So. \u00a0We’re now far enough behind\u00a0that I’m going to start skipping the less important shows in order to keep somewhat in touch. \u00a0But this one is worth covering, because it’s a bit of an epic – it comes with two dark matches recorded\u00a0at a meet-and-greet in the afternoon, and introduces a new gimmick\u00a0that will start cropping up on almost all Chikara’s shows going forward.<\/p>\n
It’s 13 June 2015, and we’re in the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago. \u00a0They come here every year (in fact, they’ll go back in October). \u00a0It’s\u00a0a rather\u00a0nice\u00a0ballroom type\u00a0venue.<\/p>\n
Pre-show\u00a0Match 1. \u00a0Missile Assault Ant v Arik Cannon.<\/strong><\/p>\n Arik Cannon is a former Chikara regular\u00a0making a one-off guest appearance. \u00a0Missile Assault Ant has been on a\u00a0losing streak since\u00a0leaving his heel stable in January. \u00a0Cannon hits his\u00a0Total Anarchy finisher, but Missile unexpectedly kicks out, ducks the Glimmering Warlock (a Shining Wizard variant), and\u00a0pins Cannon clean to break his losing streak in 6:55. \u00a0Perfectly\u00a0good for a dark match, and the\u00a0upset\u00a0finish helps. \u00a0As Missile leaves, Kevin Condron – who’s been trying to recruit Missile for his stable of stray\u00a0\u00a0henchmen –\u00a0appears in the gallery and yells at him that he’s a man, not an ant. \u00a0He’s trying to break Missile’s\u00a0brainwashing in the same way that already worked with Lucas Calhoun; as we’ll see,\u00a0it won’t\u00a0go quite so smoothly with Missile. \u00a0At first\u00a0glance it seems odd to put\u00a0storyline content in a dark match, but\u00a0then if you’re following the storylines at all, you’re buying the videos – and it’s not really a dark match on video.<\/p>\n Pre-show\u00a0Match 2: The United Nations (Juan Francisco de Coronado & Prakash Sabar) v. N_R_G (Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell).<\/strong><\/p>\n Last time, Hype Rockwell finally found the cure\u00a0for his chronic narcolepsy in the form of 1. \u00a0Challenge of the Immortals: The Battle Hive (Amasis, Worker Ant & Ashley Remington) v. The Arcane Horde (UltraMantis Black, Obariyon & Kodama).<\/strong><\/p>\n Challenge of the Immortals is the ten-team double-round-robin tournament lasting all year. \u00a0Winning team all get a “golden opportunity”, which\u00a0is essentially\u00a0a Money in the Bank title shot (for\u00a0the title of your choice, and Chikara treats the tag titles\u00a0as roughly equal to\u00a0the singles belt). \u00a0As we go into this show, the Nightmare Warriors and the Wrecking Crew share the lead on 4 points (though the Warriors have a match in hand), the BDK, Dasher’s Dugout and the United Nations are all on 3, the Snake Pit, the Gentleman’s Club, the\u00a0Battle Hive and the Arcane Horde are all on 2, and the Crown & Court are on 1.<\/p>\n This match is face-face, but that’s inevitable in a\u00a0round robin\u00a0tournament. \u00a0Neither team is doing especially well so far. \u00a0It’s\u00a0the first time Ashley Remington has actually wrestled for the Battle Hive (because he’s been tied up in chasing a title shot until now, but even so, it’s been left awfully late). \u00a0Since it’s a trios match, the Horde have sensibly\u00a0benched Oleg the Usurper (who can’t be trusted, since he’s still under contract\u00a0to the Wrecking Crew’s manager). \u00a0Oleg\u00a0tries to offer his support before the match, but Mantis politely sends him packing, then\u00a0pretty much tells Obariyon and Kodama that the three of them are the\u00a0real<\/em> team.<\/p>\n No particular story here – it’s a fairly typical\u00a0Chikara opener, with some comedy spots, some solid action, and the big moves at the finish. \u00a0Mantis and Remington face off for a bit, which I suspect was intended to tease a singles match that never happened, due to Mantis’s career-ending injury on the next show. \u00a0Remington pins Kodama with his deadlift German suplex\u00a0in 13:35, so the Horde are continuing to bump along the bottom. \u00a0But obviously, their\u00a0storyline is about to\u00a0be derailed.<\/p>\n 2. \u00a0Kevin Condron & Lucas Calhoun v. Dasher’s Dugout (Icarus & Heidi Lovelace).<\/strong><\/p>\n The Dugout are the heavy favourites on paper; Icarus is the previous\u00a0Grand Champion and Heidi\u00a0has the secondary title, the Young Lions Cup. \u00a0Last time, Condron & Calhoun made a solid debut in their first outing as a tag team, but Calhoun was obviously under Condron’s thumb. \u00a0Backstage, Condron\u00a0gives Calhoun a pep talk about making him\u00a0a star, but\u00a0drifts off into imagining his\u00a0own<\/em> fame instead. \u00a0Calhoun either doesn’t notice or doesn’t\u00a0care – he’s a loyal follower.<\/p>\n This is a\u00a0Magic Move match; if anyone hits the “randomly selected” move, everyone in the crowd gets a token prize. \u00a0This was the weekend after Dusty Rhodes died, so\u00a0the Magic Move is the\u00a0bionic elbow.<\/p>\n Condron lets Calhoun start, but insists on tagging in as soon as his sidekick\u00a0has the\u00a0upper hand on Heidi. \u00a0They work her over for a bit. \u00a0Calhoun\u00a0tries for the bionic elbow, but Condron stops him, hoping to suck up to the crowd by doing it himself. \u00a0Naturally, Heidi ducks and makes the hot tag to Icarus. \u00a0Icarus hits the bionic elbow on Condron and goes for the Pedigree, but Condron’s lackey the Troll interferes (precisely how is not desperately clear from the camera angle), and Condron backdrops his way out, then rolls up Icarus using the tights for the upset win in 10:27. \u00a0Icarus is outraged – not only has he lost the title, he’s now losing to a bozo like Condron – but reluctantly leaves with Heidi.<\/p>\n Afterwards,\u00a0Condron tells Calhoun that his\u00a0ring gear sucks and gives him a new red outfit, which looks like something the Honky Tonk Man would wear. \u00a0It’s\u00a0spectacularly tacky\u00a0but Calhoun seems to genuinely like it. \u00a0Good match, and it serves both teams’ storylines. \u00a0Condron’s team\u00a0is working, their dynamic is further established, and\u00a0the Dugout continue to fall short of their stellar CV.<\/p>\n 3. \u00a0Silver Ant v. Blaster McMassive.<\/strong><\/p>\n Silver Ant\u00a0is the\u00a0weak link in the Nightmare Warriors – a team he didn’t want to be drafted to in the first place, and who are blatantly trying to win him over to worshipping their god Nazmaldun. \u00a0Blaster is part of the Wrecking Crew, who are normally monster heels,\u00a0but he’s also a tag specialist\u00a0branching out into singles . \u00a0This match is great – fast and aggressive, with Silver’s skill and superior singles experience\u00a0letting him\u00a0hold his own against the big guy. \u00a0Note, though, that\u00a0while Silver is still undoubtedly a tecnico here – he’s wrestling Blaster, after all – “fast and aggressive” is precisely what\u00a0the other Nightmare Warriors have been pushing him towards all year. \u00a0And here, it works, as\u00a0Silver\u00a0goes straight to another move every time Blaster kicks out or escapes a hold,\u00a0finally catching him in a triangle choke. \u00a0Blaster passes out in 9:53, giving Silver an impressive\u00a0win by TKO. \u00a0But, very subtly, he’s starting to listen to the rest of his team…<\/p>\n 4. \u00a0Challenge of the Immortals: The BDK (Jakob Hammermeier & Soldier Ant) v. The\u00a0Nightmare Warriors (Hallowicked & Frightmare).<\/strong><\/p>\n This is technically heel-heel,\u00a0but the\u00a0round robin tournament format means it\u00a0has to happen. \u00a0As already noted, the Warriors are joint tournament leaders on\u00a04 points. \u00a0But the\u00a0BDK\u00a0are in touch, since they have\u00a03 points and a match in hand. \u00a0The BDK are kind of the good guys by default here, since Jakob is an underdog with delusions of greatness, and\u00a0Soldier Ant is a brainwashed tecnico in his thrall. \u00a0And they’re facing the Grand\u00a0Champion and his regular tag partner.<\/p>\n Jakob’s control over Soldier Ant has always been\u00a0on the level of “point him in the right direction and hope for the best”, but by this point it’s looking extremely ropey. \u00a0He’ll enter the match if he’s actually tagged,\u00a0and when\u00a0he’s in, he’ll fight. \u00a0But he refuse to actively\u00a0co-operate with Jakob, even to\u00a0the point of extending his hand for\u00a0a tag. \u00a0The Warriors try to beat him down, which isn’t the smartest strategy, since\u00a0he’s been acting invulnerable all year. \u00a0More accurately, he seems to be\u00a0impervious to pain –\u00a0big moves don’t\u00a0faze him, but actually\u00a0wrestling\u00a0<\/em>him to the ground still seems to work. \u00a0Finally, Soldier makes the hot tag\u00a0to Jakob… who is instantly swatted aside, because he’s Jakob, and he’s completely out of his depth. \u00a0So Soldier just comes back in. \u00a0He hits his Trench Slam finisher on\u00a0Hallowicked, but Frightmare makes the save. \u00a0Jakob tries to get Soldier to work with him,\u00a0but Soldier hits Jakob instead. \u00a0(By accident? \u00a0It’s not clear – probably deliberately.) \u00a0Soldier clears the ring\u00a0– but then his former teammates from\u00a0the Colony run in\u00a0to\u00a0try and break his brainwashing. \u00a0He\u00a0looks\u00a0confused, but does seem\u00a0to recognise them. \u00a0But then\u00a0the Warriors clear the ring, chaos ensues, and Hallowicked pins Jakob with a roll-up in 11:57. \u00a0Soldier clutches his head at ringside.<\/p>\n In an odd post-match segment which actually does go nowhere, Jakob tries to ingratiate himself with Hallowicked by joining in the Nightmare Warriors’ victory prayer circle, and they allow him to. \u00a0This was very heavily story-based,\u00a0but given the teams\u00a0and Soldier’s Winter\u00a0Soldier gimmick, I’m not sure how else this pairing\u00a0could have worked.<\/p>\n 5. \u00a0Eddie Kingston v Jaka.<\/strong><\/p>\n These two\u00a0had a pull-apart brawl\u00a0after\u00a0a tag match\u00a0on the last show, which would probably have made more sense if the ending hadn’t been botched. \u00a0This is\u00a0a fast, high-impact brawl. \u00a0It’s\u00a0one of Jaka’s more Umaga-ish performances, though, and I’ve never been comfortable\u00a0about that aspect\u00a0of the character. \u00a0Anyway, Eddie\u00a0no-sells a superkick and pins Jaka with the Backfist to the Future in 6:29. \u00a0Judging from the commentary, the idea was supposed to be that they both hit finishers at once and Eddie\u00a0happened to land on top, but that really didn’t come across visually. \u00a0Jaka demands a rematch, but Kingston wanders off. \u00a0The rematch never happens –\u00a0probably\u00a0due to the storyline reshuffling caused by UltraMantis’s injury on the next show – but it’s not like this mini-feud was catching fire anyway.<\/p>\n 6. \u00a0Challenge of the Immortals: The Wrecking Crew (Max Smashmaster & Flex Rumblecrunch) v. The Snake Pit (Ophidian & Argus).<\/strong><\/p>\n The Crew need a win here to\u00a0stay tied\u00a0for the lead with the Nightmare Warriors. \u00a0The Snake Pit only have\u00a02 points, but then they’ve only wrestled 3 matches, fewer than anyone else. \u00a0Nonetheless, as a mentor\/rookie duo giving away a ton of weight to the tournament leaders,\u00a0they’re serious underdogs.<\/p>\n The Snake Pit attack before the bell but\u00a0the\u00a0Crew swiftly overpower them to take control. \u00a0The rookie Argus is face in peril, but the Crew can’t put him away. \u00a0Argus is over with this crowd. \u00a0Finally Argus dodges a cannonball and makes the hot tag to Ophidian, who runs wild on both heels for a bit before getting dumped\u00a0outside. \u00a0Under Chikara rules, that’s a\u00a0tag to Argus. \u00a0Once again, the Crew double team him, but can’t keep him down. \u00a0Max misses a moonsault, and Argus manages a two-count on Flex (with \u00a0help from Ophidian). \u00a0Max tombstones Ophidian, but\u00a0again<\/em>\u00a0struggles to put Argus down, before Flex finally pins him with a Razor’s Edge in 10:56. \u00a0That was really\u00a0good –\u00a0Argus actually\u00a0looked strong even while\u00a0being beaten down the whole match.<\/p>\n Before the main event, we have a brief segment\u00a0celebrating\u00a0the\u00a0recovery from serious illness\u00a0of Kevin Ford, a well known figure in Chikara fandom<\/a> (this being his home town).<\/p>\n 7. \u00a0Dasher Hatfield v Tommaso Ciampa.<\/strong><\/p>\n This was before Ciampa\u00a0started showing\u00a0up in NXT, I think. \u00a0It’s played as his debut, but it’s actually a one-off appearance. \u00a0 Hatfield already\u00a0has the three points needed to challenge\u00a0Hallowicked for the title, but a loss tonight will send him back to zero. \u00a0So by honouring this prior commitment, he’s putting his\u00a0title shot on the line. \u00a0That’s the only storyline aspect here; otherwise, it’s Hatfield facing the outside big name. \u00a0Ciampa is wrestling as\u00a0a heel irritated by Chikara’s “fun”\u00a0atmosphere.<\/p>\n These guys are good storytellers, so they\u00a0get away with working basic holds in inventive ways for\u00a0the start\u00a0\u00a0of the match. \u00a0Dasher sets up for his running-the-bases spot and Ciampa plays along with the Chikara house style by fighting him over the invisible baseball bat. \u00a0That doesn’t work, so he just nails Dasher\u00a0the conventional way. \u00a0When\u00a0Ciampa tries to take the win by count-out, Dasher’s\u00a0partner Mark Angelosetti comes out to cheer him on. \u00a0Dasher barely beats the count\u00a0and\u00a0survives a couple of two counts. \u00a0Ciampa hits the White Noise from the second rope, but it only gets 2. \u00a0Ciampa is stunned, and Dasher grabs him with a small package for the\u00a0flash pin in 18:24. \u00a0Hatfield advances to claim his title shot in July. \u00a0That was excellent – very well\u00a0laid out,\u00a0wonderfully done.<\/p>\n The crowd chants for one more match as\u00a0we fade to the closing credits.<\/p>\n Closing credits.<\/p>\n Oh, hold on. \u00a0The\u00a0crowd are still chanting for one more match.<\/p>\n Challenge of the Immortals: Crown & Court (Jervis Cottonbelly, El Hijo del\u00a0Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr) v. The United Nations (Juan Francisco de Coronado,\u00a0The Proletariat Boar of Moldova & Prakash Sabar).<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, Chikara introduces encores to professional wrestling. \u00a0This is going to be a regular feature from now on. \u00a0It’s largely a comedy match – it’s an encore with Los Ice Creams, for heaven’s sake – though for once, the Ice Creams’ signature offence doesn’t backfire on them. \u00a0Jervis still has to do the heavy lifting, but the clowns are at least helping for once. \u00a0The finish – and this is probably a mistake for the video audience – is basically a repetition of the UN dark match:\u00a0Sabar keeps trying\u00a0for the Bronco Buster, Juan keeps stopping him, and when he does hit it, it goes wrong and he gets submitted by Jervis. \u00a0Crown & Court win, and that doesn’t happen often. \u00a0This\u00a0puts them\u00a0back in joint last, though\u00a0without\u00a0directly breaking the Ice Creams’ losing streak. \u00a0It’s not time for that yet.<\/p>\n Worth getting?<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, you\u00a0certainly get your money’s worth, with 10 matches,\u00a0ranging from the solid to the really very good. \u00a0It’s a pretty good showcase of a typical Chikara show, actually, without requiring too much in the way of storyline knowledge.\u00a0\u00a0You can buy the show – or individual matches – here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So. \u00a0We’re now far enough behind\u00a0that I’m going to start skipping the less important shows in order to keep somewhat in touch. \u00a0But this one is worth covering, because it’s a bit of an epic – it comes with two dark matches recorded\u00a0at a meet-and-greet in the afternoon, and introduces a new gimmick\u00a0that will start […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wrestling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3343"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3375,"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3343\/revisions\/3375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}outrageously blatant product placement<\/del> Electric Monkey energy drink. \u00a0So\u00a0this is N_R_G’s first outing without\u00a0having to build that gimmick into their match. \u00a0 Sabar’s gimmick is that he’s an X-Pac tribute act, so he\u00a0wants\u00a0to go for the Bronco Buster, but de Coronado stops him twice, quite\u00a0reasonably pointing out that it never works for him. \u00a0Once Juan is down,\u00a0Sabar tries\u00a0a third time, and what do you know, Juan was right. \u00a0It doesn’t work. \u00a0He\u00a0stumbles into N_R_G’s combo finisher in\u00a08:33. \u00a0That’s a second point for N_R_G, so their next match will have a title shot at stake. \u00a0Perfectly fine set-up for\u00a0N_R_G’s next title shot, and\u00a0Sabar’s obsession with the Bronco Buster will get a pay-off down the line.<\/p>\n