You Guys Seem Familiar...

GEKIDO: 17, The Shard, CombatANT, DeviANT and AssailANT


         Hello and welcome back my beautiful CHIKArmy friends! I am so pleased to say that any day now the 2013 debut weekend will be coming from Smart Mark Video. There is nothing that gets me more excited than a DVD release. While it has taken me longer to work through the happenings of 2012 than I thought it would, worry not because I will complete them. My priority once the first shows come out will be to watch those and get the stories up online. However, in between my storyline blogs for 2013, I will do clean up work for 2012. I want this blog to become a place for you guys to be able to come and keep current. Say you're going to a show but hadn't seen the last two. I will have you covered! This week I bring you one of the most interesting stables in Chikara history, Gekido. These doppelgangers came into Chikara and made quite the impact. Their departures made quite the impact in their own way as well... 

Gekido

CHIKARA Debut - Caught In the Spider's Den  February 26th 2012

Affiliations: GEKIDO (17, The Shard, CombatANT, DeviANT, AssailANT)

                 The Swarm (CombatANT, DeviANT, AssailANT)

                 The New Swarm (CombatANT, DeviANT, Soldier Ant)

                 The New Colony (AssailANT, Fire Ant, Green Ant)

       Season 11 began with a air of hopefulness. The BDK had been thwarted and their reign of terror in Chikara ended. The debut show came and went with some great wrestling but little in the way of the typical evil that had been haunting the company. Something was amiss however when we arrived in Reading for A Death Worse than Fate. During the debut match of Mr. Touchdown as he and his step cousin in law, Dasher Hatfield took on the Colony, that Green Ant came out from the locker room and pushed Dasher off of the top turnbuckle. The Throwbacks were well in control of the Colony at that point in the match. It would seem that Green Ant was attempting to aid his comrades. Cheating wasn't part of the usual Colony repertoire however. Moving on to the next evening Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant were dealing with the rather dastardly quartet of the Batiri, Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier. Again, Green Ant made his way out towards the ring. Then...Green Ant made his way out to the ring? Two Green Ants stood outside the ring on Long Island. One of them jumped in the ring and attacked Mike Quackenbush! He tore of his mask, revealing a blue and gold one underneath. Rushing the ring came four other individuals, three of which looked a lot like one of our favourite trios. Very off colour ants assaulted the technicos in the ring. They were chased off by the locker room, but had already made quite the first impression.

       March fast approached and so did two more Chikara shows. Taking a page out of the Batiri play book, these intruders utilized YouTube and social media. The first of these masked men was the yellow ant, unnamed at the time, but soon to be known as CombatANT. He claimed that he and the other members of the Gekido would unmask the Colony, exposing them for the frauds that they were. The next video featured the well muscled package, the Shard. He warned that he was aware of Jigsaw's knee problems. These guys seemed to know a lot about Chikara. Vaughn came and so did the Gekido. In the match that was supposed to feature Los Ice Creams, CombatANT and DeviANT took them out backstage and interjected themselves into the match in their place. Their move sets seemed rather familiar. Even more so after CombatANT devastated Soldier Ant with a TKO. Following this confrontation, Quack and Jigsaw entered the ring against 17 and the Shard. While it was evident the Shard was a distorted version of Jig, it would soon become evident how much like Mike 17 was. After dropping Quack with his own Quackendriver III, he used a move not seen in years to break the fingers of Mike! It is a good thing for free health care in Canada. These doppelgangers meant to eliminate their likenesses quickly. The next evening in Ottawa, the five members of the Gekido stood in the ring again with some of Chikara's finest technicos. Hallowicked and Ultramantis Black came out on the losing side against the Shard and 17. Shard utilized several of Jigsaw's moves in this bout, particularly his super kick. As their full units, the Swarm and Colony met for the first of many battles inside of a Chikara ring. It became apparent that the Gekido weren't interested in winning titles and belts like the BDK were. Instead, the Swarm were targeting the Colony's masks. Being pinned on his back, Green Ant had his mask torn from his head! This is a instant disqualification in Chikara, but that didn't matter to the sadistic and twisted counterparts of the Colony.

        After March, the Gekido had put the whole Chikara locker room on notice. Quack was now on the shelf after his first encounter with 17 who claimed that he knew submissions holds even the master Quackenbush did not. A bold statement by the masked man. Being injured, Mike chose the champ himself, Eddie Kingston, to take his place in a atomicos match in New Jersey. It was another brawl and, even with the added brawn of Eddie, the Colony were not able to overcome their adversaries. For a second time the victory came by TKO utilized by CombatANT. The war building between these two factions was quickly becoming very personal for Soldier Ant, as it was his patented finishing maneuver that was aiding the Swarm. In their next meeting at Synergy, Eddie Kingston was subbed out for the Soaring Jet of Lucha Libre, Jigsaw. Another brawl and well contested match. This time however the technico squad was able to overcome the Gekido via Chikara Special submission applied by Soldier Ant. It had taken nearly two months, but the Colony had taken a small portion of revenge on their colourful counterparts. As well that evening, 17 had a unscheduled match against the debuting Tianlong. We will never know his potential because minutes into the match his career was ended by another forgotten submission hold. Two months, two injuries...one career ending...caused by 17.

      Continuing his vendetta towards the Swarm, Soldier Ant took his aggression towards the rudo unit to the new level in Lafayette. During the Colony versus Swarm match, Soldier decided it was no longer necessary to play by the rules that had defined the Colony as a techico squad. He began to attempt to remove the mask from CombatANT. He was unsuccessful as the match was interrupted by Gekido influence. 17 suffered a loss to the Grand champion despite Shard attacking his leg prior to the match. Thankfully 17 was not able to place a submission hold on Eddie. If he had injured him, the champ might have had to vacate his title position.

        Anniversario had arrived in the Chikaraverse and everyone was abuzz for what would be a landmark match. The Gekido were set to step into the ring with some of Chikara's finest, past and present. Digging into their reserves Chikara called back Mr. Zero and Dragonfly to fight alongside Hallowicked, Ultramantis and Icarus. It would appear that the Night Shift were back together for one afternoon to defend the gates of Chikara. The technicos fought well and the match seemed to be evenly contested. This was until 17 placed another one of his holds onto the unsuspecting Dragonfly. Another match, another submission and another wrestler injured so severely his career was ended. 17's resume of lost submission holds was only growing and he hadn't even used ten of them yet. If some of the best from the past and present couldn't do it, maybe the Colony, Jigsaw and Kingston could rout the rudos at Chikara's first IPPV of the year, Chikarasaurus Rex. We wouldn't be able to find out if the original technico team could defeat the Gekido however, because during the pre-show festivities Fire Ant was assaulted and his ankle badly injured. That left the technico team a man short facing what has been one of the most destructive stables in Chikara history. Aid came in the form of the healing Mike Quackenbush, who blindsided 17 with a drop kick. He then delivered a palm strike to Derek Sabato, the social liason of Gekido. After a super anthill was used, Soldier Ant forced 17 to tap out to the Chikara Special. That move seemed to be the Achilles heel of the Gekido. Post match Quack whispered something in the ear of 17 before breaking his fingers, gaining his revenge.

      In Syracuse, Chikara fans were treated to the first singles competition faced by the Gekido. The purple DeviANT faced off against Green Ant, blue AssailANT faced Soldier Ant and Shard fought with his mirrored likeness Jigsaw. Victory came to the technicos in all matches but Soldier's. These bouts allowed for the Gekido's personalities to be seen for the first time in season 11. DeviANT was becoming a fast striker and AssailANT's strength was nearly as formidable as Eddie Kingston's.

        Midway through the summer Chikara took a turn down a very unfamiliar road, the directions coming from the less than competent Wink Vavasseur. Wink had devised a mathematical system he called Chikarabermetrics. Using wrestlers stats, he placed them into teams based on wins, losses and pinning combinations. He had decided that Soldier Ant, DeviANT and CombatANT would make a better team that the original Colony. As well he placed AssailANT with Colony classic. One of these trios would be tested in Portland by another Wink concoction, 3.0 and Gran Akuma. The new Swarm was felled by Booyakuma, and again the next day by the Spectral Envoy. The problem was simple: Soldier only takes his orders from the CHIKArmy. The Gekido were far too controlling over his actions and it was costing them wins.

        It was August when Fire Ant was able to return from his injuries sustained at C-Rex. Coincidentally, it was also the same time that 17 was able to return from injuries suffered on the same evening. For Fire Ant however his homecoming was not as sweet as anticipated. In Soldier Ant's place stood the blue bruiser of the Gekido, AssailANT. Unlike the way that DeviANT and CombatANT were trying to control Solider, AssailANT was excited to be a part of the Colony. His enthusiasm was visible in their first teaming together against the Batiri. Exuberance doesn't win matches though and their first  opportunity together was a loss. The Swarm still wasn't fairing any better and suffered losses to both the Batiri and F.I.S.T that month. Shard and 17 had an opportunity for their revenge in Indianapolis, a day after Shard nearly upset the Grand Champion. Quack was not going to allow for 17's return to be one of glory. He used all four Quackendrivers on him and ended 17's career the way 17 ended the careers of Dragonfly and Tianlong. Jigsaw took exception to this however, and was becoming increasingly frustrated with Mike's actions.

      Excitement was all around as King of Trios 2012 had come to Chikara. Both the new Swarm and Colony were to be a part of the tournament. The first to compete was the Colony against the fan favourite Sendai girls. AssailANT still seemed thrilled to be able to stand in the ring with Fire and Green Ant. They hadn't forgotten that AssailANT had torn Green Ants mask off in March however and disjunction cost them a first round loss. The Swarm stood across from Jigsaw, Quack and Manami Toyota in their first round match up. Wink's mash up team was far more interested in causing each other harm than actually wrestling the opposing trio though. While fun to watch Soldier use knife edge chops as tags, they don't really help you win. They were defeated by a flurry of offense and eliminated. Both of Wink's ant filled teams were defeated in the first round of King of Trios. After the Swarm match had concluded, Mike placed CombatANT in a precarious hold and jerked his body, snapping his neck. Two of the five members of Gekido had been eliminated by Quack now.

       Maybe October would be a more friendly month for Gekido and their mismatched teams. The always excited AssailANT was teaming with Fire Ant against the highly volatile Donst and meek Hammermeier. During their match, AssailANT in fact stepped in front of a blow that was meant for Fire Ant! He sacrificed himself for the sake of his team mate. This was not the type of action we were seeing from DeviANT. There was beginning to be more to AssailANT than anyone had first believed. On the very same evening, Shard had a outstanding match with Gran Akuma, coming out with his first win in some time. The confidence itprovided would be necessary, since Mike has promised that he would be added to his list of Gekido victims.

       If October wasn't the month of AssailANT, than November surely was. November afforded the big blue bruiser two opportunities to continue gaining the trust of Fire Ant and it finally paid off in Cleveland, Fire Ant actually invited AssailANT to be part of the Colony patented corner drop kick. Finally things were beginning to come together for Big Blue. This wasn't the case for Solider and DeviANT however as they still couldn't get along and suffered several more loses as a unit. Whatever Wink thought would happen between them, didn't. Shard continued to shine, putting on a excellent showing against El Generico. As well, Shard was the only member of Gekido to wrestle on season 11's Cibernetico show. His opponent was a familiar one, Fire Ant, who he had stood in the ring with numerous times over 2012. After being threatened by Quack for months, Shard decided to take his anger out on Fire Ant for his troubles. Trying to re-break Fire Ant's ankle, Shard won the match by submission but refused to release the hold. This caught the attention of the Master of a Thousand Holds. Mike and Jigsaw came out to help Fire Ant. After saving the Hot Property, Jigsaw and Quack tried to work out the tension that had been building between them for months. Mike asked Jig how they could stop what was happening to them. Jig put a stop to it alright as he blasted Mike with a super kick and left with Shard. The Gekido has effectively torn Chikara apart in a way that no other stable had previously.

        One final confrontation would take place for Gekido in 2012. Under the Hood, the finale showing for Chikara, would see Mike, Green, Fire and AssailANT square away against Soldier, DeviANT, Jigsaw and Shard. Each entered the ring for their own reasons, but it was clear that Mike wanted to bring a finality to the feud. This would not be the case. During the course of the contest, AssailANT solidified his new standing as a technico as he stepped in front of a Jigsaw super kick meant for Mike. If there was one bright spot in Gekido, it had been him. His good deed was wasted however, as DeviANT covered him winning the match.

       The Gekido were such a unique group in 2012. Unlike many stables, they were trying to devalue the Chikara mainstays instead of simply physically dominating. While many doors still remain open from their invasion, the lines have been clearly drawn. AssailANT now stands as a technico with the Colony, while DeviANT is still attempting to control Soldier. Jigsaw has taken Shard as his dark apprentice, to what ends we will only be able to discover in season 12. As always my friends, tell every one you can about The Dark Match. Give me a follow @MurrayDarkMatch on twitter. As well, I highly recommend heading over to the Chikaratorium and listening to AssailANT's interview with  them, it is a hour you will highly enjoy. Coming up next for The Dark Match will be the year of 2012 for Jigsaw and Lightning Mike Quackenbush.

The Saddest Donstaroo Around

Tim Donst

         Hello CHIKArmy and welcome back to The Dark Match! Once again it has been far too long in between posts. My darn real life has been getting in my way in the form of mid term exams. However, that can't get me down, because this past weekend was Chikara's 2013 debut weekend. I can tell you that I'm counting the days until Smart Mark video can get those shows rolled out. This post is going to focus on one of the great enigmas of Chikara Pro. While Tim Donst is a sad, conniving and as of late, rather ruthless individual, I can not help but like the guy. If you don't know, he might have the best promos in all of professional wrestling. I guess you could call me a Donstaroo! Lets get into the year that was 2012 for “The Mat Wrestling Machine” Tim Donst.

CHIKARA Debut: Rey de Voladores April 22nd 2007
Affiliations: Team Stranglehold (Drew Gulak, Andy Summers)
                Order of the Neo Solar Temple (Ultramantis Black, Crossbones, Hydra)
                Sea Donsters (Hydra)
                BDK (Jakob Hammermeier, Delirious, Ares, Tursas, Derek Sabato, Claudio Castagnoli, Pinkie Sanchez, Sara Del Rey, Daizee Haze, Lince Dorado, Dieter VonSteigerwalt)


        Tim's year didn't start out with the resounding pop of New Years fireworks. At The Thirteenth Hat, the debut show, Tim and Jakob started their year against the redbull driven 3.0. This came after Tim walked out on his BDK teammate Ares at the High Noon IPPV. Tim cuts a promo saying that the BDK will be better than ever without Ares. High hopes for a stable that held the CdP belts and dominated Chikara for all of 2010. Tim dreamed of a win to start of his year, but the over zealous Jakob might have cost him his match. The self professed greatest Young Lions Cup Champion of all time slapped his partner back out of the entrance way after Jakob succumbed to the Sweet Taste O' Professionalism.
        February would prove to be a more productive month for Tim. Teaming with Jakob, as well as the Batiri, he was part of two atomicos matches. During the first, in always friendly Reading PA, he faced off against the pre-chikarabarimetrics Wink devised team of 3.0, Eddie Kingston and the “Handicap Hero” Greg Iron. Proving what a dominant physical force he is, Tim choked out Greg with a shoe lace. The greatest Young Lions Cup champ was resorting to cheating and it wasn't even the third show of the season yet. Tim might have had the same ideas for victory the next evening in Long Island, but his match was intervened in by the new invaders, Gekido.
         March brought Chikara into new territory when they hit the border and came to Canada for their first Canadian tour. Tim was slated to challenge Canada's adopted son, El Generico. Generico would be a perfect stepping stone for Tim to prove that he deserved to challenge Hallowicked for the title of greatest Young Lions Cup champion. As he did do Greg, instead of using his raw talents as the Mat Wrestling Machine, Tim choked Generico out with a shoe lace. Rather disappointing end to what was a great match by both competitors. Though not on the next days card in Ottawa, Tim arrived to cause grief to Hallowicked, who was in a match against the mysterious 17 and The Shard. Trying to take his YLC back, Tim crept out to the ring during Wicked's match and stole his cup. He lost it however, when he was chased away by Ultramantis Black and his staff.
        April brought new prospects for Chikara in the form of Synergy, an event collaborated between Chikara and Ring of Honor. Chikara's half of the event was held on the afternoon of the 28th. Tim was finally getting a chance at Hallowicked, not a one on one encounter, but in a atomicos. He couldn't help himself however to wait until after intermission to face Hallowicked. Instead he posed as a masked fan during intermission and assaulted Wicked in the ring. Feeling smug about himself, Tim competed in his atomicos match, believing Hallowicked to be injured. This wasn't the case, and he was chased to the back by his arch rival. With each corner Tim cut by trying to prove himself better than Wicked, he suffered a set back. The next day in a four corners elimination match, Donst was able to gain a little revenge after being embarrassed the day prior. Reverting back to his trusty shoe lace, Donst was able to eliminate Hallowicked and Ultramantis from the match by a very suspicious rear naked choke.
        May came for Chikara, and with it the always enjoyable Aniversario events. On night 1 Tim and Jakob teamed with the Batiri in a cross generational ten man tag match. The victory was scored by the flying posterior of the mighty goblin Kobald. Following his victory over some of Chikara's previous greats, Tim was feeling confident going into the Highline Ballroom to stand across the ring from Hallowicked, and the rest of the Spectral Envoy. The setting was not as intimate as Tim would have wanted, since the Batiri and Gekido were also part of Chikara's first Royal Rhombus match. Again Jakob would disappoint Tim and lose them the match. Tim might have been sour over that fact but there would be something to make him smile in a few days. After raising a petition to regain his Young Lions Cup back from Hallowicked, Wink finally consented. Before How to Hatch a Dinosaur, Wink and a group of his personal cronies went to Hallowicked to take back Tim's cup. Instead of reclaiming the proper cup however, Wink in his brilliance stole Hallowicked's. This only stoked the smoldering ashes that had been building for the inevitable meeting between the two Young Lions Cup greats. Chikarasaurus Rex came, and Tim and Hallowicked prepared themselves for a hair versus mask match. If Tim managed a victory, he would not only regain his Cup but truly be able to call himself the Greatest Young Lion's Cup Champion of all time and Hallowicked would be humiliated in front of the thousands watching at home and in person. After a lengthy, and impressive showing of both challengers physical prowess, Tim went back to the well of dishonestly and pulled out the shoe lace that had choked out Hallowicked months before. Bryce Remsburg dropped Wicked's arm three times, signifying a win for Tim. Sitting Hallowicked onto a steel chair to be unmasked, Tim stood victorious, arm raised. And from under his arm fell the shoe lace! Bryce caught sight of it and restarted the match. Dazed with disbelief, Tim was caught off guard by a flying boot of Hallowicked, and submitted to the Chikara Special. Instead of stealing back his cup and Wicked's mask, Tim was shaven bald.
        After his loss to Hallowicked, Tim was lost. He suffered losses to both Sugar Dunkerton, who made his return to Chikara in Canada, and Sara Del Rey. July was no different for Tim. He was beginning to realize that all of his bravado was for not, and that he wasn't the champ that he envisioned himself to be. If there was one man who still believed in Tim however, it was his self proclaimed BFF, Jakob Hammermeier. Jakob was on his own road to possibly winning the Young Lions Cup, and he needed Tim. Caught up in his own illusions that Hallowicked had come back to life to defeat him at Chikarasaurus Rex, Tim wasn't interested in helping Jakob. In fact, he was out to cause him harm. Tim tried to warn Jakob that the cup could only bring him trouble and pain. Jakob proceeded into his semi-finals match against ACH, believing that he could ascend to the same level as his mentor and BFF Tim. It wouldn't be for Jakob, as Tim cost him the match. Tim wouldn't allow Jakob to suffer the same fate as himself. Heartbreaking as that may have been for Jakob, he still tried to take Tim out for picnics and build back up their strained friendship.
        Without the BDK, Tim and Jakob weren't able to be part of the main King of Trios tournament. Instead, Tim decided to change his focus from moping about Hallowicked, to antagonizing Grand Champion Eddie Kingston. After King had fought and sustained his title against Tadasuke, on night 2, Tim came out to the ring and assaulted Kingston. He called Eddie a monster saying that he was what was wrong with professional wrestling. It was Kingston in 2007 that really initiated Tim into Chikara and it was obvious that he hadn't forgot. On night 3, Jakob and Tim were the first entrants in the ten team tag gauntlet. Their competitors were the always capable Green Ant and Fire Ant. Over the course of the match, Tim showed little regard for Jakob, tossing him out of the ring at several points instead of using tags. Jakob even took a drop kick for Tim. Slowly, Tim was forgetting everything that he once held dear to himself.
        October brought a new, vicious Tim. Still showing complete disregard for Jakob, the tag team was able to gain a point towards tag gold in Piedmont Alabama. Partaking in another tag match the next Sunday afternoon, Jakob accidentally struck Tim. After forcing a submission, not with the use of a shoe lace, Tim punished Jakob by using Eddie's sliding D. It would appear as though changing his obession from Hallowicked to Eddie had rejuvenated Tim's confidence. This confidence in himself and his obsession with Kingston overtook him in this years Cibernetico. Even though Tim and Eddie were on the same 8 man team, Tim took every opportunity to attack Eddie. After Eddie pulled off a surprise pin on Kevin Steen, the match was left to Eddie and Tim. Recently Tim had resorted to having Jakob carry around a mysteriously heavy object. Tim would use this black bag to strike his opponents in the back of the head, stealing victories. The Cibernetico would end no differently, as Tim savagely struck Eddie with the mystery bag. Winning the Cibernetico, even though through ill means, prompted our wise Director of Fun to give Tim his opportunity at Eddie's belt.
        Chikara's season finale came in the form of their third IPPV, Under the Hood. Tim had finally been granted his Grand Championship match against Eddie. The match main evented the stellar IPPV card. Eddie and Tim fought viciously, throwing heavy strikes as well as high impact suplexes and DDT's. Nearing the end of the match, Eddie accidentally nailed Bryce Remsburg with a heavy lariat. While the ref was down Tim took this opportunity to bash Eddie with his new found cheating method, his black bag. His attempt of thievery against the Grand Champ would fail through and he was pinned.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Tim had an up and down year. His confidence soared through out much of 2012, but he had a rather despondent summer. I foresee a big 2013 for Tim, especially being granted another Grand Championship shot. As always, tell your friends about The Dark Match, and follow me on twitter @MurrayDarkMatch. Until next time CHIKArmy, I shall wait for Smartmarkvideo to bring out the 2013 debut weekend! So exciting!

The Dark Army Marches On...

The Batiri: Obariyon, Kodama and Kobald


        Hello CHIKArmy, I hope that you have all been in good health since last we spoke! I also hope that you all enjoyed National Pro Wrestling Day in one capacity or another. Personally, as soon as the geniuses at Smart Mark Video get those shows up for MP4 download, I am going to be giving them money. Until then, it is business as usual at The Dark Match. So Tim Donst actually came in a very close second to UltraMantis Black in the poll that was at the bottom of the page. However, we aren't here to talk about Sad Sack Tim today. This is because while preparing to write up the Tim Donst blog, I received a rather troubling phone call. The other end of the line crackled with static, and all I could hear was low grunting. Suddenly I heard the distinct cackling of the Prince of All Goblins Kobald! Kobald told me that if I didn't do my next write up on the Batiri, that he would flush me down the Demon's Toilet. Well I'm a man of reason, so here is the year that was 2012 for the Batiri!

Obariyon
CHIKARA Debut - Young Lions Cup 8  August 28th 2010
Affiliations: The Dark Army (Kodama, Sinn Bohdi)
                  The Batiri (Kodama, Kobald, Ophidian, Delirious)

Kodama
CHIKARA Debut: Eye to Eye  September 18th 2010
Affiliations: The Dark Army (Obariyon, Sinn Bohdi)
                  The Batiri (Obariyon, Kobald, Ophidian, Delirious)

Kobald
CHIKARA Debut: Clutch of Doom  February 20th 2011
Affiliations: The Batiri (Obariyon, Kodama, Ophidian, Delirious)

       
         Kobald was the first to wrestle from the demonic trio at Chikara's debut event, beginning 2012 with a match against one of the perennial favorites Jigsaw. This had to easily be Kobald's second biggest match, beside his competitive outing against Eddie Kingston the previous summer. After exchanging blows, Jigsaw super kicked Kobald back to Bled Isle, but not before Kobald put in an excellent effort. On the same evening Obariyon and Kodama competed in the main event against Fire Ant and Soldier Ant. The Batiri put up a hard fought contest, but in the end two high kicks and a Beach Break would end their evening in a loss.
        During February the Batiri competed in two different atomicos matches. It was during the second in New York, that the Batiri were part of witnessing a pinnacle event in 2012. While squaring off against the Colony, Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush, the mysterious and aggressive Gekido assaulted the technico squad. Wisely, Obariyon and Kodama stepped out of the way and allowed the Gekido to have their way with the technicos. Shortly after the events of February had concluded, the Batiri began to become rather tech savvy. Taking issue with royalty, the Queen of Wrestling Sara Del Rey, the Batiri began a twitter war. The demonic hellions, who had proven to prefer grunts and shouts in the ring, proved themselves to be surprisingly articulate when it came to social media. Claiming they had been mysteriously wronged by her, the demons antagonized Del Rey with lewd comments and pictures (my personal favourite being Sara eating the Chipotle burrito). You don't kick the castle of a Queen and not expect there to be royal vengeance. During Chikara's debut in the Great White North, Sara entered the ring with royalty from Bled Isle, the Prince of All Goblins, Kobald. Kobald and Sara fought back and forth, Kobald putting up more offense and determination than had been seen out of the goblin before! Using his trickery and skills achieved from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which he said he had been training in over the holidays, Kobald picked up the victory. Sara, for at least one day, had been tossed for her throne, and in its place sat a Prince.
        Sara's loss to Kobald only fueled the goat dung flames that burned in the wilderness of the Batiri. Their twitter assault only continued as more embarrassing photos surfaced. At I'll be a Mummy's Uncle, the first Chikara outing of April, Kodama prepared himself to attempt to humiliate the Queen of Wrestling. While Kodama was in the ring with Sara, Obariyon and Kobald lurked on the outside of the ring. Like ghouls from the mists, the Batiri attempted to interject themselves as often as possible. Even with the distractions, the cunning queen rolled up Kodama for the victory. Her win may not have been worth the trouble however. Post match, the Batiri assaulted Del Rey, throwing her into the ring posts.
        The series between the conniving demons and Del Rey now stood at one win a piece. This set up the inevitable confrontation between Sara and the brutish Obariyon. After suffering a loss to the cheating Mr. Touchdown at the Synergy event, Obariyon was full of rage and ready to do battle with Sara in Lafayette, Indiana. Sara fought valiantly against the demonic Obariyon, using her strong legs to throw heavy kicks. Ever devious however, Obariyon distracted Sara on the turnbuckle by licking her face! Tossing her to the mat, he leaped and struck her down with a vicious flying DDT, The Rapture. As soon as the match concluded Kodama and Kobald rushed to the ring with a rope. Hog-tying Sara, the Batiri looked like they were prepared to take Sara back to their cave to feed her to minions of Kobald. Before they could do any serious damage, the young luchadora, Saturyne, made the save. This might have put Saturyne into the graces of Del Rey, but it immediately made her a enemy of the demonic trio.
        The month of May was fairly quiet for the Batiri. In the ring anyway. They competed in two Anniversario matches, but their main prey Sara Del Rey remained within their black eyes. On twitter however they remained as obnoxious as ever, antagonizing del Rey and Saturyne every chance they got. Unexpectedly though, a fourth party interjected himself into the war of words: Delirious. A 3 on 2 handicap match had been announced for Chikarasaurus Rex: The Batiri vs Sara and Saturyne. On several occasions, Delirious commented on how unfair he felt this matchup was, even going so far as to tease making an appearance to even the sides. Finally June came, and on the world stage of IPPV, the Batiri stood ready to finish their confrontation with Sara and Saturyne. The pace of the match was a testament to the hatred that had built between these two factions. Fighting without tire, the Batiri brutalized Saturyne and left her ailing. Del Rey began to make a team comeback, but before either side could register a victory, the tease proved true as coming to the ring was Delirious. Having previously promised to destroy Ultramantis Black, he choke bombed Del Rey. The referee had not choice but to call the match, but Delirious's presence was an ominous one. Kissing each member on the top of their head, Delirious brought the fight of Ultramantis back to the Batiri.
        After aligning themselves with Delirious, the Batiri took the rest of June to enjoy the shady rocks and mosses of Bled Isle. Making their return in July, Kobald returned to compete in the Young Lions Cup. In Portland Maryland, Kobald outlasted two of his competitors, even eliminating the dance sensation Jivin' Jimmy, to stand with Anthony Stone. Stone and Kobald hammered the other with strong offenses, and it would have appeared Kobald would pick up the victory with the Demon's Toilet. It would not be for the goblin again unfortunately in the Young Lions Cup, as Stone pinned him after tossing Kobald from the top rope. In what can only be called a tragic upset, Kobald would have to wait for next summer.
        As many did, the Batiri used the remaining months of summer to prepare for the upcoming King of Trios tournament, which was to be held in September. The first out of three warm up matches was against the recently aligned, all be it by DOF Wink, BooyAkuma (Shane Matthews, Scott Parker and Gran Akuma). Unlike most of the Wink concoctions, BooyAkuma were working as a cohesive unit, and had the match nearly in hand. This was until Delirious came from the back and attacked Akuma, who was on the turnbuckle. Summoning Ophidian from the locker room, Delirious and his newly recruited Dark Army proceeded to beat down the members of BooyAkuma. In a single and powerful gesture, Delirious sent his message to Mantis: that the new Batiri would be a formidable opponent. August came and delivered two trios matches for the Batiri. who were no longer were traveling as a trio. Ophidian, the appointed ring general of Delirious' army, now slithered along. In Milwaukee, the Batiri did battle with the newly formed Colony, who were just getting Fire Ant back after a long summer of recovery. Their new leadership showed as the trio demonstrated a sadistic streak shocking even for them. Hoisting Green Ant onto his back, Obariyon tossed him into the air and down onto the knee of Kodama. This new and sickeningly fiendish move was dubbed, the Seventh Circle. The next evening in Indianapolis Soldier Ant suffered the same consequence as Green Ant, a knee to the back of his skull. After losing in the first round of KOT 2011, the Batiri had made their mark on Chikara, they would crush skulls to gain wins in KOT 2012.
        King of Trios came at last to the delight of the CHIKArmy, and the Batiri were prepared to take a war to anyone who opposed them. In the first round of the tournament they faced a familiar foe, BooyAkuma. Again, the oddly matched Wink trio fought well against the more seasoned trio of demons. To ensure their victory, their ring general Ophidian intervened in the match. Striking Akuma with a Meteora double knees, the Batiri were able to capture the win. With the Seventh Circle, the Batiri were dangerous enough, adding Ophidian into their fold had made them efficient victors. Night two of the tournament came and the Batiri stood across from their most hated rivals, the Spectral Envoy. In a match that was predicted to be a war in the finals, the crowd was treated to a monstrous brawl in this quarter-final match up. Like opposing rivers the trios clashed in a chaotic torrent, each trio using the moves they had been perfecting over the summer. Unfortunately for the Batiri, their efforts were not enough to stop the surging Envoy. This did not stop them from taking their revenge however. Post match, Ophidian blasted his venom in the eyes of Mantis, and Kobald dropped a Demon's Toilet onto the injured leg of Frightmare. Kobald cackled into the camera, if they couldn't win, neither could the Envoy. This message did not bode well for the Envoy, who were now advanced into the semi-finals. Though the weekend had ended for the Batiri in the ring, they were still going to be a part of the extracurricular events. The semi-finals came and Envoy had bested F.I.S.T to reach team ROH. This wouldn't do for Delirious' Dark Army. Part way into the match the Batiri skulked onto the entrance ramp and proceeded to the ring. What they didn't know was that Crossbones, the Heavy Weight Horror, stood behind them. Tossing Delirious into a ring post, Crossbones cleared the Batiri off the ramp. Making their way onto the floor and near the ring, the Batiri had a Jackson brother suplexed down onto them. It was a miserable day for the demonic tribe, as the Envoy completed the long tournament with a victory. This would not sit well with Delirious or his newly ordered brood.
        October brought the first match where the Batiri teamed with Ophidian. This was the first test as to whether Delirious' recruits could meld together. Taking direction well from Ophidian, the Batiri gained a victory over the odd team of F.I.S.T and Sugar Dunkerton. This match proved that under the guidance of their general Ophidian, Obariyon and Kodama could be ever more efficient in their destruction. The first post-Trios meeting between the two warring factions also occurred as Kobald faced off with Frightmare during Chikara's Alabama debut. Showing his rage over being unable to stop the Envoy win KoT, he struck a vicious blow in the war injuring Frightmare and putting him on the shelf for over a month. Their warpath continued into November when they found themselves intervening in another Envoy match. After picking up a win over the Soul Touchaz in their home city of Chicago, the Batiri were feeling especially fiendish and evil. Ultramantis Black and Hallowicked had gained another title shot, and faced off against the Young Bucks. This wouldn't do for the Dark Army, who, while unable to stop Mantis from gaining his King of Trios victory, were able to stop him and Hallowicked from taking the title straps from the Jackson brothers.
        Pleased with themselves, the Batiri entered into the final show of the season with great confidence. Ophidian, Obariyon, Kodama and Kobald had been progressing well as a unit. They had gained victories over several of the top Chikara teams, and stole a victory away from Ultramantis. Attempting to keep good on this promise to ruin Ultramantis, Delirious lead his cohorts into Under the Hood. In what was the match of the night, the Batiri and Envoy battled in a spectacle of brawn and ferocious tactics. It was obvious that the Batiri had learned to team with Ophidian, but Delirious's absence from many of the events was obvious. While the Batiri and Ophidian could multitask four man assaults, Delirious was not functioning efficiently in the group. The Batiri could not avoid having Delirious spiked into the mat, and they suffered their first major loss against the Envoy. 2012 had a bitter end for the demonic trio.
        I hope I did well, and that I don't get another raspy phone call from Kobald. 2012 was fantastic year for the Batiri, and I can only see 2013 being another spectacle of ferocity. Next up for the Dark Match is the always melancholic Tim Donst! Until next time, remember to tell your friends about the Dark Match and give me a follow on twitter @MurrayDarkMatch. Until next time, go back and watch Chikara, it's what I'm going to do!

A Giant Bug, a Nightmare and a Ball of Kinetic Energy walk into a bar...

The Spectral Envoy: Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare

         The masses have spoken and you chose for me to recap the year of 2012 for the most devious man in Chikara, Ultramantis Black. As you might have been able to surmise from looking above though, I am not just going to cover Ultramantis. This is because of one of my favourite aspects of Chikara, their use of smaller stables. Most people in Chikara travel in a small pack, usually a trio (this is the company who runs King of Trios, the largest tournament around every year!). Since these three are stale partners, I am going to include all members of the Spectral Envoy together. So let us jump right into the stories that were for the “Nightmare Warrior” Hallowicked, the “Frenetic Ball of Energy” Frightmare and the most devious man in all of Chikara, Ultramantis Black.

Ultramantis Black

CHIKARA Debut - The Renaissance Dawns, May 25th 2002
Affiliations:  Ultra Zero (w/Mr. Zero)
                  The Dark Breed (w/Hallowicked, Blind Rage)
                  The Order of the Neo Solar Temple (w/Hydra, Crossbones, Tim Donst, Vodoker)
                  The Spectral Envoy (w/Hallowicked, Frightmare, Crossbones, Blind Rage)

Hallowicked 
CHIKARA Debut - The Renaissance Dawns, May 25th 2002
Affiliations -  The Night Shift (w/Blind Rage, Ichabod Slayne)
                   The Dark Breed (w/Ultramantis Black, Blind Rage)
                   Incoherence (w/Delirious, Frightmare)
                   The Spectral Envoy (w/Ultramantis Black, Frightmare, Crossbones, Blind Rage)

Frightmare 
CHIKARA Debut - Armdrags to Riches, November 16th 2008

Affiliations -  Incoherence - (w/Hallowicked, Delirious)

                   The Spectral Envoy (w/Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked, Crossbones, Blind Rage)

      Season 11 for the Envoy had a particularly fascinating start. After retaking the Eye of Tyr from Ares at the Season 10 finale, Ultramantis Black was back in control of his most precious item. However, Mantis wasn't the same bug-man hybrid who possessed the mysterious trinket before. Walking into a cave before the season 11 debut show, Ultramantis Black and Hallowicked were taking the Eye back to Delirious, who it had been enslaved for the last 2 years by it. Trying to make amends, Mantis presented it to Delirious  who took the Eye and smashed it, possibly fearing further captivity under its control. In a shocking twist, as he fled from his former partners/captors he screamed, “I remember everything!” Quite the powerful moment, since Delirious had not spoken a coherent word in Chikara.
        Coming out of season 10, Mantis and Hallowicked had obtained the precious golden tickets of Chikara, three points to challenge for the tag belts. At the second show of the year, A Death Worse than Fate, the Spectral Envoy were poised to do battle with Johnny Gargano and the “Kentucky Gentlemen” Chuck Taylor. The only problem was, Gargano suffered a back injury earlier in the year. So the question arose, would the Nightmare Warrior and his captain be able to do battle for the belts? In all of his brilliance (sarcasm!) the Director of Fun decided that it would be okay for Icarus, the third member of F.I.S.T. and the man with a back tattoo that could make you cry blood, to sub in for Gargano. As the match got underway, the will to win was evident in the Envoy. Moments into the match Hallowicked and Mantis were employing double-team tactics, such as their Sidewinder leg drop. Through ill means, F.I.S.T were able to capture the first fall, but the long leg of Hallowicked secured the second for the Nightmare Warrior with a mighty yakuza kick. When the match seemed all but won for the Envoy, someone appeared. Delirious had made his way back to Chikara. Drilling Mantis on the crown of his head with a vicious Preying Mantis Driver, the Envoy had the belts stolen from them. It was clear, Delirious had emerged from the darkness to seek retribution.
        Stopping by on Long Island NY, Delirious decided it was time to let the world in on his intentions for Ultramantis Black. While Frightmare, who was still injured from the previous year, and Hallowicked were absent, Mantis was in attendance to hear Delirious's sobering claim. Delirious said that Mantis had stolen two years of his life, so he intended to take two years of Mantis'. A bold claim, but one he was intent of keeping.
        Chikara ventured into the frozen north for their first tour of Canada. Both shows had booked the tandem of Ultramantis and Hallowicked, and unknown to the duo, Delirious decided to follow along. On the Saturday evening, the Envoy were to be part of a tag team elimination match. This would benefit the duo who had been knocked down to zero points after being cost the CdP. During the match, Mantis and Hallowicked were distracted by Delirious who appeared on a balcony with a microphone. Chanting “bah bah bah” Delirious aided in the elimination of the Envoy, via knee to Hallowicked's skull by the Batiri. The next day in Ottawa, again the Envoy were attempting to gain some traction in the tag team race. This time however it was a single team format against the new rudo squad, Gekido. Fighting for the pride of Chikara, the Envoy were in control of the mysterious 17 and powerful Shard. For the second time on the Canadian tour, skulking near ringside, Delirious appeared. He did not however directly involve himself in this match. Instead, Tim Donst and Ophidian interjected themselves. Tim was attempting to take the Young Lions Cup that had been won by Hallowicked in the first ever tournament. He was chased off by Ultramantis and his peculiar staff. That would have been enough to cost anyone a match, but then Ophidian than came and misted Mantis in the eyes with his serpents venom. Stealing Mantis's staff, Ophidian made his retreat to the obvious pleasure of Delirious.
        Furious with the loss of his staff, Ultramantis challenged Ophidian at I'll be a Mummy's Uncle to regain what was rightfully his. Again, Mantis would be thwarted by the venomous mists of Ophidian who was desperate to keep the staff to use it to resurrect Osiris and ascend to another form. The most Great & Devious Ultramantis was beginning to mass a few enemies, and it was only the fourth month of season 11.

        Somehow, Tim Donst got the notion in his head that he was the greatest Young Lions Cup winner in the history of Chikara. That degree of title would be impossible to place on any one of the previous cup winners with such greats as Arik Cannon, Fire Ant and Chuck Taylor. Hallowicked was the first though, and that title comes with a great prestige. Not to Mr. Donst though. Tim had spent much of 2012 proving that he was “the man” by choking out his opponents with a shoelace. He had defeated many of the cups winners from the past, and he had set his delusional eyes on Hallowicked. During the intermission of Hot off the Griddle, Chikara and Ring of Honor's fusion event, Tim attacked Hallowicked while posing as another masked wrestler. The two were booked to face each other in a tag team eliminator that evening, but Tim couldn't wait to jump Hallowicked. Tim payed the price later  during the eliminator, when he believed Hallowicked to be injured. The Nightmare Warrior attacked Donst, and chased him from the ring.

        It would appear as though a grand stage would need to be givento play out all of the drama that had been building between Ultramantis and Ophidian, as well as Tim and Hallowicked. June 6th came and Chikara returned to the world stage on IPPV for Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur. This was the perfect venue for the two warring factions to settle what had been building. Ultramantis Black would have his opportunity first, as his match with Ophidian was the opening contest of the evening. When Ophidian appeared from behind the curtain, he had transformed for the second time in season 11. Whatever sorcery he had needed Mantis's staff for, he had achieved it. His new form did not intimidate the most devious Ultramantis, and the contest came to heavy blows. Even though Ophidian attempted to blind Mantis again with his vile venom, Mantis dropped him on his head and took the victory.
        Later in the evening, after intermission, it was time for Donst and Hallowicked to settle the title of Greatest Young Lions Cup Champion. This match stood for so much more than a simple title as the stipulation had been placed that the match would be Hair vs Mask. If Tim lost he would be shaved bald, but if Hallowicked lost he would be stripped of his mask. For those who are unaware, to lose your mask in Lucha Libre is the ultimate in shame. After a grueling physical dual, neither combatant appeared weary. Concerned, Donst pulled out the shoelace he had use to choke out so many others. Laying lifeless on the mat, Hallowicked's arm dropped three times and it would appear as though he would be shamed live on IPPV by the conniving Donst. It would not be though as fortune stood with Hallowicked. Tim raised his arm in victory and the shoelace that he had hidden under his arm fell out. There was only one thing for senior official Bryce Remsburg to do: he restarted the match. Using the same boot on Tim that he had Chuck Taylor earlier in the season, he put Donst on the mat and made him submit. Donst was shaved, and Hallowicked had claimed the title of Greatest Young Lions Cup Champion.
        It had been nearly a year since Frightmare had competed in a Chikara ring competitively. He did make an appearance at Aniversario: the Ogg and I, but his ring time was limited since he was still injured. Returning, Frightmare would have to contend with the vile serpent who had battled with his trios mate Ultramantis. Frightmare proved to Ophidian at The Great Escape that his knee was healed, and that the Frenetic Ball of Energy could once again bounce around. His effort however would result in a loss, as Ophidian contained him and forced him to submit. The Envoy spent the remainder of the summer honing their strengths, and developing new tag team offense to take into King of Trios 2012. Delirious, who had recruited Ophidian and the Batiri to his cause at Chikarasaurus Rex, spent his summer scheming how he could further humiliate and torture Ultramantis.
        September was upon us and the largest wrestling tournament in America was set to begin. This years King of Trios promised to be a interesting one with so many Wink created trios. In the first round of the tournament the Envoy were set to battle with The Submission Squad. Unfortunately, the Squad were unable to make it, so the trusty hat was brought out and names were drawn. Instead of the Submission Squad, the Envoy did battle with the very Mysterious and Handsome Stranger, Mihara visiting with Osaka Pro, and the legend Tito Santana. While the mismatched trio from the hat fought well, the summer conditioning of the Spectral Envoy was too much, and they were overcome. Night two came, and the Envoy stood across the ring from their familiar nemesis, the Batiri. Many believed that this match would be the finals, but the tournament brackets brought them together for a clash in the quarter-finals. As expected the battle was grueling and the demons fought the Envoy with great tenacity. A roll up proved to be the fate of the Batiri, and the Envoy advanced. It would not be so simple. The field general of the new Dark Army, Ophidian, was waiting for the matches conclusion. Causing mayhem and misting Mantis yet again, he assisted Kobald in landing a Demon's Toilet on the previously injured leg of Frightmare.
        The final evening of King of Trios would not be an easy one for the Spectral Envoy. To reach the finals they would have to defeat F.I.S.T, the most dangerous trio. Without any interference from Ophidian or the Batiri, the Envoy triumphed over F.I.S.T in one of the best matches of the tournament. With this victory, the finals were set, the Envoy would face off against the outsiders from ROH. Team ROH had been cocky throughout the tournament, but a match with Team Sendai Girls had snapped them back into reality. The Envoy employed the same moves that had brought them victory all tournament. Unfortunately, they had two things against them: the meddling Batiri and a distracting Maria Kanellis. The Batiri were the first to interfere. What the Batiri could not know was that Crossbones, always faithful friend to Ultramantis was in the building. Tossing Delirious off the entrance ramp into a ring post, he set up Ultramantis to dispatch with the rest, landing one of the Jackson brothers outside the ring with a superplex. Using the Chikara Special, Hallowicked secured the victory for the Envoy. It took ten years, but Ultramantis Black final had won a major title in Chikara.

       The celebration was short lived however as on the very next show, Deep Freeze in Chikara's Piedmont, Alabama debut, Frightmare was again put on the shelf with injury at the hands...or behind rather...of Kobald, courtesy of a crushing Demon's Toilet. For the second time in three shows, the goblin's finishing maneuver was the chosen weapon in trying to eliminate Frightmare from the war between the Envoy and Delirious' Army. Frightmare was out of action for over a month returning to fight for Team CHIKARA at The Cibernetico Rises.       

           Back in the title race, and hot off their victory as King of Trios, Ultramantis Black and Hallowicked had attained three points for the second time in a year. In Chicago, they were brought face to face with the Young Bucks who they had defeated two months ago in the finals of King of Trios. Matt and Nick had not forgotten their bitter defeat at the hands of the Envoy, and intended to keep their belts. They would do so, but not by their own skill and ring knowledge. Again, Delirious would cost Ultramantis his title belts. This time it was indirect, as he sent his general Ophidian to lead his Batiri against the Envoy.

        Blows had been suffered by both contingents, so their feud was set be settled on IPPV at the season finale Under the Hood. The Dark Army stood as five; Delirious, Ophidian, Kodama, Obariyon and Kobald. If the Envoy were to compete, they would need to dig into their reserves. Coming to their aid were Crossbones and his opponent form the very first Chikara show, Blind Rage. With five apiece, the teams were ready, and the battle field awaited. In the Match of the Night, the Batiri and Envoy clashed like monolithic titans. Punches were thrown, and moves not seen in years were utilized in an attempt to win. One by one, both teams lost members outside the ring, leaving Delirious and Ultramantis to wage their war uninterrupted. In their first major battle, Ultramantis would drop Delirious with his powerful Cosmic Doom for the victory. As the saying goes, Mantis had won the battle, but has he won the war?

        2012 will stand as a amazing year of the Spectral Envoy. Winners of King of Trios, and two title opportunities leaves them the most successful team of 2012. Next time in the Dark Match I will be covering the Batiri, and their year that was 2012. As always, tell your friends about the Dark Match, and give me a follow on twitter @MurrayDarkMatch. Until next time, I hope you are all making good on those New Years Resolutions!

A League of His Own

Chikara debut: A Death Worse Than Fate 2/25/12

        This likely won't come as a major shock to any of my readers but...I am a nerd. I actually bought my Nintendo DS just so I could play the most recent set of Pokemon games. Growing up as a nerd, I got the treatment you might have expected from the “athletic” types. I never got a swirlee, thank goodness, although I did however once come into the locker room to discover my shoes had been put over shower heads and filled with water. Fast forward several years and who do I see on my screen at The Thirteenth Hat, the Chikara season 11 debut show? It was the exact same type of nerd hating roid rager, “Mr. Touchdown” Mark Angelosetti that had filled my shoes with water all those years back. What spiked my blood even more, he sure seemed to have a vendetta against nerds too. I will now recount the landmark 2012 of Mark Angelosetti (who somehow got over looked by PWI as rookie of the year).

             

          Mr. Touchdown made his official in ring debut against the Colony in February of 2012. He did so with his step cousin in law, Dasher Hatfield. From the bell, it was obvious that Mark had spent a few more reps on the football practice field than in a wrestling ring. However, his in ring abilities were not minimal. Mr. Touchdown and Dasher pulled out some highly athletic double team maneuvers considering it was their first time tagging together. I will honestly never forget seeing Bo Jackson performed for the first time on Fire Ant. Mark was very confident in his abilities, and constantly refused to tag in Dasher. At one point during the match, he even stole Dasher's opportunity to do the baseball slide! The match was won by disqualification when Green Ant came out and shoved Dasher from the top rope. His first ten minutes in a Chikara ring resulted in a victory for the pig-skin player.
        The next evening in Long Island, the match of the New Throwbacks came against Scott Parker and Shane Matthews of 3.0. Coming in with one point already earned, the rookie squad was hoping for an upset over the ten year veterans. It wasn't the day for the Throwbacks, however and Mr. Touchdown took his first pin fall of 2012. This was the match that granted 3.0 their ticket into the Promised Land. On his way out of the ring, and backstage, Mark was brought face to face with “The Beautiful One” of Chikara, Veronica. While Veronica was making her way out to the ring with the reeling Archibald Peck, she and Mr. Touchdown met eyes. The quarterback had met his cheerleader queen, the only problem being Veronica was a majorette. Well that and she was with Archie, who was desperately trying to regain her affections. Archie pulled Veronica away from Mr. Touchdown, but it was clear that Veronica had noted the physique and bulky thigh pads of Mark.
        On night 2 of the Canadian invasion, Mr. Touchdown faced off against Jigsaw in an impromptu singles meeting, since Mike Quackenbush had been injured the prior evening. It took no time at all for word to reach the boys, and particular lady, in the back that Mark was putting on an excellent match against Jigsaw. Veronica came out to ringside to see her new interest in all his sweaty glory. She tried to appear disinterested, looking at T-shirts and weaving around her baton. When she did make it to ringside, Mark was giddier than a fifteen year old on his first date. A few hip swivels from Jon Barber though, prompted on by Jigsaw, and Veronica dashed to the locker room. But the sparks where even more evident between the majorette and her muscle clad all-star. It wasn't just Veronica who had noticed Mr. Touchdown. Archie knew what was happening, the leader of the band could see he was losing his love.
        Archibald Peck is not a man to stand by and allow the love of this life to cross over the field and go from the half-time show to the main event. Archie decided it was time for a change. When Archie and Mark met in the ring for the first time in Rahway, Mark stood across from a very different man. Instead of adorning himself in his usual sash and purple, Archie had visited a dojo and picked up a few Davey Richards moves. Mixed Martial Archie brought Mr. Touchdown his toughest fight yet. The Gridiron grappler had never faced a band leading MMA specialist before. But Archie's anger grew too much for him though and Mr. Touchdown was granted the win by Excesivo de Castigo (excessive violence).
        Taking a break from torturing poor Mixed Martial Archie, Dasher and Mark stood together for the first time as a tag team in a few months during the Synergy event. In their way of climbing the tag team ladder were the Batiri, who are always conniving and dangerous. As usual, Mr. Touchdown wanted to call all the plays, and audibles, without the help of his offensive coach Dasher. After refusing to tag Dasher in on multiple occasions, Dasher went and sat on the guard rail with the fans. After taking a beating from the Batiri for a few minutes, the crowd let Mr. Touchdown know what he had to do, as a chant of “say your sorry” rang through Chicago. Weighing the options of making the winning drive on his own or taking the loss for his team, Mark reconciled with Dasher. Dasher came in with fists of fury. After taking a flying DDT onto the apron however, Mr. Touchdown was left in the ring alone. While Dasher lay on the floor in agony, Mr. Touchdown decided if he was going to make it to the end zone for the Throwbacks, he was going to have to resort to cheating. Taking his helmet he struck Kodama with it and made the cover. The very next evening in Lafayette, seeking a critical second point, the Throwbacks faced off against the dynamic Minnesota tandem of Darin Corbin and Arik Cannon. The match seemed all but won after Dasher pasted Darin with his Suicide Squeeze. Darin might have kicked out, but Mr. Touchdown held his leg. The Throwbacks exited the weekend with two points earned by Mark's cheating.
        Night one of Chikara's Anniversario weekend came, and avid CHIKARMY members came out to support the colourful cast they love. At A Horse of Another Colour, Mark squared off against the crafty ring veteran, Colt Cabana. Colt's shenanigans irritated Mark, and using a painful Chicago Skyline, Colt picked up the victory. The next evening in New York, Colt squared off against Dasher. During the match Colt descended to the top rope. Before he could leap off, Mr. Touchdown ran out and pulled him down. This set up Dasher's victory. Again, Dasher did not see Mark's cheating, confused as to why Colt would be so upset with him. In four short months in Chikara, Mr. Touchdown had infuriated two beloved technicos in Marchie Archie and Colt. Chikara's upcoming IPPV would prove to be the playing field for the Throwbacks and team Tapout to settle their differences. To spice up the confrontation, the member of the team who took the fall had to leave town! Shortly after the match began Mixed Martial Archie took a brutal spinebuster on the ramp from Mark, and left for the locker room. This left Colt in the ring to defend himself. When things seemed most dire, and that Colt may never return to Chikara, Archie returned from the back. Not as the mixed martial artist he had become, but as the band leading bad boy we first grew to love. At this point, it should have come as no surprise that Veronica, the love of both competitors, would interject herself. Leaving her majorette baton in the ring, it seemed that the first man to use it would win her love. Distracted by Dasher, Archie took a baton shot to the temple. Dasher made the cover and Mark had eliminated Archie from Veronica's life. Archie had to leave town, and Mr. Touchdown won his sweetheart.
        The summer brought new prospects for Mark, mainly his entrance into the Young Lions Cup.  In Syracuse, New York, Mark competed in his first YLC match. He bested his competition and compelled himself into the semi-final round after giving Ryan Rush one of the highest elevated spinebusters you'll ever see. In between his first round match of the YLC, on the evening that held the fourth YLC qualifier, the Throwbacks faced the newly crowned CdP, the Young Bucks. Before the match began, Dasher told Mr. Touchdown that he saw him cheat to defeat Green Ant at a recent Wrestling is Fun show. Dasher told him that he didn't want to believe that he was a cheater, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he was unhappy. Mr. Touchdown was fed the rough news, if he cheated to win against the Young Bucks, Dasher would send him packing. The match was well fought, and Mr. Touchdown actually stressed team work with Dasher, attempting to win the tag belts. Even with their fantastic team work, and brutal tandem offense, the Throwbacks weren't able to defeat the Bucks. This loss allowed Mr. Touchdown to focus on the YLC.

        Come August, the pig-skin player had his eyes on winning the 2012 YLC. In the semi-final round Mark wrestled the talented New Englander, Anthony Stone. On his lonesome, Stone was proving to be a tougher challenge than his first set of YLC competitors. Even after bringing Mark off the turnbuckles with a Stones Throw, Mr. Touchdown bested his competitor. It would come down to a match later that evening to decide who Mr. Touchdown would battle the next afternoon in the YLC finals. As it would turn out, Mr. Touchdown would combat the rising star, Young Simba, ACH. The next evening came, and anticipation filled The Old National Centre in Indianapolis. The swift and agile ACH stood prepared to face the brawny Mark Angelosetti. From the bell Dasher seemed uncomfortable with Veronica, who now never left Mr. Touchdown's side, being at ringside. Part way through the match, after she proved she had no right being there, Dasher removed Veronica, leaving Mark to win on his own. The contest was fierce, but Mr. Touchdown, as he says, was good. Mark Angelosetti won the 2012 Young Lions Cup.

        September this year was more exciting than most as it brought the 2012 King of Trios. The Throwbacks have entered KOT the past two years albeit with different members (Dasher, Matt Classic and Sugar Dunkerton). Not surprisingly, coming off the high of his YLC victory, Mr. Touchdown named himself captain of the Throwbacks trio. In the first round they contested against the joshi veterans of team JWP. Mark's YLC did not help him in KOT and the Throwbacks were eliminated in round one by a very impressive Argentinian Backbreaker by the powerful Tsubasa Kuragaki. This time, it was Mr. Touchdown's turn to sweat out his lady staring down a different man. On his entrance, the Mysterious and Handsome took the eye of Veronica. Who could blame her? He is mysterious and handsome, two pretty sexy traits in a man.
        A short month after claiming his YLC victory, Mark made his first defense against the submission specialist, Green Ant. This was not the type of match with high flying spots, but a blow for blow battle. Mark and Green Ant went back and forth for twenty minutes. While Bryce was distracted, and Mark saw his opportunity, he struck Green Ant with his helmet. Mark gained his first defense win through ill means. He might get away with these actions in a wrestling ring, but if he was on the football field there would be little yellow flags everywhere.
        In November at Zelda the Great, the Throwbacks were part of a four way tag elimination match. It had been some time again since the Throwbacks were in the hunt for tag points. Mark hadn't forgotten the way Veronica had looked at TMAHS during his entrance at KOT. The Stranger was tagging with his feral pigeon, Sapphire, that evening in Chicago. The Stranger and the bird were putting together some fantastically stiff tandem offense. This was until Sapphire attempted to pin Angelosetti. Taking his advantage, Mark stuffed Sapphire back into her falconers bag. Twisting the top of the bag, Mark smashed the defenseless bird against the mat! The Stranger finally interjected, but it was too late. Sapphire had suffered fatal injuries. The crowd was appalled, calling Mr. Touchdown a monster.
        The next evening, in the AIW home arena, there was a ten bell salute for the fallen Sapphire. Mark's opponent for the evening couldn't make it, so names were drawn from the hat. As luck would have it, The Stranger's name was pulled! Mark received the the beating he deserved. It was also on that night that Mark and Veronica began collecting ballots for the Chikara Homecoming King and Queen. The king and queen would be crowned at the season finale. On the evening of the finale, Mr. Touchdown had a rematch with ACH for his YLC. These two put on another sporting contest. This time however, Dasher wasn't available to remove Veronica from ringside. Holding onto a baton, Mark was able to successfully pin ACH for a second time. After his victory, Mark brought out Veronica for their crowing ceremony. She was crowned queen, but he wasn't crowned king! Who was? The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger! Mark was given a stiff lariat, leaving him on the floor. This gave the Stranger his opportunity during a very touching slow dance to slop Veronica, and reveal that he was Marchie Archie! Who knew?!?!
        This third blog concludes the Chikara champions series for 2012. Who should I cover next? Well, vote below and you can decide! As always, remember to tell your friends about The Dark Match, and give me a follow on twitter @MurrayDarkMatch. Until next time CHIKARMY, I hope you are all getting as pumped for February as I am.

New Age Rockers

Welcome back to The Dark Match my friends! I hope everyone had a safe holiday, and a exciting New Years Eve. I listen to a lot of complaining about wrestling, I mean a lot. Most of my friends are ignorant to the joys of independent wrestling. They say to me, “What has happened to the tag division in the WWE...” Well, I don't really have much of an answer on that subject, because I don't rightfully know. All I tell them is, there is a place on this Earth where the tag division gets more respect than anywhere else ever has. I remind them that there are alternatives to main stream professional wrestling. The place I speak of is obviously my true love, Chikaratown. Chikara has a beautiful tag division, spiced up by the need to gain three points before challenging for the belts. The current holders of the Campeonatos de Parejas are Matt and Nick Jackson, the Young Bucks.

The Young Bucks

 CHIKARA Debut: March 27, 2009 (KOT 2009 as part of Team PWG with El Generico)

         The Young Bucks are no strangers to Chikara. They have been company regulars since their debut at King of Trios 2009. In fact, the Young Bucks wrestled in Chikara thirteen times in 2012, more than they wrestled in any other promotion. These rock and roll wild childs have been dominating tag team wrestling since they began their in ring careers back in 2004. Over confident, cocky and narcissistic, the Jackson brothers have proven that they deserve to hold any belt, in any company. The Young Bucks closed out their time with Chikara in 2011 by falling to Fire Ant and Soldier Ant at the IPPV debut High Noon. After suffering this defeat at the hands of The Colony, the boys from sunny California took some time away from Chikara.
        The YB made their return in April of 2012 at the merger event between Chikara and Ring of Honor, Hot Off the Griddle. The brothers took on the “Anarchist” Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin. While Cannon proved his nimble ability, and Corbin showed his ability to adapt to in ring adversity, the Minnesota tandem fell to the Young Bucks. The next evening, at Chikara's debut event in Lafayette, the brother team joined a Chikara hallmark 4-way tag team elimination match. These types of matches can earn a team the necessary three points to challenge for tag gold, or send teams holding two points back to the starting gate. This particular event saw the Bucks standing across from the formidable Ultramantis Black and Hallowicked, Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier and Kodama and Kobald of The Batiri. All seasoned members of the Chikara roster and each team looking to begin the crawl up the tag ladder. Luck was in the corner of the Young Bucks however, and they didn't lose their point earned from the prior evening. In fact, pinning both Kodama and Jakob earned the Bucks two more points. With their win at Chicago Ridge, coupled with the two points earned from the elimination match, the Young Bucks were ready for their first chance at the CdP with three points.
        Chikara returned to the world stage at Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur, their second IPPV. Coming off their win over Scott Parker and Shane Matthews, F.I.S.T were prepared to make their first title defense as the only two time reigning CdP. In front of the hundreds in attendance, and thousands at home, these two tag team specialists squared off in a memorable main event. Johnny Gargano and Chuck Taylor took the boys from the south to their limits. Pulling out tandem offense on both sides, neither team looked as though they were going to give any less than their lives. After splitting the first two falls, the Bucks set up their tag team masterpiece, More Bang for your Buck. F.I.S.T lost the third fall of the match, and as quickly as they had gained the belts, dropped them to Matt and Nick. The Bucks promised that now the CdP would gain credibility in their hands.
        Chikara would not have to wait long to see the Bucks tested, as they squared off against the troubled Throwbacks, Dasher Hatfield and Mr. Touchdown Mark Angelosetti. The Throwbacks had gained three points towards title contention, but Dasher and Mr. TD hadn't been seeings eye to eye, or helmet to helmet as it would be. The newly reforming Mr. Touchdown was stressing team work that night, and he and Dasher would need it if they intended to strip the newly crowned kings of the CdP. Giving the good college try, the Throwbacks threw, ran, vaulted and slid everything into the path of the Young Bucks that they could. After a Grandslam and Bo Jackson it would appear as though the Throwbacks were in a position to take the belts. It was not to be however, and in the third fall of the match Matt and Nick did what they do so well, and defeated Dasher and Mr. Touchdown.
        The Young Bucks would go on hiatus from Chikara for a few months, allowing teams to gather up the necessary nectar, three points. The boys made their return not to defend their titles, but to compete in the largest tournament around, King of Trios 2012. They brought along with them Mike Bennett, an equally narcissistic gentlemen from the ranks of Ring of Honor. Bennett's size and power complimented Matt and Nick's high flying ability. In the first two rounds of the tournament, team Ring of Honor were faced by two trios of great wrestling experience. First the Powers of Pain were soothed by the Bucks quickness, and then the Extreme Trio were rated PG by More Bang for Your Buck. It was in the semi-final round of the tournament that team Ring of Honor were truly tested. On night 3, team Sendai Girls brought the Bucks and Bennett a beating they won't soon forget. The fan favourites fought with a puro spirit that can always be admired. With some outside interference by Bennett's girlfriend Maria Kanellis, team Ring of Honor were able to tame the wild girls from the East.
        Reaching the finals is no easy task for any trio. Matt, Nick and Mike had done so with relative ease. The trio they were about to face, had not. The Spectral Envoy joined team Ring of  Honor in the finals of King of Trios 2012. This clash would prove to be foreshadowing for the coming conflict between the Bucks and Envoy for the CdP. Again, Maria attempted some outside interference, but received a super-kick for her troubles. The Spectral Envoy came out on top, and crumpled the Ring of Honor representatives. After taking October to sooth their wounds, the Young Bucks met Ultramantis Black and Hallowicked for the CdP. This would make the second time the Spectral Envoy would challenge for the belts in 2012. Though the champs were different, they were the only team to earn two separate title shots. Ridiculing the Envoy and calling them the “Special Envoy,” the Bucks seemed confident going into their second title defense. Being no strangers to each other, due to their meeting at KOT, both teams snatched up a fall a piece. While the fight was fair for Matt and Nick, the Batiri were lurking outside the ring. After causing their usual havoc, the Batiri aided the Young Bucks in retaining their belts.
        The final two matches of the Bucks year came at two large events. Matt and Nick were part of Team Steen at the 2012 Torneo Cibernetico. Both were eliminated late from the match by Scott Parker and Shane Matthews of 3.0. It was then on to December 2nd, at the second IPPV of the year, where they made their third defense against the 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty. Jannetty is a man from the Young Bucks past, and his plan was to put the boys back in their places. However, his intentions went the same place so many others do, and the veterans of high flying fell to the Bucks. After three successful title defenses against three strong pairings, the Young Bucks exited 2012 looking poised to defeat any challengers.

       This brings us to the end of another chapter of The Dark Match. Next I bring you 2012 history of one Mr. Touchdown, Mark Angelosetti. Take time to vote below for who YOU want me to cover after Mr. Touchdown. Don't forget to follow me on twitter @MurrayDarkMatch, and always pass on the good word of The Dark Match. Until next time, I'm going to rewatch Under the Hood for about the tenth time.