-Taped from Ottawa, Canada
-Your hosts are of course various members of the Chikara roster and staff
Match in Five Words or Less: Who Are These Guys?
Match Highlights: These are two men from the C*4 promotion. Some mat wrestling to begin the proceedings. Jacque catches Bailey in a handspring. Springboard headscissors leads to an O’Connor roll and dropkick. Running shooting star press gets two. Jacque clotheslines him in the back of the head. He taunts the crowd on the second rope. Straight right hand. Punches in various corners. Boot out of the corner by Jacque. Stun gun across the top. Bailey covers and gets two. Knee drop off the middle rope misses. T-bone suplex. Knee drop hits this time. Kicks to the legs by Bailey. Tornado kick off the ropes. Bailey counters and hits a series of kicks. He ends a combo with an enziguri. La Maestral cradle leads to a two count. Spinebuster by Jacque. Camel clutch. Bailey flips onto his feet. Forearm by Jacque. Bailey hits a blockbuster suplex and gets the victory.
Match Analysis: Here you had two guys going out in front of their local crowd and having an opener. I had no problem with this. Not something extraordinary but they didn’t completely blow their chance, and I wouldn’t mind seeing either man in the future.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Mike Bailey/7:01/**/**
Match in Five Words or Less: More Like Mr. CFL
Match Highlights: Jigsaw’s buddy Mike Quackenbush was hurt the previous night, so he won’t be in a positive mood. Some of the crowd chants for Touchdown. There is some disagreement over whether Touchdown can wear his shoulder pads. Jon Barber wins out. Jigsaw takes the football away and spins it around. He hits Barber in the back with a better throw than his quarterback Mark Sanchez has thrown in years. He actually catches the ball from a fan, making him better than Santonio Holmes. If he resists the urge to stare at Touchdown’s feet, he’ll complete the trifecta. “Tebow” chant as the bell rings. Touchdown calls a timeout and walks around ringside. Basic to start and they mix in some SHENANIGANS! Flying forearm by Jigsaw. Rolls around and hits a dropkick. Tope suicida. Touchdown begs off like he’s hurt but dropkicks Jigsaw. He drops Jigsaw on his neck and covers him for two. Knee drop. Veronica is shown taking a bit of a walk around the merch tables. Blow to the back by Touchdown. Punch to the gut and a pair of chops. He rises to deliver another chop. Touchdown hits a back elbow. Snapmare into a roll-up for two. Another series from Jigsaw. Kick to the gut. Blow to the back and chop. Back suplex by Touchdown. He and Veronica make googly eyes at each other. Back to the chops by Jigsaw. He performs a sexy party dance and says Barber is better than Touchdown. Barber dances. Veronica runs. Lariat by Touchdown gets two. Bet that’s not the first time Barber has scared a woman away. Stomps in the corner. Another cover for two. Powerslam. Series of drills. Of course, he meets Jigsaw’s knees. Low kicks. Touchdown calls Jigsaw a nerd. One more kick in the head. Running back elbow and enziguri. Cross body gets two. Touchdown takes him into the corner and shoulder blocks him. Jigsaw double stomps Touchdown into the corner. German suplex gets two. Elbows by Touchdown. Back suplex into a neckbreaker. 1-2-NO! Jigsaw crotches Touchdown on the top rope. Rana but Touchdown sunset flips him. Spinebuster gets a three.
Match Analysis: With some of these recent losses, Jigsaw has to be doing something pretty big soon. Be it heel turn or major resurgence. Touchdown is brand spanking new and picked up a victory over one of Chikara’s original students. He’s looked pretty darn good since his debut, and I’m glad he’s become such an important character almost immediately. Ever since coming back from Japan, Jigsaw has been even better. Good contest between these two.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Mr. Touchdown/9:59/**3/4/***
Match in Five Words or Less: Short And Not Sweet
Match Highlights: This is already the second time this year Del Rey has taken on a young female competitor as part of a Chikara show. They shake hands. Immediate lock-up goes to the corner. They exchange arm work. Del Rey takes control on the mat. Kick in the chest. Series of kicks as VonDutch is stuck along the ropes. Snap suplex. Armbar and chinlock combination. Whip across. Combo kick misses. VonDutch hits a weak running clothesline. Bulldog gets two. Springboard moonsault misses. They looked awful. Axe kick somehow only gets two. Forearm in the face sends her down. She folds VonDutch up and gets two. Royal Butterfly slam and there’s the three count.
Match Analysis: Tough to evaluate VonDutch since Del Rey pretty much squashed her, but she certainly had a couple awkward moments. You knew Del Rey wasn’t losing twice in the same weekend, especially after such a bad loss to Kobald. It will be interesting if they try to engage Del Rey with the Batiri completely or they bring in another female competitor to feud with her.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Sara Del Rey/3:38/*/*
-Ophidian is still crazy and talking to his masks. He’s apparently got something he’s missing in his life. I assume this will become important later.
Match in Five Words or Less: Baseball Player Choking… The Cubs?
Match Highlights: Dasher performs a jig before the bell rings. They start on the mat with Dasher controlling. Quick crucifix pin gets two. Ophidian talks to his masks again. Just as he did last night, Dasher applies a submission hold and allows it to be maintained using Ophidian’s own costume. Ophidian takes a seat. Dasher sits a series of rather husky fans on the lap of Ophidian. Dasher grabs a camera. Ophidian slithers away, and things aren’t going so well. Ophidian placed on the top rope. He drives Dasher down with a choke driver. Stomps in the corner. Stomach claw. Series of punches. Snapmare using the sash. He chokes away. Forearm by Dasher. Slap and double chops from Ophidian. Another throat thrust. He balances on the top rope and splashes Dasher. Chinlock. Dasher reaches the rope. The masks disturb Ophidian. Ophidian continually tries applying some nerve holds. Ophidian placed between the top and middle rope. Uppercuts by Dasher. Firemen’s carry but Ophidian applies a Death Grip. Armdrags. Tilt a whirl backbreaker. Jackhammer. 1-2-NO! Ophidian placed on the top rope again. He goes for the choke. Dasher runs to the other side and rams him into the buckle. Kick to the back of the head by Ophidian. Death Grip applied a third time. Dasher hits Suicide Squeeze. Ophidian puts his foot on the rope at two. Stomps in the corner. Drop toehold into the middle turnbuckle. Running knees. Straight kick to the back of the head. Death Grip and he bridges over. Dasher taps.
Match Analysis: Fun match between these two. Ophidian needed some reestablishing after losing to Kingston, and his character is really starting to come together. The choke based offense makes a lot of sense considering Ophidian’s finisher and heel character. Dasher’s parade of gimmicks were quite goofy, but as an old timey baseball player, he also has a solid reputation building.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Ophidian/11:02/**3/4/***
-3.0 has arrived with the championship belts, and they have gone to the promised land. Shane Matthews has almost too much energy. El Generico is proud of the new champion. They turn their attention to the Batiri and who is the actual captain of the team now. Generico has been demoted due to 3.0 winning the Campeones de Parajas the previous night. There’s only one fair way to settle this dispute. Rock, Papers, Scissors. Matthews drinks a Red Bull. Generico wins with scissors on Parker and Matthews. Matthews demands best two out of three falls or Lucha rules. Double punch to the gut… because rock beats everything. HEY-YO! That’s an early contender for promo of the year.
Match in Five Words or Less: Poor Batiri
Match Highlights: 3.0 and Generico color-coded their wears tonight. Crowd cheers for 3.0 big time beforehand. Kobald holds one of the title belts up and even puts it on. Well, he’s not the champion. Matthews starts with Kobald. Immediate shove. Matthews asserts his power right away. Kobald bites and shoves Matthews into the corner by his face. Series of slaps. Back elbow by Matthews. Sunset flip but Matthews goes for the Boston crab. Kodama kicks him. Parker fakes a dive on the Batiri members. Kobald steals a cell phone? Takedown by Kodama. Rana takes Parker into the corner. Leg lariat. Batiri members commiserate again. Generico takes his turn with Obaryion. Leapfrog and a fake dive by Generico. Leg lariat hits. Batiri are failing. Generico hits a tope con helo on all three men. Kobald sent back in the ring. Boot to the midsection. Sent into the turnbuckle. Into Parker’s boot. Kodama trips him up. Obaryion knocked off the apron. Running shoulder tackle by Kobald. He works over the back. Heat segment on Generico. Generico blocks being tripped again but eats a spear. That was a cool sequence. Kodama accidentally trips his teammate. Generico hits a Michinoku driver. Tag to both members of 3.0. Double jabs and bionic elbows. Double team elbow drop on Obaryion and Kodama. They drop Kobald but he’s under the ropes. Low bridge takes Matthews out. Right hands by Parker. Obaryion send outside. Dive to the floor on Kodama. Double team knee strike on Parker. Matthews headscissors both of them. Kobald brings Matthews out. Generico blue thunder powerbombs him. Obaryion nails him from behind. Whip in the corner. Forearm hits. A second is blocked. Top rope DDT by Obaryion only gets two. Shot to the midsection and into the corner. Generico whipped. Each Batiri member takes their turn. Generico follows up with a yakuza on Obaryion. Kodama takes him out. Matthews takes Kodama out. Parker and Kobald left in the ring. Running knee by Kobald. Generico forearms him on the top rope. Kobald battles Generico off. Matthews applies the Boston crab and gets the victory for his team.
Match Analysis: This was a good trios match to be certain, but I felt too much of the focus was put on Kobald. There’s still a long way for him to go before he’s ready to be showcased against these sorts of competitors, and his partners are really the ones who need the help. Kodama and Obaryion came in with incredible momentum, but they’ve really stalled out in recent months. It’s nice to showcase new talent, but I’d much rather see Obaryion getting more of the singles matches.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: 3.0 and El Generico/14:22/***/***
Match in Five Words or Less: Chaos
Match Highlights: Wicked has Tim Donst’s Young Lion’s Cup with him. 17 and Shard attack from behind and commence a beatdown. Envoy eventually comes back. 17 tossed out. Mantis back elbows Shard. Side winder. Assisted Go 2 Sleepy Hallow. Running senton. Delirious walks in the back door. Gekkido goes to work on Mantis. Full nelson slam by Mantis. Back drop on 17. Tag to Wicked. Shard gets booted in the face. Step-up rana on 17. Tope suicida. Shard nails Wicked from behind. Tim Donst grabs his cup and then has to run away as Mantis chases him down with his staff. Palm strike by 17. Superkick by Shard gets three. Mantis tries to make the save but he gets superkicked for his trouble. Ophidian sprays mist in Mantis’s face and takes the staff. Delirious can be seen laughing.
Match Analysis: This was another case of the match playing backdrop for the angle. You had 17 and Shard doing their thing. Delirious was at ringside. Tim Donst was raving like a lunatic about the cup. Then Ophidian comes out and grabs Mantis’s staff. It really felt like too much was going on, and there was no time to process anything. We also have the answer to what Ophidian is missing in his life. I’m assuming Ophidian and Delirious’s story will come together very soon.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: 17 and Shard/7:32/**/**1/2
-Marchie Archie is crying about losing his best girl. He says he’s despondent and shouts Veronica’s name.
Match in Five Words or Less: Best. Match. Ever.
Match Highlights: Archie’s entrance contextualizes this entire angle so beautifully. Some morons in the crowd chant “Spirit Squad.” Taylor puts Archie’s hat on and then stomps on it. Taylor high fives and hugs Icarus, who’s sitting at the bell ringer’s table. Shoulder tackles by Archie but he isn’t into things. Crowd roots for him. Off the ropes… and Archie hugs Taylor. Remsburg breaks them up. Taylor oversells a test of strength. Taylor obviously kicks him. Stomps in the corner. Archie sends Taylor in the corner and does some stomping of his own. He begins pounding the mat and yelling at Mr. Touchdown. Taylor comes from behind. Archie feels around. Kick. STUNNER! Archie soaks in the cheers. Boot from Taylor. Thesz press and right hands by Archie. Taylor tossed outside. Archie kicks him in the head. Strikes from Taylor. They go on the stage. Archie gets thrown into a beautiful picture. Taylor thought it was real. Archie wants photos taken as he’s standing in front of the pictures. Taylor wants some taken as well. They call each other ridiculous and pull out some increasingly ridiculous poses. Then they go pose in front of another picture. Taylor shoves Archie and he falls into a series of chairs… right in front of Icarus. Icarus chokes Archie. Perfect. Taylor rings the bell. Back in the ring. Peck falls down on a springboard attempt thanks to Icarus. Taylor says the place is haunted. Karate chops by Taylor. Back elbow. Camel clutch. Taylor sends Archie down by the hair. Choke in the corner. Bodyslam. Taylor brings out a grenade. Elbow drop misses. Archie has the grenade. They play hot potato. Even Remsburg becomes involved. Archie knocks Taylor into Remsburg. Archie begins counting Taylor and Remsburg down. Remsburg and Taylor stand off. Archie with a series of right hands. Double clothesline as Remsburg accidentally helps. Bodyslam on Taylor. Remsburg covers and gets two. Archie does a Flair flop. He holds onto the apron. Taylor slaps his arm… and Archie’s fall isn’t that bad. Springboard clothesline finally hits. He calls for his finisher. His head hits a ceiling… and he’s now stuck. He asks for Remsburg’s help. Taylor lays back down. Remsburg is shoved into the ropes by Taylor. Super Soul Food gets Taylor the victory.
I swear to God everything described above happened.
Match Analysis: I don’t even know what to say. This match was… everything.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Chuck Taylor/15:24/**/*****
Match in Five Words or Less: ANT INFESTATION!
Match Highlights: The latter ant group of slowly make their way to the ring and surround Green, Soldier, and Fire. Very comic booky pose being done by the tecnicos as they stand back-to-back. Bell rings and we have a mini-battle royale. The action extends to the outside of the ring. Poor Jon Barber is the only man in the ring. Fire Ant battles with deviANT in the ring. Whip in the corner and back elbow. Another whip. deviANT hits a springboard double stomp. He makes an attempt at the mask. Firemen’s carries, which are meant to mirror Fire Ant’s. Green Ant fires away at assailANT. combatANT hits a big kick. Crossface elbows. Boot to Soldier Ant. Clothesline misses. Soldier hits an elbow and clothesline. Hard chop. combatANT rams Soldier to the mat. Now combatANT goes for Soldier’s masks. Samoan drop. Green Ant sent back in the ring. assailANT chops Soldier out. To the corner where he goes for the mask. Green Ant whipped. Series of triple teams. Soldier makes the save for Green, who was about to lose his mask. combatANT saves his partner. Back elbow by Soldier. Chop in the corner. Hip toss blocked. Soldier finally gets it on combatANT. Assisted tope con helo. Green hits a running boot on assailANT. Enziguri. Now the Colony takes their chance as Soldier hits a headbutt off the top. combatANT taken to the corner. Six feet of fury. Antapault. deviANT tosses back in the ring. Chops by Fire Ant. Wheelbarrow stunner blocked. Kick hits. Firemen’s carry into another rolling kick. Everyone strikes each other seemingly. Lariat by Green on assailANT. Chikara Special: Green. deviANT kicks Green in the side of the head to break the hold. Victory roll gets two. deviANT takes a loooooong time to remove Green’s mask. Fire and Soldier immediately come in the ring as the Rudos run away with Green Ant’s mask.
Match Analysis: It’s getting hard to rate the Chikara matches that pertain to the Gekido angle because the angles are so much more important than the matches. This was a fairly intense brawl between the six ants, but it was all about pulling Green Ant’s mask off and not having an amazing wrestling match.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: The Colony/9:21/**3/4/***
-Eddie Kingston talks about fighting Brodie Lee and makes reference to Lee becoming an entertainer. This was not exactly one of Kingston’s best.
Match in Five Words or Less: Spring of Lee?
Match Highlights: It’s about time this match happened. Originally scheduled for the 12 Large Summit, specifically Cleveland, Ohio, we’re finally getting this contest before Lee’s departure WWE departure. Lee boots Gavin Loudspeaker… FINALLY! Brawl ensues right away. Overhead throw by the champion. Tope suicida sends Lee to the stage. Headbutt. Double axehandle to the back. Series of right hands. Headbutt. Another suplex into the bridge for two. Lee puts Remsburg between he and Kingston. Straight right hand. Dropkick Kingston tossed outside. Tope suicida of his own. Hard clubbering blow to the back. Chop with Kingston prone against the post. Throat shot. Back in the ring. Lee slaps at Kingston. He rakes the eyes. Uppercut. Headbutt to the midsection by Kingston. Forearm exchange. Choking on the middle rope. Lee steps on Kingston’s throat in the corner. Headbutt. Kingston fires back. Shot to the throat. Counter of a suplex into a German of his own. Uppercut. Chops in the corner. Kingston slaps back. Lee again goes to the eyes. Series of stomps on Lee. Running boot. Kingston no sells. One slap takes the champion down. Lee slows things down and continues stomping Kingston. He drives Kingston’s sternum into the side of the ring. Lee impersonates one John Cena and chokes Kingston. Shots in the corner. Whip to the corner. Kingston gets an elbow up. Back elbow. Enziguri. Bulldog off the middle rope gets two. Awful looking headscissors also gets two. Headbutts on the top rope. Butterfly suplex. 1-2-NO! Series of kicks but Kingston won’t stop taunting. Charge misses for Lee. Truck Stop. 1-2-NO! Powerbomb but Kingston ranas him over. Running forearm. Backfist blocked. Half nelson hits for Lee. Uranagi. Lee puts his foot on the rope right away. Slap exchange. Wow. Series of forearms and elbows. Superkick by Lee. Running boot in the corner. Kingston placed on the top rope. Clubbering blows by Kingston. Sunset bomb hits. 1-2-NO! Kingston boots Lee into Remsburg. Lee goes low. Sitdown powerbomb. 1-2-NO! Kingston counters into a back drop driver. Backfist to the Future. LARIAT! Running forearm to the back. Kingston retains.
Match Analysis: Really good main event to end the show. These two guys beat the bajesus out of each other for 15 minutes. So glad we got to see this before Lee’s departure. Even though I think there was a sense Lee had no shot of winning, they did an awesome job building drama. I almost wish this was Kingston’s first title defense because it came off way more epic and important. I could not think of a more appropriate way for Brodie to exit Chikara than this.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: STILL Chikara Grand Champion-Eddie Kingston/15:04/***1/2/***1/2
-Crowd thanks Brodie afterward in a really nice gesture. Good job Ottawa.
The Verdict: Your enjoyment of this show will depend on how into the main angle you are. For me, I really need to wait and see more of the story before making full judgment. I feel like we will retroactively enjoy these shows more once we learn more about Gekido. To me, they’re stilling coming off like a BDK rip-off, but injuring Quack and taking Green Ant’s mask helps them get over. I’ll give this a thumbs up based on one of the best comedy matches of all time, the main event, and the six man tag. I have to believe we’re getting some answers at the upcoming iPPV. That’s where this must all come together.
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.
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