On June 2, 2013, Philadelphia-based independent wrestling company Chikara held their Anniversario: Never Compromise show at The Trocadero Theatre. It was broadcast via internet pay-per-view (iPPV) through long-time partner Smart Mark Video.
It was to mark the company's eleventh anniversary, and all three Chikara titles were on the line at the show. It was a typically strong event, and spotlighted the melding of American-style pro wrestling with the Japanese and Lucha influences that the promotion is known for, as well as the comic book and other "geek" pop culture stylings they bring to their storytelling.
At the end of the main event, with Grand Champion Eddie Kingston in the Chikara Special submission hold of challenger Icarus, Condor Security (themselves a recurring character for the company - complete with their own website) stormed the ring. Just as the announce team mentioned seeing Archibald Peck (one of several characters played by Robert Evans that have been involved in a time travel storyline), the iPPV feed went to black.
Live reports from the show came in that Condor had swept the Troc clear of fans and Chikara staff. The workers played their roles all the way, including long-time referee (and my personal idol) Bryce Remsburg walking away in tears.
Then in August, the Ashes videos began appearing on YouTube.
Primarily focused on Icarus quest to rally the good guys to reform/take back Chikara from the clutches of Condor (and their parent company Titor Conglomerate - which also has its own website), the narrative winds its way through Peck's time travel plot, with former Campeones de Parejas (Chikara's tag titles) 3.0 searching for Part Unknown in order to get to the bottom of the various versions of Evans that have been seen leading up to the Titor/Condor shutdown.
Titor and their founder are also alleged to have a time traveling background, and Chikara also set-up a blog for the underground movement No Private Army that tracks and attempts to fight Titor's villainy. The NPA delivered an envelope to Chikara icon (and real-life founder and creative lead) Lightening Mike Quakenbush just before he was kicked out of the company by Titor-aligned authority figure, Wink Vavasseur.
It's a lot to take in, which is what makes it so awesome. It can be silly, but it knows it. If any of that sounds like too much for you, it's probably not your cup of tea. But if you can handle your pro graps not being super-serious all the time, Chikara offers many laughs, great wrestling and a commitment to long, involved stories that you won't find anywhere else in the form.
These videos and (hopefully) today's National Pro Wrestling Day free stream should give you a couple of opportunities to check them out.