The CHIKARA Special 01.09.10: 2009 Readers Digest

Now a days it seems for an independent wrestling company to become hot in the United States, it needs one of the following: 1) Fantastic matches that people rave about, 2) Storylines and angles that surprise fans and make them interested in what’s going on, and 3) To keep their cards and rosters fresh. CHIKARA successfully had all three in 2009, which some would call their best year ever.

The Donsters carried on with their own affairs, teaming with one another here and there. Donst was visibly displeased with Hydra when he cost their team a tag match with 2.0. at “Aniversario Yang”. Cooler heads prevailed in the end. However, Hydra and Donst were matched up against one another in a first round match at the Young Lions Cup tournament. Hydra scored the pinfall on Donst ala Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at Survivor Series 1996. The two teamed up in a six man tag match with Cloudy on Night 3 of the Young Lions Cup, and lost when Dasher Hatfield the Grand Slam off the top rope. A fed up Donst beat up Hydra after the match, effectively ending the Sea Donsters team.

Donst said that Hydra had help him back the entire time they were together, and couldn’t believe Hydra wouldn’t let him get past the Young Lions Cup first round. The two met again in September where Donst absolutely destroyed Hydra. The next night, during a ceremony in which Jeff Costa was awarded with a Champions of Charity plaque by Leonard F. Chikarason, Steve Weiner, and Hydra, Donst hit the ring and again attacked Donst. Donst’s attack got him suspended from CHIKARA for 30 days. It was clear that Hydra and Donst couldn’t remain in the company together for much longer. Hydra challenged Donst to a “Loser Leaves CHIKARA” match at “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away”. As you would expect, the fans were going absolutely nuts for Hydra when he came out. Fans chanted his name, held up signs, and roared for the man monster (one fan even asked via sign if Hydra would go to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance with her). Hydra and Donst had a match where they laid into each other, and Hydra busted out some stuff you don’t see too often from him, such as the face-wash to Donst while Donst was seated in a chair.

Hydra fought hard, kicking out after Donst gave him five consecutive gut-wrench suplexes and a delayed vertical suplex. Hydra applied his Hydralock, but Donst low blowed him behind the referee’s back and pinned Hydra for three. The man monster had laid it all on the line, and sadly it didn’t work out. However, he…”gave a speech” thanking the CHIKARA fans on his way out.

4. Team F.I.S.T. wins the 2009 King of Trios tournament

2008 was not the best year for F.I.S.T. They lost the King of Trios tournament, failed to recapture the Campeonatos de Parejas, Icarus lost the La Lotería Letal with Ultimo Breakfast, and they lost the Tag World Grand Prix. In December of 2008, the three came back to being a functioning trio when they had dominated in two trios matches the weekend of the season finale. Icarus and Akuma opened the 2009 season by defeating Helios and Lince Dorado. F.I.S.T qualified for the King of Trios tournament by defeating the Colony and retiring Worker Ant in the process. F.I.S.T. proclaimed to be the most dangerous trio in CHIKARA, and this was the first step.

On Night One of the tournament, F.I.S.T’s claim was put to the test as they squared off with the Deathmatch Kings (Necro Butcher, Toby Klein, & Brain Damage) in the first round. Although the DMK’s put a beating on them, F.I.S.T didn’t do a whole lot of backing down. Akuma challenged Necro Butcher to one of Necro’s famous punch offs where both men are sitting in chairs. F.I.S.T picked up the victory when Chuck Taylor pulled Toby Klein off the top rope and gave him a disgusting Awful Waffle. On Night 2, F.I.S.T. faced the F1RST Family of Arik Cannon and the Northstar Express. Although plenty of humor was played through the match, lots of fast and furious action was to be had. Darin Corbin countered Gran Akuma’s moonsault attempt into an Ace Crusher, with Cannon following up with the Glimmering Warlock. F.I.S.T was able to recover, and thank to Chuck’s Sole Food and a pedigree from Icarus, F.I.S.T moved onto Night 3.

On Night 3 they met the Future Is Now (Helios, Lince Dorado, & Equinox) in the semi-final round. While F.I.S.T brought everything they could, the Future Is Now held their own. Akuma kicked Equinox hard in the chest while Equinox had the CHIKARA Special locked in on Chuck. Equinox powered up and refused to release the submission. Helios came back with some impressive dives and crushed Icarus with a 630 splash. The splash was so impactful that Icarus began screaming and grabbing his gut on the mat. Everyone in the match stopped to see what happened. Chuck came from behind to give Helios a low blow, then give him the Awful Waffle to send F.I.S.T. to the finals to face Team Uppercut. Some consider F.I.S.T. vs. The Future Is Now as one of the best matches of the entire weekend.

What started a mere chop block from Grizzly Redwood turned into the story of the weekend: Bryan Danielson’s leg. Every match that Team Uppercut was involved in all weekend, the opposing team would go to work on Bryan Danielson’s leg leaving Bryan vulnerable by the team the finals occurred. F.I.S.T. knew this, and jumped Team Uppercut as they were making their entrance. They wasted no time isolating Bryan Danielson from the rest of his team and continuing to soften up his leg. Although Team Uppercut made quite the comeback, Chuck Taylor locked a Cross Crab onto Danielson’s bad leg and that was all she wrote.

F.I.S.T fulfilled their promise, won the tournament, and proved how tough they were.

3. Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli demand each others respect

Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston are two wrestlers beloved by the CHIKARA faithful. There’s something about Eddie’s raw honesty, personality, and way he conveys his attitude to the fans that draw the fans in. His hard hitting boxing-influenced style of striking, with some Japanese style wrestling thrown makes Eddie’s prowess unique. Claudio is a man who rarely disappoints in the ring. A guy who is so good that he rarely gets the credit he truly deserves, Claudio had a fantastic 2009 in CHIKARA. Claudio and Eddie had met back in March 2007 with Claudio defeating Eddie, and met once again in November of 2008 with the same result. The next time these two would cross paths was in the first round of the King of Trios tournament when Claudio’s Team Uppercut (Dave Taylor and Bryan Danielson) took on Eddie’s Roughnecks (Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood). Eddie went from making it to the finals of the 2008 King of Trios tournament, to not making it past the first round, when Bryan Danielson forced Grizzly Redwood to submit to the Cattle Mutilation.
Kingston mentioned that he felt embarrassed by Claudio for the defeats he suffered at his hands and wanted another shot at Claudio at Aniversario Yang. This match ended with Eddie escaping the Ricola Bomb and rolling up Claudio in La Magistral for the win. Claudio wasn’t satisfied with the victory and demanded a rematch.

They met one more time at Young Lions Cup VII. Eddie blasted Claudio with the Backfist to the Future and the Backdrop Driver, so Claudio smartly rolled to the floor. Eddie missed a dive to the floor, and Claudio made it back in the ring. Eddie got counted out and Claudio won. Claudio posted a blog stating that he felt as if he had lost his step in 2009, losing to Vin Gerard and Eddie Kingston on back-to-back nights in May. Claudio also noted that he didn’t like that his “win” over Kingston was marred with controversy and wished to settle the feud and end the year 2009 on a high note by facing Kingston one last time at Three-Fisted Tales. This time, the loser would have to tell the winner that they respect them.

At Three-Fisted Tales, both men came at it right out of the gate. Neither man backed down taking whatever the other had. Claudio barely budged when nailed with a backfist from Kingston. Kingston kicked out at one when Claudio nailed him with the Ricola Bomb and out of two gut-wrench German suplexes (including one from the top rope). Their match had the fans going ballistic and brought out the absolute best in both men. Claudio finally got his solace by hitting a bicycle knee strike and a rolling European uppercut.

After the match, Kingston refused to say he respected Claudio, and that it took Claudio had to beat Kingston. Kingston said while Claudio has the fans fooled, but he knows that both Claudio and his partner are shady, dirty people who don’t reserve the respect of anyone. Kingston walked away, and as Claudio tried to stop him, Kingston turned around and delivered a backfist to Claudio. Kingston walked away pointing at Claudio and saying “I know you”, leading us to believe that Kingston knew what was to come (see #1).

2. The Colony and F.I.S.T. tear into each other

The Colony and F.I.S.T feud has been going on since 2008, but it really heated up in 2009. Season 7 (2008) opened with Fire Ant & Soldier Ant defeating Gran Akuma & Icarus. The Colony followed up by defeating F.I.S.T. in the 2008 King of Trios tournament. A pissed off F.I.S.T. got some semblance of revenge when they beat the Colony at Aniversarioct in a trios rematch. It didn’t stop their; throughout the course of the year, F.I.S.T and The Colony would meet in Atomicos, singles, and tag matches with varying results. F.I.S.T. left 2008 calling themselves “the most dangerous trio in CHIKARA” and were looking for a significant event to validate this claim.

The moment came in February at “If The Airplane…” when it was announced that The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, & Worker Ant) would take on F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Gran Akuma, & Chuck Taylor) with the winner getting entry into the 2009 King of Trios tournament. F.I.S.T. jumped The Colony during their entrance and decided to isolate Worker Ant, concentrating on doing damage to his head. F.I.S.T got the win over The Colony, but that wasn’t enough. F.I.S.T. sent a message when Chuck Taylor gave Worker Ant the Awful Waffle (an Omega Driver) on the wooden floor. All the damage done to Worker Ant would force Worker Ant to retire.

The very next night, Icarus and Chuck Taylor took on Fire Ant and Soldier Ant. A brawl ensued, with both teams beating the tar out of one another. In the end, Icarus pulled off Soldier Ant’s mask, causing Fire Ant to low blow Icarus, causing Chuck Taylor to low blow Fire Ant and attempt to pull his mask off. The two teams would meet again in April, with similar results. Icarus feigned a foul, falling to the mat and grabbing his crotch. Ironically, this allowed Chuck to low blow Soldier Ant and lock in the heel hook for the win. Chuck attempted to unmask Soldier Ant after the match but to no avail. With the two teams in a brawl, Leonard F. Chikarason came out to stop them. Chuck said that F.I.S.T. and The Colony have been going at it for months with F.I.S.T. always coming out on top. The only thing left to take, Chuck says, was their masks.

Fire Ant said they wanted F.I.S.T’s hair, and thus a Lucha de Apuesta pitting F.I.S.T’s hair vs. The Colony’s masks booked for CHIKARA’s Aniversario weekend.

I’ll spare you the details on the Hair vs. Mask match, but if you want the full rundown, check out the review on my blog. Needless to say, this was the best match in CHIKARA in 2009 for sure. Both teams absolutely brought everything they had leaving the fans bewildered (positively) and on the edge of their seats. If you don’t own this DVD, I highly recommend purchasing it. This match helped elevate The Colony on their quest to finally win the Campeonatos de Parejas from The Osirian Portal in September. Isn’t it fantastic that their first defense in 2010 is against Icarus & Gran Akuma, the same two men they opened 2008 with? Great stuff all around.

1. All Roads lead to The Brüderschaft (Eye of Tyr)

At the end of 2008, Hydra showed his then partner Tim Donst a piece of paper that read “Eye of Tyr”, as an answer to why Mantis was acting sostrange. Donst dismissed this, not knowing what it meant. A man who didn’t dismiss it however was Mike Quackenbush. Mike found out that it was Mantis who had traded a win to Shane Storm over Hydra for the reversal to the CHIKARA Special. Why did Mantis want it? Apparently for the Eye of Tyr. In a tag team match in January, Quackenbush stretched and bullied Mantis until Mantis admitted it was CHIKAR A Commissioner Bob Saget that wanted the CHIKARA Special reversal.

Here’s how the line of trade works: Shane Storm taught the reversal of the CHIKARA Special to Ultramantis Black. In return, Mantis hypnotized Hydra so that Shane Storm could pin him in a singles match back in November of 2007. Mantis gave the CHIKARA Special to Commissioner Saget so that Saget could teach it to Chris Hero. Since Saget taught the move to Hero, Hero gave Saget permission to give his CHIKARA contract to Ultramantis Black. Mantis then traded Chris Hero’s contract to Dr. Cube for the Eye of Tyr. Got it? Good.

What is the Eye of Tyr? Here’s an explanation straight from the ISRPPA’s website: ” The Eye of Tyr, named for Týr the Norse god of combat and war, has often been mentioned in ancient Viking manuscripts. Long thought to be simply a legend of mythology, the Eye, whose exact origins are still unknown, was believed to give unique powers to only those who possessed it. These powers, said to have been given as a gift from Tyr himself, allowed the holder to “control” another individual simply by touching the stone to the forehead (hence, “the third eye”). The translated journals of several Norse explorers, merchants, and pirates, however, also suggest that unless the Eye is given away upon use or if it is obtained through theft or other nefarious means, the holder will be befallen by bad luck or tragedy. The current whereabouts of this artifact are unknown. Held for many years in the private collection of an unidentified family, it was stolen sometime in the mid 1980’s. It turned up at an auction in a neutral country in 1990, and has changed hands between private collectors at least three times since. Due to the unusually mysterious history of this artifact, the ISRPPA has made it a priority to locate.”

The Order had been desperately looking for a new member since Hydra left them. In February, the Order had try-outs with Pinkie Sanchez and Sami Callihan. The Order lost both matches Pinkie and Sami were involved in, and so Mantis and Crossbones beat them up and left them laying. Mantis used the powers of the Eye to brainwash Delirious, the teammate of Mantis’ old comrade Hallowicked. Hallowicked left Mantis’ side in early 2006 and began teaming full time with Delirious. Delirious and Hallowicked were randomly paired up at the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix since Ultramantis Black was injured and could not compete. Since then, Hallowicked and Delirious became one of the best teams in CHIKARA, even winning the Campeonatos de Parejas back in 2007 (and holding them to September 2008). Delirious was now a member of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, bringing the group back to a trio. The new trio dominated in their debut weekend with Delirious beating Arik Cannon and the trio as a whole defeating the Super Smash Bros. and Create-A-Wrestler. The weak chink in the armor was Crossbones, who took the fall in a Trios match to the Colony, upsetting Mantis.

A couple strange things happened in the mean time. A masked man in a trench coat appeared in the crowd during Aniversario Yang. Many suspected he was a detective from the ISRPPA looking for Ultramantis and the Eye of Tyr. The masked man would reemerge as a contestant in the Young Lions Cup, and revealed to be a robotic-like character named Vökoder. Vökoder ran through many men in the Young Lions Cup, but ultimately got eliminated in the semi-final elimination match. Due to Tim Donst and 2.0 ruining CHIKARA’s Charity Award celebration at September’s “Hiding In Plain Sight”, Donst’s match with Vökoder was cancelled. Vökoder would help the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple will their match against The Colony at “Throwing Life’s Instructions Away”, and was shooed away by Leonard F. Chikarason at “Cibernetico Increible”.

In the meantime, another wrestler had debuted at “Aniversario Yang”. Carpenter Ant made his debut, helping out Fire Ant and Soldier Ant in their big Masks vs. Hair match. As Gran Akuma looked to run in, Carpenter Ant stopped him to keep the fight fair. Carpenter Ant wouldn’t appear again until the Young Lions Cup, where he faced off in the first round to fellow Colony partner Soldier Ant. Soldier Ant would defeat Carpenter Ant, but Carpenter shook hands and knew Soldier Ant did what he had do. At “Hiding In Plain Sight”, Carpenter told Green Ant that that night would be the beginning of the Colony’s dominance. Sure enough, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant defeated The Osirian Portal for the Campeones de Parejas. It was Carpenter Ant’s prognostication, coupled with some hints in the CHIKARA comic books, that led fans to believe that he (and perhaps Vökoder) were from the future. Carpenter Ant mysteriously gazed at Ultramantis Black’s staff that he carries ringside when he and Green Ant took on Mantis and Crossbones in October. The next night, Carpenter Ant shocked the world when he won the 6th annual Torneo Cibernetico by defeating Soldier Ant with the reverse CHIKARA Special. When asked by Mike Quackenbush how he learned this move, Carpenter Ant said that Mike would be surprised at what he knows.

A man in white posted a video confronting Ultramantis Black on his website, going under the letters “BDK”. Mantis blew off the man in white as nothing more than a ruse. Another video was posted, and at Night Three of the Young Lions Cup, the man in white emerged in person with a box. He presented the box to Mantis with a note that said “THE WAR IS COMING” inside. Mantis began to fret, but with Crossbones and Delirious at his side, no harm could be done. Mantis even befriended Vökoder to assist him in the war. The man in white returned at “Cibernetico Increible”, coming in with another taller, larger man in white. A frightened Mantis ran for the hills.

All of this came to a head at the conclusion of the “Three-Fisted Tales” show. After The Colony and Osirian Portal match in the main event, the two men in white kicked down the guardrail and came in the ring. Head trainers of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory Mike Quackenbush and Claudio Castagnoli got in the ring to confront them while other CHIKARA wrestlers surrounded the ring. The men in white asked for the man with the real power, pointing to Ultramantis Black who was up in the commentation station. Mantis handed the Eye of Tyr over to Vökoder for safe keeping as the entire Order and Vökoder came to the ring. One of the men in white unveiled to be Ares, and Claudio blasts Quack with an uppercut.

All hell breaks loose as Carpenter Ant beats on The Colony, Vökoder beats on Ultramantis Black, and Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze come out and beat on others. Ares, Claudio, and Tursas all got their licks in too. Those seven make a formation in the ring (Claudio, Ares, Tursas, Vökoder, Carpenter Ant, Sara Del Rey, and Daizee Haze). Carpenter Ant reveals himself to be Pinkie Sanchez (not so happy you beat him up in February, are you Ultramantis Black?) and Vökoder reveals himself to be Tim Donst. Together they make up the super group “Das Brüderschaft de Kreuzes”, or simply, The Brüderschaft. We enter 2010 wondering what The Brüderschaft is capable of and what war they’re going to bring to CHIKARA.

Top 5 Shows of the Year

5. King of Trios, Night 2 (March 28th, Philadelphia, PA)
It shouldn’t surprise you that one night of the largest tournament of the year makes the list. Much like last year’s tournament, Night 2 sticks out the most. For one, the Rey de Voladores tournament qualifying matches took place on this night. One of those matches is heralded by many as the best CHIKARA match of the year (Ibushi/Generico/Jigsaw/N. Jackson), and the other is a fantastic showcase of four great independent talents (Aries/M. Jackson/Dos/Fire Ant). Two trios matches also make this show one of the top shows of the year. F.I.S.T. take on the F1RST Family in a great, exciting match that will make you a fan of all six competitors. The main event of the show is nothing short of technically wizardry, as The Masters of a Thousand Holds (Mike Quackenbush, Jorge “Skayde” Rivers, & Johnny Saint) take on Team Uppercut (Claudio Castagnoli, Dave Taylor, & Bryan Danielson). Needless to say, this is a match with six of the most proficient wrestlers of converging in the ring at once for the first (and likely only) time ever. 36 minutes of fantastic wrestling goes by quickly. I’m not a huge fan of buying one night out of a two or three night tournament, but if you must, make it King of Trios Night 2.

4. Three-Fisted Tales (November 22nd, Philadelphia, PA)
The season finale of CHIKARA did not disappoint. The show managed to wrap up the odds and ends of the season, make some surprising revelations, put on two title matches, and wrap the bow on some look contested feuds. Matches on the undercard that seem to get lost in the shuffle are Incoherence vs. The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, Yujiro Kushida vs. Helios, and Lince Dorado vs. Player Dos. The double main event of Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston and The Colony vs. The Osirian Portal is a great 1-2 punch to end the season. Of course, the final scene of the show is an absolute must see for any and all CHIKARA fans.

3. Hiding In Plain Sight (September 13th, Nashua, NH)
CHIKARA made its New Hampshire debut with an absolute bang. To me, this show has everything you come to love and expect from CHIKARA. It has great matches with Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli taking on Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw. Two fantastic title matches with Player Dos vs. Player Uno and The Osirian Portal vs. The Colony. The 10 man tag has, get this, ACTUAL FUNNY COMEDY! Not to mention stuff like F.I.S.T vs. Incoherence and The Roughnecks vs. The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple. This is a great show for a first time fan, and if you’re looking to start somewhere in 2009, look no further than this show.

2. Revelation X (January 25th, Philadelphia, PA)
CHIKARA had a great 2008, but in order to keep the momentum they had to open 2009 with a memorable show. They succeeded greatly. CHIKARA presented a double main event with lots of hype. The Colony had just collected SEVEN points (you only need three) towards a shot for the Campeones de Parejas. The Colony met with the Osirian Portal for the first time and tore the arena down with an awesome tag team match. CHIKARA had its first ever ladder match, with Equinox and Vin Gerard fighting for the Young Lions Cup. Other matches include F.I.S.T vs. The Future Is Now, The UnStable vs. Cheech & Cloudy, and the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw. This is another great first-timer show and is now forgotten because it happened almost a year ago. Make sure to not miss it.

1. Aniversario Yang (May 24th, Philadelphia, PA)
The anniversary shows are usually CHIKARA’s Wrestlemania (at least one of them, anyway) and 2009 was no exception. Aniversario Yin did disappoint me a little bit, but CHIKARA more than made up for it with its spectacular Aniversario Yang event. The last three matches alone make this DVD worth the purchase. In an astonishing eight-man tag that is right up there with the DGUSA tag match, The Future Is Now, Jigsaw, and Mike Quackenbush take on Incoherence and Cheech & Cloudy. Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli beat the rat out of one another. And in the finals, The Colony take on F.I.S.T. in a classic when their masks and hair (respectively) are on the line. This show also features what I think is the most underrated CHIKARA match of the year, with Arik Cannon taking on Ophidian. Plus, who doesn’t love a show with Glacier and D’Lo Brown!?!?!??!!?!??! If your budget restricts you to buying one DVD of CHIKARA this year, be sure to make it this one.

Honorable Mentions: Young Lions Cup VII, Night 3, The Bobliographon, Cibernetico Increible, and Behind The 8 Ball.

Top 10 Matches of the Year

I’m going to just list these out, since I have reviewed all the shows from this year. Be sure to check out all my reviews at my super awesome blog.

10. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Helios, & Lince Dorado vs. Hallowicked, Frightmare, Cheech Hernandez, & KC “Cloudy” Day (Aniversario Yang; 5.24.2009)
9. Rey de Voladores Elimination Match: Kota Ibushi vs. El Generico vs. Jigsaw vs. Matt Jackson (King of Trios, Night 2; 3.28.2009)
8. Campeonatos de Parejas: The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian) vs. The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) (Hiding In Plain Sight; 9.13.2009)
7. Torneo Cibernetico: Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked, Soldier Ant, Carpenter Ant, Player Uno, Cheech Hernandez, Lince Dorado, & Matt Jackson vs. Jigsaw, Frightmare, Fire Ant, Green Ant, Player Dos, KC “Cloudy” Day, Helios, & Nick Jackson (Cibernetico Increible; 10.18.2009)
6. Golden Dreams Triangle Trios Match: Helios, Equinox, & Jigsaw vs. Vin Gerard, STIGMA, & Chuck Taylor vs. Hallowicked, Arik Cannon, & Fire Ant (Young Lions Cup VII, Night 3; 8.16.2009)
5. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Bryan Danielson (Hiding In Plain Sight; 9.13.2009)
4. Respect Match: Claudio Casatgnoli vs. Eddie Kingston (Three-Fisted Tales; 11.22.2009)
3. King of Trios Quarter-Final Match: The Masters of a Thousand Holds (Mike Quackenbush, Jorge “Skayde” Rivers, & Johnny Saint) vs. Team Uppercut (Claudio Castagnoli, Dave Taylor, & Bryan Danielson) (King of Trios, Night 2; 3.28.2009)
2. Campeonatos de Parejas: The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian) vs. The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) (Revelation X; 1.25.2009)
1. Lucha de Apuesta: Masks vs. Hair: The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant) vs. Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Chuck Taylor) (Aniversario Yang; 5.24.2009)

Honorable Mentions: Equinox vs. Vin Gerard (Revelation X), The Roughnecks vs. Incoherence (The Bobliographon), Gran Akuma vs. Jigsaw (Throwing Life’s Intructions Away)

And that’s it folks. Hope you enjoyed it and have a better feeling about CHIKARA in 2009. It was a hell of a year, and 2010 looks bright as well.

YouTube Fun!

Here’s the lastest Podcast-A-Go-Go, covering the show “Never Kneel At The Altar of Conformity”.

A great “Welcome to 2010” video that gives you an awesome recap of the latest goings-on.

An AWESOME Pinkie Sanchez promo to hype his match with Green Ant at “A Touch of Class” on January 31st.

Here’s a great video done by MX5PWS who does a great video recap of CHIKARA in 2009.

Shillville

If you have not begun listening, Mike Quackenbush and Clayton Morris (of FOX News & Friends) host a pop-culture podcast known as The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe. Clayton and Mike talk about all things geek such as movies, music, television, comic books, tech stuff, and wrestling here and there. I find it wildly entertaining, as Clayton and Mike play off each other very well. It’s also really cool to hear Mike talk about non-wrestling stuff as well. So please, check out The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe and subscribe to their podcast on iTunes.

Hey, I have a blog now! I post all my wrestling writings there (outside of this column), so check it out! All of my reviews from 411 and elsewhere get posted here. My reviews can be seen here first, even before they get posted on 411. So check it out, and make sure you subscribe! Click here and check it out!

Check out my new podcast with Jerome Cusson at Pro Wrestling Ponderings. This time around we have two podcasts. One we discuss the Monday Night “War” from this past week, and in another podcast we talk each of our Top 10 Matches of the Year from the entire world of professional wrestling (P.S. my list is better). The podcast, and other fine articles, can be found at Pro Wrestling Ponderings.

All pictures in this column were provided by the wonderful Lyle C. Williams, independent wrestling photographer extraordinaire. Check out his pictures and back is in his skill.

Ari Berenstein is a tremendous man who posted SEVEN NEW COLUMNS OF HONOR in the past week or so. I urge each and every one of you who read this to go check them out. Here’s his latest work, and from there you can link to his six-part ROH in 2009 recap. I even contributed to one of the parts!

Speaking of columns, myself and Bayani Domingo go toe-to-toe in this weeks “Buy or Sell”. Check it out!

Brad Garoon is an obsessive maniac. For it, we are better wrestling fans, as his blog, Open The Garoon Gate, is all about Dragon Gate and Dragon Gate USA. He reviews every Infinity, PPV, appearance of a Dragon Gate wrestler in the U.S., etc. You owe it to yourself to check out that blog, as well as his T2P blog which you can also find on his blog. Jake Ziegler also blog, JZ Says, which has WWE, TNA, ROH, and even film reviews. Make sure to check out and enjoy both!

Thanks so much again everyone for checking out this week’s Contemplating CHIKARA! Make sure to check my other stuff here on the website, as well as my blog. I’ll be back very soon to discuss CHIKARA’s 2010 season opener.

Links!
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