CHIKARA Tag World Grand Prix 2005 Night 1

FIST (Icarus & Gran Akuma) vs Team WXW (Mana & John Cabbie)

Nicely worked opener, with FIST portrayed as the more fluid unit, but Mana being the wildcard factor in the match. FIST control Cabbie early with some nice double teams, but suffer when Mana gets tagged in. He’s a big guy, who easily puts both guys on his shoulders for a Samoan drop before blitzing Akuma in the corner with shoulder barges and running knees. Mana even no sells a pair of dropkicks, really getting put over, before Cabbie blind tags back in, and in the melee accidentally superkicks his own partner. Icarus hits a spinning flapjack on Cabbie for the win. Good stuff.

Davey Andrews & Shane Hagadorn vs the Ring Crew Express

For a guy who vanished off the face of the wrestling earth the same year, Andrews seemed pretty decent. He and Hagadorn are representing Ring of Honor as their students, and even heelishly put RoH turnbuckle padding in their corner. There’s bit of this that aren’t very good, not restricted to an early blown victory roll spot. For some reason, we get a game of dodgeball breaking out midway through, which is pointless. The rest of the bout is basic, but solid, tag formula stuff which is hard to mess up. The RoH team heel it up, double-teaming behind the referees back. Andrews hitting a dropkick on Marcos whilst Hagadorn held him in an abdominal stretch looked really good, and an Andrews stomach buster got real height on it. There’s a few slightly blown bits, like Andrews not tagging in before a double team move, making it look a bit awkward as Hagadorn was clearly expecting the tag. Andrews hit a diving to the floor, the kind of move that probably explains why he didn’t wrestle after this year. It gets a bit messy after the hot tag, before Dunn and Marcos get the win with a double team senton.

Crossbones & Mano Metalico vs Knight Eye For The Pirate Guy (Lance Steel & Jolly Roger)

This was nicely worked, you can see guys like Roger and Crossbones improving show by show. Here, Roger is really laying his stuff in, looks like his strikes are actually meant to hurt his opponent. Fun early spot sees Roger breaking a Crossbones Full Nelson by just punching the hands until Crossbones has to let go. Fun jousting spot, with Roger carrying Steel on his shoulders to hit Crossbones in the corner. Metalico plays monster here, and he’s pretty effective at it, reversing a wheelbarrow into an Irish Curse in one great spot. For some reason, Crossbones seems to be working against his partner, holding an opponent in place for a kick, then moving him so Metalico falls over. Very odd. Metalico beheads Steel with a clothesline, but Roger turns a flying headscissors into a small package for the victory

Big Daddy (Shirley Doe & Darkness Crabtree) vs Team Osaka Pro (Ebessan & Billy Ken Kid)

The cleverly named Big Daddy team are rather an unusual pairing, but Doe and Ken Kid pair up really nicely in the ring together. Ebessan and Crabtree, for their part, work a comedy bit based on Crabtree’s usual slo-motion wrestling, but in a nice twist Crabtree then takes his medication and works a fun, swiftly paced sequence with Ken Kid. Unfortunately, the pills are his downfall, as he takes some more and has a heart attack, culminating with Ebessan hitting a Shining Wizard for the win. Short, stupid, but kinda fun. Ken Kid looked really good, bodes well for the later round.

Team You Can Call Me Al (Allison Danger & Alere Little Feather) vs Claudio Castagnoli & Arik Cannon

Smartly worked intergender match, with the women outsmarting the larger men in the early stages. Really neat spot with Claudio elevating Danger high into the air, only for her to land and flip him into a crucifix. Alere becomes face in peril, with Claudio hitting a nice giant swing into a Cannon dropkick. Cannon also hits a really good looking fistdrop. This is a short match though, and it breaks down a bit sloppily towards the end. Danger gets a nearfall on Cannon with an STO, but Claudio saves. A Glimmering Warlock and Ricola Bomb finish Danger.

Rorschach & Ravage vs Jigsaw & Sabian

Jigsaw looks pretty terrific here, working Rorschach on the mat and looking really smooth in doing so. The heel team look pretty good double-teaming Sabian, with a nice Rorschach wheelbarrow into a Ravage running knee, followed by a Rorschach facebuster. They work over Sabian’s arm, with Larry Sweeney on commentary rightfully questioning this tactic, highlighting that Sabian barely uses his arm and that it would make more sense to go after his leg. Really liked Rorschach hitting a cross-armbreaker which he rolls through with into a chancery. This whole match is probably the best Rorschach has looked in CHIKARA so far. Jigsaw is great as the hot tag, full of energy. Sabian and Jigsaw lock in a fun double submission and both heels tap. This was fun.

Team IWA (Din Mak & Mat Bomboy) vs Team IWA-MS (Danny Daniels & Jimmy Jacobs)

The IWA-MS are very much an odd couple, very much opposites in terms of character, but working surprisingly well as a team. Daniels is enjoyably cocky early on, schooling Din Mak on the mat. Bomboy kind of mirrors Daniels, also being pretty cocky, but he’s laying things in a bit stiffer than his partner. Unlike the IWA-MS team, IWA don’t have much in the way of teamwork, with Bomboy breaking a Din Mak cover in order to try and get the glory himself. Daniels steamrolls both thanks to this distraction, until Bomboy tires of Mak, superkicks him, and Jacobs hits a top rope senton for the win.

Team PWG (Super Dragon & B-Boy) vs Glenn Spectre & Mokujin Ken

Spectre and Ken are the mystery opponents after several names get called out and aren’t there (plus the Rachies, who are there, but are in no state to compete). If you haven’t seen Ken, AKA Ken the Box, he’s a wooden tree-man essentially. His size means he’s unable to stand on the apron while Team PWG kick the shit out of Spectre. Spectre is given a brief comeback, hitting an RKO on Super Dragon, but has no-one to tag to with Ken being stuck on the floor. Spectre instead sends the opponents to Ken, taking big bumps as they run into Ken’s wooden fists, but in the ring Spectre gets destroyed again, eating a Shining Wizard, a Kerb Stomp and a double stomp from the top for the loss.

Claudio Castagnoli & Arik Cannon vs Team FIST

The second round matches are all longer than the first round, so they all get a bit more meat to flesh things out. Really fun spot early, as the heels try to avoid stereo pescados from Team Fist, run into each other and then get wiped out by the dives they were trying to avoid. Icarus showcases an ability to hit an armdrag from any angle, much to the annoyance of Cannon. Cannon holding a full Nelson to allow Claudio to nail a brutal looking uppercut was a great spot. Icarus is face-in-peril, and takes a good beating, including a lovely moment where Castagnoli locks in a full Nelson and swings him round, a la the giant swing, getting a good number of rotations. However, Claudio manages to uppercut Icarus so hard that he falls into the corner to tag in Akuma. Akumao gets a Yoshitonic on Claudio for two, but an attempt on Cannon is blocked and Claudio nails him with an uppercut. The Glimmering Warlock/Ricola Bomb combo gets the three.

Ring Crew Express vs Jigsaw & Sabian

Two popular teams here sees this match receiving some duelling chants. Nice even stuff to begin, with Marcos and Sabian working some fun mat exchanges, whilst Dunn and Jigsaw work quicker, rope-running sequences. Sabian and Jigsaw hit dual topes to take control. Lovely spot sees Jigsaw holding Dunn in place in a surfboard to eat a top rope stomp. Jigsaw misses a 450 legdrop, allowing Dunn to tag in Marcos, and we get a melee of action in the ring. The Ring Crew Express hit the assisted senton, but Sabian saves, and the Sliced Bread #2 is reversed into a Jig’N’Tonic in a smooth sequence for three.

Jimmy Jacobs & Danny Daniels vs Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy

Interestingly, Jacobs hints at a heelish nature in this match, acting even more douchey than his partner, a guy who is working heel. It’s the addition of little cocky touches, like shaking off his fist after a great punch. Daniels drills Roger, who becomes face-in-peril, with some lovely looking kneedrops, really driving the knee into him. Both members of the IWA team hit airplane spins on Roger in a fun spot. Steel cleans up after a blind tag, and locks in his “unbreakable” Boston Crab on Jacobs. There’s a slightly clumsy bit, with Steel backdropping Daniels out of the ring as he tries to break it, whilst still holding onto Jacobs, didn’t flow very well. Jacobs gets dragged to the centre of the ring, and has to tap out.

Super Dragon & B-Boy vs Billy Ken Kid & Ebessan

Going into this, I was curious how Ebessan would fit into this, a guy who’s primarily a comedy worker. The answer, it turn out, is by having Dragon and B-Boy bully and batter him, making him the sympathetic face in peril of the match. They establish this early, with Dragon cheapshotting Ebessan on the apron. Both PWG guys are clearly frustrated by Ken Kid, getting outworked and sent to the floor, stalling for time before re-entering, before feasting like piranhas when Ebessan gets in. The beat him down in the corner, B-Boy locks in a nasty bridging Cobra Clutch on the mat, Super Dragon hits a nasty cappo kick in the corner followed by a B-Boy dropkick to the face…basically a big kicking to a likable schlub like Ebessan. Ebessan kicks out of just enough to remain credible, not taking any big killshots, just a lot of sustained offence. He makes the tag after Super Dragon misses a corner charge spectacularly, flying into the post, and Ken Kid is a ball of energy on offence. He hits a lovely cannonball from the second rope to the floor on B-Boy, only to be stopped by an unlikely leaping rana from Super Dragon, who shows great athleticism. Loved the end of this one, BKK ends up alone with B-Boy, and he circles him round by the arms, suddenly switching it into a backslide and he gets the three, thrusting his legs into the air on the final count to add more weight and to avoid Super Dragon’s save. Absolutely great stuff.

CHIKARA More Songs About Buildings & Food (2004)

Mano Metalico vs Joker

This had it’s moments. Loved the early stages, as Joker trips Metalico to start and attacks the back of his head with rapid fire punches. Metalico plays up the size advantage nicely, making himself hard to move. Loved the spot where Joker reverses an attempted beal into a one-legged codebreaker, looked great. Then things kinda just slow down, as Joker holds a loooong chinlock on Metalico. They basically just wander around the ring a bit and then a Joker Shining Wizard leads to a ten count on the mat. Really hurts the match pacing. Mano is too big for the Joker Driver and he gets planted by some kind of driver by Metalico for the win.

Lance Steel vs Darkness Crabtree

This was an amusing piece of business, as Steel wins with a roll up in a few seconds. We get a fun segment of Crabtree demanding rematches with different stipulations and losing them all immediately (submission match – loses to a headlock in seconds, falls count anywhere – small package outside the ring). Finally he asks for a no countout match, and they disappear outside not to be seen again tonight…

Din Mak vs Matt Bomboy

These two had a reasonable bout on the last CHIKARA show, but it wasn’t so good that I wanted a rematch so soon. This was also totally fine, without ever being close to being great. Bomboy is the standout here, liked his shit-talking during a submission hold on Mak and he hits a Northern Lights Suplex. But there was some really weak stuff here too – Din Mak not only hits a poor sunset flip, but also a dreadful sunset flip powerbomb from the corner looks appalling. Bomboy takes a 360 bump from a clothesline, which doesn’t match how weak the clothesline looked. Bomboy gets the win with a clumsy looking O’Connor Roll.

Claudio Castagnoli vs Sabian

This is European Rules for Claudio’s WxW title, worked in rounds with 2/3 falls or KO rules. This was primarily done to establish the gimmick in CHIKARA, and was pretty effective in doing so. Sabian controls the early going, including some nice armdrag variations, but soon Claudio is able to use his more aggressive side to take over. He even takes a public warning following a cheap shot at the end of round 2. Claudio concentrates on Sabian’s arm, including a nasty looking hammerlock slam. Claudio also makes fun use of the public warning system, waiting until the ref’s is talking to the ring announcer to issue his second public warning, before working Sabian’s arm over in the ropes. The aggressive side of Claudio is also shown by his persistence in going for the KO, and a running uppercut to the back of Sabian’s head gets the 10 count.

The Wildcards vs Team FIST

Another CHIKARA defence of the Wildcard’s IWA-MS tag titles, despite the belts being once again AWOL. Real fun Wildcard’s performance here, starting with Kingston reversing an Akuma wheelbarrow into a massive German suplex. I loved them switching a chinlock on Akuma behind the ref’s back, seemingly for no reason other than they love to cheat. Akuma gets the hot tag after a second wheelbarrow is more effective and it all breaks down. A blown Team FIST double-team slightly hurts the end, before Kingston slams Icarus into a ringpost from a caught pescado and holds Akuma’s leg on a suplex to give his team the win.

Lacey vs Allison Danger

Fun stuff to start with Lacey working some hairpulling schtick early on. Danger hits the ringpost on a corner charge, and Lacey works the arm for the rest of the bout. This is probably for the best, as Danger’s selling is really good here, but her offence a bit less so. Loved Lacey holding onto the arm to kick Danger in the head, giving her less defence, and a hammerlock side slam looks good. Danger’s comeback is a bit low impact, before she picks up the win with a soft looking STO.

Hallowicked vs Skayde

This was fun, but it did feel a bit like an exhibition of cool stuff Skayde could do to Hallowicked by the end. Skayde is in control for the bulk of this, controlling Hallowicked’s arm on the mat in a smoothly worked manner. Hallowicked gets a few chances to show what he can do, and looks good, if not as smooth. It never feels like he’s in any danger of winning however, and it’s no surprise when La Majistral gets the victory for Skayde

Mike Quackenbush vs Oriental

This is for Quack’s IPW Mexican Light Heavyweight title. It’s kind of interesting to compare this to the last match, as here we get smooth matwork with both guys being portrayed as equals, and is therefore more satisfying to watch. The pace of the reversals and counters they worked was very impressive, and Oriental looked great here. His pescado into a rana on the floor was a fun spot to work in front of a crowd of 50 people. Oriental takes control after slightly heeling it up, attacking Quack as he tries to re-enter the ring. At this point, Oriental is all over Quack on the mat, chaining from submission to submission. It’s actually really effective, as you get the impression he isn’t giving Quack the chance to break any holds as he’s already in a new hold by the time Quack could figure out a counter. Quack comes back by reversing a powerbomb into an armdrag midair – looked great – and hitting a big flip dive, before Oriental wins with a tiger suplex. Great bout.

Larry Sweeney, American Gigolo, Share Cropper & Crossbones vs Jigsaw, Jolly Roger, DJ Skittlez & Shane Storm

Decent enough 8-man match that gives everyone a chance to shine, without exposing the weaknesses of the lesser participants. The opening stages see guys pair off for a couple of minutes, with the Jigsaw/Share Cropper pairing probably yielding the best results. Roger/Gigolo is the most pleasant surprise, with some nice looking moves including a pendulum by Roger. Skittlez gets to show off some impressive strength without being over-exposed as he often is in longer singles bouts. There is a goofy 8 man headlock spot that ends in a multi-man Russian legsweep I could have done without, but this pretty much flew by. Loved a nearfall that saw Jigsaw leap in from nowhere to stop Sweeney pinning Roger. However, as it all breaks down, Crossbones hits an enzuigiri from behind on Jigsaw, and Sweeney hits the piledriver to win. Fun way to end the show.

CHIKARA '77 (2004)

Darkness Crabtree vs Jolly Roger

Barely 4 minutes long, but still suffers from the usual problems that Crabtree matches always do: that being that the face has to look like an idiot whilst the deliberately slow Crabtree wanders through moves. Roger at least looks smooth in the opening segments and he does get the win with Walk The Plank, but this is skippable.

Crossbones vs Sabian

This is a pretty straightforward match, nothing special, but fine. Sabian has some nice stiffness to his offence, laying in some chops  and kicking Crossbones in the leg when he’s distracted heckling the crowd. Crossbones is a little clumsier, reversing a rana into a slightly awkward STF. Sabian is in control in the closing moments, but Mano Metallico (who is accompanying Crossbones to ringside) punches Sabian over the referees shoulder and Crossbones hits a brutal looking reverse piledriver to win.

Ultramantis Black vs DJ Skittlez

For two guys I’ve not been massively impressed with in the early days of CHIKARA, this was perfectly fine. Ultramantis adds a lot to the match, remaining just the right side of being irritating whilst shrieking and yelling throughout. He sells Skittlez’s chops hilariously. Liked Ultramantis setting up a hanging neck submission with a Rude Awakening. Skittlez still has awkward looking offence, barely reaching Black with a top rope clothesline. A short match ends with Skittlez sitting down on a sunset flip to win. Black’s improvement was starting to show here.

The Wildcards vs Mr Zero & Shane Storm

This is for the IWA: MS tag titles, that the Wildcards don’t seem to have with them despite being the champions. Zero looks in really good shape here, looking tough rather than just portly. Storm is the weak link of the match, attacking the Wildcards almost exclusively with armdrag variations, and he works the majority of the match (albeit as face-in-peril). The Wildcards are amusingly loud here, and I liked them taking control with a blind tag, Kingston kicking Storm in the face as he ducks a Marciano leapfrog. Kingston choking Storm with a towel as he runs the ropes looks nicely violent, almost like he was trying to pull his head off. Zero gets the hot tag, him and Storm nailing a sloppy looking double team cutter, before we get a melee of all four men in the ring. In all this, Storm gets popped with a loaded fist and rolled up with a handful of tights for the win.

Din Mak vs Matt Bomboy

These are two local guys and, whilst they’ve obviously worked together a few times, this was an enjoyable little match. Bomboy is confusing, he seems to be working a faux-MMA gimmick but decides to pop off a springboard armdrag as one of his first moves. Mak is a masked guy, and he’s got a few nice bits. Liked his stiff kick that blasts Bomboy and he hits a big apron legdrop from the top rope. Bomboy also has some stiff offence, but Mak’s comeback is frustrating as it just comes from nowhere. He’s getting beaten up, then decides he wants to go back on offence. Bomboy hits a final cut and pulls the ropes to get the win.

Gran Akuma vs Sharecropper

Sharecropper is pretty decent for a green guy, and he keeps up with Akuma pretty well here. He lays his stuff in nicely, doesn’t look lost at any point and has a nice reversal of a wheelbarrow into a face plant. He also adds nice little touches, like using his hand to cover the mouth of the masked Akuma during a pin attempt. Sharecropper is a tall guy, so it looks even more impressive when Akuma gets him up for a sitout powerbomb. An Akuma spinebuster looks a bit sloppy, before he gets a win with a decent top rope legdrop. This was solid.

Larry Sweeney, Hallowicked & Claudio Castagnoli vs Mike Quackenbush, Icarus & Jigaw

Fun, if inessential, main event. Enjoyed the early feeling out processes, as all six guys do some nice matwork and bits of one-upmanship. Things quicken a bit as the technico team go through a series of quick tags, working over the heel team with some fun double-and-triple teams. The heels bump and stooge about nicely (Sweeney sells an inverted atomic drop by demanding a timeout as Quackenbush has injured “my weenie”), with Hallowicked taking 2-3 nutty bumps in the space of a minute. The heels then isolate first Icarus and then Jigsaw, with a goofy triple team crossface on Icarus standing out. There’s a nice triple dive by the faces, though Hallowicked is horrifically out of place resulting in him awkwardly having to wander into place. Icarus doesn’t fare well on a split legged moonsault, first slipping on the ropes, then hitting it poorly, crashing mainly his legs into his opponent. The end is pretty nice and gives Jigsaw his revenge for the final of the Young Lions cup – Quack and Icarus lock abdominal stretches on Claudio and Hallowicked, allowing Jigsaw to nail the Jig’N’Tonic on Sweeney for the three. Nothing you’ll remember in a week, but an enjoyable way to pass time.

CHIKARA Young Lions Cup II Night 2 2004

Qeenan Creed vs Chris Hero

This is to replace Jay Lethal, who has no-showed the event. Basic match, pretty inoffensive. Hero is pretty obviously the better wrestler, but Creed adds a few bits to the match with his heeling. Stalling to annoy the crowd, doing a quick pose before missing a corner charge – just little bits to add colour to the bout. His offence is basic, but well executed and, though it’s not a match you’ll remember for long, it’s fine. Hero wins with the Hero’s Welcome.

Sabian vs Jigsaw

This was a step up. Both guys are pretty good by this point, and achieve some nice looking sequences. Liked how even this was until Sabian took a chance with a big flip dive, which gave him control. He’s able to easily counter the Jig’N’Tonic into a bulldog in a nice sequence, and hits a big top rope elbow. You can tell they’re putting in a real effort here, some nice stiff shots by both, and they manage to get the small crowd really into the match. There’s one bad botch, where Jigsaw gets his feet caught on the rope on a plancha, and I liked Sabian having presence of mind to mock him to buy time for the ref to check Jigsaw over. There’s also an odd moment where Jigsaw sells having his nipples tweaked by poking the ref in the eye. That oddness aside, the end is pretty fun, as Jigsaw shows decent strength to catch a Sabian crossbody and transition it to the Jig’N’Tonic to win.

Eddie Kingston vs Blackjack Marciano

The Wildcards collide here. This is pretty long, but is also good fun. A lot of schtick to start, with Kingston demanding Marciano take a dive for him, only to Blackjack to roll him up for two. A load of stalling, with both guys mocking the way the other looks or celebrates hitting a move. Eventually, things get rolling, and it’s pretty good. Kingston in particular is happy to work stiff with his partner. Marciano also takes a big bump to the hard floor, landing with a splat. Kingston shows himself to be slightly better than Marciano at this point, a few things like a bad reverse slam don’t look good by Marciano. There’s a fun ending where both guys decide to walk out rather than wrestle in front of an undeserving audience, then suddenly both sprint back to try and get the other counted out, before a bridging pin wins it for Marciano.

Larry Sweeney vs Shane Storm

Truth be told, I was a little anxious heading into this one. Storm isn’t particularly impressing during these early shows and I didn’t know if Sweeney would be a guy to get a good match out of him. As it was, this was pretty fine. Sweeney slaps Storm early, and this seems to fire him up with his corner splashes actively looking good. Storm even hits a reasonable looking suicide dive. There’s a bit of poor refereeing work, as Sweeney’s henchmen mug Storm outside the ring in such a manner that you’d think it’d be impossible to ignore. Sweeney’s offence is pretty basic, but is well executed, so his heat section on Storm is perfectly fine. There’s a few sloppy moments in the match, most notably when Storm hits a shining wizard on his comeback and tries to pin Sweeney right up in the ropes, but nothing glaringly so, before Sweeney gets the roll up win off a distraction.

Chris Hero vs Gran Akuma

Good bit of storytelling this one, though the match definitely goes on a bit too long. Hero has recently started taking the training in the Chikara school, so there’s a sense of domination throughout as Hero tries to see what one of his students is able to offer against him. It feels like a competitive exhibition, as they work control sections on that mat, but Hero soon starts to build up his strikes and moves, striving to push Akuma to perform at the next level. Hero keeps laying in stiff sounding blows, and Akuma just about remains on his feet. Even when Akuma starts to fire back, Hero remains one step ahead and never really looks in danger of losing. Akuma gets the ropes after surviving the Hangman’s Clutch and gets a nearfall from a falcon arrow, before Hero pins him with the Hero’s Welcome. This does go just over 15 minutes, which is too long for the story, but the meat of this was really good.

Jigsaw vs Blackjack Marciano

Pretty straightforward win for Jigsaw, thought it might be a bit more competitive. Marciano shoves Jigsaw to the floor at the bell, causing a big bump, but Jigsaw isn’t fazed for long and soon is in control, hitting a big cannonball from the top to the floor. You can see just how good Jigsaw was getting by this point, as all his strikes look on point. Real vicious looking kicks. Jigsaw hits a neat leap up rana from the top rope, puts Marciano in a tree of woe for a coast-to-coast dropkick and hits the Jig’N’Tonic to win. Pretty much a squash.

Chris Hero vs Larry Sweeney

Hero gets mugged by Sweeney’s henchmen at the outset, but is still able to put up a fight in the ring. That is, until Sweeney hits him with a foreign object to get the win barely 2 minutes in. It’s the only way you’d really buy Hero losing, and it gives Sweeney a freshness advantage for the final, so it makes sense.

Icarus, Mr Zero & Jolly Roger vs Share Cropper, Mano Metalico & Crossbones

2/3 falls match designed to put over Sweeney’s stable of goons. Share Cropper stands out as the most polished of the three, with a nice bridge on a Northern Lights suplex and moving really well in the ring. Metalico is working a gimmick where is right hand is really solid (and it’s at this point I realised his name translates to “Metal hands”, so that makes sense), and is a big guy. Zero takes most of the heat, as well as making one of his key spots – reading the paper whilst holding a Camel Clutch – look like shit by applying it so sloppily. They bravely give the heels a 2-0 win with the falls, winning the first by dogpiling Zero after a big blow by Metalico, and then winning the second by pinning Icarus following a low blow by Crossbones.

Larry Sweeney vs Jigsaw

This was a suitably decent final. Sweeney’s on top form here, stalling outside the ring, complaining that Jigsaw must have something in his hand after eating a hard chop, and beautifully nailing a shot with a foreign object over the refs shoulder. For his part, Jigsaw’s running knee in the corner looks terrific and he’s got some great timing on his comeback superkick. Again, Sweeney’s control is basic, but it’s effective in getting the crowd behind Jigsaw. Jigsaw does hit a sloppy looking top rope stomp that’s pretty poor. There’s a ref bump before Jigsaw hits Jig’N’Tonic, before his former tag partner Rorschach comes in and nails him with a superkick, with Sweeney hitting a piledriver to get the win. They pretty much made Sweeney in one weekend here, whole tournament worked wonders in getting him over.

CHIKARA Young Lions Cup II Night 1 2004

Ash vs Shane Storm

This was awful. Everything about it felt disjointed and clumsy, especially in the performance of Storm. He sets a bad tone by going down too early on a neckbreaker and is constantly out of position. Ash tries hard here, liked his running knees to the corner and his trio of sentons, but Storm is so bad. They blow a collision spot, before Storm hits a Shining Wizard to advance. At this point, Storm needed to stick with working guys he’s trained with, as he looked so lost in this one.

Larry Sweeney vs DJ Skittlez

This is probably the best Skittlez match I’ve seen, mainly because it comes across as a Poundland version of a Ric Flair vs Sting match. Sweeney (who was accompanied by 3 unnamed henchmen) controlled the match, with Skittlez making comebacks, and did some fun basic heel shtick – begging off before a poke to the eye, pinfalls with feet on the ropes and distracting the ref to allow his henchmen (who were no Anderson or Blanchard) to beat up Skittlez. Sweeney’s execution isn’t perfect, but he’s a magnetic personality already. To further the Flair/Sting allusion, Skittlez hits a nice Stinger Splash, a decent top rope clothesline, catches Sweeney on the top rope to slam him off and hits an inverted DDT. That has to be deliberate, right? He does botch a spinning slam, but his diving clothesline over the top rope to wipe out Sweeney’s goons looked great. However, a distracted ref allows one of them to come in, nail him with a chokeslam, and Sweeney picks up the victory. This was fine.

Spider vs Gran Akuma

Spider is just a normal looking guy, but he hits a big dive to the floor as Akuma makes his entrance to grab some attention. Quite a decent showcase for Spider here, as he seems happy to commit to taking bumps, both on moves taken and moves given, leaping off the mat as he delivers a swinging neckbreaker. Aside from one awkward flub, he doesn’t botch anything, though he does have a goofy way of selling some early strikes. Akuma looks good too, loved the big spinebuster he hits. There is a lack of transition to offence from both guys though, as if a switch has flicked and it’s the guy in perils time to go on the attack. Akuma finishes it with a slingshot powerbomb and complicated submission, and this was better than I expected.

Arik Cannon vs Jay Lethal

For two more experienced guys, this wasn’t particularly great and had a pretty ugly ending. Not as ugly as Cannon’s ring gear, which is terrible pleather binbag gear. The structure here was pretty weak, with Cannon basically dominating 75% of the match before Lethal just decided to go on offence. Cannon’s stuff looks good though, and there appears to be a focus on Lethal’s back. I mean, Lethal never sells his back as hurting, but Cannon hits a big spinebuster, a knee to the spine and a back-cracker in quick succession, so at least there’s intent. Cannon also drops a vicious knee across Lethal’s throat. Then, after hitting 2 suplexes, a third is blocked and Lethal just takes over. Simple as that. Then, the sudden ending. Cannon runs into a Lethal back elbow, and this seems to knock him spark out. Lethal takes ages to cover him, Bryce Remsburg only counts two, then realises Cannon aint getting up, so counts three.

Mike Quackenbush, Mister Zero & Icarus vs Skayde, Ultramantis Black & Hallowicked

Fun trio match to break up the tournament. This is 2/3 falls, but seeing as how the whole match goes 10 minutes, they could just have made it one fall to a finish. This is as fast-paced and action-packed as you’d expect, with lucha tag rules meaning there’s no resting. Loved the Skayde/Quack section at the start to lead to a sweet Quack dive, and Ultramantis takes the Hamrick bump to a matless floor, which had to hurt. The rudos win the first fall with a Black/Hallowicked slingshot/big boot combo on Icarus. The heat is maintained on Icarus in the second fall, until a fun spot where the rudos keep hitting a triple team move, only to let the technico out and having to repeat the spot on his replacement. This obviously end with Quack being the last technico involved and reversing the move. A trip on Hallowicked is followed by stacking Skayde in a submission on top of him for the equalising fall. The third fall fair breezes by, though Skayde looks pretty sloppy throughout it. He seems to stumble his way through a sequence with Quack, before rolling him in a crucifix to win the match for the rudos.

American Gigolo vs Anton Arakis

No idea who Arakis is, but he doesn’t impress here. He moves really oddly, and his standing moonsault looks naff. In contrast, Gigolo seems to be working hard here, a few stiff strikes and some nifty work on the mat, tangling up Arakis’ legs, help carry the match. He also eats turnbuckle on a missed splash with gusto. Gigolo gets the rope-assisted pin after Arakis misses a top rope legdrop

Eddie Kingston vs Jolly Roger

Probably the best Roger match I’ve seen to date, mainly because Kingston really forces him out of his comfort zone. Kingston is vicious here, chopping nastily in the corner, hitting double-foot stomps and nailing a tough Yakuza kick in the corner. Roger seems to be aware of the risk of being eaten up, so fires back with his own nice blows, and gets great height on his own stomps. A top rope cutter is a bit clumsy still, and Walk The Plank is a move that never looks good, but I liked his big dive to the floor. Still, Kingston rightly wins, kicking ref Bryce Remsburg into the ropes as Roger goes to the top, and nailing a top rope exploder to pick up victory.

Blackjack Marciano vs Jimmy Jacobs

Marciano is so much fun as a stooging heel here, really playing up to the antics of Jacobs (who was in full “Barbaric Berserker” mode here). Loved him heelishly putting Jacobs on the top rope, then doing a muscle pose despite his entirely average body. Marciano initially outwrestles Jacobs, so Jacobs retorts by biting him on the arse. Marciano is a lot of fun in control, posturing and showing off, and I like how Jacobs’ comeback wasn’t just due to his speed, but also because he was striking Marciano pretty stiffly. A big boot to the face looked great. The end sees Jacobs try the Contra Code, but Blackjack stops it and nails a reverse powerslam to win. All good stuff.

Sabian vs Niles Young

These guys both come from the CZW wrestling school, and you can tell by the early going, which is all pretty slick in a “we’ve practised this every week in training” kind of way. Sabian decides to focus on Young’s spine, hitting a dropkick to the back, followed by a rolling senton and a penalty kick all to the spine. I loved Sabian’s smarts when, after getting locked in a half grab, he pulls at Bryce Remsburg to pull himself to the ropes for a break. Sabian hits a dropkick to Young’s face so nasty it earns applause. A back-cracker and a sweet looking straitjacket Camel Clutch give Sabian the win.

Jigsaw vs Rorschach

Big sign of Quack’s faith in Jigsaw, as he gets the main event and against a guy who’s been pretty unimpressive in previous shows. One of the fun things about watching CHIKARA from the start is seeing the guys who evolve quicker than others. At first, these two guys felt very similar, thanks to their near identical look, but before the bell rings, you can see Jigsaw has better poise, a better looking physique and better gear, showing an improvement. Here, he works a pretty decent match and Rorschach has never looked better. This is leagues ahead of the Jolly Roger stinker from a few shows previous. Both guys bump big, Jigsaw eating an overhead suplex to the corner and tumbling to the floor, whilst Rorschach takes a nasty spill to floor from the top. Both guys also take big dives, which were impressive. They even get perfect timing on Jigsaw springboarding into the ring, and into a dropkick from Rorschach. Not everything looks good – we’ll not talk about Jigsaw’s twisting moonsault that barely touches Rorschach – but this was a good main event with a great ending, as Jigsaw hits a middle-rope Jig’N’Tonic to definitively put away Rorschach.

CHIKARA Pick Up Or Delivery 2004

Jolly Roger vs Darkness Crabtree

This is the best I’ve seen Roger look so far, and he takes a nasty bump to the unpadded floor to further impress. Crabtree’s old man gimmick actually enhances the match as it means he has to use basic heel offence. Rather than hitting a load of moves like the terrible Rorschach match the previous month, Crabtree uses chokes and back rakes, giving Roger something to fight back from. A rana ends a quick bout for Roger, and I didn’t hate this.

Ash vs Cady 45

These two are from the Squared Circle promotion from Canada. Unlike the previous month, where Sabian and Joker came in and totally stole the show, these two are a bit less impressive. They kick off with a competently worked series of counters and armdrags, which suggests these two work together regularly. Cady seems to botch a flip dropkick in the corner, and Ash, to his credit, instantly pounces to take control. Ash’s heel control is pretty decent, liked his running punt to the ribs and little touches like grinding his forearm into the back of Cady’s head. Cady doesn’t offer much, apart from jumping really high on a Rough Ryder. Ash rolls through a crossbody and grabs a handful of tights for the win.

Sabian & Joker vs Ultramantis & Mr ZERO

Joker and ZERO kick this off with a really fun mat section, and I dug them battling for superiority for a headlock. Ultramantis and Sabian were a bit less smooth, with some move chaining looking a little clunky. The key story point of the match sees Ultramantis put a submission hold on Sabian, but ZERO comes in to show him something in a newspaper, which costs Ultramantis the submission. The CZW boys attack and take over on ZERO. Some nasty looking running kicks in the corner. There are a couple of moments of miscommunication, but the heat on ZERO is suitably nasty. Just horrible little touches like Joker trying to bite ZERO’s mask off, or Sabian picking his nose and rubbing it on the painted mouth of ZERO. Just stuff that makes you want to see ZERO make the hot tag. He finally gets it….only for Ultramantis to turn on him with a snapmere driver and leave him prone for a Sabian senton for the win. This was the birth of Ultramantis Black and, though the turn was obvious given the tension between the two, it was still well executed.

Hallowicked vs Shane Storm

This is the weakest match on the show, and it took me 3 goes not to fall asleep when watching it. Hallowicked tries, but Storm is really green (think this was his second match). His timing is off on a corner charge and though Hallowicked hits a nice big boot to the head, this isn’t great. The end sees Hallowicked miss a swanton and Storm hits a shitty Emerald Frosion to win.

Hornet vs Extremo

Two more Squared Circle guys. Extremo is in decent shape, but Hornet looks so bushleague, even down to his stupid tights. This is just a match, nothing terrible but nothing great either. I liked Extremo ducking a crossbody by arching backwards and Hornet did an interesting hiptoss into an armbar. On the other hand, Hornet takes a terribly rehearsed tumble over the top on a missed corner charge, and Extremo barely touches Hornet on a moonsault. The end sees Extremo win with a victory roll.

The Wildcards vs Gran Akuma & Icarus

This is no DQ, triggered by the Wildcards stealing Akuma’s mask previously. This doesn’t go long, but is plenty of fun. Kingston throws some meaty looking forearms, and I love the fact they unmask Akuma for the second time, which leaves him on the floor covering his face. This means the Wildcards can isolate Icarus in the ring, beating him 2-on-1. Mike Quackenbush rushes out to bring Akuma another mask, and he returns to the ring a house on fire. This doesn’t last long, before Kingston kicks him in the back as he tries a suplex, causing Marciano to land on top for the Wildcards win. This in turn triggers another huge brawl that goes all around the venue and sees the Wildcards thrown out through the side door. Fun stuff all round.

Phantasmo vs DJ Skittlez

This was pretty rough, as neither guy is much cop in the ring. Phantasmo is billed as a luchador, but is so totally unlucha, bar his wearing a mask. Skittlez does seem to be incredibly strong, but doesn’t do anything with it. I did like Skittlez hitting a big suicide dive, but the most memorable thing about the match is Phantasmo somehow losing his mask as he tries to put Skittlez on the top rope, and the match awkwardly stopping as he puts it back on. The end sees Phantasmo casually walk out of the way of a corner charge, but get caught with a Skittlez backslide for the win.

Mike Quackenbush vs Jigsaw

This is a lumberjack match, with 5 of Quack’s titles on the line. Really enjoyed this, thought Quack was terrific and worked a really good match with a guy who’s decent but still green. For his part, Jigsaw held up his end well, but you know he probably wouldn’t be able to have a match this good with someone who isn’t on Quack’s level. Loved the early mat stuff, with Quack finding quirky new ways to apply a headlock, just to show his superiority. Nice to see Jigsaw not looking outclassed as Quackenbush starts to up the pace. Jigsaw has looked a step above the other CHIKARA students in previous shows, and you suspect the others wouldn’t be able to keep this looking competitive. Dug the fun use of the lumberjack stip, as Jigsaw pushes Quack off the apron, only for the lumberjacks to catch him and bounce him back into the ring ready to fight. Quack logically shouldn’t be giving up large parts of a match to a rookie wrestler he’s trained, so him clotheslining the ringpost gives a realistic opening for Jigsaw to attack and take control. All Jigsaw’s armwork looks good too, and it plays into his control as he uses it as a shortcut to stop Quack’s comebacks, and it helps him escape when Quack can’t support his weight on lifts. The end sees Quack finally lift Jigsaw and hit a cross-legged tombstone, only for the Wildcards to return and cause a DQ. Really good match, and real proof of how good Quack was as a wrestler.

CHIKARA Kids Eat Free On Tuesday 2004

Phantasmo & Darkness Crabtree vs Private Eye & Shane Storm

Basic comedy match, worked very simply due to the inexperience of the guys involved. Private Eye’s mask seems to be a big papier mache eyeball, and as such he seems very hesitant of damaging it, not taking any bumps. The highlight of the bout is probably Crabtree using his cardigan to hit a pedigree, otherwise very forgettable. Storm wins with a sunset flip.

Joker vs Sabian

Imported CZW match here, and a really fun one. You can tell these guys have spent a lot of time training together as this was a really smooth match. Loved the opening battle of wristlocks, especially as both made a concerted effort to prevent the other guy getting to the ropes. Joker gets a backbreaker early and focuses his attack on the back, locking in a surfboard and hitting a nasty looking Shock Treatment. This is a bit more vicious than previous matches I’ve seen in CHIKARA, some real intensity on their slaps and running kicks in the corner, especially the Sabian dropkick to the head that sends Joker to the floor. There’s a really nice nearfall as Sabian reverses a Joker Driver attempt to a victory roll, but Joker then hits the Joker Driver for real to win. Really dug this.

Gauntlet Match:

Mr ZERO vs John Brooks

The winner of this gauntlet will challenge Mike Quackenbush for four titles he holds at the end show, which Quack kinda arrogantly shows off before the match. I dug Brooks here, he’s a stocky looking power guy, and he looks decent working over ZERO’s leg after a nice dragon screw. It’s not the most exciting match, but it’s logical and I loved the fluidity of Brooks going from a drop toehold to a Texas Cloverleaf. ZERO ends up winning with something that doesn’t look too good.

Mr ZERO vs Ultramantis

Though ostensibly partners, Ultramantis attacks ZERO’s leg from behind to start and continues this assault. Ultramantis locks on a figure four and holds the ropes to earn the submission

Ultramantis vs Fumar Dos

Dos has the most bush-league look, plain black mask, black t-shirt, terrible binbag trousers. He’s also not very good, with his brief run of offence looking sloppy. Ultramantis takes him out on the floor, suplexes him and rolls him inside for a DVD to win

Ultramantis vs DJ Skittlez

Very brief, though Skittlez finds time to hit a very shitty flying headscissors before a facebuster slam gets 3

DJ Skittlez vs Jigsaw

Ultramantis attacks Skittlez before Jigsaw even gets to the ring, pushing him off the ringpost to the floor. Skittlez responds to this by not selling his disadvantage during the match, and they just have a long bout instead. Even when Skittlez hits his head on the ringpost early on due to a missed corner splash, it doesn’t affect how the match proceeds. Really odd. Jigsaw looked really good here, and I loved his leaping knee to the face in the corner. In contract, Skittlez offence looks really weak – his sitdown slam where he gently places Jigsaw on the match is particularly poor. At one point, he catches Jigsaw on a suicide dive, which is pretty impressive, then just places him back in the ring. It’s like he has no idea how to structure a bout. Obviously, these guys are rookies, but Skittlez is several levels below Jigsaw here. Jigsaw seems to get how to build a match, spending time yelling at the fans before missing a high risk move, giving Skittlez realistic time to recover. The end sees Jigsaw nails an enzuigiri and the Jig’N’Tonic to win.

Jolly Roger vs Rorschach

Honestly, this bout seems like it lasts forever. The initial stages see some terrible work by Roger, slipping on a springboard armdrag and barely bridging on a deathlock attempt. I appreciate that Rorschach at least tries to keep up his heel role, mainly choking and clubbing on Roger, but it devolves to the point of just guys hitting moves that don’t seem to end the bout. Not even well executed moves, with this terrible wheelbarrow slam looking rubbish on the part of both men. They’ve simply been given too long for guys of their experience and they just fill it with move after move with no sense of structure. A running Tomikaze only gets 2 for Roger, but he wins with a rubbish looking flipping cradle from the second rope, despite Rorschach having his shoulder up when the ref started counting. This was wretched.

Hallowicked & the Wildcards vs Mike Quackenbush, Gran Akuma & Icarus

6 man elimination match here, but rather bizarrely there are no eliminations for nearly 30 minutes then they all come at once in a 5 minute spell. The opening stages are really fun, worked primarily on the mat. There’s a really fun section with Quack and Hallowicked battling over a groin hold, and Eddie Kingston’s trash talking is really on point. Also loved the big convoluted submission with 5 guys locking on holds, then Kingston not joining in (in favour of just booting Quack in the face). Crucially, unlike the previous match, it doesn’t feel like moves just for the sake of killing time and it remains entertaining. The turning point of the mat comes when Icarus hits a suicide dive on a Wildcard, and they go flying into a small child at ringside. Though Quack keeps working in ring, you can see Icarus talking to the child who ultimately ends up leaving with his mum. It seems to take the wind out of the crowd, and even Kingston helpfully yelling “Fucking kid will be fine” doesn’t make things better. It also seems to distract the guys in the ring, as things get lost for a little bit. Ultimately, after some compelling heat on Icarus and Akuma (with the rudos trying to unmask Akuma), the crowd get back into it. And then….the eliminations. Quack takes Blackjack Marciano out with a crucifix for 3. Quack gets pinned following an enzuigiri by an interfering Jigsaw. A terrible Kingston moonsault takes out Icarus. A roll up by Akuma on Hallowicked takes him out, leaving it 1-on-1. Kingston then removes Akuma’s mask to get disqualified, ending a rather odd 5 minute spell. I liked this for the most part, though it was pointless making it elimination, as the numbers difference was never exploited or part of the story. They also did well to recover both the crowd and the match after the child injury.