Chikara Pro - King of Trios 2012 [Wrestling] (LONG)

[Jay 2K Winger]

Anyone who follows my Twitter knows that I'm a wrestling fan, and I'm a big fan of independent promotion Chikara Pro, a Pennsylvania-based company with a big lucha libre influence. Chikara's known for promoting a family-friendly atmosphere-- banning foul language and keeping their matches as blood-free as possible-- and bringing in international talent.

Their biggest weekend of the year is their annual "King of Trios" tournament, a three-day event wherein teams of three compete for the titular title, and frequently features some of the aforementioned talent. Previous years have seen trios from Japan, Mexico, England, Australia, and other countries, as well as teams based around nostalgia, as semi-retired or retired wrestlers will lace up the boots for a night or two to give the fans a treat.

This year's tournament was delayed (it's normally held in April) when the usual venue, the Asylum Arena (aka the former ECW Arena) in south Philadlephia, was sold and the new owner decided not to run wrestling shows there anymore. It's being held this year in Easton, PA, on September 14-15-16.

King of Trios weekend also sees the annual Fan Conclave on Saturday afternoon, when the venue opens early to let the fans in to interact with the wrestlers, get autographs, pose for pictures, and a number of other attractions, which varies from year to year. 2009 gave fans the chance to cut a promo with the wrestlers. 2010 let fans pose for "school photos" with wrestlers, and 2011 let fans do commentary on a match.

More about Chikara can be found on their website, Chikara Pro, and they frequently update their YouTube Channel with event info, highlights, and full matches from prior shows.

Night 1 Confirmed Matches
All matches are King of Trios Opening Round Matches

1. 3.0 & Akuma (Scott 'Jagged' Parker & Shane Matthews & Gran Akuma) vs The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama & Kobald)
   The story here is the 3.0/Akuma trio was put together by Chikara authority figure ("Director of Fun") Wink Vavasseur, an oblivious milksop, using his nonsensical "Chikarabermetrics" system. Although the team has won matches, they are not very cohesive, as 3.0 would prefer to have previous trio partner El Generico in their corner, or just have tag team matches so they can earn their way to a tag title shot. By contrast, the Batiri-- consisting of face-painted demonic warriors Obariyon & Kodama and 'Prince of All Goblins' Kobald-- are a functioning unit, obsessed with dark, controversial humor and claiming credit for everything wrong with the world today.
2. Quack, Jig & Toyota ('Lightning' Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw & Manami Toyota) vs The Swarm (combatANT & deviANT & Soldier Ant)
   The story here deals with a group called GEKIDO-- of which Swarm members combatANT, deviANT, and assailANT are members-- who have infiltrated Chikara to expose its dark side and unmask its heroes. Mike Quackenbush, as Chikara's founder and head trainer, has taken exception to this, especially after GEKIDO leader 17 tried to end his career by breaking his wrist. Quack has already done his best to end 17's career, breaking his fingers and hitting him with all four variants of his "QuackenDriver" finisher. There's no telling what he'll do against the Swarm, or whether Chikara stalwart and Colony member Soldier Ant (stuck in the Swarm due to Vavasseur's "Chikarabermetrics" system) will get caught in the crossfire.
3. The Colony (Fire Ant & Green Ant & assailANT) vs Team SENDAI Girls (Meiko Satomura & DASH Chisako & Sendai Sachiko)
   More of "Chikarabermetrics" in this match, as Swarm member assailANT is teaming with the rest of the Colony, who want nothing to do with him. assailANT and his fellow Swarm members have tried to unmask the Colony at almost every opportunity, which is not merely a violation of Chikara's rules, but a deep offense in lucha libre tradition. SENDAI Girls is a Japanese joshi (female wrestling) promotion, founded by Satomura-san, who is also its head trainer. Sachiko & Chisako-- who are sisters-- are two of her proteges. SENDAI Girls came over to Chikara back in May and while the sisters are still somewhat green, they were welcomed and hope to win honor and prestige for their company back home.
4. F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano) vs Team Osaka Pro (Kikutaro & Ebessan & Takoyakida)
   F.I.S.T. (which allegedly stands for "Friends In Similar Tights") is one of Chikara's mainstays, billed as "Chikara's Most Dangerous Trio." They are prior KOT winners, back in 2009, and have come up short in the years since, although last year they made it to the finals before losing to the Colony. Icarus is notorious for his heelish nature and moreso for his hideous back tattoo, Taylor is a child-hating well-rounded heel (and calls himself 'The Kentucky Gentleman'), and Gargano is one of the rising stars of the indie circuit, calling himself 'The Whole Shebang.' Osaka Pro has fielded trios in previous years, and the company's light-hearted and often comedic style fits well with Chikara. Kikutaro is well-known to American indie fans, as he's done tours in the US before, and his clownish antics are often highlights of the show. Ebessan is his protege, being bestowed with Kikutaro's prior mask and gimmick name. Takoyakida is a newer wrestler, and like Ebessan, is making his US debut. They all have a tall order ahead with F.I.S.T.
5. Team JWP (Commando Bolshoi & Tsubasa Kuragaki & Kaori Yoneyama) vs The Throwbacks ('Mr. Touchdown' Mark Angelosetti & Dasher Hatfield & Matt Classic)
   The Throwbacks are no strangers to KOT competition, as both Dasher and Classic have competed in it before, alongside now-former Throwback Sugar Dunkerton. The advent of Mr. Touchdown during a hiatus by Sugar led to the arrogant gridiron grappler's takeover of the Throwbacks, with Dasher forced to go along with it due to familial relationships. (Mr. TD is Dasher's step-cousin-in-law.) Classic, the old school wrestler's old school wrestler, has little patience for the modern spectacle of pro wrestling, and has a great deal of "old-fashioned" views, particularly when it comes to wrestlers of another race (like Dunkerton) or women. At 2011's KOT weekend, during the Tag Team Gauntlet, Classic assumed the female wrestlers he had to face were ring valets, there to take his jacket and towel. There's no telling how he'll react to a team of women, all of whom are capable wrestlers. Kuragaki, in particular, combines both power and aerial grace into a fearsome combination.
6. The Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked & Frightmare & UltraMantis Black) vs The Submission Squad ('Pistol Danger' Evan Gelistico, 'Barn Owl' Gary Jay, 'Elegant Assassin' Pierre Abernathy, 'Brainwashed' Davey Vega)
   That is no error, the Submission Squad does indeed consist of four men. The four-- Gelistico, Abernathy, Barn Owl, and Vega-- were last seen in Chikara at KOT 2009, in a showcase match for their company LWA. The match was... underwhelming, to say the least, and on a weekend that had already seen a number of entertaining and dream matches, the Chikara fans were merciless, booing them and chanting "Don't Come Back" after their match. Furious, the Submission Squad have been training to try to get back at the fans for the reaction they received, deceiving Wink Vavasseur into believing them to be French to fulfill his desire for more "international flavor" for the tournament. When this was pointed out, as well as the group having four members, rather than admit an error, Vavasseur claimed it was all part of his "vision" of the first-ever trios "quattro" team. Facing them are the Spectral Envoy, who have their own issues to worry about besides the match. Hallowicked is still riding high after defeating Tim Donst at the "Chikarasaurus Rex" iPPV, and Frightmare is returning from a several-month absence while rehabbing a knee injury. UltraMantis Black has reason to celebrate as well, as he defeated the slithering Ophidian to cement his status as the most devious creature in Chikara. But Delirious, still seeking revenge on Mantis Black, is still lurking, and he has recruited Ophidian and Mantis' would-have-been 'dark army' the Batiri to his side as a sort of spiritual leader. As if it weren't enough that the Envoy has to overcome a four-on-three disadvantage, Delirious is sure to be around to watch what transpires.
   
7. The Faces of Pain (The Warlord & The Barbarian & Meng) vs Team Ring of Honor (Matt & Nick Jackson & Mike Bennett) (w/ Maria Kanellis)
   Matt & Nick Jackson-- collectively known as the Young Bucks-- are one of the premier tag teams on the indie circuit. Wrestling a flashy aerial style that critics have compared to a young Hardy Boyz, the YBs are extremely talented and accomplished in the ring. Unfortunately, they know this. They had a brief run in TNA Wrestling as Generation ME (Max & Jeremy Buck), but returned to the indies to continue their dominance with a new found arrogance that have turned fans against them. Although the YBs primarily wrestle in their home promotion of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in southern California, they have identified strongly with Ring of Honor Wrestling in recent months, especially when they won the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas off of F.I.S.T. in June, declaring they would take it to "a real wrestling company like Ring of Honor." Mike Bennett, styled "The Prodigy," is another talented up-and-comer on the indie scene, often accompanied in ROH by his trainer, "Brutal" Bob Evans, and will be accompanied this weekend by his girlfriend, Maria Kanellis. If ROH's trio hopes to win King of Trios, however, they have to get past three fearsome warriors from yesteryear. The Warlord & The Barbarian-- longtime tag partners in WWF and WCW-- and the man they call Meng, the deadly Tongan warrior. Although the Faces of Pain have been largely retired, they have come out of retirement for one weekend only to show the world just how dangerous they still are.
8. Team WWF (The 1-2-3 Kid & Aldo Montoya & Tatanka) vs The Extreme Trio (Tommy Dreamer & Jerry Lynn & Too Cold Scorpio)
   Once again, nostalgia plays a factor here as Sean Waltman once more dons the mantle of The 1-2-3 Kid to come to Chikara. Accompanying him this year is the Native American wrestler Tatanka, and the 'Portuguese Man o'War' Aldo Montoya. It has been some time since Montoya has been seen in a wrestling ring, and Tatanka was last in the public spotlight several years ago on a brief return to WWE. On the other side of the ring from them is Tommy Dreamer's Extreme Trio, representing the legacy of ECW. Joining the 'Innovator of Violence' are Too Cold Scorpio-- who codified much of the modern high-flying style, and some of his moves still haven't been duplicated-- and Jerry Lynn, former ECW TV Champion and ROH World Champion, on a retirement tour. While none of the people in this match are in their prime anymore, it should still be a great bit of nostalgia for wrestling fans.

Fifth Annual Fan Conclave
Saturday afternoon, before Night 2!

• Filsinger Games presents the Chikara collectible card game!
  Filsinger Games produces collectible card games, some of which feature wrestling, such as Champions of the Galaxy, and have also produced the Legends of Wrestling card game, featuring actual wrestlers using the same system. Filsinger has produced cards for indie wrestlers as well, and Chikara is among the companies that has been featured. Many of the Chikara roster have been featured. Filsinger will be on hand to sell copies of the game and cards, and the wrestlers will also be on hand so fans can play against them.
• The Batiri Kissing Booth!
  Not for the faint of heart! The Batiri are demonic, evil, soulless, disgusting creatures, and fairly misogynistic. They've antagonized female wrestlers via Facebook and their Twitter account. Kobald is known as the 'Demon of the Septic Tank' (and his finisher is called the Demon's Toilet), so fans would be advised to pay for a kiss at their own risk.
• The Throwbacks Competition Station!
  Overseen by Dasher Hatfield & Mr. Touchdown, this will likely be a series of contests for fans to show off their athleticism by doing sit-ups, push-ups, running drills, and whatever else comes into the mind of Mr. Touchdown and Dasher Hatfield. Also likely to feature belittling commentary by Matt Classic, the disdainful old school wrestler that he is.
• Quiz Crisis Present Battle -- Superfan Edition!
  At Chikara shows in the last year, it has been typical for fans to be greeted by Billy Kumohara outside as he presents the Quiz Crisis Present Battle, a Chikara trivia contest wherein fans can win prizes and often early entry into the shows. The questions can be pretty tough and obscure, and the KOT "Superfan" edition is sure to be no different. No word yet on what sort of prizes will be in store.
• Make Your Own Lucha Mask!
  Chikara has a heavy lucha libre influence (even if their ties to Mexico are strained now with the falling out Chikara had with Jorge 'Skayde' Rivera), and many of its wrestlers wear masks proudly. Now fans will get the chance to design and make their own lucha mask! Will you be a new member of the Colony? Perhaps a goblin like Kobald? Or will you become a devout clone follower of UltraMantis Black? Design your own lucha mask and wear it with pride!
• Photo ops with the wrestlers
• Autograph signings
• More to be announced!

Night 2 Confirmed Matches

1. King of Trios Quarterfinal Match #1
2. King of Trios Quarterfinal Match #2
3. King of Trios Quarterfinal Match #3
4. King of Trios Quarterfinal Match #4
5. Grand Championship of Chikara - Tadasuke vs Eddie Kingston (champion)
   Eddie Kingston won the title last year to become Chikara's first Grand Champion, after a months-long round-robin tournament, defeating Mike Quackenbush in the finals to take home the gold. Kingston has tremendous heart and absolutely refuses to quit, and that extends to his title reign. Despite nursing very painful knee injuries, he refuses to rest on his laurels, defending his title every month since February. September will see him defend against Osaka Pro's Tadasuke. Tadasuke is a former KOT participant (in 2010), and returned in 2011 to claim Chikara's Young Lions Cup trophy, winning the YLC IX tournament and taking the Cup back to Japan, where he defended it and held it for an entire year before retiring it earlier this month. Tadasuke is a hard-hitting competitor and not afraid to bend the rules, which he may have to do if he has a hope of beating Kingston.

Night 3 Confirmed Matches

1. King of Trios Semifinal Match #1
2. King of Trios Semifinal Match #2
3. King of Trios Finals
4. The Annual 10-Team Winner-Stays-On Overly Long Over the Budget Tag Team Gauntlet Match - Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy (Lance Steel & Jolly Roger) vs BDK (Tim Donst & Jakob Hammermeier) vs Teams TBA
   A staple of KOT weekend, the annual Tag Team Gauntlet Match sees two teams enter. When a team is defeated, the winner stays on and faces the next team in the gauntlet, and so on until the end. In Chikara, tag team title shots are only granted when a team has three points, and points are awarded by scoring wins (pinfalls or submissions) in tag matches, but a loss resets the score to zero. Thus, a team can rack up a lot of points in one of these matches, but also lose everything. It's common to see teams from eliminated trios pop up here, and while the gauntlet can go long, it's always a fan-favorite. The first team to be confirmed for the Gauntlet are the "time-traveling noble knight" Lance Steel and the pirate Jolly Roger, collectively known as Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy. Neither is a part of the active roster, but they're sure to get a nostalgia pop. The second team confirmed are the remnants of the BDK faction, Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier, but relations within that tandem are strained now. Donst has been battling a crippling depression since losing at "Chikarasaurus Rex" this year, and has actively sabotaged Jakob's quest to become Young Lions Cup champion, costing Jakob his slot in the finals, claiming that Jakob isn't ready for the pressures of being YLC champion. A blog posted recently on Chikara Pro's website has intimated that Donst may be on the verge of quitting Chikara.
5. Saturyne vs Ophidian
   The "Intergalactic Luchadora" Saturyne debuted during Chikara's post-season "JoshiMania" extravaganza last year, and since joining the roster has proven herself a never-say-die competitor, squaring up with men as well as women, even getting the chance to both team with and challenge her idol, Sara Del Rey, before her departure for the big leagues. She has a tall order ahead of her, however, in Ophidian. The slithering "Serpent from the Nile" has a new vicious streak to go with his recent transformation by the 'snake spirit,' espousing his "Snake Style" to be superior to all others. Complicating matters is Ophidian's new alliance with the deranged Delirious, as well as Delirious' followers the Batiri, who have had their own encounters with Saturyne in the past. Will this remain a one-on-one match, or might Saturyne be facing a major uphill battle?
6. Yoneru Sanders vs TBA
   Osaka Pro's Yoneru Sanders-- a masked wrestler who resembles Colonel Sanders-- will be in action on Night 3 of King of Trios 2012, although his opponent has yet to be announced.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I am also a wrestling fan. I even have a few of the early early CHIKARA videos (way back when they use a 'Pop-Up Video' format instead of a commentator). I just can't afford to get any of the newer shows.

Anyways, it would be great to see Meng and the Barbarian together again (wasn't as big a fan of Warlord when he went solo). Waltman (1-2-3 Kid) was supposed to be incredible on previous CHIKARA shows, so here's hoping that he and Peter Polaco (Aldo Montoya, aka Justin Credible) have their act together.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I am also a wrestling fan. I even have a few of the early early CHIKARA videos (way back when they use a 'Pop-Up Video' format instead of a commentator). I just can't afford to get any of the newer shows.

Chikara's videos are available at Smart Mark Video, and they now offer Video On Demand service, slightly cheaper than DVDs, both streaming and for download. A great boon for me, since I'm trying to cut down on the amount of Stuff I have cluttering up my room.

Anyways, it would be great to see Meng and the Barbarian together again (wasn't as big a fan of Warlord when he went solo). Waltman (1-2-3 Kid) was supposed to be incredible on previous CHIKARA shows, so here's hoping that he and Peter Polaco (Aldo Montoya, aka Justin Credible) have their act together.

I was at KOT last year when Waltman brought the 1-2-3 Kid persona out, and for all that Philly wrestling fans can be insufferable and unforgiving, they were very receptive to him, and it's clear he had his act together and was very humbled by the response he got. He gave a promo after his match on Night 3 where he put over Chikara and thanked everyone for forgiving him, a very heartfelt speech, and I could hear him getting a standing ovation in the back when he went through the curtain.

As for Montoya, well, that depends on what kind of shape he's in and how he behaves. Al Snow gets a bad rep from Chikara fans for the superior attitude he had at KOT 2009; it doesn't help that he worked stiff with the guys he wrestled, had a boring, terrible match, and reportedly thought that the rest of the roster should have toned down the spots for their matches, since his match was the main event and should have gotten all the attention. It's telling that he's not been invited back since, while his partners that night (Glacier and D'Lo Brown) were. Glacier might not have set the world on fire with his wrestling at his appearances, but his attitude and behavior were reportedly a lot better than Snow's.

I'll admit, I got back into wrestling after Barbarian and Warlord had stopped wrestling in WWF (and maybe stopped wrestling altogether), but I remember Meng from his last run in the WWF, where he teamed up with Rikishi. I admit to having a soft spot for wild savage types, islanders or no. So it should be fun.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I did get those videos through SmartMark. I'll have to go back and check prices on downloads, if it's better then I'll have a lot of catching up to do...

Then again, I still have a huge pack of DVD's I picked up that I'm slowly working my way though... 20 discs of classic Memphis wrestling. I finished disc 6 a couple of weeks ago... then the ECW "Unreleased" set came out, and I HAD to get that... and a half-dozen Big Japan shows I haven't taken out of the envelope yet...

*sigh*

I need to win a lottery, so I can quit my damn job and get caught up on all of this stuff.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I did get those videos through SmartMark. I'll have to go back and check prices on downloads, if it's better then I'll have a lot of catching up to do...

Checking SMV, looks like Chikara DVDs are $15, VOD/MP4s are $9.99.

For catching up, if you just want to do the current year, I'd go with:

• High Noon - 2011 finale; Chikara's first iPPV; ft. two great tag matches, two great grudge matches, and the finals of the "12 Large: Summit" between Quackenbush and Kingston for the Grand Championship
• The Thirteenth Hat - 2012 premiere; good jumping-off point, sets up Ophidian's new rudo turn, the Icarus/Akuma feud, and otherwise establishes the characters of most of Chikara's roster.
• Caught in the Spider's Den - ft. the GEKIDO invasion, a great 4-on-4 match, Kingston's first Grand Championship defense, great comedy from UltraMantis Black and Colt Cabana, and a solid card all around
• It's How You Play the Game - The second half of Chikara's Canadian debut shows; IHYPtG is the better show of the two, solid from top to bottom.
• Hot Off the Griddle - More top to bottom solidity, with a lot of great tag matches and two solid main events: Kingston defending the Grand Championship against Kevin Steen, and Sara Del Rey taking on El Generico.
• Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur - Chikara's second iPPV; ft. a Loser Leaves Town Match, a Ladder Match, a Mask-vs-Hair Match, an epic 10-man war, and a tag-title main event

I haven't watched all of the shows after C-Rex, so I'm not comfortable making recommendations on them yet.

Going further back, all I can recommend is going for KOT shows and season premieres and finales. Those should give you what you need.

[Jay 2K Winger]

KOT 2012 Night 1 has been finalized! Refer to the OP.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

KOT 2012 Night 1 has been finalized! Refer to the OP.

Crazy thoughts about the last match...

Wouldn't it be great if 2 Cold came out as his WWF persona, Flash Funk?

And please, someone has to start a "Justin Credible" chant when Aldo gets into the ring.

[Jay 2K Winger]

More updates. More Fan Conclave events have been confirmed, including a 'Make Your Own Lucha Mask' station, a "Superfan" edition of the Quiz Crisis Present Battle trivia contest, and the Throwbacks Competition Station.

Also, Osaka Pro's Yoneru Sanders (a masked Colonel Sanders doppelganger) will be in action on Night 3.

[Jay 2K Winger]

FINAL PRE-SHOW UPDATE. Two teams are confirmed for the Tag Gauntlet on Night 3: Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy (Lance Steel & Jolly Roger) and BDK (Tim Donst & Jakob Hammermeier).

Really looking forward to this weekend! Expect updates both here and on my Twitter!

[Jay 2K Winger]

NIGHT ONE REPORT TIME!

I was half-way to Easton (a four-plus hour trip) when I realized I had left my tickets at home. I checked my phone's mail app to see if I still had my receipt from the purchase, but alas, I could not find it. My options were to get to the venue with my friend Tom and see if tickets were available (a big risk, as they were close to selling out), or if not, leave Tom in Easton and drive back home to get the tickets, then come back up Saturday so we could at least see nights 2 and 3.

Fortunately, as I'm still a member of the Chikara Fan Club, I got early access, and was able to buy my tickets. I picked up tickets for the rest of the weekend during intermission. HUZZAH!

They'd opened up the whole gym at the Palmer Rec Center, and it was PACKED.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!


It was announced that due to transportation issues (a broke-down car), the Submission Squad may not make it to the show. (Truth: they had "broken down" 300 feet from the venue, but were demanding that Wink Vavasseur send someone to pick them up.) This announcement got a "Yes!" chant.

MATCH 1: THE COLONY (ft. assailANT) vs TEAM SENDAI GIRLS
Good starting match, with assailANT clearly trying to play the bully in the match and Fire Ant and Green Ant being upset about it, but both Green and Fire showed some more aggressive tactics. It was a little uncomfortable watching DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko wrestling against guys almost twice their size, but Team Sendai Girls picked up the win with a moonsault/frog splash combination on Green from Chisako & Sachiko. The Colony argued with assailANT after the match.
WINNERS: TEAM SENDAI GIRLS

MATCH 2: THE BATIRI (w. Ophidian) vs BOOYAKUMA
Much more synergy between 3.0 & Gran Akuma in this match, and some fun to start as 3.0 lead the crowd in a "Booya!/Kuma!" call-and-response chant. Fans threw toilet paper at the Batiri during their entrance. The ending came after Akuma accidentally hit the referee in the head with Obariyon's boots, knocking him silly, and he was supposed to miss Ophidian's interference. He looked up too soon, however, and had to pretend he hadn't seen it. The interference left Akuma open for a Demon's Toilet sit-out senton from Kobald.
WINNERS: THE BATIRI

MATCH 3: TEAM OSAKA PRO vs F.I.S.T. (w. Sugar Dunkerton)
Poor Sugar was forced to wear a purple F.I.S.T. variant of his ring attire as he accompanied them to the ring. A lot of comedy in the match, with Kikutaro doing a lot of his trademark comedy spots. Sugar refused to help F.I.S.T. cheat, and when he did, it usually backfired. Icarus picked up the win for his team when he swiped Sugar's fro-pick and used it to hit Takoyakida.
WINNERS: F.I.S.T.

MATCH 4: THE SWARM (ft. Soldier Ant) vs QUACK, JIG, & TOYOTA
Quackenbush was extremely focused on getting his hands on combatANT or deviANT, and didn't really spare Soldier Ant any stretches, either. The Swarm kept telling Soldier to cheat, which he refused to do. deviANT took the pin after a flurry of aerial moves (Jigsaw's double-stomp, Quack's swanton, and Toyota's moonsault). After the match, he laid out combatANT, which pissed off Jigsaw, who told Quack it was unnecessary and to stay focused on the tournament. Jigsaw also yelled at Soldier when he came near.
WINNERS: QUACK, JIG, & TOYOTA

Intermission.

MATCH 5: TEAM JWP vs THE THROWBACKS (w. Veronica)
More comedy abounds here, and the occasional bit of uncomfortable-ness as the smaller JWP team (apart from Kuragaki) were clearly outmassed by all three members of the Throwbacks. Dasher tried to be a little light-hearted about things, playing "baseball" with Yoneyama, much to Matt Classic's disgust. It was Team JWP with the upset when Kuragaki put Classic in the torture rack for a submission victory. Veronica was furious with the loss, and Touchdown was forced to choose between leaving with her or Dasher. He chose her.
WINNERS: TEAM JWP

It was announced that the Submission Squad would not make it to the show, so their replacements would have to be drawn from a hat. (Another "Yes!" chant.) The first name drawn was The Mysterious And Handsome Stranger, who was there! Touchdown and Veronica were still at ringside, and Touchdown looked shocked at his arrival. Veronica seemed... a bit smitten with The Mysterious And Handsome Stranger, who tipped his hat to them. The second name was Osaka Pro's Mi Hara, who was also in attendance. The third name drawn was Kwang the Ninja... who was not there. The next was "The Lariat" Stan Hansen, who was also not there. The last was Tito Santana-- WHO WAS THERE!

MATCH 6: The Submission Squad THE MYSTERIOUS AND HANDSOME STRANGER, MI HARA, & TITO SANTANA vs THE SPECTRAL ENVOY
The crowd was really glad to see Santana, and kept chanting for Tito throughout the match. Mi Hara was more of a rudo in this match, using his size and power to dominate the Envoy, especially Frightmare. He would also cut off tags to Santana and tag himself in instead, so when Tito got the tag, the place went nuts. Santana was a house on fire, and eventually hit the flying burrito, but then got rolled up by Mantis for a shocking win. The crowd wasn't happy, but forgave Mantis and gave Tito Santana a standing ovation and a "You Still Got It" chant.
WINNERS: THE SPECTRAL ENVOY

MATCH 7: TEAM ROH (w. Maria Kanellis) vs THE FACES OF PAIN
Lots of heat for Team ROH, of course, and the crowd was quite happy to see Meng just mow through them to start. There was lots of heckling from our section (I contributed, of course). The Faces of Pain dominated the early part of the match before Meng was isolated and his leg targeted. He eventually rallied back and put the Young Bucks in a dual Tongan Death Grip, but they got free. Bennett ended up getting a fluke sunset flip on Meng for the three-count.
WINNERS: TEAM ROH

MATCH 8: THE EXTREME TRIO vs TEAM WWF
The nostalgia and greatness continued in this match. Tatanka controlled the first segment of the match, and they traded off wrestling one another until Aldo Montoya cheated with a clothesline from the outside, and hit a suspiciously familiar out-of-the-corner powerbomb. At this point, Dreamer accused Montoya of being Justin Credible, and then came SLOW MOTION WRESTLING! The place went nuts, especially when Tatanka got involved as well-- which is when Dreamer pulled out a remote control and hit "pause." Eventually, Montoya was setting Jerry Lynn up for a tombstone (hmm...), but got reversed into the cradle piledriver to give ECW the win.
WINNERS: THE EXTREME TRIO

Post-match, The 1-2-3 Kid thanked the crowd for welcoming him back, put over the fans for coming out, and promised to do better tomorrow.
END SPOILERS!

No matches were announced for Night 2. We'll have to see.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Just got back from the Fan Conclave. Good times all around.

There were several merchandise tables set up around the venue, including official Chikara merch, wrestler-specific merch tables, GIMICKS T-Shirts, Smart Mark Video, Osaka Pro, Sendai Girls, and JWP, and some other wrestling companies (like AIW and Beyond Wrestling) had their own booths. As TNA Wrestling had a house show in the area last night, TNA Tag Team Champions Mike Kazarian & Christopher Daniels hung out with them, which was pretty cool.

Coming in the door, there were "qualifying forms" for the Chikara Non-Licensed Jeopardy-Like Trivia Contest, on which you had to answer some trivia questions in order to be considered for selection. Three fans ended up being chosen. (I was not one of them.)

There were a couple of TVs set up to play video games on, one for Super Smash Bros., one for Raw vs Smackdown. The latter was loaded with create-a-wrestler versions of the Chikara roster, or at least those members of it that were involved in KOT this year.

There were board games available-- Guess Who and Battleship were the two I glimpsed-- and some of the wrestlers stopped by to play them against fans.

The "Make your own lucha mask" station turned out to be using paper plates, markers, string, and scissors. I kinda knew it would be something like that, but it's still disappointing. Still, the little kids were having a good time with it.

The Throwbacks Competition Station had a number of simple athletic games to challenge fans. Kicking goals with soccer balls, jumping rope, catching the football, or hitting inflated beachballs with novelty-size plastic bats. Matt Classic, sadly, was not there, but he's never been a people person.

The Batiri Kissing Booth had a surprising number of fans turning out for it, and there were some who got their faces painted Batiri-style.

There was a photo booth set up with a "school photo" backdrop. Various wrestlers would go over to get their pictures taken by an official photographer, who would post the pictures online for free later. I got mine taken with 3.0, after getting my 3.0 foam finger. Jagged bit on the tip of the finger, so I pulled a shocked face.

Saturyne was going around pulling a few fans at a time aside so they could film a short clip for Chikara's YouTube show. On the "Throwdown Lowdown" show (new editions every Tuesday), they'll run a brief clip of an impressive spot from a recent Chikara show, then show it again in slow motion. The clips being recorded were the "Let's see that again!" bumpers. I got to record one. (Yay!)

Chikara's "rock'n'roll ring announcer" Gavin Loudspeaker (aka Louden Noxious from Kaijiu Big Battel) got his guitar out and performed a little concert for the fans, which ended when Tim Donst stole the guitar and walked out the door with it.

Eventually, they finished up the Conclave with the aforementioned Not-Jeopardy Trivia Contest, with categories and point amounts taped to the wall. As categories were depleted, the sheets were taken down by the Swamp Monster, a character from Chuck Taylor's web show "The Gentleman's Club." Leonard F. Chikarason served as scorekeeper, Billy Kumohara as the host, and Icarus as the buzzer. The three qualifying fans all got a "gift certificate" good at any of the Chikara merch tables, $20, $50, or $100 depending on where they placed in the scores.

I'm just typing this up in the hotel for now, but we'll be heading back out in a little while.

[Jay 2K Winger]

NIGHT TWO REPORT TIME!

As on Night One, when the Chikara Fan Club was called to come up for early entry, they got booed by the rest of the fans waiting in line. I rolled with it and struck my best "look at me, I'm a douchebag heel" pose with a big grin on my face.

Tom did remark to me as we were waiting for the show to start that he thinks Obariyon (of the Batiri) would look like Corey Feldman if he didn't wear the facepaint. I just stared at him... then shared that observation with the world on Twitter.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

It was announced that due to continuing travel problems, the Submission Squad would STILL not be at the show, getting another "Yes!" chant.

MATCH ONE: King of Trios Quarterfinals - F.I.S.T. (w. Sugar Dunkerton) vs TEAM JWP
Sugar got cheered, and the rest of F.I.S.T. of course got booed. JWP was very over with the crowd, with Yoneyama and Bolshoi playing the speed and agility, and Kuragaki supplying the muscle and power. Sugar still refused to help F.I.S.T. cheat, but his attempts to take Icarus' loaded fanny pack away meant he accidentally hit Yoneyama with it, allowing Taylor to put her in the Cross Crab submission for a KO victory.
WINNERS: F.I.S.T.

MATCH TWO: MR. TOUCHDOWN (w. Veronica) vs THE 1-2-3 KID
Mr. Touchdown had a quartet of fans (from Canada), who had actually painted "MR TD" on their chests. 1-2-3 Kid was of course very over with the fans. He managed to dominate a fair bit, but eventually he went for the 10-punch in the corner. Mr. TD kicked the referee out of position, low-blow'd the Kid, then hit him with a spinebuster for the pin. Post-match, Kid apologized to the fans for not giving them their money's worth, and promised to do better tomorrow.
WINNER: MR. TOUCHDOWN

MATCH THREE: King of Trios Quarterfinals - THE BATIRI (w. Ophidian) vs THE SPECTRAL ENVOY
This was a surprise, as many fans were predicting this match would be the finals. The Batiri attacked the Envoy on the ramp and there was a massive brawl to start, with Ophidian looking on, pleased. The demons worked over 'Wicked and Frightmare alternately, but the Envoy would pick up the win with an elevated double-stomp to Obariyon by 'Wicked and Mantis. Post-match, however, Ophidian sprayed venom in Mantis' face, and the Batiri laid out Wicked and devastated Frightmare's knee. Both Wicked and Frightmare had to be helped to the back.
WINNERS: THE SPECTRAL ENVOY

MATCH FOUR: TAKOYAKIDA & EBESSAN vs FIRE ANT & GREEN ANT
A great comedy match to help cheer the crowd back up after the downer twist to the previous match. Lots of fun antics going back and forth. Green Ant hit Ebessan with a wrist-clutch Olympic Slam, doing a "marching" dance before connecting with it. As on Night One, when he did a double-bodyslam, he got a "Feed Me More" chant. (Would this make him Greenback or RybAnt?) The Osaka Pro team picked up the victory after Ebessan used bug-spray on Fire Ant to hit a Paydirt-like finisher for the victory.
WINNERS: TAKOYAKIDA & EBESSAN

Intermission.

MATCH FIVE: King of Trios Quarterfinal - TEAM SENDAI GIRLS vs QUACK, JIG, & TOYOTA
Quackenbush seemed much more focused on the task at hand instead of his feud with GEKIDO. He and Satomura started it out with some mat-based hold-for-hold grappling, but things started picking up soon. Quack's team seemed to be on the verge of winning, but Quack missed on the Shotei palm strike and hit Jigsaw, leaving him open for a flurry from Satomura that ended with a Death Valley Bomb. Post-match, Jigsaw bailed early and left, leaving Quack confused.
WINNERS: TEAM SENDAI GIRLS

MATCH SIX: SUGAR DUNKERTON vs TATANKA
Sugar was still sporting his new F.I.S.T.-attire. Chuck Taylor was on commentary, and mid-way through the match, Icarus and Johnny Gargano came out in Sugar's corner. Tatanka pretty much dominated the entire match, but for a few hope spots from Sugar, leading to a "Please Have Mercy" chant. F.I.S.T. tried to interfere, but got taken out by Tatanka. Taylor left commentary and grabbed Tatanka, but Sugar shoved him down and then turned around into the End of the Trail. Post-match, Chuck Taylor yelled at Sugar, "If you'd do what we say, maybe you'd win more matches! ... I hate you!" ("Words Are Hurtful!" the crowd admonished him.)
WINNER: TATANKA

MATCH SEVEN: King of Trios Quarterfinals - TEAM ROH (w. Maria Kanellis) vs TEAM ECW
Arrogance from Team ROH, as one might expect, with the Young Bucks starting out alternately against Scorpio and Jerry Lynn. Some great action in this match, with the old high-flyers like Scorpio and Lynn clashing with the new generation in the YBs, with Dreamer and Bennett supplying some power/muscle. Toward the end of the match, the YBs were setting Dreamer up for a double superkick, but he pulled out the remote control again and paused them, to a huge ovation. He got behind them and unpaused them, but they ducked his double clothesline and hit the double superkick to set up their More Bang For Your Buck combination for the victory.
WINNERS: TEAM ROH

MATCH EIGHT: Chikara Grand Championship - TADASUKE vs EDDIE KINGSTON (champion)
Tadasuke came out with his Young Lions Cup IX trophy. The match started with some ground-based mat wrestling, but eventually it turned into the slugfest strike-heavy match we knew it was going to become. Kingston's left arm appeared to be bothering him throughout the match, but it didn't stop him from rallying back against Tadasuke's brutish offense, hitting his trademark flurry of finishers, a Backfist to the Future, the American D sliding elbow strike, and finally a huge backdrop suplex.
WINNER: EDDIE KINGSTON

The match had barely ended before Tim Donst interrupted, talking about the funk he'd been in for the last several months, until he looked at Eddie Kingston, bruised and battered on the mat, and it reminded him of Donst's big breakout match against Kingston several years before, a match in which Donst got bruised and battered himself. He talked about karma, and how it doesn't exist in pro wrestling, unlike the "real world," where forensics catch murderers decades later, and politicians get thrown out of office, and called Kingston "everything that's wrong with pro wrestling... you're a monster--" which is when Kingston rushed him, but ran right into an STO from Donst, who started screaming, "Why did you make me do that?!" He reiterated that there's no karma in pro wrestling, "because if there was, I'd still have my hair, and you wouldn't have this Grand Championship belt!" He stormed out, his statement made, and his desire to come after the title stated.

END SPOILERS

Once again, no matches have been announced for tomorrow, apart from the Tag Gauntlet, Saturyne vs Ophidian, and the KOT Semifinals and Finals.

Looking forward to tomorrow. I just hope my voice holds out.

[Jay 2K Winger]

NIGHT THREE REPORT!

Couldn't post this last night because the Internet connection here is spotty sometimes.

Got going a bit late so we were literally at the end of the line and the fan club had already been called up. Didn't matter, still had decent seats and a good time.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

MATCH 1: King of Trios Semifinals - TEAM ROH (w. Maria Kanellis) vs TEAM SENDAI GIRLS
Once again, Sendai Girls were massively over and everyone was really hoping they'd take down the arrogant Young Bucks & Bennett. They tried. It was a very close match, but down the wire, Satomura managed to hold all three members of Team ROH at bay, only to fall victim to a triple superkick, leaving her open for More Bang For Your Buck. Sendai Girls got a standing ovation and a "Please Come Back" chant.
WINNERS: TEAM ROH

MATCH 2: King of Trios Semifinals - F.I.S.T. (w. Sugar Dunkerton) vs THE SPECTRAL ENVOY
Once again, the stories here were Frightmare's knee was still injured after the Batiri & Ophidian's attack last night, and Sugar D tried like hell to curtail F.I.S.T.'s cheating. And cheat they did. Taylor tried to throw powder into Mantis' eyes, but missed and hit Icarus. Mantis then threw Taylor to the blinded Icarus, who hit him with the Wings of Icarus (Pedigree). A mass of dives to the outside led Mantis to go up top to join in, but Taylor snuck in and hit him with the Awful Waffle for a two count! Mantis now joins the scant ranks of those who have kicked out of the Awful Waffle! Mantis eventually pinned Gargano with the Cosmic Doom to advance to the finals.
WINNERS: THE SPECTRAL ENVOY

MATCH 3: OPHIDIAN vs SATURYNE
Ophidian attacked Saturyne right out of the gate with his charging knees in the corner, but she rallied back and fought hard. She tried, but Ophidian kept working her arm to wreck her balance, and eventually caught her in the Ophidian Death Grip submission to make her pass out.
WINNER: OPHIDIAN

MATCH 4: THE ANNUAL TEN-TEAM TAG GAUNTLET
MATCH 4A: TIM DONST & JAKOB HAMMERMEIER vs THE COLONY (FIRE ANT & SOLDIER ANT)
Donst got a lot of boos, and there are increasing cheers for Jakob. Jakob still calls Donst his BFF. The Colony fought hard here, and Donst's aggravation with Jakob and his increasing aggression meant that he often tossed Jakob out of the ring to make the tag. Jakob took the bullet for Donst, jumping in the way of the Ants Go Marching charging dropkick, allowing the Colony to pick up the victory on his lifeless carcass.
MATCH 4B: THE COLONY vs DEVASTATION CORPORATION (MAX SMASHMASTER & BLASTER McMASSIVE) (w. their manager)
Devastation Corporation are basically the Road Warriors, complete with facepaint and entrance attire (not shoulder pads of doom, though) and a scumbag 80s manager. They destroyed the Colony in short order, finishing them off with the Death Blow, which is basically the old Veg-o-Matic, but with a diving splash from the fat Blaster.
MATCH 4C: DEVASTATION CORPORATION vs PAUL SIMONE & ART GARFUNKEL
The crowd laughed like hell at the sight of the two jobbers, and started chanting "Feed Me More!" When the jobbers hesitated at getting in the ring, the crowd chanted "It's Not Worth It!" Devastation Corporation demolished them quickly with the Death Blow.
MATCH 4D: DEVASTATION CORPORATION vs KNIGHT EYE FOR THE PIRATE GUY (LANCE STEEL & JOLLY ROGER)
The crowd popped for KEFTPG, who fought hard. Steel's chestplate protected him from Max and Blaster's chops, until they unleashed a double-chop that floored him. KEFTPG still rallied back and hit Max in the corner with Jousting Time, to no effect. They tried it again, but it still didn't hurt him. So they tried a third time, but got thrown off. Devastation Corporation cleared them out quickly after that.
MATCH 4E: DEVASTATION CORPORATION vs JOHNNY MIAGI & RALPH MACCHIO, JR.
Another laugh for the jobbers, leading to another "Feed Me More!" chant. When they heard the jobbers' names, they started chanting "Sweep The Leg!" As expected, Devastation Corporation cleared them out with another Death Blow.
MATCH 4F: DEVASTATION CORPORATION vs DEMOLITION (AX & SMASH)
Yes, you read that correctly! Demolition was in the Tag Gauntlet! This was a GREAT callback to the 2008 King of Trios weekend, when Demolition took part, and won the Tag Gauntlet then, accumulating one point. The place came unglued when Demolition's music hit, and went further crazy when they actually came out. Devastation Corporation were shocked, to say the least, and Ax & the Smasher managed to end their reign of terror with a Hart Attack.
MATCH 4G: DEMOLITION vs THE POWERS OF PAIN (WARLORD & BARBARIAN)
More legend awesomeness and facepaint-clashing. Smash promised to "kick your stinking teeth in!" and we got to see four legends do what they do, even if they are up there in the years. The Powers of Pain managed to beat Demolition.
MATCH 4H: THE POWERS OF PAIN vs THE 1-2-3 KID & MARTY JANNETTY
Kid got a pop, of course, but when he brought out Jannetty as his partner, the crowd went nuts. Jannetty has been helping train new wrestlers at the Chikara Wrestle Factory, and has been seen at Chikara events recently. The Kid & Jannetty managed to put down Barbarian to advance.
MATCH 4I: THE 1-2-3 KID & MARTY JANNETTY vs LOS ICE CREAMS (EL HIJO DEL ICE CREAM & ICE CREAM JR.)
Another big pop for the Chikara tag scene mainstays, who always get cheers even if they're rudo to the bone. Classic Ice Creams antics were on display, but the Kid & Jannetty pinned Hijo to win the Tag Gauntlet, now having two points out of three needed for title contention.
WINNERS: THE 1-2-3 KID & MARTY JANNETTY

Intermission.

MATCH 5: COLT CABANA, YOHNEL SANDERS, DARKNESS CRABTREE & THE SWAMP MONSTER (w. The Gentleman's Club) vs EBESSAN, TAKOYAKIDA, & 3.0 (SHANE MATTHEWS & SCOTT "JAGGED" PARKER)
Cabana always gets a pop, and Osaka Pro's Yohnel Sanders got a cheer as well, and the decrepit Crabtree got a huge pop, but that was nothing compared to seeing The Swamp Monster come out, with the cast of the Gentleman's Club in tow! There was a group of Canadian fans who led the crowd in the Canadian National Anthem, much to 3.0's delight. Honestly, to write up this match wouldn't do the fun justice, you have to see it for yourself. Comedy galore, including a game of Duck-Duck-Goose. Crabtree ended up almost dying, only to be revived by some of Matthews' Red Bull, but the rush wore off and Takoyakida pinned him to win the match. Swampy went on a rampage after the match and got dragged out by Security, and apparently got arrested, if Chuck Taylor was right.
WINNERS: TAKOYAKIDA, EBESSAN, & 3.0

MATCH 6: TSUBASA KURAGAKI & COMMANDO BOLSHOI vs MANAMI TOYOTA & KAORI YONEYAMA
This was a great joshi match, and a nice way to get some more wrestling in after the comedy-heavy prior match. The crowd is always appreciative to Toyota, and Team JWP got pops as well. Kuragaki won it for her team after hitting Yoneyama with a Splash Mountain bomb.
WINNERS: TSUBASA KURAGAKI & COMMANDO BOLSHOI

MATCH 7: TADASUKE vs JIGSAW
More hard-hitting action here, as Jigsaw-- one of Chikara's aces-- tried to defeat the monster Tadasuke. He tried hard, hitting hard and using his agility, but Tadasuke weathered the storm and nailed Jigsaw with two hard knockout punches to KO Jig.
WINNER: TADASUKE

MATCH 8: King of Trios Finals - TEAM ROH (w. Maria Kanellis) vs THE SPECTRAL ENVOY
What can I say about this match? It was emotional, it was epic. Frightmare was the obvious weak link with his injured knee, and ROH exploited it at every turn. They used every heel trick in the book to keep him isolated and prevent the hot tag. Down the home stretch, the Envoy started rallying back hard, and nothing ROH had could keep any of them down. When the Envoy looked to be on the verge of winning, Ophidian & The Batiri came out, accompanied by Delirious. To the rescue came Mantis' loyal henchman Crossbones! Bones threw Delirious into the ring post and ran off his minions, but the distraction nearly let Team ROH win. Maria distracted the referee when the Envoy looked to win, leading to Frightmare trying to get rid of her. Nick Jackson lined him up for a superkick, but missed and knocked out Maria! This let Hallowicked put Bennett in the Chikara Special submission and get the tap out victory!
WINNERS: THE SPECTRAL ENVOY

This was UltraMantis Black's first title win in Chikara history, and his victory speech was short and to the point: "We did it!"

SPOILERS END.

All in all, it was a great weekend, and I had a great time, all things considered. No word yet on when the shows will be released by Smart Mark Video, but given that KOT is always a number-one seller, it won't be long. Standby this thread for details.

[Jay 2K Winger]

As expected, Smart Mark Video made a fast turn-around on the DVD and VOD release for King of Trios 2012, and can be purchased on their website now.

[Jay 2K Winger]

They posted pictures from the Chikara Fan Conclave!

My picture with 3.0

Other pictures can be found here.