1) Team TNA (Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley & Sonjay Dutt) vs. BLKOUT (Sabian, Ruckus, & Joker) - King of Trios Night Two
Ah! Sabin & Shelley were two of my favorite guys to watch at this period of time so I was pumped to see them in CHIKARA here. Shelley seems like someone who would have been a perfect there. I'm surprised he didn't become a mainstay. None the less, this was the debut weekend for "Team TNA" and they certainly impressed in this particular match. What I liked was that they played heels here which was completely different from what they were in TNA at the time. The X Division was mostly all loved and seeing three of it's finest athletes get the chance to do something a little out of the ordinary here was cool. Shelley got some good arm work in early on and his team defined themselves as heels by using sneaky & cheap tactis. BLKOUT would do some of their own later on in return however and we got a pretty competitive match as a result. Just great wrestling all around like you would expect fromthe names involved. I know they don't get talked about much, but Sabian & Ruckus have always been fun to watch and they hung right there with Sabin, Shelley, & Dutt. The finish to this match was awesome as Dutt & Shelley dove to the outside on opposites sides of the ring while Sabin hit the cradle shock. Excellent start to the set.
Match rating - ***1/2
2) Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, & Shane Storm vs. El Pantera - King of Trios Night Two
I knew this would be a ton of fun right from the get go as Excalibur & Larry Sweeney were on commentary and ended up being a wonderful pairing. As a PWG fanatic, it was super cool seeing Excalibur calling CHIKARA action here considering their my 2nd favorite Independent promotion. And this was certainly vintage CHIKARA action for him to call as the signature style that the company has become known for was put on display here. There were a few minor slip ups from Storm, but other than that everything was very well done. This was a fun trios match as you can always expect from CHIKARA. It's not mindblowing, just fun action.
Match rating - ***
3) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricochet - King of Trios Night Three
AND HERE WE GO! One of my big drawing factors to this set. To make matters even better, Claudio is sporting his old Swiss Money Holding outfit AND Excalibur is commentating with Bryce Remsburg - can it get any better than this? I don't think so! This was just what I expected - an insanely fun match that delivered several mark out moments. Claudio is a guy who can work any style almost and I always enjoy watching him work with smaller guys because it always results in some phenomenal spots and exchanges. We got several of those here which resulted in some extremely close falls. The uppercut at the end was absolutely vicious as well. All around good stuff. Definitely something worth a look if you like both guys. Ricochet has grown alot since this, but he could still fly around the ring and blow you away.
Match rating - ***1/2
4) The Colony & Hallowicked vs. BLKOUT (Eddie Kingston, Sabian, Ruckus, & Joker) - Time Will Prove Everything
More crazy multi-man action here. Once again, the commentary was also a highlight for me as Chuck Taylor stepped into the booth and made this bout even more entertaining than it was on it's own by referring to Bryce Remsburg as "grizzly" and "looking nice & shabby" before mocking Kingston's double stomp as a "chubby stomp". He was hilarious as always with a bunch of funny one liners. As usual with these multi-mans, the action was high impact and really picked up near the end. Super enjoyable match.
Match rating - ***1/4
5) FIST (Gran Akuma & Icarus) vs. Cheech & Cloudy - Campeonetes De Parejas - Rey De Voladores
As always with matches for the Campeones De Parjeas, this is a 2/3 falls encounter. These two teams did a good job of formatting this match extremely well with that stipulation by how they set up each fall. That's alot of what made this bout so great. I had no clue who was going to win to begin with, but they really did a phenomenal job of making it feel like it could go either way. The emotion portrayed here by the underdogs in Cheech & Cloudy was taken to another level when Cloudy vomitted about mid-way through the match. It was disgusting however I think it added to this in a way because it garnered sympathy towards the young talent who was so nervous and beaten yet he kept coming back. There were a few little things here that kept me from going with four stars although this is still something I'd definitely recommend checking out. Really good match.
Match rating - ***3/4
6) Ricochet vs. PAC vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Retail Dragon - Rey De Voladores
I was really looking forward to this one. I'm a mark for three of the four guys here so it should come as no surprise. This was all that I expected to be with all the participants getting their chance to show off and shine. I would have loved some more interaction between Ricochet & PAC, but that's just a personal thing. They had a very fun showdown here so I can't complain. PAC was the real star of this match which probably doesn't shock you. When he debuted in the US in 2007, he wowed audiences all around and he did the same here in his first ever CHIKARA appearance. Very entertaining match.
Match rating - ***1/4
7) Mike Quackenbush vs. Chris Hero - Anniversario ?
I haven't watched any pre-2007 CHIKARA as of this writing so I can't go into detail about the full history between these two. However, I've done my research and know that they used to be tag partners so this one on one match has alot of intensity behind it. These guys pulled this one off very well by simply just trying to one up and out wrestle each other. That's what this match was all about and they portrayed that fantastically. They also played off how well they know one other with alot of counter wrestling that brought the crowd to it's feet on several occasions. Just a fantastic match between two of the best pure wrestlers around.
Match rating - ****
Disc 2:
8) Lince Dorado vs. Mitch Ryder - Young Lion's Cup V Night 3
This really wasn't anything special. When I saw it on paper I figured it would either be dull or just a disaster considering how different these two are, but it ended up being fairly enjoyable while it lasted. It only went around 7 minutes so I can't complain. I think the brawl afterwards is why this was included on here as Ryder went nuts and beat down Dorado along with officials. Pretty wild stuff that Larry Sweeney going crazy on commentary.
Match rating - **1/4
9) Los Ice Creams vs. The Olsen Brothers - Showdown in Crisis Land
I had no clue what to expect here and needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Considering that I'm a Chuck Taylor mark, it's probably no surprise that I'm a mark for good comedy in wrestling and that's exactly what this was. A number of funny things happened here including one of the Ice Creams tying the strings of one of the Olsen's boots together which caused him to continuosly trip. My favorite however was one of the Olsen's eating ice cream on the apron during the match and shoving a spoon in his lactose intolerant brother's mouth by accident. Great comedy match.
Match rating - **3/4
10) Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst - Showdown in Crisis Land
I think this was Tim Donst's coming out party. Prior to this he had only had a few matches in CHIKARA, teaming with the likes of Drew Gulak & Andy Sumner, and this was his first big singles encounter. Kingston beat the living hell out of him with strikes and slams, but Donst wouldn't give up. So much so that the audience would chant for him to stay down. Tim refused to do so and as a result he really win over the audience. Bryce & Leonard did a wonderful job commentating this one as well which really added to it. Awesome story of the underdog not backing down and coming out looking better than he went in.
Match rating - ***1/4
11) The Colony vs. The Deliriosos - Maximum Overdraft
Insane. Bizzare. Wild. Those are just a few words I could use to describe this match and they all fit well. The Deliriosos consist of Delirious and two other characters that look & act exactly like him. As soon as they bell rang they all scrambled which was pretty hilarious. There was a fair bit of comedy here although things got down to business and both teams put some great teamwork on display with a high impact closing sequence. Fun match to say the least. The Colony were their usual entertaining selves and The Deliriosos were a sight to see.
Match rating - ***
12) FIST (Gran Akuma & Icarus) vs. The Briscoes - Maximum Overdraft
This was a pretty huge match at the time as it was an interpromotional attraction. The Briscoes were the ROH Tag Champs at the time and making their first ever CHIKARA appearance while FIST were the reigning Campeones De Parejas. It certainly lived up to the champion vs champion hype with both teams displaying why they are at the top of the tag division in their respective promotions. Quality tag team match.
Match rating - ***3/4
13) Chuck Taylor vs. Ricochet - International Invaders Stage 2
I've seen Chuck & Ricochet face multiple times over the years. From IWA MS in 2006 to PWG in 2011. And out of all the matches I've seen them have, this was easily the best. They've always had good chemistry however their other encounters didn't come together like this one did. The action, the counters, the near falls. It was all outstanding. Both guys hit moves I've never seen them hit before which showed just how important the Young Lions Cup was to them. After seeing this, I'm definitely going to seek out their other matches from CHIKARA in 2007. Awesome match.
Match rating - ****
14) Claudio Castagnoli vs. PAC - International Invaders Stage 2
More Claudio. More PAC. My head is gonna explode! This was the first ever meeting between the two although the chemistry was certainly still there. Crazy spots, insane agility shown by PAC, just all around enjoyable match that made myself and the crowd in attendance mark out on several occasions. It's not the classic these two would go on to have a few months after in PWG however it's still the fun stuff you would expect from them.
Match rating - ***1/2
15) Cheech & Cloudy vs. The Olsen Twins - Cibernetico & Robin
After Cheech & Cloudy's remarkable performance against FIST earlier in this set, I was stoked to see them competing again here. They seem to get better with every match I see them in from 2007 as I recently watched them against Super Dragon & El Generico in IWA MS and it was killer. This match was equally as impressive. The Olsen Twins went out of their comfort zone by busting out all the stops and delivering some awesome exchanges with Cheech & Cloudy although their comedic ways, whether they were intentional or not, came back in the end and cost them the match.
Match rating - ***1/4
Disc 3:
16) Incoherence (Delirious & Hallowicked) vs. FIST (Chuck Taylor & Icarus) - Bruised
This was an impromptu match for CHIKARA's tag team titles, the Campeonetes De Parejas. Chuck was replacing the injured Gran Akuma in representing FIST. With the impromptu start came a pretty rocky & wild pace that was hard to get into. They finally found the direction they wanted to go in about half-way through and things really got good in the form of an awesome closing sequence. If they had delivered a more well put together first half, this could've been looking at a high end three star rating or possibly even four stars. Regardless, this was still quite fun and worth watching for the second half in particular. Akuma hobbling down and accidentally nailing Chuck Taylor with his crutch was hilarious and Icarus' fanny pack.. damn, I love FIST!
Match rating - ***1/4
17) The Osirian Portal vs. Cheech & Cloudy - Bruised
I was excited for this one due to my enjoyment of all of Cheech & Cloudy's work in 07 and how good the Portal is. To my surprise, this was actually only the second match of that Ophidian & Hamassas had in CHIKARA and only their tenth as a team. It showed as they weren't quite on the level that they would get on in say, 2009, however they still delivered some great team work. Overall, this was a solid tag match with alot of action.
Match rating - **3/4
18) Icarus vs. Tim Donst - New Star Navigation
This was an encounter that was surprisingly similar to Donst's bout with Eddie Kingston. The reason I say surprisingly is because Icarus beat Donst just as brutally as King did. It was insane to say the least. Icarus used vicious strikes to beat dwon the newcomer and even slung him into the wall which knocked a hole in it. There were some fun and games here though as Donst brought a bail of hay into play and tossed it at Icarus several times. Extremely entertaining match here in another proving effort for Donst.
Match rating - ***
19) Chuck Taylor vs. Shane Storm - Battle of Who Could Care Less
I rarely find a Chuck Taylor match that I don't enjoy. While he may not be the best all around performer, the man is entertaining as shit. His signature moves are awesome and his charisma & comedy are one of a kind. This was no different. Just extremely enjoyable signature Chuck Taylor stuff with Larry Sweeney on commentary. Fun, fun, fun.
Match rating - **1/2
20) Claudio Castagnoli vs. MIYAWAKI - Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence
I may have to go back and watch this one because for whatever reason, I didn't fully focus on it during my first viewing. Despite that, this was a very good match. They worked limbs early on and then went into a high impact closing the sequence which made the crowd pop on numerous occassions. Claudio's pop up uppercut is a thing of beauty and MIYAWAKI took a great bump. As said before and as with most Claudio matches, I'll likely go back and watch this one again.
Match rating - ***1/4
21) Incoherence (Delirious & Hallowicked) vs. Cheech & Cloudy - Sordid Perils of Every Day Existence
This match completely confused the hell out of me to begin with because Deliriosito and Hallowicksito, the mini-me's of Incoherence basically, were in the ring facing off against the counterparts. This made me think it was Delirious and his carbon copy against Hallowicked & his carbon copy. Then I realized - this is supposed to be Cheech & Cloudy. Aside from the confusion, the opening moments were alot of fun as they chased each other around and ended up in the backstage area. When they come back out, Cheech & Cloudy are being chased by Incoherence, I guess they were under the Deliriosito masks? I don't know. Either way, that was hilarious but confusing. Once things got settled down, it ruled because Up in Smoke is prooobably been my favorite team to watch in 2007 on the Indies outside of ROH. Once again, they came close to winning the Campeones De Parejas and put together an extremely impressive effort of double team manuevers. Lots of awesome spots during the final 10 minute stretch that built towards the final fall of this 2/3 Falls match. The opening fall with the confusion makes this hard for me to rate so I'll just give this rating for the final 2 falls and the entertainment I did get from that first segment.
Match rating - ***1/2
22) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero - Penn State University
As odd as it sounds considering I'm a Claudio mark and a Hero fan, seeing them face off against each other isn't something that I'm crazy about. I've seen them face off in PWG, IWA MS, and now here, but I've never been blown away like you'd expect. That's not a knock on the match because it's as solid as it gets however it's not on the level you'd expect from them. Good mat work, sweet counters, everything you'd expect from them in those aspects. Despite my earlier comments, this is still a good match.
Match rating - ***1/4
BONUS FEATURES: They included feud recaps for Hero/Equinox and Dorado/Ryder which were both extremely well done and made CHIKARA look very professional when compared to other Indies' video packages at the time. They did a phenomenal job of selling me on the Hero/Equinox feud and considering it wasn't touched on in this set, I'm planning to get whatever shows it took place on and witness it for myself. Nice bonus stuff.
Overall thoughts: My CHIKARA binge continued here and it was just as a fun as the sets I reviewed to start out the year. As usual, there were a ton of styles showcased here which is what has made every CHIKARA comp I've gotten worth checking out. You had technical showcases like Quack/Hero and Claudio/Hero, great tag team matches throughout the set, high flying showcases from Ricochet & PAC, comedy from Chuck Taylor, Los Ice Creams, & The Deliriosos, and storytelling in Tim Donst proving himself against veterans like Eddie Kingston & Icarus in his rookie year. So as you can probably already tell, this is a set I'd recommend checking out. There aren't any huge MOTY candidates like other CHIKARA sets I've reviewed, but pretty much everything here is entertaining.
CHIKARA: Best of 2009 Review
CHIKARA: Best of 2010 Review
CHIKARA: Best of 2011 Review
CHIKARA: 12 Large Summit Tournament Review
CHIKARA: Best of 2012 Review
Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me on Twitter @EthanPWT and this blog @ThePWTruth!
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