Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Chikara: YLC Night 3
6.15.08
Hellertown, PA
John Philapavage Reporting

I could write you a report about the youthful mistakes and judgments of the wrestlers at the three Chikara shows this past weekend. I could write about the sameness and formula of some matches. There are all kinds of ways to pick at a promotion and talents, and we all know how to do it. That, however, would be missing the spirit and truth about the Chikara Young Lions Cup, especially on Night Three. Possibly the most emotionally gripping and satisfying angle played out and concluded on this show.

It’s rare that you see roughly one hundred wrestling fans having so much fun not only with a product, but with each other as a community. And finally, they pulled off a storyline with some of there top guys that will propel the company forward past this event, and that’s besides the powerful main event. I’ll nitpick in the sense of personal preference, but wrestling was good this weekend!

About 100 to 150 packed the third night for the final show in Hellertown. It’s a cute old venue with a homely atmosphere that will be missed. The promotion got better with the day at starting near time. First night was 25 minutes late. Night two was 13 minutes. Tonight was only 8-9 minutes.

1.) Da Soul Touchaz defeated the Fabulous Two (With Shane Hawke) in 16:03 by Top Rope Leg Drop

Three-on-three match. Fun Hulk Hogan-esque “Youuuuuu!” finger pointing started with the Touchaz and got into the crowds mouth. This was the beginning of about a billion interactive moments with the audience that you just do not get in mainstream wrestling. The arenas are to big, the matches to constrictive. No one does verbal humor in wrestling better on a show than Chikara these days.
Shane Hawke shined again with his personality. The cool thing was Ryder and Sweeney were comfortable enough to get in there moments, but let Hawke be the atar. They never bigfooted the young guy on the team.

Great spot where Big Willy (Touchaz) claims “They pulled my tights, ref” and points to the coner 5 feet away with the heels on the apron. He then begins biting the hand of his opponent while the ref goes to check on the situation.

This was nowhere near match of the night, but it may have been the best 20 minutes I’d spent on a match at a show all year in terms of entertainment the way WWE would like to be seen.
After the match Ryder and Hawke leave without Sweeney, calling him “a loser”.

2.) Jimmy Olsen defeats Lince Dorado in 6:01 with a roll up

This was very solid work. It got a bit monotonous as far as Dorado constantly kicking and spinning, but I’ll live. Second night in a row I wished he’d sold a bit more and they took there time, but these two are real talents that can develop a lot further. Also possible it’s a difference in style these days and I’m not as high on it.

-Mike Quackenbush Interview.

This was awesome! Quack apologized for his behavior the night before. Explains the story of Tim Donst, his protégé, falling on his head in January and realizing he’d been taken care of by Ultra Mantis Black’s faction, The N.S.T. He decided to infiltrate them and report back to Quack, which explains the poor execution of the concussion and amnesia in his character. He was only ever there to find out how Ultra Mantis Black knew a counter to Quackenbush’s move, the Chikara special. He’d dragged late last year in a throwaway line on an interview that he knew it, and it had been fed to someone who Quack had wrestled.

Quack details how the technicos were a tight group that hung together, and that it took Donst forever, but when his protégé heard the name of the man who stooged the info, he marched right to the ring. Apparently the name was Shane Storm, so Quack attacked him right there. Quack says he could see in Storm’s eyes it was true. Asked where he was Chikara Commish says he never showed up. Quack left, the inference was that he was driving to Shane Storm’s home. Nothing came of this later and Storm did not appear, so the angle will continue. Quack was on commentary toward the end of the show.

3.) F.I.S.T. defeats Sami “The New Horror” Callihan/Steve “The Turtle” Weiner/Ultimo Breakfast in 15:30 when Akuma pinned Callihan

A trend of the night was longer tag matches. This confirmed that trend. True Heel-face comedy match that then turned more ROH-style (and you can go out to D.G or NOAH from there).

Ref Bryce Remsburg asks for some decorum after a funny chant, so Icarus says with an accusing eye “Decorum?! Apply it in a sentence” and stares. Funny.

A lot of verbal humor again, and in comedy spots Chuck Taylor often played the fool. A memorable spot was the group head scissors that was the turned onto a Boston Crab by “the Turtle. Thing picked up hot after the faces sold a bit and it all broke down to everyone fighting. Sami and Akuma had a NOAH no-sell moment that got over very well (it was executed and sold progressively to maximize the effect). Great showing, but one guy is now on my radar.

My hope is that with someone like Sami Callihan they do what they just did for the soul Touchaz. If they get over well, bring them back in three months and advertise it well. They made a few stars in this tourney – a great subplot – and it would be nice to see them capitalize on it one guyb at a time. Three or four got over, then each show bring in one. I wanna see Sami Callihan get better in Chikara!

4.) Tim Donst defeats Ethan Page in 7:30 with a fireman’s carry into a flash pin.

Donst came out in his dark black robe, but then undid it and was the all American again. Hydra was excited and seconding him again. Eventually Ultra Mantis Black came out and pulled Hydra away scolding him, so the full heel Black is BACK!

Page used a remote control spot where he pulled an actual TV remote out of his trunks and they slo-mo rewound a segment of the match so he could re-do something. Brilliant. Page was very entertaining all weekend. Not to the degree that others were, but enough. Combined with his good size, if he keeps working at his body he’ll be back in the Northeast again soon. Agility is still a question for Page and he’s not flashy, but he could be something in a few years.

Donst mostly sold through the match, which is a strength for him, and came back quickly.

5.) Bobby Dempsey & Sara Del Rey defeated The Osirian Portal in 13:20 when Dempsey sat down on a roll up attempt and splashed his opponent

Some people may complain this went to long, but this is exactly where they should be trying out anything and getting more work in. I was a bit burned out as this was the sixth segment (counting Quackenbush), but they did hold it together fine.

Del Rey worked hard with both Amasis and Ophidian at hold and pin reversals/combos. Bobby was the hot tag who did a few fat guy or strength spots. Sara sold once in calmed down. Like I said, it lost me, but the hot tag to finish was pretty decent. I love Del Rey.

6.) Kingston defeated Soldier Ant in 9:18 with a backfist

Not a lot to say. It was stiff as you’d expect. The crowd was in-and-out at times as they got use to the stiff shots. Hence, they only want to see stiffer shots. Soldier Ant did come back, hitting a missile dive followed right up with a summersault plancha. They had a knock down drag out from there until Kingston won. The man has such a persona in there that’s on another level from Chikara and even most ROH/PWG performers.

7.) Brodie Lee defeats Drake Younger in 5:24 with the big boot/Yukuza kick.

This was a sprint. Younger was over again big time as a face. People liked Brodie Lee, but he wouldn’t play to them, and they ended up giving him has decent heat.

Brawl to start. Very fast paced and very hard fought. Brodie Chokeslammed Younger from the ring onto the ring apron. He had taken something from Younger on the outside before this that I could not see. Stiffest chops ever and some shoot head butts! Why!! Why is that the new fad making it through the indies. Cut out the shoot head butts.

Finish was Youner going for the Cop Killa but getting hit with a big boot. Big “Please come back” and “Younger” chants. Very nice.

8.) Incoherence defeated The Super Smash Brothers with a finisher from each in 15:02

This was hilarious early. Everything early was reversal and comment. A guy would grab a hold and say something, and then the other guy would reverse it and say something. A massive gamer gibberish discussion went on with the fans yelling out suggestions.

Delirious went off. Just a few here: “(Sega) Genesis is cooler than him (Uno)”. “8-bit? Bahahaha (points to self) HDTV!” “ Sega CD” – fans chant. Then they did a reversal name game of old game systems. My favorite were Turbo Graffix 16 and Neo Geo.

Onto the body of the match, the Smash brothers worked over the champs by tagging in and out quick, cutting off the ring, and working over Delirious’ left leg. A lot of miscommunication by the Smash Brothers as time went on, and that was well done arguing that progressed. In the end they lost to miscommunication and argued to the back. Break up angle?

9.) Young Lions Cup Finals: Fire Ant over Vin Gerard in about 20 minutes.

I’ll put it this way. BEST STORY EVER! This was equal to, and maybe more so, the emotional content and reactions that I saw live at ROH’s Tyler Black vs Nigel McGuinness match on March 15th. Of course Tyler lost and the crowd there was 10x the size, so I think it’s fair to say this might be the biggest of the indies.

These guys don’t look like stars. They are skinny indy guys with indy gimmicks. Others in the tourney could have won and gotten more indy press or looked better doing it somehow. DOESN’T MATTER. They put on the match of their lives and the story best suited for the company financially and creatively. Great to see two Chikara guys pull this epic weekend and match feel off.

Fire came out in a special suit. He looked bad ass and went after Vin. Vin eventually got the upper hand and worked him forever. Several fiery (no pun intended) babyface comebacks. All were cut off huge. I mean these men were KING-SIZED in there for one moment in time.

Then you get this perfect subtext. Yeah, maybe the lucha mask angle was a good idea with silly application. DOESN’T MATTER. On this night it was wonderful. First Solider Ant comes out to slap the mats and cheer on his team mate. Then the man who’s shot it should have been, Worker Ant, comes out on his crutch to a pop. A minute goes by. More comebacks are cut off. Then Lince Dorado. More beatings. Then Hellowicked. Ulitimo Breakfast. Player Uno. One by one. Until finally Delirious came out. And they knelt beside the ring, all these masked men, as if their pride depended on this one guy winning. I cannot do it justice, but when they came out individually with such purpose, it really resonated with me. Great story.

The STF was applied several times, but Ant made the ropes. The fans would pop for the flash pins and really boo the near falls of Gerard.

Gerard, who had played it up all weekend in the lobby with fan involvement, had real heat. He tossed out Fire Ant and Ant dramatically made the 20 count. Not one masked man dared to help him win his battle. Wonderful touch.

Fire Ant survives several STFs and roll through failures to finally come back. Big moves galore until the perfect moment, and pin, and POP. Fire Ant wins. The Faces who aren’t masked came to the stage. The masked me charge the ring. The fans have BEEN standing. The cup is his and Dave Matthews was never the coolest theme for anyone as it was at that moment.

EVERYONE get this 3 show series. Do it for the Quack/Storm/Donst stuff. The comedy. The great match work each night. The Characters. The Gerard-Colony saga. The new players we’ve met. Just watch it and remember why you love it!