-Taped from Chicago, Illinois
-Your hosts are of course various members of the Chikara roster and staff
-Marshe Rockett introduces himself and the rest of the Soul Touchaz. He says Chicago is the soul of America. The Batiri’s souls are going to get touched in Da Soul Touchaz hometown.
Match in Five Words or Less: Welcome Back Soul Touchaz!
Match Highlights: Great way to greet the fans in Chicago… holy crap, that’s a lot of people. The Batiri show themselves to be racist by pointing at a picture of Barack Obama and then pointing at Da Soul Touchaz. Kobald rips it up to massive heat because this is after all a blue state. Obaryion attacks Jazz right away. Forearms in the corner. Jazz with a monkey flip. Polish hammers and a spin kick to Obaryion. Clothesline sends him over. Side kick on Kobald. Rockett tags in. He’s too tall for a test of strength. Kobald is unhappy. Kodama puts Kobald on his shoulders. Now it’s almost even. Rockett locks knuckles and brings him down. Kick to the midsection. Shoulder block. Hip toss. Dropkick to the outside. Up and over goes Kodama. Shoulder block. He comes back in the ring and eats boot. Hard chop by Rockett. Richardson helps out on a double team. Double press slam. Series of jabs. Elbow to the top of the head. Stalling vertical suplex. Michael Elgin is not impressed as Richardson only makes it to 50. Kodama rips at the eyes. Boot and hard strikes in the corner. Richardson reverses the Irish whip and hits the leg lariat. Jazz helps with double boots. Series of chops. Richardson lifts Jazz so his feet nail Kodama in the face. Leg drop. A second one. Ophidian pulls Jazz’s leg. Obaryion switches places with Kodama. Flying double thrust for two. Heat segment on Jazz. Jazz comes back with a forearm and big left hand on Obaryion. Rockett tags in. Clotheslines for everyone. Powerslam on Kobald gets two. Richardson comes in next. Kick to the side. Jabs. Atomic drop and a swinging neckbreaker. He heads to the middle rope. Big elbow drop. 1-2-NO! Obaryion and Kodama go for a double suplex. No dice. Richardson takes them both over. They roll outside. Richardson whips Kobald. Rockett with a running shoulder block. Jazz hits double knees. They send Kobald and Richardson hits a rydeen bomb from the middle rope. Ophidian distracts the referee. Rockett goes after him. Drop toe hold into the knee. Obaryion and Kodama hit stereo dives. Demon’s Toilet and the Batiri win.
Match Analysis: Great way to kick off the show with an entertaining six man tag. Unfortunate that Da Soul Touchaz had to job in their return to Chikara but they at least had a solid showing against what has become a stalwart trio in the Chikara universe. Not a real story to be told but fun action for the 13 minutes. Hopefully, we can see the Chicago boys back soon.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: The Batiri/12:56/***/***1/2
-Sydney Backabella comes out to introduce his tag team and the men who are about to get their big chance on a Chikara show.
– Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster and Blaster McMassive) vs. Garth Algar and Wayne Campbell
Match in Five Words or Less: Opportunity Wasted
Match Highlights: Smashmaster botches a move. Dev Corp hit the Death Blow. Party on Wayne. Party on Garth. They gone.
Match Analysis: Just another squash match for the Corporation. Really not much to discuss here. These two gentlemen can be sloppy at times, but I do love a good squash. And that Sydney Backabella fella seems awfully familiar…
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Devastation Corporation/0:57/N/R/N/R
Match in Five Words or Less: Like This Wouldn’t Be Awesome…
Match Highlights: If you’re not excited for this match, you clearly haven’t been watching The Shard lately. Shard attacks from behind. Series of stomps and choking along the bottom rope. Stomp to the back of the neck. Shoulder block by Shard. He poses. Generico underneath. Leapfrog. Generico fake dives. Leg lariat hits. Chop in the corner. Shard sent head first into the top turnbuckle. Shard shoves him away. Ridiculous chop from Generico. 10 punches in the corner. Snapmare into a cover for two. Shard hits a stun gun. Series of clubbering blows. Forearm. Generico comes back. Boot by Shard. He rips at the mask. Series of stomps and choking. Whip across and a forearm. Snapmare and kick to the back by Shard. Chop by Generico. Open hand chop. Shard sends Generico into the middle turnbuckle. Choking along the bottom turnbuckle. Snapmare and a neck crank. Whip across sends Generico in hard. Another whip but Generico comes out with a clothesline. Another clothesline. Shard hits an Alabama Slam and double stomp. 1-2-NO! Series of kicks. Generico gets angry. Michinoku driver but Shard goes behind and hits a German suplex. Shard goes to the top. Generico follows him. Shard shoves him off. Charge. Generico hits an exploder. Double forearms. Blue thunder powerbomb PLANTS Shard. 1-2-NO! Shard catches Generico with boots out of the corner. Dropkick. Running forearm. Generico charges but gets superkicked. Shard climbs up. Forearm by Generico. Shard with chops. Headbutt sends Generico down. Splash but Generico picks his knees up. Yakuza kick! Shard placed on the top rope. TOP ROPE BRAINBUSTAH! Of course it’s over.
Match Analysis: I loved Shard countering a lot of Generico’s stuff throughout. The crowd heat for this was ridiculous as Generico came off like a conquering hero. Very good little match from both guys. Shard has really added a lot to the midcard singles division. Generico is one of the best in the world, and this is another example as to why.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: El Generico/10:36/***1/2/***1/2
–Johnny Gargano has a question for Chuck Taylor. He asks who the only two time campeones de parejas are. Taylor says it’s of course themselves before mocking deviANT’s name. They’re out to get their first point and become the first three time champions.
Match in Five Words or Less: Why Can’t We Get Along?
Match Highlights: Soldier Ant getting adulations from the crowd while deviANT fails will never not be funny. Gargano and Taylor defeated Soldier Ant and Green Ant back at “The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo.” Gargano turns a streamer into a scarf. Shoulder tackle by Soldier Ant. Powerslam. Marching headbutt. deviANT with a blind tag. Taylor sends him out. deviANT blocks soul food and strikes him. O’Connor roll blocked. Running knee strike. Running senton and big kick to Taylor. Tag to Soldier Ant. Back elbow. Gargano comes in but quickly exits. Headbutt on Taylor. Boot in response. Elbow by Soldier Ant. Off the ropes. deviANT gets in the way. Soldier Ant threatens to distract him. Spear in the ring by Gargano. deviANT knocked off the apron. FIST work Soldier Ant over. If Icarus’s goal was to be the most annoying human being ever on commentary, then he did his job. Soldier Ant tries clotheslining both men but misses. Crowd actually gets behind FIST. Now I’m sad. Soldier Ant springboards off and elbows them. Soldier Ant passes on tagging. Forearms for everyone. Taylor sent out. Superkick by Gargano. Samoan drop by Soldier Ant. deviANT sends him flying out. Taylor tosses deviANT into a waiting Gargano for an acecrusher. 1-2-NO! Soldier Ant breaks the count. Chop on Gargano. Saluting headbutt. Double whip. Forearm by Gargano. Double team neckbreaker. 1-2-NO! Soldier Ant sends Gargano in head-to-head with Taylor. Superkick hits. A second one by Gargano. Rolling forearm by Soldier Ant. Tope suicida. deviANT misses a kick. Soul food by Taylor. Roll and kick to the side of the head by deviANT. deviANT sent up and over. Taylor ducks. Soldier Ant nails him anyway. DDT by Taylor into the Hurts Doughnut by Gargano. FIST picks up their first point.
Match Analysis: Very storyline oriented match as you might expect. Soldier Ant has been completely wasted this year as part of these tag team matches. Yes, he doesn’t get along with deviANT. Yes, they lose every match. Please find something interesting for them to do. At least assailANT is trying to ingratiate himself with the Colony, and it feels like their storyline isn’t the same thing over and over again.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: F.I.S.T/9:21/**3/4/***
Match in Five Words or Less: Too Short
Match Highlights: Their first match in Milwaukee was a technical wrestling classic. Code of honor is followed. Cabana takes Quack over in a side headlock. Series of two counts. Quack works himself out of the hold. Quack headlock now. Up and down they go. Cabana walks out. Cabana takes Quack down. Headscissors by Quack. Cabana continually picks his head up and down. He claps his hands and puts Quack’s head between his legs. Quack crawls around, kips up, and escapes. Quack leans in for a kiss and then armdrags Cabana. Arm wringer. Cabana puckers up. Snapmare. Reverse of the hold. Snapmare and they both roll over. Cabana kicks him away. He locks Quack’s head with his legs. Cabana maintains the hold but almost gets himself pinned. Quack goes to the mat and rolls away like a snake. Lock-up. Quack takes Cabana over. Series of nearfalls. Cabana crawls under Quack. Quack takes him over by the arms. Cabana takes him over. Quack locks Cabana up near the thighs. Cabana sits down hard on Cabana’s ankle. Quack maintains hold of the limb. Cabana bridges over and crosses his arms. Cabana brings his arms down. O’Connor roll for two. Quack hits a snap suplex. He bridges over for two. Small package gets two. Cabana locks the hands. Quack stands up on Cabana’s shoulders. He steps down and hits an armdrag. Pinning combo for two. Whip but Cabana rolls through. He ends up on top, locks the arms, and gets three.
Match Analysis: I could watch these two wrestle 100 times and never get tired of it. They’re the premiere technical wrestlers in the world, and I hope they have a third match down the road. I wish this had gone 5-8 more minutes, but this was a solid way to show that a match can truly end at any time.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Colt Cabana/9:16/***/***
-Cabana puts over Chikara and Quack. Quack admits Cabana is a master before shaking his hand and leaving.
Match in Five Words or Less: assailANT Accepted?
Match Highlights: This is a bit of a warm-up for Jacobs, Harlem, and Lancelot as they will be teaming up together in the Cibernetico as part of Team Steen. Harlem losing the Justin Bieber haircut is very disappointing. Jigsaw starts out with Lancelot. Jacobs antagonizes Jigsaw before the action gets started. Jacobs officially wants in. “Twilight Princess” chant, which is a Zelda reference apparently. Into the corner. Jacobs misses a right hand. Jigsaw mocks the huss chant and Jacobs. Boot to the gut and Jigsaw sent in the corner. Whip. Spear misses. Flying forearm and dropkick by Jigsaw. Jacobs heads out. Armdrag on Harlem and into the armbar. assailANT with a headbutt. Elbow misses. Flying headbutt. Running back charge. Back elbow by assailANT. Fire Ant doesn’t seem happy about wanting to tag in, so Jigsaw does. Elbow by Jigsaw. He yells at the Colony to focus. Spear by Jacobs on Jigsaw. Rudos have their way with Jigsaw. They even break out the quintuple sledgehammers. Jawbreaker by Jigsaw on Harlem. Harlem knocks Jigsaw’s partners off the apron. Triple team behind PJ Drummond’s back. Chop by Jigsaw. Boot by Harlem. Lancelot eventually hits a suplex. Jigsaw gets boots up on each Bravado. Double stomp on Harlem. Elbow and pele on Lancelot. Fire Ant in with a high cross body. Boot on Harlem. Headscissors. Jacobs knocked off the apron. Swinging DDT on Lancelot. Running forearm on Harlem. assailANT and Jigsaw join in for six feet of fury. Kicks on Lancelot. Double suplex. Triple powerbomb. assailANT covers. Jacobs breaks the count. Jigsaw takes both he and Jacobs out of the ring. assailANT sent in the corner. He takes Harlem over. Harlem with an acecrusher and then a swinging DDT. Kick to the side of the head by Fire Ant. Burning Down the House. Lancelot powerbombs Fire Ant into the knees of Harlem. Bicycle kick. Jigsaw saves his partner and tosses Harlem out. Jacobs hits a headscissors. Diving spear misses. Jigsaw hits a release German suplex. Tope suicida. Fire Ant hits a springboard tope con helo. Fire Ant sends Harlem in the ring. assailANT sets him up and tells Fire Ant to help. Crowd wants Fire Ant to trust assailANT, and Fire Ant obliges! assailANT sends Fire Ant away and clotheslines Harlem. Lancelot shoves assailANT and Harlem in the corner. Springboard acecrusher by Jacobs. Gentlemen’s Agreement (double team Hero’s Welcome) and the rudos pick up the victory.
Match Analysis: Slightly better than the opener if for no other reason than the finish. I liked the crowd coming around to embrace assailANT. The Bravados and Jacobs fit right into this match and the Chikara universe. The Zombie Princess tows the line, but it didn’t feel un-PG. Jigsaw was a fine replacement for Green Ant, and I don’t think anything was lost by his presence. Good stuff all around.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: The Bravado Brothers and Jimmy Jacobs/11:54/***1/4/***1/2
Match in Five Words or Less: That’s It?
Match Highlights: Donst talks some trash to Akuma and ends his tirade by slapping him. Kick in the corner by Akuma. Whip in the corner. Running knee. Snapmare and swinging kick. Donst ends up on the floor. Akuma joins him. Donst sends him into the post. Guillotine across the top rope. Tope suicida. Both men have a seat in the front row. Open hand chop by Donst. Akuma send into the ring apron. Vertical suplex. Donst sends Akuma’s head bouncing off the mat. Akuma sent into the top turnbuckle. Donst ties Akuma into the ropes and of course sends him right off face first. Donst spear. He rips Hammermeier’s shirt off. Akuma takes advantage with a kick. Chops in the corner. Whip by Donst. Akuma ties Donst in the ropes. Missile dropkick by Akuma. Akuma misses. Donst misses. Enziguri by Akuma. Slingshot rana. Rolling death valley driver. 1-2-NO! Akuma kicks Donst in the chest. A second kick. A third misses. Donst waistlock. Elbow by Akuma. Donst follows from behind and hits an acecrusher. Hammermeier hands Donst a shoelace. Donst slaps Hammermeier in the face and shoves him to the floor. Akuma counters a suplex and puts Donst on the top rope. Donst shoves him. Running kick by Akuma. Enziguri. Exploder. Akuma holds himself on the ropes. Moonsault. 1-2-NO! Yoshi tonic but Donst manages a backslide. Neckbreaker. From Dusk ‘til Donst. Akuma won’t give though and gets his foot on the bottom rope. Hammermeier gives Donst a bag of some sort. Donst nails Akuma with it. Back to the submission. Akuma is out.
Match Analysis: Just as something has been missing in Donst’s character, there was something missing in this match. Not a bad match but the finishes of Donst’s matches have fallen flat with me most of the year. Between the shoelace and now the bag full of obviously heavy objects, it’s just tough to really get into what he’s doing. The Hammermeier stuff is interesting, but does a tecnico turn really benefit him? Akuma, on the other hand, feels directionless since he won his Chikara career back at the iPPV. I’d like to see him incorporated into a better storyline (one that stays far away from Chikarabemetrics) going into season 12.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: Tim Donst/9:10/**1/2/**
-The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger says he’s mysterious but others have called him handsome. Stranger says he has trouble trusting people and makes reference to trusting the little bird on his shoulder. He goes into a battle with three teams, but he has Sapphire on his side. “Quite frankly, that’s all I need.” That’s what makes what’s about to happen all the more sad.
Match in Five Words or Less: Farewell, Sweet Sweet Sapphire
Match Highlights: Hatfield puts on a Cubs jacket, thus insuring his team won’t win. Matthews with a shoulder tackle on Angelosetti. Quick sweep and one. Angelosetti with one of his own. Double dropkick and neither hits. Angelosetti with a cheap shot from behind. Angelosetti powders to the floor. Parker points at the bag holding the feral Sapphire. Dunkerton struts in. Parker and Dunkerton lock up… and the music starts. My God, it’s a dance contest. Well, I’d love to say this has never happened before, but that’s a lie. Music stops and Parker does the Macarena. Dunkerton tries to Irish whip Parker. Dunkerton and Parker do a little dance as they rise. Parker ends up on his butt. Parker does the spinaroonie. CAN YOU DIG IT SUCKA? Dunkerton Flair flops. Takedown. Dunkerton ties Parker’s legs up. More dancing. Parker calls for a timeout. Hatfield tags in to now battle his former Throwback compatriot. Icarus tags Dunkerton from behind and takes the jacket off. Icarus misses three consecutive kicks to strikeout early. Forearm by Hatfield. Sunset flip for two. Hatfield puts Icarus’s legs in his tights. Icarus crawls to the bottom rope to…break the submission? Icarus can’t get out. Dunkerton bails him out. Icarus is not happy. Armdrags by Hatfield. Icarus tosses him to the outside. Parker lightly shoves Icarus out. Dunkerton dumps Parker. Matthews dumps Dunkerton. Angelosetti dumps Matthews. Here comes Stranger. Stranger with a series of right hands. Angelosetti reverses the whip. Stranger gets his boots up and hits a bulldog. He then waves his arms and teases a tag to Sapphire. Angelosetti gets out of the ring. Icarus hits a spear. Suplex. Icarus rolls through and knocks 3.0 off the apron. Angelosetti enters. Stranger comes back with a clothesline out of the corner. TAG TO SAPPHIRE! Everyone else in the match charges and meets the wrath of Sapphire. Stranger puts her on his shoulder. Shoulder tackles for everyone by the tag team of Sapphire and Stranger. Boot by Angelosetti. Go 2 Sleep as Sapphire was in the kneepad of Stranger. That was awesome. Icarus hits a forearm to the back. Ankle lock. Hatfield grabs his ear. Parker with a wet willie. Angelosetti with a wedgie. Matthews with a noogie. Dunkerton grabs Matthews’s hair. Sapphire ends up in Dunkerton’s afro. His reaction is utterly priceless as he runs around the ring. Dunkerton randomly dives on 3.0. Stranger tells him to stop. Stranger holds Sapphire up. Angelosetti tackles Dunkerton. Shoulder tackle by Stranger. Sapphire almost gets a nearfall on Angeloseti. Angelosetti puts Sapphire in the back and absolutely tosses the bag around. MASSIVE HEAT FOR THAT! Big splashes by Angelosetti. He Tebows and Stranger looks despondent. Everyone looks appalled. Bryce Remsburg isn’t sure what to do. Crowd says Angelosetti is a monster. Stranger looks in the bag… and it’s not good. Spinebuster by Angelosetti and the team of Stranger and Sapphire are eliminated at 14:10.
How is Angelosetti murdering a bird not a disqualification for exusivo de castigo?
The crowd, wrestlers, and even Remsburg are unhappy. Dunkerton gets into it with Angelosetti. Shove by Angelosetti. Dunkerton with a right hand but he decks Hatfield. Angelosetti with a roll-up for two. Kick and double chops to the head on Angelosetti. Dunkerton goes after Angelosetti. Uppercut chops by Hatfield. Rolling forearm by Parker. Leg lariat by Dunkerton. Angelosetti with a running spinebuster on Dunkerton. Spear by Matthews. Icarus has a sliced bread countered. Powerbomb and into the Boston crab by Matthews. Icarus taps and FIST is gone at 17:49.
Chops by Angelosetti on Matthews. Hard whip. Charge misses. Forearm by Parker. Drop toe hold and leaping elbow drop by Parker. Hatfield trips Parker. Boston crab by Matthews on Angelosetti. Hatfield hits a jackhammer. 1-2-NO! Forearm by Parker. Back and forth he goes by Hatfield. Leaping leg lariat by Parker. Flea Flicker by Angelosetti on Parker. Matthews breaks the count. Tandem musclebuster by the Throwbacks. 1-2-NO! Hatfield holds Matthews up. Matthews brings Angelosetti in the corner. Parker hits a DDT. Kick to the side of the head. Sweet Taste of Professionalism and 3.0 pick up their third point while also winning the match.
Match Analysis: How do you rate a match where a plastic bird was murdered in the ring? How do you get a group of people for PETA? How do you get someone to be hated more than Icarus? The answers can be found here in Chikara. This was in so many ways the best of the promotion. Comedy. Great storytelling. Exciting action. Maybe my star rating is high, but screw it. It’s my reviews. This was an amazing spectacle and the continuation of likely the best storyline in Chikara. Mr. Touchdown is going to be a star on the indies. I’d bet your house on it. Odd that 3.0 winning is almost an afterthought.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: 3.0/21:43/***1/2/****
-Nick Jackson calls them the Special Envoy. Matt Jackson also mocks them. They call them a good tag team but not an elite team. Bucks talk about stealing the show and dares the Spectral Envoy to step up. They talk about paying bills through their various wrestling moves.
Match in Five Words or Less: Poor Mantis
Match Highlights: Bucks try attack the challengers right away with the belts. Mantis and Wicked duck and dodge. All four man battle in the ring. Wicked forearms Nick off the apron. Iconoclasm by Wicked leads to the neck snap by Mantis. Swanton by Wicked. Double flatliner on Nick. Double team on Matt. Nick pulls Wicked out. Tandem spike piledriver and the Bucks go up 1-0 at 2:11.
Bucks turn their attention to Wicked. Rana on Matt. Nick whipped in the corner. Step-up boot. Wicked hits a running kick out of the corner. Wicked on the apron. Necktie by Matt leads to the drop by Neck. Right hands and kicks by Matt on Wicked. Series of clotheslines. Double axehandle. Double hip toss. Flip over and dropkicks. They turn their attention to Wicked’s arm. Nick stomps on Mantis’s hands to prevent him from going on the apron. Handspring backrake by Matt. Wicked sent into Nick’s boot. Snapmare by Matt. Springboard splash by Nick. Dropkick to Mantis. Blow to the back by Nick. Slap and forearms by Wicked. Jawbreaker by Nick. Matt with a spinning toe hold. Mantis finally gets back on the apron. Wicked kicks his way out. Nick with a double axehandle. Mantis knocked down. Choking in the corner by Nick. Wicked battles out of the corner. Low bridge on Nick. Forearms on Matt. Spear by Matt. Splash/moonsault combination. Matt places his knee in the back of Wicked. Wicked begins elbowing his way out. Elbow on Nick. Nick accidentally kicks his own charging brother. Shoulder block by Nick. Atomic drop by Wicked. Elbow by Nick. Mantis ducks a shot and nails him. Mantis hits a dive off the apron and to the floor. Go 2 Sleepy Hollow and the Spectral Envoy tie it up at one fall a piece in 14:10.
-The Batiri appear at the entrance way. Matt dropkicks Wicked to the floor, so of course the Batiri take advantage. Mantis goes crazy on Matt. Chops, forearms, and headbutts. Preying Mantis bomb blocked. Matt takes him in the corner. Kick to the gut, Mantis hits the ocean cyclone suplex. 1-2-NO! Wicked reenters the ring. Rydeen bomb into a Regalplex. 1-2-NO! Nick breaks the count. Forearm exchange between Wicked and Nick. Spin kick by Nick. Wicked with a boot. Batiri pull him out. Nick dives but Wicked smartly heads back in the ring. Mantis holds Matt up as Wicked hits the double stomp. Nick breaks the count in time. Running knee in the corner on Mantis by Nick. Ste-pup boot by Wicked. Superkick by Matt. Lariat by Mantis and everyone is down. Bucks take the Envoy to respective corners. Mantis whipped into Mantis. Elbow and boot out of the corner. Superkick by Matt on Mantis. Powerbomb into his own partner as Nick hits an enziguri. Mantis counters into a sunset flip for nearly three. Chikara Special! Wicked holds onto Nick. Nick breaks free and goes for a superkick. Chikara Special! Matt tries to use the title. Wicked hits Go 2 Sleepy Hollow. Dive to the floor. Remsburg gets the belt out of the ring. Ophidian mists Mantis. Superkick on Wicked by Nick. One for Mantis as well. 1-2-NO! Mantis tries battling back. Double superkicks. Nick dropkicks Wicked. More Bang for your Buck! Champs retain.
Match Analysis: It’s tough to say whether the Bucks can steal a show they main evented, but they had another heck of a performance. They showed why they’re the best tag team in North America. Wicked has gotten to showcase himself far more this year than last, and you can tell he’s taking advantage of it. Mantis has also stepped his in-ring game up a bit. A really great way to the show even with shady ending. Surprising amount of drama and some great nearfalls make this one of the best Chikara matches of the year.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating/Entertainment Rating: The Young Bucks/16:24/***3/4/****
The Verdict: What a difference the great Chicago crowd made on this night. Not that they were the difference between this being a bad show and good show but they added a little bit of spice to really make this into something special. With this show, I have to believe Chicago becomes a top Chikara market from now on. I loved this whole show live, and the DVD certainly holds up. Not a bad match on the show and I’d argue the final two matches made this a huge important show storyline wise. Big thumbs up and a strong recommendation.
The Verdict: What a difference the great Chicago crowd made on this night. Not that they were the difference between this being a bad show and good show but they added a little bit of spice to really make this into something special. With this show, I have to believe Chicago becomes a top Chikara market from now on. I loved this whole show live, and the DVD certainly holds up. Not a bad match on the show and I’d argue the final two matches made this a huge important show storyline wise. Big thumbs up and a strong recommendation.
For more information in CHIKARA Pro, including tickets and event information, please check their website. While you can purchase DVDs there as well, you can also purchase their DVDs on Smart Mark Video. Something relatively new to Smart Mark Video is video downloads. This is a great way to save on shipping and not have a DVD clogging your shelf (if that’s what you’re concerned about). It’s super easy to purchase and then download on your computer. I could not recommend this service strongly enough whether you’re buying CHIKARA or many other promotions.
To get a great sense of history and participate in discussion of the company, check out their official messageboard. One thing the promotion does really well? Videos. They have frequent (almost daily) updates on their YouTube channel.
As someone who is not nearly the CHIKARA fan as certain others, even I need to look up information and have a good CHIKARA resource. I can can think of no better place to do this and also read exclusive reviews of every CHIKARA show in history than at The CHIKARA Special. Kevin Ford maintains this little blog and also updates a CHIKARA Special Tumblr with news and videos nearly every day.
In addition to wrestling podcasts, I am also a proud co-host of a show specifically geared toward Mad Men. Please check out all of our previous podcasts here. You can also download them off of iTunes.
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