Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 13:46:29 GMT -5
The first three seasons of CHIKARA Pro established the fledgling promotion as a hybrid of Japanese, British, Mexican, and American styles of professional wrestling. High flying competitors traded their breathtaking moves with the ground-based game of classical submission wrestlers (and the very best of them combined the styles into something very dangerous, indeed). This is not to say that CHIKARA's sole focus was on grappling; Seasons One through Three brought us alliances, betrayals, and even the longest match in wrestling history, as Darkness Crabtree battled Lance Steel for just under twenty-four hours. Though there were clearly-defined lines between good and evil, even the baddest of the bad were still palatable, while the even the best and brightest heroes occasionally displayed frustration, temptation, and a bit of an edge.
That all changed at the Season Three finale, Fear of Music. Team BLKOUT made judicious use of referee distraction and an illegal chair shot to defeat Team F.I.S.T. in a lucha de apuesta match that forced Gran Akuma to unmask and Icarus to shave his head. For the first time, CHIKARA fans pelted wrestlers--Sabian and Joker--with trash, and while Icarus and Akuma were men of their word, living up to their wager, they inwardly seethed and vowed revenge.
As bad as that was, the main event was even worse.
The final match of the evening saw the Superfriends--Chris Hero and Mike Quackenbush--reunite to take on the Kings of Wrestling--Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon. Hero was taken out early with a knee injury and had to be carried to the back, forcing Quackenbush to take on both opponents on his own. Though he fought valiantly, the numbers game proved to be too much for him, and he soon found himself on the losing and of a two-on-one beat down. Arik Cannon had just stunned Quackenbush with his Glimmering Warlock, and he was about to hoist him up for the ANARCHIST HAMMER when Chris Hero came limping out from the back, leaning heavily on a crutch.
Hero hurried to the ring and rolled in beneath the bottom rope, crutch in hand. Cannon dropped Quackenbush and put his fists up...only to have Hero turn and knick his own partner unconscious with a crutch shot over the head! Cannon looked dumbfounded, but Castagnoli and Hero quickly joined forces in laying the boots to Quackenbush as referee Bryce Remsburg signaled for the bell, angrily trying to pull both men off of the CHIKARA founder, only to get shoved down for his efforts. Threatened with fines and suspensions, Cannon tried to pull his partner away and ate a big boot from Hero for his troubles. The crowd jeered mercilessly as Hero and Castagnoli raised their arms in victory and the season came to a close.
While the roster had been divided into rudos and tecnicos before, Fear of Music cemented that distinction. Suddenly, it was not enough to be an irascible curmudgeon like Darkness Crabtree or a fun-loving loud mouth like Larry Sweeney; the rudos had truly become evil, and the tecnicos stood as shining stars in contrast. The villains quickly moved to shore up alliances and recruit new blood to keep pace with BLKOUT and the new Kings of Wrestling, while the good guys banded together to stand against them, bringing in big names from previous seasons of CHIKARA to stand against the powerful rudo team.
This is the Brave New World of Season Four. This... Is... Chikara!
That all changed at the Season Three finale, Fear of Music. Team BLKOUT made judicious use of referee distraction and an illegal chair shot to defeat Team F.I.S.T. in a lucha de apuesta match that forced Gran Akuma to unmask and Icarus to shave his head. For the first time, CHIKARA fans pelted wrestlers--Sabian and Joker--with trash, and while Icarus and Akuma were men of their word, living up to their wager, they inwardly seethed and vowed revenge.
As bad as that was, the main event was even worse.
The final match of the evening saw the Superfriends--Chris Hero and Mike Quackenbush--reunite to take on the Kings of Wrestling--Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon. Hero was taken out early with a knee injury and had to be carried to the back, forcing Quackenbush to take on both opponents on his own. Though he fought valiantly, the numbers game proved to be too much for him, and he soon found himself on the losing and of a two-on-one beat down. Arik Cannon had just stunned Quackenbush with his Glimmering Warlock, and he was about to hoist him up for the ANARCHIST HAMMER when Chris Hero came limping out from the back, leaning heavily on a crutch.
Hero hurried to the ring and rolled in beneath the bottom rope, crutch in hand. Cannon dropped Quackenbush and put his fists up...only to have Hero turn and knick his own partner unconscious with a crutch shot over the head! Cannon looked dumbfounded, but Castagnoli and Hero quickly joined forces in laying the boots to Quackenbush as referee Bryce Remsburg signaled for the bell, angrily trying to pull both men off of the CHIKARA founder, only to get shoved down for his efforts. Threatened with fines and suspensions, Cannon tried to pull his partner away and ate a big boot from Hero for his troubles. The crowd jeered mercilessly as Hero and Castagnoli raised their arms in victory and the season came to a close.
While the roster had been divided into rudos and tecnicos before, Fear of Music cemented that distinction. Suddenly, it was not enough to be an irascible curmudgeon like Darkness Crabtree or a fun-loving loud mouth like Larry Sweeney; the rudos had truly become evil, and the tecnicos stood as shining stars in contrast. The villains quickly moved to shore up alliances and recruit new blood to keep pace with BLKOUT and the new Kings of Wrestling, while the good guys banded together to stand against them, bringing in big names from previous seasons of CHIKARA to stand against the powerful rudo team.
This is the Brave New World of Season Four. This... Is... Chikara!