag by Icarus. He steps on Claudio’s hand. Headscissors. Claudio snapmares him and steps on his hand. Icarus tries running away. Claudio brings him back. Dive to the floor. Claudio misses an elbow drop but dropkicks Icarus all the way under the merch table. Claudio slingshots him into the bottom of the table. Icarus sent midsection first into the post. Claudio gloats. Icarus tears him off the top rope. He goes to the top himself. Claudio press slams him. Elbow drop. Camel clutch. Claudio blocks a snapmare and covers Icarus. Crowd has no idea who to cheer for. Face first into the buckle goes Icarus. Icarus uses Claudio’s tights to take back control. Claudio nails Icarus in the stomach. Choke along the middle rope. Sliced bread blocked. Ricola bomb countered. Pedigree blocked. Uppercut turned into a backslide attempt. Referee knocked down. Both Claudio and Icarus fake groin injuries to try to get their opponent disqualified. Referee won’t believe it. Superkick gets a nearfall. Pop-up European uppercut. 1-2-NO! Icarus gets his boot up. Rana and spear. 1-2-NO! Blu ray but Claudio uppercuts him in the back. Again a two count. Ricola bomb but Icarus sunset flips. Claudio sits down. Exchange of pins. Of course, they cheat. Icarus finally gets the win by holding the ropes AND pulling the tights.
Match Analysis: This was an average match between two of the best heels in the business. The crowd really wasn’t there for the match because they didn’t know who to cheer for. Some of the shenanigans were fun. The ending did not come off nearly as well as it should have because of some awkward exchanges and counters. Sad to know this was Claudio’s match and that he exited with so little fanfare.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Icarus/12:45/**1/2/***
Match in Five Words or less: Back To Normal
Match Highlights: Coming into this match, Jigsaw has no points while Gerard has two in the 12 Large Summit to crown the first ever Grand Champion of CHIKARA. Gerard asks to be referred to as the last of a dying breed with Kingston sitting on commentary. Thems also fighting words. Gerard says Jigsaw has one move, the superkick. Gerard really needs to stop watching 2008 Ring of Honor Jigsaw. Jigsaw then asks the crowd to pick a move to beat Gerard with. Someone says sit-up. Jigsaw obliges. Now to grappling. Quickly to the figure four and some additional sit-ups by Jigsaw. Crowd wants more, particularly from Gerard. Series of roll-ups almost get a win for Jigsaw. Gerard smartens up after being taken through the same sequence of roll-ups twice. Gerard misses an elbow. Back to the roll-up sequence and then around they go. After tossing Gerard outside, Jigsaw dives on him. STO gets Gerard the advantage. And much like what he’s been doing to Kingston in recent months, Gerard focuses on Jigsaw’s left knee, including application of the STF on the outside of the ring. Comeback and Jigsaw actually sells his injured limb. Dropkick to the knee and a sitting eniguri gets Gerard two. Back fist by Gerard. Kingston is incensed. Slaps by Gerard. Jigsaw plants him. Pair of kicks and a brainbuster. Superkick turned into a cover. STF! Jigsaw grabs the rope. Gerard misses but eats a superkick and gets pinned.
Match Analysis: After the previous match, this one felt like a breath of fresh air. Gerard worked over a body part for the entire match, and Jigsaw had to overcome the odds for the victory. Not sure why Gerard wouldn’t go over since he’s the one involved in a tournament feud, but neither guy is in prime contention for the finals anyway. A solid match that told a good story and got its message across.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Jigsaw/12:48/***/***
Match in Five Words or less: Icarus Taken To School
Match Highlights: Each man has four points, and the winner takes a significant step up the block A rankings. Icarus gets into it with the crowd more than usual and seems quite feisty. Icarus attacks even before the bell rings. Quack dispatches him quickly. Huge tope suicida. Icarus hasn’t even taken his jacket off yet. He crawls to the fans for relief. None can be found. Quack continues working the hated Icarus over. Guillotine on the top rope. Dropkick off the top rope AND OFF COMES THE JACKET! AHHHHH! Small package by Quack gets two. Back and forth for a bit. Leg drop by Icarus on the apron. Dropkick but Quack turns over into a sharpshooter. Bryce doesn’t immediately call for the bell, and Icarus grabs the ropes. Into the ropes. Double chops to Quack’s throat. Choke with the tape. Roll-up gets two for Quack. Into a reverse sharpshooter. Icarus crawls to the corner. Sent into the middle buckle. Icarus goes for the pedigree. Quack backslides for two. BTS countered. Quack locks the CHIKARA special. Icarus taps almost immediately, and Quack has himself six points.
Match Analysis: This wasn’t epic, but it served its purpose. There have been a couple surprisingly long matches on the card, and the 12 large matches have tended to be longer anyway, so it was okay for this one to not be as long. It also helps that Icarus and Quack have clear and established characters. Therefore, they don’t need to have long matches to tell their story.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Mike Quackenbush/6:59/**/***
Match in Five Words or Less: Kick Based Offense
Match Highlights: Del Rey has four points and is looking to tie Mike Quackenbush. Ophidian is riding a goose egg right now. The good news is Gavin Loudspeaker has a microphone do ring announcing properly tonight. They exchange holds to start. Del Rey says enough with the holds and delivers three hard kicks. Back to the mat. Ophidian tries a kick of his own, but it doesn’t go well. Del Rey of course responds with a series of kicks. Ophidian regains the advantage with strikes. Del Rey has a violence party in the corner. Ophidian drops Del Rey on her shoulder. He continues working it over. He applies an armbar and nearly gets a little dirty by pulling the fingers. Springboard moonsault misses. Del Rey is caught kicking. Backslide for two by Ophidian. Two more nearfalls and Ophidian back bridges over. One footed dropkick. Ophidian nails one of his own. Two running double knees. Del Rey boots Ophidian in a head stand. This reminds me of when Samoa Joe did something similar to Nigel McGuinness on a 2005 ROH show and the crowd lost it. More kicks from Del Rey. Rolling kick and a two count. Exchange of nearfalls. Face plants into another nearfall. He calls out to Amasis and hits a 450 splash. Del Rey won’t die. Ophidian evades one kick but is hit with a second one. Powerbomb. 1-2-NO! Kicks the shoulder away. Ophidian Death Grip! Del Rey butterflies Ophidian over and gets three.
Match Analysis: Not the typical opener you’d see out of CHIKARA. This had some clear importance for both individuals. Del Rey used her ingenuity to pick up the win two straight nights. I’m really enjoying her push because instead of allowing her to demean the men, she’s simply out-smarting them to get victories. Her offense, while some might consider it monotonous, makes a lot more sense in context since there’s no logicial way for her to simply lift dudes up and drop them on their heads. And she’s never exactly been the high-flying type. Good work from both people involved.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Sara Del Rey/13:59/***1/4/***1/2
Match in Five Words or Less: An Absolute War
Match Highlights: Kingston has six points and is easily the leader of block B. Fire Ant, however, has four and could potentially tie Kingston with a victory here. Kingston has strong words for a fan before the match begins and threatens to see him outside. Well then. Both men are cautious to start. Kingston responds to another fan (sort of resembles Andy Warhol) who tells him to hit the gym. Hilarious. Fire Ant hits a pair of armdrags before hitting a rana. Kingston decks Fire Ant with a right hand. Series of strikes. Fire Ant with lightning fast chops. Atomic drop and boot by Kingston. TOPE SUICIDA! He maintains the advantage outside the ring. Kingston just pistols Fire Ant with forearms. Snapmares and a perfect neckbreaker. Quick roll-up for two. Some fans actually chant for Fire Ant. Running clothesline. Forearm to the back. Fire Ant is laying but gets continually hit with hard chops. Stiff kicks by Fire, but Kingston headbutts him. Neckbreaker. Back to the corner for more punishment. A whip. Kingston misses a boot. Running kick sends Kingston outside. Tope suicida of his own. Kingston ends up in the crowd a little punch drunk. Fire Ant DIVES INTO THE CROWD AND HITS KINGSTON! SWEET JEBUS! Then Fire Ant… HITS A CROSSBODY INTO THE CROWD! Vin Gerard comes out of nowhere and attempts to work over Kingston’s knee. Kingston is clearly injured as Fire Ant hits a back senton for two. Kingston whips Fire Ant, but he can’t run across. Fire Ant is getting aggressive by attacking the injured knee. Kingston with strikes and headbutts. Kick by Fire Ant. Cross body and a spinning DDT. 1-2-NO! Beach Break attempt worked out of. Lariats by Kingston. Capture German suplex. 1-2-NO! Running yakuza… sort of. Arm suplex gets two. Fire Ant. Just. Won’t. Die. Kingston gingerly gets up. Fire Ant with a roll-up for two. INSIDE OUT LARIAT! 1-2-NOOOO! Straps come down. Fire Ant hits a stunner. Running knee right to the head. Back fist misses. BEACH BREAK! 1-2-NOOOOOO! Knee bar. Kingston reaches for the mask before going to the bottom rope. Kicks to the leg by Fire Ant. Back fist but Fire Ant KICKS OUT AT ONE! Back drop driver right on his head. Running forearm. 1-2-NO! A second to the back of Fire Ant’s head finally ends an crazy contest.
Match Analysis: This was a incredible way to end an amazing show. It came off like these two were wrestling a war against each other. Because of how hard a battle this was, and really because of a number of these tournament matches, that CHIKARA Grand Championship means all the more. A fantastic, stiff, brutal match between two CHIKARA originals. Words cannot describe how epic this was. Both guys came off amazingly well.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Eddie Kingston/22:27/****/****
-Kingston raises Fire Ant’s hand after the match and gives him some praise in a post-match promo.
Match in Five Words or Less: Battle of The Originals
Match Highlights: Hallowicked and Icarus are of course two original CHIKARA students (and former tag team partners during season one) doing battle for the right to possibly wrestle for the CHIKARA Grand Championship. Both men have four points and could still take block A. Icarus threatens to leave but sadly comes back to the dismay of everyone. Speaking of dismay, the jacket again comes off. Can’t he just keep it on? Just once. Please. Feeling out process. Icarus tries kipping up and fails just like does in every other aspect of his life. Hallowicked is able to kip up. Icarus tries again and fails. Icarus tries to take advantage of another kip up attempt. Quick roll-up gets two for Hallowicked. Lucha armdrag. Hallowicked PUTS THE JACKET BACK ON ICARUS! Then he takes him down AND ZIPS IT UP! Five star match. More fun with the jacket. SHENANIGANS! Sunset flip by halloweicked. Jacket comes off. He tosses the jacket and spears Hallowicked for two. The fun ends with Icarus on offense. Frog splash misses badly. Forearm exchange. Step-up hurancanrana by Hallowicked. Neck snap. Go 2 Sleepy Hollow. 1-2-NO! Running boot misses. Icarus crotches himself. Enziguri but Icarus puts his foot on the bottom rope. Icarus hits a sloppy rana into a nearfall. After arguing with the referee, Icarus eventually gets a dropkick. Sliced bread gets two. Fishermen’s buster. Frog splash sort of hits but again Hallowicked kicks out. Blu Ray countered. Yakuza kick by Hallowicked. Icarus hits a Blu Ray and picks up a clean win!
Match Analysis: I have to classify this is a minor upset considering how Icarus had a recent loss to Gregory Iron and hasn’t been much of a factor as a singles wrestler despite his presence in this tournament. I liked a lot of the goofiness surrounding the jacket, and most of the match was solid if unspectacular. From a quality standpoint, this may actually be in the bottom half of 12 LS tournament matches, but it was still enjoyable.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Icarus/14:16/***/***1/2
Match in Five Words or Less: Quack Joins Kingston
Match Highlights: Both have six points. Whoever wins this match takes block A and joins Eddie Kingston in the main event of High Noon. The crowd seems to be behind Del Rey. Quack is interested in using mat wrestling while Del Rey is of course wanting to strike. Quack tries to play her game and gets hit with a series of chops, headbutts, and kicks. Quack turns things around with a dropkick to Del Rey’s right knee. He pounces. Quack relentlessly works on the knee. Del Rey grabs a waistlock, avoids a kick, and school boys Quack into the corner. He regains his bears and twists her up, even grabbing Del Rey’s left arm. Reverse cloverleaf into a butterfly. He tosses her down and gets a two count. Tosses her over. Senton misses. Series of counters. Del Rey gets a crucifix for two. Quack steps right on her knee. Back to work on it. Quack applies a modified STF. Del Rey rammed into the corner. Quack misses a charge. Series of forearms. Kick sends Quack down. Quack applies an ankle lock. Del Rey brings him over. Northern lights suplex but the bridge doesn’t work since Del Rey’s knee is hurt. She slowly applies a butterfly. Kick by Quack. Into just a plain old knee bar modifier. Elbows to Quack’s forehead. Combo kick gets two. Butterfly locked in. Up and over. Del Rey can’t make the cover in time. Piledriver attempt but Quack kicks her in the head. Kick to Del Rey’s knee. What an awful sound. Del Rey small packages Quack for two. Palm strike into a stretch muffler even as he continues cranking the knee. Del Rey taps.
Match Analysis: A fabulous match between these two. This is a match of major significance since the winner was going to wrestle for the CHIKARA Grand Championship. Quack worked over a body part for the entire match and eventually won by submission. He won using a hold he rarely uses, but it worked because of how much work he did on Del Rey’s knee. The crowd was also really into this throughout. There was a definite sense that they actually embraced this exchange of holds and the slower pace.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Mike Quackenbush/15:00/****/****
-Quackenbush and Kingston stare each other down and exchange words after the match since they’ll be wrestling at High Noon.
-Before the scheduled UltraMantis Black/Vin Gerard 12 Large Summit match, Bryce Remsburg dashes out with a cell phone to say Gerard has had travel issues and that Mantis has won himself two points. This now means with a win and some help, Mantis could make High Noon a three way dance. Mantis still wants to wrestle, and thankfully there is a man in the back waiting for an opportunity to compete… MARCH ARCHIE! Peck introduces the audience to his new mascot, a present for Veronica really, Colt Cabunny. And here he is in all his glory:
– -UltraMantis Black vs. Archibald Peck (w/Veronica and Colt Cabunny)
Match in Five Words or Less: That’s Not Vin Gerard
Match Highlights: Series of clotheslines finishing with a running version. Peck low bridges, teases a dive, and marches. Clothesline takes both men out of the ring. Just as Mantis is about to nail Peck with a chair, he puts Veronica in front of him. He kicks the chair in Mantis’ face. Elbow drop on the apron. Running blockbuster gets two back in the ring. Elbow drop hits two. A second is met with Mantis’ boot. Whip to the corner. Peck sends Mantis into the post shoulder first. Running boot doesn’t end well. Suplex battle on the apron. Preying Mantis Bomb, but Cabunny makes the save. Running dive off the apron. Peck sent into chairs. Drop toehold by Peck. Mantis back drops Peck on the entrance ramp. When did this become a hardcore match? Crowd chants “Kill the bunny.” How rude. Peck splits Mantis’ legs on the top rope. Mantis into a Finlay Roll off the top. 1-2-NO! Cosmic doom countered into a modified slam by Peck. Cranial Crescendo misses. Cosmic Doom finally hits and Mantis picks up the win.
Match Analysis: Not a great match by any means but this was okay. Peck has been more entertaining than Gerard anyway, so I guess I’m almost glad we got this instead. Plus, Colt Cabunny is adorable.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: UltraMantis Black/8:28/**1/4/**1/2
Match in Five Words or Less: What’s The Point?
Match Highlights: Some basic work, including an exchange of roll-ups, between the two tecnicos. Hallowicked tosses Ophidian over and gets two. Ophidian begins working on Hallowicked’s left arm, and it becomes the focus of the match. Springboard moonsault misses. Hallowicked comes back with a hip toss. Back drop. Big kick by the snake man and a two count. He stretches Wicked out and continues focusing on the arm. Forearms by Hallowicked. Ophidian with headbutts. Guillotine on the arm. Off the top. Rydian bomb and both men are down. Forearm exchange. Step-up knee. Back elbows. Clothesline ducked. Another running kick even as Ophidian is in the head stand position. 1-2-NO! Ophidian Death Grip but Wicked takes him into the corner. Another Death Grip. Wicked places Ophidian on the top rope. Series of roll overs. Again to the hold. Wicked charges in the corner and sends his opponent head first. Rana. Yakuza kick. 1-2-NO! Ophidian out of the fireman’s carry. Back to the arm. Face plant. 450 hits for two. Hallowicked eats two knees right in his chest. Jesus. Ophidian is incredulous. Enziguri. Hallowicked hits a boot and into a la majistral cradle for the win.
Match Analysis: I wish they could have established a purpose for block runners-up so these matches wouldn’t feel so superfluous. There are only three men who still have a chance to advance to the finals of the 12LS, and these two don’t have a chance. Despite the meaningless nature of the match, these two delivered a good contest. Even though the arm work didn’t directly pay off, Hallowicked did at least sell the limb work the entire match, and Ophidian’s in-character frustration came across in this match with a lot of aggression. This entire tournament has truly brought out the best in the roster.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Hallowicked/14:28/***1/4/***1/2
-Ophidian yells at Jon Barber and says he kicked out of the cradle. Clearly, the losing is starting to get to him.
Match in Five Words or Less: BOTTOM ROPE!
Match Highlights: Weird to think these two have never had a singles match against each other. Much like many of these tournament matches, we get a lot of mat work in the early going. Mantis with an early roll-up attempt. Jigsaw with a lucha roll and dropkick to the face. Running back elbow. Dropkick off the top rope. And hey, there’s a bottom rope since it’s post-intermission. Jigsaw puts him on it and hits a series of kicks. Double stomp and the sucker doesn’t break. Mantis scraps his way back. Double boot sends him down. Rolling cradle gets two. Jigsaw applies a body scissors, and guess where Mantis has to go to break it. Bear hug. He sends him down and hits a kick to the chest. A second one. Double stomp misses. He rolls through. Series of chops by Mantis. Double under hook slam. Up and over. Headbutt from Mantis. Enziguri by Jigsaw. Power bomb blocked. Mantis goes for a rana. Power bomb on the apron! Even Kevin Steen thought that was a little extreme. Double stomp from Jigsaw. Brainbuster. Mantis gets a cradle for two. Back suplex right on Jigsaw’s head. 1-2-NO! Cosmic Disaster for two. Jigsaw out of another attempt. Snap German suplex for two. Jig ‘n’ Tonic reversed. Preying Mantis Driver. Jigsaw somehow manages to roll out. Into the ring and Jigsaw rolls Mantis over for three. Mantis is officially eliminated.
Match Analysis: I’m constantly amazed how over Mantis is with every crowd. No matter what city CHIKARA goes to, he’s just ridiculously over. Jigsaw showed a lot of aggression and a heelish edge for much of this match. Franky, I was surprised he dominated as much as he did before ultimately winning. I would have liked to have seen Mantis get more hope spots at least before succumbing. Kingston and Gerard’s upcoming LS match is also now irrelevant. Just very strange booking here.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Jigsaw/12:33/***/**3/4
Match in Five Words or Less: A Major Upset
Match Highlights: Kingston tries bringing chairs into the ring even before the bell rings. Kingston heads in the ring, and Gerard departs. Right hand from Kingston. Brawl across ringside. Gerard tossed through all five rows of chairs. Into the bleachers where Kingston continues laying a whoopin’ down. Gerard kicks at Kingston’s knee. Poor Bryce Remsburg can’t get these two back in the ring. Football in the face. Hope his nose is okay. Boot to the face as both men are finally back in the ring. Gerard rakes his eyes and takes him down by the knee. STF but Kingston blocks it. Gerard steps on Kingston’s knee. Another kick to the leg. STF but Kingston grabs the bottom rope. Gerard continues working over the knee. Kingston takes him outside. Gerard throws a wrench in the ring, chop blocks Kimgston, and applies the STF once again. Again to the bottom rope. Again with the STF. Kingston finally taps.
Match Analysis: This was an alright match. It wasn’t anything special but technically executed well. My confusion about the booking relates to Gerard and the fact that he’s barely been booked recently (and when he has, he’s lost) yet got a rare victory over Kingston. I’m very interested to see if this turns into a renewed push for Gerard moving into 2012. Otherwise, I’m not sure why this was booked in such a way.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Vin Gerard/9:47/***/***
-Gerard continually tries reapplying the hold as Kingston threatens his life. Just as it seems it’s all over, Gerard attacks Kingston on the entrance way and even tosses Bryce to the floor. He’s the only referee! Watch out for that! Come on man!
Match in Five Words or Less: A Truly Grand Champion
Match Highlights: After nearly six months and an incredible tournament involving 12 people, it all comes down to this. The founder of the promotion versus a member of the second training class and a true CHIKARA original. It’s rare when a match captures a big fight atmosphere, but this certainly did that in spades. Regardless of what you think of these two guys, they absolutely made me believe this championship meant everything to them, and they were willing to die for it. Tommy Dreamer telling Kingston that this was the house he built and it was King’s time to take it was such an awesome moment that made it all the more special. Incredibly, this is the first time these two men have ever met in a singles match. “Sweet and sour” chant as the bell rings. Feeling out process. Kingston fires a series of chops and hits a spinebuster. He’s noticeably limping. Quack sweeps him down and drives the knee into the apron. Noticeable boos can be heard. The match settles into Quack working over the injured left knee as Kingston fires an occasional comeback. Quack shows his annoyance with the crowd for cheering Kingston. He even pokes the eyes! Various members of the locker room begin coming out to watch the contest as the match progresses. Quack hooks in a modified figure four and begins trading shots with Kingston. Ruh roh. Back suplex and lariat for two as Kingston wins the strike battle. Back fist blocked. Quack drives Kingston down and rolls him up for two. Swanton off the top gets two. Quack hooks in a stretch muffler, the same move he defeated Sara Del Rey with back in Burlington. Quackendriver 3. KINGSTON KICKS OUT AT ONE! Double knees off the top miss and now his knee is injured. Kingston can now take advantage of an injured limb. Battle on the top rope. Back fist to Quack’s leg. Quack is now quick to beg off. Combo clutch. Crowd wants a tapout. Strike exchange while both men are on their knees. Clothesline sends Quack neck first into the mat. Back drop driver. Tiger suplex. Two back fists to the future, AND WE HAVE A GRAND CHAMPION! Kingston wins!
Match Analysis: An absolute masterpiece of storytelling from two long-time CHIKARA roster members. These two delivered the best possible match they possibly could have under these circumstances. The finish arguably came out of nowhere, but it served its purpose. Kingston sold his knee for the entire match, but once Quack went away from his game plan, he paid for it and lost the match very quickly. If you’re looking for storytelling, if you’re looking for a championship match that meant something, then this is it. Major props to both guys on delivering in CHIKARA’s first ever iPPV main event. Unlike some other companies’ first iPPV mains, this one was a GRAND slam. Pun very much intended.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Eddie Kingston/17:52/****/****3/4
-A very emotional scene as Larry Sweeney’s brother Alex and friend Amy present Kingston with the belt. Even if the match were terrible, this post-match celebration would have made it something special.
-Kingston makes a post-match declaration asserting how great CHIKARA he is, how tough he is (while making sure to mention John Cena and CM Punk’s name in the process), and how NO ONE… NO ONE TOUCHES CHIKARA!
The Verdict: Going into my rewatch of the 12 Large Summit, I knew how good this tournament had turned out. Little did I know when watching that I would walk away thinking this is one of the best booked and highest quality tournaments in indy wrestling over the last few years. Not every match was four stars. Not every match was amazing. But everything served its purpose. There was storytelling. Guys who haven’t gotten to showcase themselves in singles action did in grand fashion. In some ways, all 12 people came out winners. Ophidian got a needed character makeover. Sara Del Rey became a main eventer. Ultramantis and Fire Ant got some credibility in the singles ranks. Jigsaw and Hallowicked proved why they deserved bigger opportunities in other promotions. Quack showed why he’s still one of the best in the world, and Kingston got to attain a major goal and win a very prestigious championship. And best of all, this tournament served an even greater purpose, honoring a fallen comrade. If you already have all of the matches, this obviously isn’t worth purchasing. However, if you’re missing anything more than 10 of the 25 matches, this is well worth getting. An easy thumbs up. Highest possible recommendation.
For more information in CHIKARA Pro, including tickets and event information, please check their website. While you can purchase DVDs there as well, you can also purchase their DVDs on Smart Mark Video. Something relatively new to Smart Mark Video is video downloads. This is a great way to save on shipping and not have a DVD clogging your shelf (if that’s what you’re concerned about). It’s super easy to purchase and then download on your computer. I could not recommend this service strongly enough whether you’re buying CHIKARA or many other promotions.
To get a great sense of history and participate in discussion of the company, check out their official messageboard. One thing the promotion does really well? Videos. They have frequent (almost daily) updates on their YouTube channel.
As someone who is not nearly the CHIKARA fan as certain others, even I need to look up information and have a good CHIKARA resource. I can can think of no better place to do this and also read exclusive reviews of every CHIKARA show in history than at The CHIKARA Special. Kevin Ford maintains this little blog and also updates a CHIKARA Special Tumblr with news and videos nearly every day.
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