Courtesy of Michael Keller
CHIKARA: Action Arcade welcomes back pro wrestling to Saturday mornings with weekly
simulcasts at 11AM ET on IWTV and CHIKARApro.com—and it’s a whole lot of fun. The third
episode gives us the first round of CHIKARA’s annual Young Lions Cup tournament!
IWTV is also offering a free five-day trial with promo code PWP.
1. Thief Ant vs. Sonny Defarge
Saturday morning starts out on a gross note as Sonny Defarge takes on, beloved member of
The Colony, Thief Ant. Defarge’s snot-covered chinlocks and sweaty turnbuckle attacks disgust
the crowd just as much as it humiliates those who face him. Much to Defarge’s chagrin, Thief
has such an impressive memory that he is able to immediately imitate any moves that his
opponents deal unto him. Thief Ant is the rubber to Defarge’s glue. Sonny’s Fever Dream slings
Thief Ant about like a ragdoll and lands antennae-first. There’s no imitating that level of heinous
impact as Thief Ant stays down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Sonny Defarge
2. F.I.S.T. (Travis Huckabee & Icarus) vs. Butch Banks & Rock Warner
It’s time that the Action Arcade audience is introduced to the crude style of F.I.S.T. Composed
of Travis Huckabee and, Gen-1 (a graduate from the first class of CHIKARA’s Wrestle Factory),
Icarus, these former Campeonatos de Parejas are gunning for 3 points towards title contention
and reclaiming the gold. F.I.S.T. exemplifies tag team cohesion in their different styles of attack,
between Icarus making punchlines out of his opponents and Travis degrading them
limb-by-limb. Warner finds himself trapped between a rock and hard kick as Huckabee and
Icarus unleash stereo stomps to the head with their finisher Custer’s Last Stand .
Winner: F.I.S.T.
3. Forged (Josue Ibanez, Xavier Faraday, & Joshua Wells) vs. The Crucible (Tunku
Amir, Lance Steel, & Devantes)
This feud between the Crucible and their former hazing victims keeps getting hotter! After
suffering through the grotesque training sessions, Forged has vowed to band together and put
an end to the Crucible and their disgraceful tirade. “Jawbreaker” Josue Ibanez represents
exactly what the Forged is all about in this Trios match; taking a beating, getting up, and
throwing some blows back at ‘em. But with Frey at their side, the Crucible are able to plug the
holes that Forged came so close to exploiting. Amir cuts down Faraday’s fiery offense with his
signature Singa-blade and gets one over on their rivals. This match wasn’t about points or
bragging rights, it was a brawl between two factions bent on decimating each other. I can’t wait
to see the impact that this Trios victory has for the future of this feud.
Winner: The Crucible
4. Razerhawk vs. Joey Mags
Razerhawk is no stranger to size differentials as Joey Mags stands at almost three times his
size, but the former Young Lions Cup champion knows that Mags must also have a third of the
speed and flexibility. The flyest wrestler of the new millennium is a blur of blue and gold while
swiftly breaking down his dazed opponent. Cued by his signature “CAW CAW!”, Razerhawk
delivers one of the flyest moves of the episode with his variation of the Razor’s Edge . By
hooking his arms from behind, Razerhawk uses his body as a pendulum to spike Mags like a
backslide driver and earns his first point at a shot of the Grand Championship.
Winner: Razerhawk
5. Jack Ball vs. “Russian Dynamite” Masha Slamovich vs. Max the Impaler vs.
Boomer Hatfield (1st round of YLC)
Teasers for the Young Lions Cup have been airing since the first episode and it’s finally arrived.
The main event fires off the first round of the iconic tournament with international flavors: Fight
Club Pro’s, Jack Ball, and “Russian Dynamite” Masha Slamovich. Ball’s World of Sport style
offense is enough to stay one step ahead of Slamovich until Max the Impaler runs out of
patience. Three agile fighters join forces to halt Max’s march to victory. The temporary truce
unravels quickly as Ball is the first elimination of the YLC tournament at the fate of Slamovich’s
lethal Tiger Bomb. The self-sacrifice of his momentary cohorts leaves Boomer standing alone
against the Impaler. Yet, the opening rounds of YLC offer little reward for fearless tenacity as
Max turns Boomer into the second elimination of the tournament. With an Earth-shattering
spear, Max the Impaler moves onto the semi-finals of the Young Lions Cup tournament.
Winner: Max the Impaler
Conclusion:
The five matches that air each week on Action Arcade never fail to keep the electricity flowing
throughout its short runtime. The feud between Ophidian and Quackenbush and the future of
CHIKARA is probably the biggest bait that keeps me coming back every week.The points are
climbing, the tension is rising, and the tournament has only begun!