By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter This will be the final Year in Review type blog I write, I promise. I've been reflecting on the year in wrestling, and I admit I did not venture too far outside of the WWE bubble in 2014. I've come up with a list of my 14 favorite moments, in no particular order. 1. Ultimate Warrior's last promo/appearance. I was in the crowd at Raw in New Orleans on the night after Wrestlemania XXX. We were 48 hours removed from Warrior being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and less than 24 hours away from his untimely death. I was pumped that Warrior came out and spoke. His words almost predicting his destiny. He said in part "Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe a final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them bleed deeper and something larger than life then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized." Rest in peace Warrior. We miss you. 2. Daniel Bryan overcomes Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton in the same night to become the WWE World Heavyweight champion.
Sheamus with Ayden Bell
3. Sheamus grants the wish for a Make-A-Wish kid in my area. I blogged about this a few weeks ago. Sheamus earned big points in my eyes for how he treated Ayden Bell as he battles cancer. Class act all the way. 4. Chikara makes its return, Icarus wins the Grand Championship. I still haven't seen the show, but I'm happy to know this unique promotion is back and stronger than ever. 5. The WWE launches the WWE Network. Shut up and take my money already. 6. Robbie E and Brooke Adams get cast on The Amazing Race. I think it's always good for business when wrestlers cross over into the main stream media. Hopefully the former couple's appearance on the reality show will provide a boost for TNA when it relaunches later this month. 7. Brock Lesnar ends the Undertaker's unbeaten streak at Wrestlemania. I still remember the look of shock on Chad's face after the three count and the gasp from the live crowd at the SilverDome... I mean SuperDome. 8. Seth Rollins dives off the balcony at Extreme Rules as the Shield battles Evolution. The matches between the two factions helped make Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose legit as far as I'm concerned. 9. Cesaro bodyslams the Big Show over the top rope to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. I had picked Show to win, so this victory was an awesome surprise to me.
Neville wins Photo courtesy: WWE
10. Adrian Neville wins the NXT championship from Bo Dallas in a ladder match and goes on to defend it throughout most of 2014. 11. Sami Zayn reaches the top of the mountain by beating his friend Neville for the title, only to be attacked by Kevin Owens moments later. 12. Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper engage in an intense and brutal ladder match at TLC for the Intercontinental Title. Ziggler wins the belt back, proving he's still the man (at least to me) 13. Sting appears in a WWE ring, kicking Triple H in the gut and helping Ziggler cover Rollins for Team Cena's win over Team Authority at Survivor Series.
In the ring again
USA Championship Wrestling
14. I step back in the ring for a moment to ring announce a match at the Du Quoin State Fair. Yes, this is an egotiscal pick, but hey if I don't promote myself, who will? It was at a USA Championship Wrestling event by the way. Oh, and since I'm plugging myself here, check out the podcast on JitteryMonkey or iTunes! Thanks.
By Kevin Hunsperger & Chad Smart @my123cents on Twitter Each year Chad and I pick the best and worst of wrestling. To hear more details about our picks, head to the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast on Jittery Monkey. Thanks for reading and listening! Wrestler of the Year: Kevin: Brock Lesnar It's hard to deny Brock Lesnar has had an amazing year. He defeated Big Show at the Royal Rumble, ended the Undertaker's unbeaten streak at Wrestlemania XXX, and destroyed John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight title at SummerSlam. He's a legit beast and although I'm not a huge fan of his or his infrequent appearances, I can't deny he's been the guy to beat in WWE in 2014.
Chad: Icarus
Icarus went from being the most hated Chikara wrestler to being the most popular. Icarus led the troops to bring Chikara back from the “Ashes.”After winning the Grand title at Chikara’s return, he had several title defenses throughout the year and capped off Season 14 by seemingly vanquishing Deucalion. Quite a good year for someone who used to get unanimous “worst in the world” chants a year ago.
Most Hated: Kevin: Bella vs. Bella Storyline This thing sucked from the start. I couldn't get in to it, but I couldn't stop watching either. I also disliked the way the WWE seemingly ignored the fact that the Bellas feuded before. Chad: Roman Reigns
This is my snarky pick. Roman Reigns may become a better performer in a few years but right now he’s following in his cousin Rocky Miavia’s footsteps. WWE appears to want Reigns to be the next top guy and are going to push him there whether he’s ready or not. Of the three Shield members, Reigns, to me, is the least ready for a main event slot. “Mr. 3 Moves” as I prefer to call him doesn’t seem to know how to work a match beyond, apron dropkick, superman punch, and spear.If either Reigns/Lesnar or Reigns/Cena headlines Wrestlemania 31, I am really curious to hear the reaction. I’m probably in the minority but I don’t think either of those matches is ready for the biggest stage of them all.
Most Underappreciated: Kevin: Chikara Pro Chad sums it up better than I can. I have failed to stay up with any independent wrestling. I am a Chikara fan and vow to get more involved with the product in 2015. Chad:
WWE midcard/Chikara roster
I almost wanted to go with the same answer as last year and say Logic as I’m still trying to figure out Sting’s involvement at Survivor Series or how television monitors explode when you pull on their cables. But to be less snarky, I’m going with two groups that don’t seem to get the attention they deserve.
First up is the WWE mid-card. On the recent Steve Austin podcast, Vince McMahon basically said the mid-carders don’t have a passion that past superstars had and need to reach for the brass ring. Right now WWE has probably one of the, if not THE best rosters they’ve ever had. The amount of talent is amazing. Unfortunately, WWE still only cares about making sure John Cena and Roman Reigns are seen as stars.
The second group I feel are underappreciated is the entire Chikara roster. Yes, I’m a Chikara mark and make no apologizes for that. I’ve been following Chikara for the past ten years and other than the year of the BDK, which I felt was too much like the nWo, I’ve never been disappointed by their product. The talent level is just as good as all the more popular wrestling companies. The storytelling is multi-faceted and um, logical. Yes there are certain elements people may criticize if they don’t want to buy into the Chikara universe. Those things though are what help make Chikara unique. I don’t know why more Chikara wrestlers aren’t booked outside of Chikara. It could be the wrestlers themselves don’t want to wrestle elsewhere or the characters might not translate to a more traditional wrestling company. Whatever the case, the fact Chikara is seen as below TNA and PWG in the hierarchy of wrestling companies by most fans is disappointing.
Most Overrated: Kevin: Authority figures in wrestling It's not just Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, but Dixie Carter, Vickie Guerrero, Santino, JBL, etc. I miss the days when wrestlers wrestled and didn't have an authority figure to answer to weekly. Not only are the appearances by these managers each week, but multiple times per show. Give me the Jack Tunney days again! Chad: Roman Reigns. Breakout Star of the Year: Kevin: Sami Zayn Sami has had an excellent rise in NXT to become the champion there. I've watched him for years now and he continues to impress me. I'd give Rusev a close second as I expect him to continue to dominate in 2015. Chad: Ashley Remington
I was going to say Sami Zayn, but figure Kevin will name him and I’m trying to not go too WWE heavy with my picks. But honestly, as good of a year as Sami Zayn had, anyone who’s been following wrestling for at least the last five years should have expected Zayn to set NXT on fire.On the other hand, Ashley Remington came out of nowhere. In his first appearance at Chikara’s “You Only Live Twice,” Mr. “Smooth Sailing” had the crowd ready to hit the high seas of Easton, PA and party on his yacht. Ashley’s positive demeanor and good sportsmanship, he breaks on one, made him and instant star to the Chikara faithful. It’ll be interesting to see if Ashley Remington competes for the Young Lions Cup next season or if he can possibly string together three points and challenge for the Grand Championship. Either way, several wrestlers will be getting complimentary fruit baskets after losing to Ashley. Just beware of the power of his finger guns.
Show of the Year: Kevin: NXT (R)Evolution The introduction of Kevin Owens. The tag team title match. Charlotte and Sasha Banks taking women's wrestling to the next level. They were all excellent parts of the evening. Then the cherry on top was the NXT Title match between Zayn and Adrian Neville. I'm a huge Neville mark, but I was glad to see Zayn get the title. The future is bright for the entire roster as far as I'm concerned. Chad:
Chikara “You Only Live Twice”
Going with “You Only Live Twice” simply because it was great to see Chikara return and I was there. RIP Kobald
Star on the Horizon: Kevin: Cesaro Despite his new found position as a tag team player with Tyson Kidd, I still am hopeful that Cesaro will break out and become the Superstar we all know he can be. I'm hoping for a Dolph Ziggler-Cesaro reboot down the road again soon. Chad:
The VaudeVillians
This was a hard one to pick, as I can’t think of a lot of new talent that I saw this year that didn’t have some sort of Impact. I think the VaudeVillians have a good gimmick and are good inside the ring. I do have a fear that if/when they get called up to the WWE main roster that they’ll spend a month chasing the tag titles and then enter into a never ending feud with Los Matadors given the way WWE has treated NXT call ups this year.
Female of the Year: Kevin: Charlotte The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She's got her daddy's talent. I think she's the real deal and will go far in WWE once she's called up to the main roster. I love the work she's doing and really has been the most consistent female in the WWE in 2014. Chad: Charlotte Best Use of Social Media: Kevin: The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) Not family friendly at all, but hilarious none the less. I often wonder what the celebrities he tags in tweets think of his comments. Chad: I don’t pay attention to social media so I can’t answer this one.
Biggest Fall From Grace: Kevin: Undertaker Not just his loss at Wrestlemania, but seeing how he looks today, he's a shell of his former self. I wish him nothing but good things and if he decides to call it a day, he's had a helluva run. Chad: My 1-2-3 Cents
Whether
due to personal schedules, lack of interest in the current wrestling landscape
or general laziness, I think myself more so than Kevin have kind of neglected
the blog this year. Hopefully with Kevin getting the podcast up and going next
year will see more content come from us(me).
This is a week overdue. Good thing we don’t have deadlines here at the my123cents offices. Anyway. If you’re been reading the blog for at least the last four months, you’re probably well aware that I am a huge Chikara mark. I don’t deny it or try to hide it. Even to non-wrestling fans, if they find out I enjoy wrestling I am much more likely to talk freely about Chikara while downplaying enjoying WWE or TNA. There’s just something magical about Chikara.
Four weeks ago Chikara kicked off Season 11 with a show entitled The Thirteenth Hat. I’d read some reviews of the show that said while it was entertaining it wasn’t a home run show. After seeing the show for myself, I would agree it may not be a home run, but then Chikara didn’t need to hit a home run with the show. Unlike their first Ippv last November, which was a home run, which wrapped up season 10 and served as an introductory show for new fans, The Thirteenth Hat’s job was to set up the new storylines for Season 11. In that regard, I think Chikara did a fantastic job. Several stories were set up and I am excited to see how they all play out over the next 10 months.
The show opened with Green Ant finally getting the better of his trainer, Mike Quackenbush. After defeating Tursas as the Season 10 finale, High Noon, Green Ant continued his ascension up the Chikara ranks with this match. Quack’s reputation isn’t hindered by ending up on the losing end of a back and forth contest while Green Ant shows he is a force to not be taken lightly. Solid opener.
The new Throwbacks
Following the opening match was the introduction by Dasher Hatfield of the newest member of the Throwbacks, Mr. Touchdown. Dasher is a fan favorite and is thankful for the fans supporting the Throwbacks. Mr. Touchdown on the other hand refers to the fans as, NERDS, and doesn’t seem too concerned with their cheers. With the third member of the Throwbacks, Sugar Dunkerton, taking a sabbatical from Chikara, it will be interesting to see how Dasher and Touchdown work as a team. Will Mr. Touchdown come around to respecting the fans the way Dasher does, or could Mr. Touchdown’s attitude rub off on Dasher forcing a rudo turn for the popular technico?
After a 14-month hiatus, Gran Akuma made his return to a Chikara ring to face his former teammate, Icarus. I thought it was too soon for these two to meet in a one on one match, so the double count out ending made sense. What did surprise me was the involvement of Greg Iron. Iron had feuded with Icarus over the course of last season and was Icarus’ opponent at High Noon. After Icarus defeated Iron, Akuma made a surprise appearance and while trying to get to Icarus, Akuma accidentally kicked Iron. Apparently Iron took offense at Akuma’s accident because instead of going after Icarus, Iron got in Akuma’s face at The Thirteenth Hat. Now Icarus has gotten Chikara Director of Fun, Wink Vavasseur to make Akuma go through a trial series of matches in order to get another shot at Icarus. At the same time Greg Iron wants a piece of Akuma. By the end of the season, Akuma may be dreading his decision to make his Chikara return.
While 3.0 started their quest for three points with a victory of former BDK teammates Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier, the real story is the dissension between team HammerTim(e). During a pre-match promo Jakob talked about BDK leader Ares coming back. After making the comment, Donst slapped Jakob then said Ares was gone and Tim was the leader of BDK 2.0. After losing the match, Tim attacked Jakob blaming him for the loss. I’m going to make a prediction and say by the end of the season Jakob Hammermeier will be one of the most popular technicos on the Chikara roster.
Archibald Peck had another victory stolen from him by an unscrupulous opponent. The loss caused his lovely valet, Veronica to leave ringside without Marchie Archie in disgust. The heartbroken lothario is none too pleased about his misfortune. What will it take for the leader of the band to get back on the winning bandwagon?
Ophidian debuted a new look and vowed to collect more “souls” (masks) on his way to redemption. I felt the match with Hieracon went about twice as long as it should have given the pretty predictable outcome. But I am intrigued on where Ophidian goes now that he has taken the “souls” of his Osirian Portal teammates. I also feel like we haven’t seen the last of Amasis.
Before the main event, Vin Gerard ran in unannounced leading to a pull apart brawl with Chikara Grand Champion Eddie Kingston. Once security got Vin Gerard out of the venue, Eddie demanded Wink reinstate Vin into Chikara so Eddie could dish out a beating. Since the show, Vin has been reinstated and this Sunday, Eddie and Vin will meet in a Title vs. Career match up. This intrigues me since it is Eddie’s first defense so I can’t see him losing. At the same time, I can’t see Vin coming back for just one match. I have faith in the Chikara brain trust to have something awesome planned for the match.
In addition to these stories that were told during the show, the DVD of The Thirteenth Hat included an opening where Ultramantis Black and Hallowicked went looking for Delirious. Delirious stole the Eye of Tyr from Ultramantis then proceeded to destroy it before running off screaming, “I remember everything.” What implications will that have on Ultramantis’ quest of power or Mantis and Hallowicked’s shot at the Campeonatos de Parejas this weekend?
In one show, Chikara set up or advanced eight stories. Not too bad for a kick off show. Plus the show didn’t have Sara Del Rey, Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano, Brodie Lee or Frightmare. As well, the Colony, The Batiri and Jigsaw were involved in matches with no immediate meaning on the foreseeable future.
As I said in the opening paragraph, I know I’m a Chikara mark. With that said, I can’t wait for future Chikara shows. I am excited for what Season 11 has in store and am counting the days until April 28 and 29 when I will get to see my first live Chikara shows in seven years.
Normally I would shill smartmarkvideo.com and tell you to order this show either on DVD or as an .mp4 download. But Chikara does pay me to shill for them so I won’t do that. I will however tell you if you aren’t following my123cents on Twitter or haven’t “liked” us on Facebook, you’re missing out on some fun interactions.
January 28, 2012 is finally here. Today is the day I’ve been waiting for for two months. Ever since season 10 ended with Chikara’s first iPPV High Noon, the anticipation for the next season was slowly growing by the day. Tonight at 7pm in Easton, Pennsylvania season 11 kicks off with a line up that if Chikara was WWE this would be great Wrestlemania card.
Jigsaw (photo by Andy Hedrick)
In a match of veteran vs. rookie, Chikara stalwart Jigsaw battles Kobald of the Batiri. I haven’t seen Kobald in many singles matches so this could be his proving ground. After defeating El Generico in the High Noon pre-show, Jigsaw has his sights on an eventual match for the Grand Championship. While this probably won’t be match of the night, it should still provide plenty of action and show once again the level of talent that comes out of the Chikara Wrestle Factory.
I don’t know how else to describe the meeting between Hallowicked and Archibald Peck than to say it’s a true styles clash. “Marchie” Archie who marches to the beat of his own drummer is attempting to get back on a winning streak after his lost to Colt Cabana at High Noon. Peck’s majorette, Veronica, has pretty much told him either he starts winning or she’ll find someone else to escort to the ring. I’m curious to see how this plays out.
HammerTim vs. 3.0
Similar to Kobald’s, his Batiri partners Obariyon and Kodama find themselves in a tag match with two of Chikara’s most successful and popular wrestlers, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant of the Colony. This should prove as another example of how good tag team wrestling could be when done properly.
Another tag team match that could be off the charts is 3.0 vs. Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier, or as I like to call them, HammerTim. With Chikara making their Canadian debut in two months, I would expect 3.0 to take this victory putting them on the path to 3 points and eventual tag team title shot in their home country.
Green Ant challenges his trainer Mike Quackenbush in their third match up. Quack beat Green Ant in the previous two matches but after defeating the largest member of the Chikara roster, Tursas at High Noon Green Ant feels he has greatly improved and wants to test himself by battling the man of 1,000 holds.
The final two announced matches are battles of former tag team partners. The first features Osirian Portal members Ophidian taking on Hieracon. At High Noon after the Portal’s leader Amasis announced his retirement, Ophidian attacked his former partner ripping off the funky Pharaoh’s mask. Ophidian has vowed to do the same thing to Hieracon. I’m not expecting much of a technical masterpiece in this one. I think Ophidian is more concerned with collecting the birdman’s mask and sending Hieracon back to where he came from more than winning the match. Hopefully this will be the first step to Ophidian really establishing himself as a singles wrestler this season.
Team F.I.S.T. back in the day.
In a match almost two years in the making former F.I.S.T. mates collide. Icarus turned his back on friend and partner Gran Akuma back in 2010 feeling Akuma had gone soft. Johnny Gargano was brought in as a replacement and currently he and the third member of F.I.S.T., Chuck Taylor hold the Campeonatos de Parejas. Much like the Ophidian match, I don’t know how much of an actual match to expect from this encounter. This feud could last for the better part of the season so I’m not expecting a clean victory. With Johnny Gargano currently on the shelf with what could be a very serious injury, maybe Icarus will try to off Akuma his spot back in F.I.S.T.
In addition to the announced matches, Mr. Touchdown will make his debut and I believe there will be a promo or something with Chikara Grand Champion, Eddie Kingston. For anyone not familiar with Chikara, this is a near perfect show to use as an introduction. For longtime Chikara fans, this is almost a dream card. I can’t find anything to complain about or wish was different. If this is how Season 11 is kicking off, I am very excited to see what happens throughout the rest of the season. Hopefully the DVD of the show gets released in a quick manner.
I was going to wait until we got closer to the January 28, Season 11 Chikara kickoff show The Thirteenth Hat before I wrote about Chikara again. But after watching the latest event center for the show (click here to watch it), I was once again reminded of why I feel Chikara is the best promotion out there.
I remember back in the ‘80s whenever a WWF Pay Per View would be coming up, “Mean” Gene would be in the control center to provide updates on new matches or continue the hype for matches already announced.These little segments would run during WWF Superstars and Prime Time Wrestling. They made the PPV seem special. Not like today’s WWE where two guys will have a match and then in the next segment Michael Cole will leisurely comment there will be a rematch at the next PPV in six days. I know there’s a difference between Chikara and WWE in the number of shows they produce and therefore Chikara actually take time to promote their shows better.
Back to the Event Center videos, watching Bryce Remsburg announce Gran Akuma had accepted Icarus’ challenge and seeing Akuma respond took me back in time. It made me a kid again and reminded me why I became a wrestling fan. It’s the little things like the Event Center videos and the wrestler blogs on the Chikara website that separate Chikara from the other independent promotions out there.
Right now there are only two matches announced for the kickoff show. Even with only two matches known, I am super excited for the show. I’m also excited about possibly seeing my first live Chikara show in 7 years when Chikara returns to Chicago on April 28. If you’re in the area (and by that I mean, anywhere on Earth) you should come to the show. I’m going to try and drag Kevin along so we could possibly have a My123Cents meet up before the show.
Now that it has started, in case you aren’t prepared, be warned there will most likely be several Chikara blogs in the coming months. Oh, and if you need more proof of why Chikara is awesome, go look at the events page on their website and check out all the logos for upcoming shows.
I make no apologies for being a mark. It’s when I no longer feel like a mark that my interest in wrestling starts to wane. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Getting closer to big giveaways.
2011 is the 25th anniversary of the Survivor Series. I had originally planned to re-watch the previous 24 Survivor Series shows and do a write up of random thoughts about the shows. Then I remembered there was something bigger than the 25th Survivor Series pay per view. November 13th is the first Chikara Internet pay per view, High Noon. Based on the cards announced so far, I am much more excited for Chikara’s show than the WWE show. But then, I’m also a bigger fan of Chikara than WWE.
So instead of doing 24 days of Survivor Series promotion, I’m going to do 13 days of Chikara promotion. Each day I’m going to highlight a different aspect of Chikara in an attempt to persuade you, loyal reader, that High Noon is a show you must see. In addition to my thoughts, I’m trying to line up some 10 Questions with members of the Chikara roster so they can tell you why you should watch the show.
The first stop on the High Noon promotional train is a look at the card as it stands as of this writing (October 30).
GREGORY IRONS vs. ICARUS: Icarus is Chikara’s one full-fledged heel. I have yet to see any crowd who actually gives Icarus any love despite the fact Icarus has been on the roster since the beginning. Icarus is a wrestler fans love to hate.
Icarus is part of the Trios team of F.I.S.T. with partners Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano. Gregory Iron is probably the only professional wrestler who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. Gregory made the news back in July when CM Punk, fresh off winning the WWE title, showed up at an AAW show Irons was wrestling on and verbally put over the young competitor.
This match is the third meeting between the two. Icarus won the first meeting while Irons won the return match. Now it comes down to the rubber match to see who wins bragging rights.
COLT CABANA vs. ARCHIBALD PECK: This is a rematch from King of Trios. Archibald Peck is my vote for wrestler of the century, or at least the year.
{this video has a throwback to something that happened in Chikara 2 years ago, showing once again why Chikara is awesome because they remember the past}) Lately Colt Cabunny, who is a parody of Colt Cabana, has seconded Archibald along with his valet, Veronica. Cabunny teamed with CP Munk at the 2006 Chikara World Tag Grand Prix tournament. If you don’t know who Colt Cabana is, well, you must not follow independent wrestling as Colt wrestles for just about every promotion in existence. And for the WWE fans, Colt is CM Punk’s best friend. In addition to being a professional wrestler, Colt also does a weekly podcast called Art of Wrestling. I fully expect this match to challenge CM Punk/John Cena’s match from Money in the Bank for match of the year. (Editors note: Colt will also appear at the AAPW Main Event on Saturday, 1/14 in Marion, IL)
GREEN ANT vs. TURSAS: Another rematch, this one from the Chikarasurus Rex weekend. The build up to their first match was classic as Chikara borrowed from the Lex Lugar/Yokozuna feud by having Green Ant travel across the country on the Flex Express on his way to the big match up.
Tursas is the biggest member of the Chikara roster, and won the first match against Green Ant. In a recent Chikara update video, Green Ant showed a lack of confidence in his ability to beat Tursas. It’ll be interesting to see how this match plays out.
THE SPECTRAL ENVOY (Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked) vs. BDK (Ares, Tim Donst): Another example of long term booking, this match has been building for two years. The story started when Ultramantis started using the Eye of Tyr, which was later to be revealed he had stolen from Ares. Ares and Tursas showed up at the last show of the 2009 season and formed the BDK.
The BDK dominated Chikara for most of 2010 while 2011 has seen the foundation of the group start to crumble. This is a no disqualification match and I would not be surprised to see the BDK completely fall apart should Ares and Tim Donst not manage to win the match.
The Osirian Portal
THE FUTURE OF THE OSIRIAN PORTAL: Earlier this year Amasis, the leader of the Osirian Portal was injured in a car wreck. Since then he has been out of action of Ophidian and Hieracon have continued wrestling with various degrees of success. At High Noon, Amasis will make an announcement regarding the future of the Portal. One of the reasons I like Chikara so much is because the behind the scenes events are rarely covered by the wrestling news sites. I have no idea how serious Amasis’ injuries were or if they were truly career threatening. Part of me thinks if Chikara is giving Amasis time to address the crowd then most likely he will announce his return and the Portal will continue. At the same time, given the popularity of the Portal, I could see Chikara giving Amasis a chance to address the fans for a farewell speech to thank them for supporting him over the past few years. Whichever way the announcement plays out, I’m curious to hear what Amasis has to say.
Photos from Chikarapro.com
MIKE QUACKENBUSH vs. EDDIE KINGSTON: The finals of the 12 Large Summit to crown the first ever Chikara Champion comes down two of Chikara’s most popular competitors. While I’m a bit disappointed Quack made it to the finals (nothing against Quack, it’s just that since he’s the owner of Chikara, I put this in the same category as when Triple H is booked to be the focus of WWE or when Jeff Jarrett was constantly champion in TNA), I also think this is the best match up to end the tournament. The tournament was named the 12 Large Summit in memory of former Chikara wrestler “Sweet and Sour” Larry Sweeney who passed away in April 2011. Both Mike and Eddie have storied history with Sweeney and I can see this match being as much of a tribute to “Sweet and Sour” as it is a match to crown a champion. In addition, this should be a solid main event and am curious to see the outcome and what it will mean for Chikara as they prepare for Season 11.
So far this is a really good line up for Chikara’s first Ippv. I expect another 2 or 3 matches to be announced over the next week based on the fallout of “Maiden Flight of the Great Condor” show. I cannot stress enough how much you should order this show if you’re a wrestling fan. It’s only $15 and can be ordered by clicking this link. If you’re still not convinced you should order the show, hopefully over the next 12 days I will be able to change your mind.
For more on Chikara check out their website, and keep up to date with their official YouTube channel. And of course, follow My123Cents on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. If you don’t think you should buy this show, I want to hear your reasoning and point out the flaws in your thinking.
.JPG)
