Chikara
Video: This week's CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go highlights Grand Championship match from High Noon
Eddie Kingston is as close to a CHIKARA original as you can get. He's been with the company since its seventh show. 10 years later, he's still there. He first came onto my radar as a member of Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) when the promotion went to war with Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2006.
He was never a huge favorite of mine but I enjoyed what work of his I had seen. I really started to pay attention during his run in CHIKARA's 12 Large: Summit last year. The tournament was set to crown a Grand Champion, the first singles championship in the promotion's 10 year history.
His storyline -- one built around redemption and dedication -- piqued my interest. He played up his checkered past and how holding CHIKARA gold would help alleviate some of the guilt he felt. He thought it would help make the pain he had gone through his whole life somehow worth it.
He was also vocal about his desire to win the tournament in memory of the man it was dedicated for, Alex Whybrow better known to wrestling fans as Larry Sweeney. The CHIKARA and ROH standout, a close and dear friend of Kingston's, took his own life in April of last year after battling his own personal demons.
Kingston cut a five minute promo which perfectly summed up his story leading through the 12 Large: Summit. It was intense. It was brutally honest. And it sold me on Kingston as a performer.
He followed up the promo with an equally fantastic match at CHIKARA internet pay-per-view (iPPV) debut High Noon a few days later. He took on the founder of the company and his trainer in the finals, Mike Quackenbush, and came out victorious.
It was a cathartic experience for "The Last of a Dying Breed," a feeling also shared by those who had become wrapped up in his tale of redemption. The same burden Kingston had been carrying and suddenly lifted off his back was also shouldered by his fans and they were more than happy to cheer on their hero when the albatross was finally plucked out from the air.
This week's Podcast-A-Go-Go highlights that match along with the tag team match from the same event between The Colony and The Young Bucks. Take a look after the jump.
Video: The latest CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go featuring Colt Cabana in action at High Noon
If you aren't familiar with Colt Cabana, you truly are doing yourself a disservice.
Arguably the most fun wrestler you'll ever see inside the ring, Cabana isn't a one-trick pony like your Santino Marellas of the world; he's also one heck of a worker. Perhaps best known as being WWE Champion CM Punk's best friend, Cabana is also a world-travelled grappler having spent time in the states with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) among others while also plying his craft across the Pacific with Pro Wrestling ZERO1 in Japan and New Horizons Professional Wrestling (NHPW) in Australia.
His goofy character combined with his legit in-ring skills makes him the perfect fit for CHIKARA who seem to be inviting "Boom Boom" back more often. And that's great news for everyone. He takes on The Batiri member Kobald on Feb. 25 at A Death Worse Than Fate and hooks horns with UltraMantis Black the next night at Caught in the Spider's Den. This week's Podcast-A-Go-Go features a clip from his match with Archibald Peck at High Noon, a perfect example of how great a comedy wrestling match can be.
But wait, there's more!
For those wondering what Kobald's whole deal is, a clip of his appearance at CHIKARA's annual torneo cibernetico will give you a glimpse of what he will have in store for Cabana.
Check out the video after the jump!
Video: This week's CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go featuring 'Queen of Wrestling' Sara Del Rey
CHIKARA is back with the newest edition of their weekly Podcast-A-Go-Go and the "Queen of Wrestling" herself, Sara Del Rey, takes center stage in episode 302.
Her match from November's "High Noon" internet pay-per-view (iPPV) is highlighted. In the bout, she took on former stablemate Jakob Hammermeier from Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK). Del Rey and BDK certainly have a complicated history and it all came to a head at the ECW Arena that evening.
Having joined the stable during the season eight season finale "Three Fisted Tales", Del Rey -- and partner Daizee Haze -- fought alongside the likes of Ares, Claudio Castagnoli, Tim Donst and the monster known as Tursas.
For nearly two years, Del Rey proudly considered herself an equal among her BDK stablemates until both her and Castagnoli found themselves in the "12 Large: Summit" round robin tournament to decide CHIKARA's first ever Grand Champion.
Del Rey entered the ring on the second evening of "Chikarasaurus Rex" expecting to have a spirited yet fair contest against her friend, her brother in arms. Instead, Castagnoli commanded her to lay down and allow him to score the pinfall so he could advance that much further in the tournament.
The "Queen of Wrestling" refused and took the fight to her much larger opponent. After nearly 15 minutes of action, Del Rey scored the unlikely pinfall over "Double C." The Swiss wrestler snapped and attacked his opponent after the bell. Haze got the worse of it, getting handed a beating that put her on the shelf indefinitely. Del Rey, obviously, resigned from the stable and made it her mission to destroy them by year's end.
She continued on in the "12 Large: Summit" while also taking DBK apart one by one. In September, at "Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman," she choked out Ares. A month later at "Maiden Flight of the Great Condor," she defeated Tursas by disqualification after Hammermeier and Donst interfered. She would get revenge on the big beast the day before "High Noon" at "Cibernetico: The Animated Series" by eliminating him with her patented axe kick. The match ended with her and Donst standing toe-to-toe and Del Rey took him out to win the whole thing.
That left only Hammermeier to be dealth with. Check it out after the jump.
Quick results for CHIKARA's 11th season opener, The Thirteenth Hat
CHIKARA rolled back into Easton, PA this past weekend and kicked off their 11th season which promises to be the biggest year yet for the Philadelphia promotion.
Back in November, the "High Noon" season finale saw the company crown Eddie Kingston its first ever Grand Champion after "War King" defeated Mike Quackenbush in a thrilling affair. Kingston now looks ahead to the future and defending his newly won title. Who will be first to step up to the plate? The champ has unsettled beef with Vin Gerard who is still serving a suspension for attacking Kingston back in October.
It's only a matter of time before those two settle their differences -- with or WITHOUT CHIKARA's blessing. That being said, here's what went down this past weekend at the 11th season opener, The Thirteenth Hat! Wrestle Factory graduate Green Ant took on trainer and mentor Quackenbush and managed to make "The Master of a Thousand Holds" submit to his own patented CHIKARA Special submission, albeit a modified version. Jigsaw and Hallowicked each picked up wins over Kobald and Archibald Peck, respectively while the team of 3.0 -- Scott Parker and Shane Matthews -- defeated the remnants of Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes consisting of Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier.
Two matches with some bad blood also took place. First, Gran Akuma -- and former F.I.S.T. member -- went to a brawl-tastic double countout against former stablemate Icarus while Ophidian completed his destruction of The Osirian Portal by defeating Hieracon.
And in the main event, The Colony represented by Fire Ant and Soldier Ant took on and defeated The Batiri which were represented by Obariyon and Kodama. The Colony, after failing to defeat champions F.I.S.T. during December's JoshiMania, pick up one of the three points needed to challenge for the tag team straps.
CHIKARA is back in action later this month on Feb. 25 when they invade Reading, PA for "A Death Worse Than Fate." Announced so far are singles matches between Colt Cobana and Kobald and also Sara Del Rey and Peck while F.I.S.T. members Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano are slated to defend their titles against The Spectral Envoy members Hallowicked and UltraMantis Black. Whether or not Gargano will actually appear is up in the air as he suffered a back injury during last month's Evolve 10 show.
Check out the official Event Center video with thoughts from Peck and the Grand Champion himself after the jump!
Video: Two complete matches from Chikara to finish off your 2011 right
CHIKARA!
I have to admit, I am missing their brand of pro wrestling right about now. They'll be coming back on Jan. 28 when they kick off their 11th season but until then, they're still delivering action via their Podcast-A-Go-Go. On tap are two complete matches from the past year for you to enjoy.
In the first clip, The Batiri take on former King of Trios (KOT) champions F.I.S.T. That stands for Friends in Similar Tights, by the way.
The second clip is from the next to last show of the 10th season, Cibernetico: The Animated Series, and sees Fire Ant from the 2011 KOT winners The Colony taking F.I.S.T. member and Dragon Gate USA veteran Chuck Taylor.
Play close attention at around the three minute mark in the Fire Ant/Taylor match for what might be the funniest thing I've ever seen in pro wrestling.
Video: Got end of season blues? Peep the latest CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go
Caught some end of year blues because there's no CHIKARA action until next month? Satisfy your hunger with episode 294 of the promotion's Podcast-A-Go-Go.
Highlighted this week is the match between two favorites of mine, UltraMantis Black and Archibald Peck from Burlington, NC.
Season 10 has wrapped up and so has the post-season JoshiMania celebration -- all three nights already available on DVD here, insane turnaround time there -- but the promotion has already announced the 11th season premiere -- The Thirteenth Hat -- for Jan. 28 in Easton, PA.
In the meantime, watch the video!
The Indie Corner: Chikara Has a Reputation
Chikara has developed somewhat of a reputation in the world of wrestling. While a proclamation such as this may mean negative connotations for most people, for this premier producer of American lucha libre, it's very much a plus. Since I started following the promotion in the spring of 2009, Chikara has this habit of announcing awesome cards, loaded with dream matches, feud progression, special guests and crazy stipulations. The date of the show rolls around, and with each match, that hype, that anticipation is paid off at level that either meets or exceeds the expectations. In a business where companies disappoint on the reg, that's more than an awesome feat.
High Noon, their long-awaited debut on Internet pay-per-view, was the latest personification of their dedication to overdelivering on their promises. They had been putting so much oomph behind promoting this event that it might have seemed like overkill. However, once El Generico and Jigsaw came out from the back to wrestle their first match, most people wondered if they had hyped the show up enough. The two masked warriors left it all in the ring, delivering a match that would have been lauded and praised on the upper card of most indie wrestling cards or even WWE pay-per-views, and they wrestled the match on the free pre-show.
Chikara 'High Noon' results and live match coverage (Nov. 13) from ECW Arena
Chikara's "High Noon" is all set to pop off this afternoon, Nov. 13, 2011, from the world famous ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA, at 4 p.m. ET, live on internet pay-per-view (iPPV). Click here to order the event for less than $15!
CagesideSeats.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, match-by-match coverage of "High Noon" below, beginning with the first match of the evening and right on through to the main event.
Today's show will feature a No Disqualification Tag Team War between UltraMantis Black and Hallowicked taking on members of Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes Ares Tim Donst as well as the crowing of Chikara's first Grand Champion when 12 Large: Summit finalists Mike Quackenbush and Eddie Kingston collide!
Kick your shoes off, relax, and enjoy all the action with your favorite pro wrestling website! And remember to keep refreshing!
And if 15 bucks isn't a steal for what is sure to be one of the hottest wrestling shows of 2011, Chikara is offering up El Generico and Jigsaw in singles action for free! You can watch that match at 3:15 p.m. ET on the dot right here!
Full results and match coverage after the jump.
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