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 fourth
episode opens with a word from one of Ophidian’s resources, The Whisper….
IWTV is also offering a free five-day trial with promo code PWP.
1. The Whisper vs. Mobius
After 15 years, Mobius has returned to the CHIKARA ring to aid Mike Quackenbush in his fight
for the Factory. His comeback is glowing with strenuous training in various styles of combat, but
is also shrouded in mystery and The Whisper plans to unravel it. The Innovator of Silence is so
intrigued by his ignorance of Mobius in comparison to all the other superstars that stand up to
the Crucible. Pushing him to his limits is The Whisper’s best chance to discover what Mobius is.
Having learned from his fellow harbingers’ interaction with Mobius, The Whisper gives him no
quarter. The Whisper now sets his sights on Dasher Hatfield’s Grand Championship as he puts
Mobius down with his signature spinning vertebreaker, The Aftermath.
Winner: The Whisper
2. Evan DeMorest vs. Tommy Knight—Crucible Rules
When the ropes come down, it’s time for a fight! The fires of the Crucible burn bright in these
2-minute bouts that can only be decided via knockout, submission, referee stoppage, or
ring-out. However, winning by ring-out unleashes Ophidian’s rage, so competitors always aim to
heinously incapacitate their victims, and this week’s fight is no different. In just under a minute,
another opponent is laid to waste as the—pound-for-pound—most agile fighter of the Crucible
knocks Knight out with a giant sit-down Last Ride powerbomb.
Winner: Evan DeMorest
3. Joshua Wells vs. Matt Vertigo vs. Green Ant vs. The Spoiler
It’s finally time for the second match for the qualifier round of the 16th annual Young Lions Cup.
After last week’s 4-way eliminator, this match will determine the next person that will meet Max
the Impaler, and two other Young Lions, in the semi-finals. From training at the Michinoku Pro
Dojo, touring throughout Japan, and this being his third entrance into the YLC tournament, both
Thief Ant and Danjerhawk predict that this year’s winner will be Green Ant. Relying more on
skill, Green Ant leaves the talk and flashiness to a new YLC entrant, Matt Vertigo. Alongside the
trash-talking and humiliation, Vertigo’s offense does a lot of the talking for him. He stands at
6’3”, weighs-in at 220 lbs, and deals out strikes with the same viciousness as he does with
ridicule. But, there isn’t anyone in this match who knows more about standing up to a bully like
Joshua Wells. As one-third of Forged, Wells utilizes his inventive technical ability and swiftness
to gain the first elimination of the match by catching Vertigo’s flying elbow. Wells’s double
polanco submission is a gruesome sight as he scissors his opponent’s arms together behind
their back and tears both rotator cuffs simultaneously until they have no other choice but to give
up. The Spoiler has no time, or interest, for elaborate holds when he clamps on The Claw,
eliminating Wells in his wave of triumph over Vertigo. A lifeless Joshua Wells is rolled out of the
ring when the Resilient Rookie goes head-to-head with The Spoiler. All of Green Ant’s talent
and experience forces The Spoiler to resort to his old, dirty tricks. In a thinly-veiled attempt to
maim his opponent with a low-blow, The Spoiler is disqualified in the midst of rolling-up Green
Ant.
Winner: Green Ant
4. Xyberhawx 2000 (Razerhawk & Danjerhawk) vs. Dasher Hatfield &
Molly McCoy
For the first time in this new season, we get to see the Grand Champion in action and teaming
with his favorite niece, Molly McCoy. The joy that Molly exudes from being her uncle’s tag
partner is palpable. Her ferocious need to impress Dasher is amplified by bashing Boomer for
embarrassing the Hatfield name and taking the honor upon herself. And what better way to help
out Dasher than softening up a potential challenger? That potential challenger, Razerhawk,
holds one point that he earned last week. This week, Xyberhawx 2000 aim to gain their first
point towards contention for the Campeonatos de Parejas. Unfortunately, it’s no doubt that Molly
has picked up some lessons from her uncle Dasher. As the action moves to the outside, McCoy
rakes the eyes of Razerhawk and avoids his miscalculated kick, which he ends up delivering to
the steel turnbuckle post! Danjerhawk is now left to carry the Xyberhawx 2000 on his own
against the Grand Champion. But when going up a veteran like Dasher, precision and timing is
everything. Danjerhawk gives Dasher one too many moments to breathe before he is caught in
mid-air and thrown across the ring by the Grand Champion. The high-risk move doesn’t pay off
for Danjerhawk and Dasher ends the tag team action with a thunderous DDT.
Winner: Dasher Hatfield & Molly McCoy
I can’t wait to see if the Crucible will ever have their streak broken because, so far, they have
been on a tear through the CHIKARA locker room. In lue of Dasher’s “Sword of Damocles”
stipulation, I’m curious if anybody will be courageous enough to challenge him if they can earn
three points. And with the YLC still churning out dynamic, fiery matches like we saw this week
and last, these upcoming semi-finals are going to be explosive!
Until next time, this is it for Michael Keller. You can find me online @HVMTLProdigy. See you
next week!