LOW - Legends of Wrestling

[EpicDave]

Hara Arena... the antiquated venue where I watched my first-ever house show!

PG-13 pulls out the win- they have done surprisingly well for me, too.

Snuka over Rude is the highlight of the show and a thrilling match with *THREE* Superfly Splashes!

Strong work, as always, my man.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Pariah, Crimson and Daytondave. That Snuka vs. Rude match was epic, I couldn't believe it took the three Superfly splashes to end it. The Savage-Brody/Poffo/Heenan Family angle is one I am putting a lot of thought into and I hope you guys enjoy the end result. Daytondave, that's cool if I brought back some house show memories for you. Do you remember what was on that card? Next up is action from Pacific Coast Wrestling...

LOW Pacific Coast Wrestling - Medford Armory - Medford, OR (Card #877)

1) Tom Prichard defeated Chief Omega:
The opening contest saw ASW fan favorite Chief Omega take on Houston, TX, native Dr. Tom Prichard. The early action saw Prichard with the upper hand and he twice went to a Foreign Object attack, using a rope to choke Omega, for near falls. Omega battled back impressively and scored his own near fall with the Tomahawk Thrust. Prichard was shaken up and he dug back down into his bag of tricks using another Foreign Object attack, looking to be brass knuckles, to score the pin.

2) The Grappler defeated Tommy Gilbert:
Popular veteran star Tommy Gilbert out of Lexington, TN, had a tough draw for his first ever singles match in PCW as he took on The Grappler. Gilbert made a good accounting of himself but seemed a step behind the masked man. The Grappler gained the upper hand late in the bout and after a leg drop he set up and blasted Gilbert with his controversial Loaded Boot to score a snake eyes pin. The crowd jeered the victory by The Grappler who afterward grabbed the mic and said that he will once again defeat Roddy Piper when he faces him in the qualifying round of the PWI Invitational Cup tournament.

3) Brian Kendrick & Lash Leroux defeated Dewey Robertson & Larry Sharpe:
Grudge tag team action saw Brian Kendrick & Lash Leroux team up against Sharpe Sports Agency, Inc. members Dewey Robertson & “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. It was an upset win by Leroux over Robertson on the last PCW card that drew the ire of SSA, Inc. leading to this match. Kendrick and Leroux have teamed briefly in the past and their styles compliment each other pretty well. That was evident in this bout as they dominated most of the action. Robertson was in for much of the time as Sharpe preferred to yell instructions in from the ring apron. After Robertson gained the upper hand on Kendrick he tagged in Sharpe. The SSA, Inc. leader quickly found himself on the defensive and it was Kendrick hitting Sliced Bread #2 to score the pin as Leroux prevented Robertson from making the save.

4) Tables Match: The Sandman defeated P.N. News:
After losing to The Sandman in a Singapore Cane Match on the last PCW card, “The Rapmaster” P.N. News challenged the hardcore icon to face him in a Tables Match and he readily accepted. The Sandman jumped News at ringside before the bell and ran him head first into the ring post. He controlled early until News fought back and nailed him with a belly-to-belly suplex using every bit of his 403 ½-pounds. News then went to the tables including spearing The Sandman with one. He followed that up with a second rope splash putting The Sandman through a table. Under LOW rules a Tables Match continues until a pinfall or a submission. The Sandman was able to recover and wound up hitting a Hardcore DDT on the remnants of the table to score the pin. The Sandman celebrated his win with a beer and a cigarette but when News recovered he issued another challenge. Having gone 0-2 in the specialty matches he challenged The Sandman to meet him in a Ladder Match with the Singapore Cane hanging above the ring. The Sandman drank some more beer and then accepted the challenge for the match on the next PCW card in Yakima, WA (Card #887)

5) Roddy Piper & Bryan Danielson defeated Konnan & Playboy Buddy Rose:
Tremendous tag team action saw “Rowdy” Roddy Piper & “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson take on SSA, Inc. members Konnan & Playboy Buddy Rose. It was one of the final appearances for Danielson in PCW due to his signing a contract with the IWA and the crowd greeted him with a great ovation and chants of “Yes, Yes, Yes!” Konnan was on the defensive early taking attacks from both Piper and Danielson including the latter scoring a near fall with a missile dropkick. Rose helped to turn things around and that set up Konnan scoring a near fall on Danielson with the somersault lariat. Piper was very effective during his time in and nearly put both Konnan and Rose away with the Sleeper Hold. He and Rose really had some great exchanges one of which nearly saw the Playboy counted out after being dropped groin first on the guard rail. Rose recovered and battled back but it was Piper getting the pin on the Playboy after hitting him with a Foreign Object, looking to be a piece of taped steel. Konnan protested the decision to no avail and then escorted a groggy Rose to the back as Piper and Danielson celebrated the victory.

6) LOW Tex-Arkana Television title: One Man Gang© defeated Don Leo Jonathan by DQ to retain the title:
The LOW Tex-Arkana Television title was on the line in a true “Battle of the Giants” as 6’9” and 320-pound challenger the “Mormon Giant” Don Leo Jonathan took on the 6’9” and 495-pound defending champion in the One Man Gang. It was a one-on-one bout as OMG was without the services of his controversial manager Captain Lou Albano who is still resting from injuries suffered courtesy of a top rope splash by Andre the Giant. Jonathan seemed bound and determined to become champion as he got the better of OMG for much of this match. OMG has been going the distance in some of his title defenses and the fatigue may have caught up to him. Late in the bout it was both men going down from a collision in the corner. Jonathan recovered first and hit a rolling back splash prompting OMG to roll out of the ring. That led to a battle on the floor but when the referee jumped out to restore order he went down when OMG crashed into him courtesy of a dropkick by the “Mormon Giant”. When the official recovered he called for the bell and disqualified Jonathan snake eyes style allowing OMG to retain the title. The crowd jeered the decision as Jonathan went after the referee protesting the call but the decision stood and it was a successful version five title defense for the One Man Gang.

7) PWI Invitational Cup Tournament Qualifying Match: Angelo Mosca defeated Tony Atlas to advance:
The first of two qualifying matches to close out the card took place with NWC star “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas taking on Angelo “King Kong” Mosca of the SWA. Atlas was a house of fire in the early going nailing Mosca with the big dropkick three straight times and trapping him in a bearhug. He had Mosca reeling until “King Kong” caught him with a knee wrencher followed by a football tackle. Mosca then mounted a serious offensive and scored consecutive near falls with the Heart Punch. He also trapped Atlas in the Sleeper Hold but the well muscled star from Roanoke, VA, elbowed his way out of it. Atlas was busted open late in the bout and that seemed to take something out of him. He was able to get in some offense but Mosca took over and blasted him with a Running Clothesline to score the pin. The victory means that Mosca will join Bruiser Brody, Tommy Rich, The Mountie, Dutch Savage, The Terrible Turk, and Killer Kowalski in the opening round of the seventh annual PWI Invitational Cup Tournament being held during WrestleCade IX weekend.

8) PWI Invitational Cup Tournament Qualifying Match: Don Muraco defeated King Kong Bundy by DQ to advance:
The second qualifying match saw popular SWA star “The Magnificent” Don Muraco take on King Kong Bundy of the AWE. Bundy was accompanied to the ring by his manager Jimmy Hart, the head of the First Family in the AWE. Hart made the trip to Oregon with Bundy hoping to lead him to victory. It was all Bundy in the early going as the 446-pound behemoth out of Atlantic City, NJ, went to work on Muraco. He delivered the bone crushing elbow drop off the ropes and a backbreaker that forced Muraco to bail out of the ring. That proved to be a wise decision as Muraco gained control on the floor and began taking the fight to Bundy. He scored with an impressive vertical suplex and the controversial Asiatic Spike drawing protests from Hart. The manic manager wound up getting involved when Muraco impressively hoisted Bundy up for the Hawaiian Hammer for what could have been the end. Hart distracted the referee and dropped his megaphone into the ring where Bundy got a hold of it and used it to knock Muraco out. Fortunately for Muraco the referee turned around in time to see it and disqualified Bundy much to the chagrin of Hart. That meant that Muraco was the winner and that he would round out the first half of the bracketing heading to WrestleCade IX weekend for his shot at glory.

[Pariah]

Thoroughly enjoyed Sandman's victory... But, P.N. News shows he is a sucker for punishment... Ladder match? With a Singapore came as the prize? Really, News... REALLY?

Danielson & Piper make a helluva team... Exciting match between them and SSA, Inc. members, Konnan & Rose... And they claim the win in typical Rowdy Scot fashion... Nice!

Muraco over Bundy was probably my favorite match... Even with the DQ decision... Seeing The Magnificent One lift Bundy up for the Hawaiian Hammer would've been worth the price of admission alone...

Another superb offering... Plenty of great action with just the right amount of drama on the side!

[Crimson Cross]

So cool seeing Don Muraco win over Bundy in the PWIT, plus the same for Angelo Mosca. I've always enjoyed your PWITournaments and so far this one has been fun stuff...

[bookerbill]

some very interesting names advancing in the tournament. Should be a fun one to watch unfold. Hard not to pull for Muraco who always seems to get lots of love from my fellow promoters. Brody will be tough to get past however.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Pariah, Crimson, and Bookerbill. I was also happy to see Don Muraco advance even though I like both guys. Hoping Muraco can go far in the tournament but as BB noted Brody could be tough to beat. I liked the visual of the Hawaiian Hammer on Bundy as I figured Muraco might be able to do it. Danielson/Piper vs. Konnan/Rose will have a rematch soon and also Pariah loved your comment about PN News. I was hoping they would go 1-1 in these matches to set up a third but The Sandman got the better of him both times. Now the big question is can News make it up the ladder ? Next up is action from SHIMMER...

SHIMMER - Women Athletes - Volume 23 - The Eagles Club - Berwyn, IL (Card #878)

1) Courtney Rush defeated Heidi Lovelace:
A spirited opener saw Canadian star Courtney Rush locking up with the “Punk Rock Rag Doll” Heidi Lovelace. Both women were in fine form using holds and counter holds trading the advantage. Lovelace caught Rush in the painful Love Lock and then blitzed her with a Shining Wizard. Rush was in trouble but she mounted a great comeback using both the butterfly and T-Bone suplex. She then caught a stunned Lovelace with her trademark Olympic Slam to score the pin.

2) Leva Bates defeated Su Yung:
The popular Leva Bates, one-half of Regeneration-X along with Allison Danger, took on Su Yung out of Seattle, WA. Yung was impressive early tying up Bates with the headscissors and bow and arrow hold, using the former for a submission chance. Bates used some nice counters to come back and for some reason the fans starting chanting about her “blue pants”. Bates enjoyed the support and after picking Yung off of the top rope with a bodyslam she went up top and came off with a Flying Bodypress to score the pin.

3) Canadian Ninjas defeated Penny Banner & Athena:
Penny Banner & Athena joined forces to take on two-time SHIMMER tag team champions the Canadian Ninjas (Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews). The Ninjas held the experience advantage in tag team competition but Banner is a two-time tag team champion along with Nora Greenwald so that factored in here. Athena was actually the star of the match particularly after taking a hot tag from Banner. “The Wrestling Goddess” looked great in this bout unfortunately she would fall in the end. Matthews hit the Vancouver Maneuver for a big near fall with Banner making the save. Then a short time later it was the Ninjas laying Athena out with Funky Cold Medina with Matthews covering her for the pin. Amber Gertner caught up with the Ninjas at ringside afterward and the always vocal Perez vowed that the Ninjas would become the first ever three-time SHIMMER tag team champions

4) Tina Moretti defeated Jessicka Havok:
The spunky Tina Moretti out of Seattle, WA, has been climbing the ranks of SHIMMER but here she met a roadblock in the form of the feared Jessicka Havok. Until her recent loss to Lufisto the “Havok Death Machine” was undefeated in SHIMMER competition. Havok was looking to get back on the winning track and she took the measure of the smaller Moretti for a good portion of the match. Havok struck with the Buckle Bomb, chokeslam and The Demon Drop leaving Moretti in a bad way. It was a missed corner charge by Havok and counter roll-up for a two count by Moretti that helped turn the tide. Moretti drew on the support of the crowd and at one point was able to execute the Northern Lights suplex on a stunned Havok. Later in the bout it was Havok attempting to prevent a deathjump by Moretti but she was knocked down the mat. Moretti followed by hitting a DDT for a big near fall. Havok then staggered back to her feet and Moretti quickly surprised her with another DDT to score the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as Moretti picked up a huge win over Havok who was not happy. LOW officials had to run down to ringside as Havok mowed down everything in her path meaning chairs and the timekeeper’s table before being restrained and taken to the back.

5) Madison Eagles, Kellie Skater, & Jessie McKay defeated Jazz, Lacey, & Rain:
The popular Australian trio of Madison Eagles, “The Rate Tank” Kellie Skater, & “Everybody’s Favorite Girlfriend’ Jessie McKay had their hands full as they took on the returning Jazz and the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew (Lacey & Rain). The latter three were all suspended for a violent attack that put the “Latina Sensation” Mercedes Martinez out of action. Martinez is due to return shortly and will no doubt be looking for some revenge. However on this night they had to deal with Eagles, Skater, and McKay who were looking to score a big victory. Jazz and her crew jumped Team Australia at ringside before the bell. Jazz then quickly trapped Eagles in the STF and nearly won it via submission. The battle continued at a frenetic pace highlighted by Skater hitting Skate and Destroy but Lacey broke it up dropping an elbow. She then reversed positions and Jazz nearly pinned Skater. Jazz then locked Skater in the B**** Clamp but Eagles made the save. After a dazzling performance by McKay it was Eagles hitting Hell Bound on Jazz for a big near fall. As time wound down McKay got the better of Lacey and hit a Northern Lights Bomb followed up by a Huracanrana to score the pin. It was a thrilling victory for McKay and her partners while Jazz looked on disgusted at the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew.

6) Saraya Knight defeated Rockin Robin:
The determined Rockin Robin, a native of Charlotte, NC, took on the tough challenge of “Sweet” Saraya Knight out of Norwich, England. Knight is anything but sweet and she showed that here. Robin held her own most of the way but Knight always seemed to have a counter. She also resorted to dirty tactics hitting Knight with a chair shot to the leg while they battled on the floor. The referee must have missed that as the battle continued. Knight took full advantage of the situation and eventually was able to lock on the Knightmare, a single-leg Boston Crab, resulting in a snake eyes submission victory. Knight did not stop there, however, as she locked the hold on again after the match despite attempts by the referee and several LOW officials to get her to release it. Allison Danger, who was on hand for a standby match, then hit the ring with a chair prompting Knight to release the hold. Leva Bates ran out and helped pull the injured Robin out of the ring while Danger got into the face of Knight daring her to throw down. Knight then grabbed the mic and told Danger that if she wanted to do something about it they could have a match. Danger agreed and the two will square off at Volume 24. Robin, meanwhile, suffered moderate damage to her leg and knee and will be out of action for the rest of the year.

7) Cherry Bomb & Evie defeated Mildred Burke & Thunderkitty:
The stakes were high in this match as Cherry Bomb & Evie took on Mildred Burke & Thunderkitty. The winning team would receive a shot at SHIMMER tag team champions Cheerleader Melissa & Sara Del Ray in the main event of Volume 24. Evie was really impressive in this bout getting the better of the experienced Burke and Thunderkitty on several occasions. She nearly pinned Thunderkitty with the cartwheel clothesline and that set up Cherry Bomb executing Anger as Beauty for a near submission but Burke made the save. Burke, a two-time SHIMMER champion, nearly won it late in the bout scoring a near fall on Cherry Bomb with the Sunset Flip. That appeared to set up Thunderkitty as she took over on offense trapping Cherry Bomb in the Iron Claw. A short time later she sent her into the corner and charged in but Cherry Bomb moved out of the way and executed a Counter Roll-Up on Thunderkitty to score the pin. The crowd cheered the win for Cherry Bomb & Evie who will now get a shot at the tag team titles. Amber Gertner caught up with the losing team at ringside and Burke was furious over the loss and wanted to keep fighting so she dared any team in the back to take them on. It wound up with Kellie Skater & Jessie McKay showing up but before things could get heated SHIMMER promoter Dave Prazak said that the two teams could settle it in the ring at Volume 24.

8) SHIMMER title: Sherri Martel© defeated Lufisto by DQ to retain the title:
The “Super Hardcore Anime” Lufisto received a big opportunity as she challenged Sherri Martel for the SHIMMER title in the main event. Martel, a record eight-time holder of the title, looked on concerned as the challenger prepared for the match piling up chairs at ringside. The hardcore was coming out of Lufisto before the bell even sounded to begin the match. What followed was a great bout between two very determined women with the championship on the line. The advantage went back and forth throughout and amazingly there was only one pinfall attempt coming off of a suplex by Martel. Both seemed to have each other scouted perfectly as evidenced by Lufisto avoiding a dropkick and locking on a rear naked choke. Lufisto then went for a belly-to-belly suplex (ch) but Martel used an eye rake to counter followed up by a legdrop. The turning point in the battle came when Lufisto bailed out of the ring and Martel followed resulting in the two battling tooth-and-nail at ringside. Things began to get out of control and it was Lufisto, against the orders of the referee, delivering a Burning Hammer to Martel on the pile of chairs leaving the champion laid out. The referee then called for the bell and awarded Martel the victory via disqualification allowing her to retain the title in her version four defense. Lufisto protested the decision as Martel was helped to the back my medical personnel. Martel was not seriously injured but no doubt knows that Lufisto means business especially when the prestigious SHIMMER title is at stake.

[Pariah]

Always happy to see Leva Bates walk away with a victory... And Lufisto may have not been able to grab the gold on this card, but she certainly had a strong showing... Entertaining!

[EpicDave]

No, no, no! You tell those promoters that Lufisto vs. Sherri need to be NO DQ!!!

Very impressive that the Aussies could take down a dangerous trio like Lacey, Rain and Jazz.

November, 1986 was my first live event at Hara. Details are sketchy, but if I recall correctly it was Ricky Steamboat vs. Dick Slater in the Main Event and Steamboat got the win with the Flying Body Press.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Pariah and Daytondave. Nice Daytondave, you got to see Ricky Steamboat on your first live show. Don't worry guys there are big plans for a Lufisto vs. Sherri Martel rematch so stay tuned. Next up we have action from CHIKARA as the build to the IWA debut continues...

CHIKARA - Go Sox! - Wonderland Ballroom - Revere, MA (Card #879)

1) Ophidian defeated Jakob Hammermeier:
It was rare singles competition for Ophidian of the Osirian Portal as he took on Jakob Hammermeier in the opening contest. Acclaimed photographer Dr. Mike Lano, who will be a part of the IWA, was at ringside documenting the action for this card. He caught a great photo finish as Ophidian rolled through on a flying crossbody and sprinted up the ropes hitting the Top Rope Double Knee Attack to score the pin.

2) Vin Gerard defeated Shane Storm by DQ:
Tecnico star Shane Storm took on the vile rudo in Vin Gerard who was accompanied by his manager The Dark Menace. Both men were looking to impress IWA scouts who were stationed around the ringside area. There was some nice give and take in this bout including Gerard striking with the chokehold STO and Storm coming back with the crashing huracanrana. Storm was looking good until Gerard nailed him with the 2K1 Bomb and twice locked on the STF going for the submission. The proud Storm refused to tap out and then bailed out of the ring after taking a fisherman buster. Storm managed to grab the camera from Dr. Mike Lano and in uncharacteristic fashion he struck Gerard with it. The crowd popped for that but the referee was none too thrilled and he called for the bell giving the win to Gerard via disqualification.

3) Mister ZERO & Los Ice Creams defeated The Throwbacks:
Trios action featured The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield, Sugar Dunkerton, & Mr. Touchdown) taking on Mister ZERO & Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream & Ice Cream, Jr.). There was a bit of excitement coming over the crowd as the beautiful So Cal Val showed up at ringside. She was seen talking to some of the IWA scouts before observing the action. Rumor has it that Val has been signed to an IWA contract and is looking for talent to manage. She had plenty to observe in this one as both teams came very close to victory in a great battle. The Throwbacks looked to have it won when they planted Ice Cream Jr. with the Grandslam Dunk but ZERO made the save. The Ice Creams came back with Ice Cream Jr. hitting the devastating Sprinkle Bomb on Dunkerton for a near fall. They then hit El Asesino on Dunkerton but Val got involved tripping up El Hijo del Ice Cream to the surprise of everyone. It looked like Val was favoring The Throwbacks but then Mr. Touchdown got distracted looking at her and turned into a top rope Flying Bodypress from ZERO for the pin. It was something of an upset win for ZERO and the Ice Creams and Touchdown was visibly upset as he again argued with his tag team partners. Val tried to get involved as a peacemaker but The Throwbacks walked out on her in unison.

4) Evolve Offer Match: Drew Galloway & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated AR Fox & PJ Black:
A shaken up So Cal Val remained at ringside talking to Dr. Mike Lano as the participants for this special Evolve Offer Match came to the ring. It was AR Fox teaming up with “The Darewolf” PJ Black to battle the UK combination of Drew Galloway & Zack Sabre Jr. The IWA scouts along with Val were all very interested in seeing these four do battle. They did not disappoint as this was an amazing match from start to finish. All four men hit their key moves including Black delivering the 450 Splash to both Galloway and Sabre for near falls. Fox survived a lengthy assault from both opponents and then nearly pinned Sabre with the springboard 450 splash. He was then trapped in the Cross Armbreaker by Sabre for a submission chance. A great finishing sequence saw Sabre pick up back to back near falls on Black with the Penalty Kick and Dragon Suplex. Galloway took advantage of that tagging in and planting Black with the Double Arm DDT to score the pin as Sabre prevented Fox from making the save. The crowd, along with Val, Lano and the IWA scouts, gave all four men a well deserved standing ovation following the epic battle and all four responded by shaking hands to even more cheers.

5) Tursas & Brodie Lee defeated 3.0:
The popular team of 3.0 (Scott “Jagged” Parker & “Big Magic” Shane Matthews) had their work cut out for them taking on the undefeated Tursas & Brodie Lee who had their manager The Dark Menace at ringside. Though they were giving up a lot of size it was a valiant effort by 3.0 as they nearly came away with a win. The two combined on some nice tandem moves like the Samoan Drop Neckbreaker and the flapjack and power bomb combo. They also scored near falls with Parker using the Flash Roll-Up on Lee and Matthews catching Tursas with the “Head Scissors!” A great spot saw Tursas flatten Matthews with a shoulder tackle only to have “Big Magic” strike with the Big Magic Spear. Late in the match it was Parker in trouble as he had been busted open and leveled with a Kreuz Bomb by Tursas. Lee took over and scored a near fall with a Black Hole Slam before nailing the bloody Parker with a Whip Into Ring Steps leading to the pin.

6) Gran Akuma defeated Hallowicked:
A highly competitive bout saw “The Nightmare Warrior” Hallowicked take on Gran Akuma, the “Mysterious, Mythological Warrior from Afar”. Dr. Mike Lano got a great photo of the early action as the two looked to gain the upper hand. Hallowicked struck with the Rydeen Bomb and had Akuma in trouble. Akuma, however, found an opening and laid out Hallowicked with the Yoshi Tonic followed by a back senton for a near fall. It was give and take from there until Akuma hit the Tenchi Crash, a reverse piledriver dropped into a wheelbarrow facebuster, to score the pin.

7) Campeonatos de Parejas: The Batiri defeated F.I.S.T. (2-0) to win the titles:
The first of two big championship matches to close out the night saw F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Chuck Taylor, with Johnny Gargano) defend the Campeonatos de Parejas against The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama, with Kobald). CHIKARA Director of Fun Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana was on hand for the presentation of the title belts which was displayed in a group picture taken by Dr. Mike Lano. So Cal Val returned to ringside and was seen briefly talking to Gargano before going up to the Commentation Station where she was joined by Ultramantis Black for some commentary on the championship match. Senior Referee Bryce Remsburg then issued his pre-match instructions making sure that both teams knew that it would take two falls to decide the winners. He also ordered both Gargano and Kobald to return to the back so that hopefully no outside interference would affect the outcome.

First Fall: The opening fall was electrifying with both teams going all out to pick up the one to nothing advantage. A great exchange saw Obariyon hit an inverted Frankensteiner but Icarus struck right back with a Shiranui. Taylor provided some comedy relief performing the Invisible Grenade Elbow Drop, which was no sold by Kodama, and on the outside he shrieked and ran away from Obariyon only to trip over Dr. Mike Lano at ringside. That’s not to say that Taylor wasn’t effective as he hit the somersault suicide dive at one point setting up Icarus hitting the Pedigree on Obariyon for a near fall. The Batiri seemed really focused and Obariyon in particular was very effective with his wide variety of suplex attacks. He also hit the Flying DDT on Icarus late to score a big near fall. The Batiri went up 1-0 when Kodama scored the pin on Taylor after the combination Drop Toehold and Knee Strike.

Second Fall: For all of the action that the first fall featured the second fall was very one sided as The Batiri marched on to a tag team championship victory. Taylor was in bad shape after taking the Knee Strike finish from the first fall and was unable to tag out. Icarus looked on frustrated from the ring apron as Taylor took a beating from the opposition. Obariyon scored a near fall on Taylor after hitting the full power slam. Taylor was then tossed to the outside and with a distraction on the inside there was no partner exchange. Kodama took full advantage of the situation and planted Taylor with an Impaler bulldog on the concrete floor knocking him out. Icarus tried in vein to pull Taylor back up to continue the match but Remsburg issued the twenty count ending the match. The Batiri won it 2-0 and under CHIKARA rules the belts can change hands on a technical decision so Obariyon and Kodama were crowned the new Campeonatos de Parejas.

Taylor was diagnosed with a mild concussion and will not miss any action but Icarus showed no sympathy. The “Winged Ring Warrior” was interviewed post-match and said that F.I.S.T. had a good run but that Taylor had ruined things. He said that with the IWA coming it is every man for themselves as far as getting contracts and he said that he wants Taylor one-on-one at Final Battle BLUE (Card #889 in Easton, PA) where the winners that night will receive guaranteed contracts with the brand new promotion. Johnny Gargano interrupted Icarus and said that he doesn’t know what Icarus is thinking but that if F.I.S.T. is going out they are going out in a blaze of glory and he demanded a Triple Threat Match with the last man standing getting the guaranteed contract. Icarus seemed shocked by Gargano confronting him but said that he accepted the challenge and that both Taylor and Gargano will go down with him getting the contract with the IWA.

8) 12-Large Grand Championship – Diamond Dallas Page as Guest Referee: Mike Quackenbush© defeated Fire Ant to retain the title:
The highly anticipated main event saw Fire Ant of The Colony take on CHIKARA founder “Lightning” Mike Quackenbush for the 12-Large Grand Championship with Diamond Dallas Page as the Guest Referee. The match was set up on the last CHIKARA card in Brooklyn, NY (Card #869) where Quackenbush retained the title by defeating former champion Eddie Kingston. The rivalry between Quackenbush and CHIKARA Director of Fun Colt Cabana played itself out again and Quackenbush, who has gone a bit to the dark side, taunted both him and DDP. Fire Ant, who earlier defeated Ultramantis Black to earn this title shot, ran out and hit Quackenbush from behind sending him into a Diamond Cutter from DDP. Cabana then delivered a second bang to Quackenbush by naming DDP the referee for the title match. The presence of DDP seemed to have Quackenbush on edge, and perhaps rightly so, as he prepared for battle. Fire Ant was primed and ready hoping to unseat Quackenbush and have the all important spot of getting a guaranteed IWA contract if he was champion after Final Battle Blue.

The match played out much differently than most expected as Quackenbush dominated pretty much from the opening bell. He constantly had Fire Ant on the defensive and at one point hit the rarely used Quackendriver IV scoring a big near fall. DDP was fair in his counting and Fire Ant surprised many by kicking out there. DDP got involved after Quackenbush hit a corner clothesline and attempted to stop a subsequent attack. Quackenbush and DDP then got into a shoving match which nearly saw the Jersey Shore native call for a disqualification. Quackenbush continued his attack and trapped Fire Ant in the feared Chikara Special adding extra torque to the very punishing hold. Fire Ant struggled to grab the ropes but was out of position and unable to get the break. DDP asked him if he submitted but Fire Ant refused to tap out. Quackenbush then cinched it on and pulled them to mid-ring where there was no escape. Fire Ant again refused to tap but wound up passing out and DDP called for the bell giving Quackenbush the victory via TKO, or referee stoppage.

It was a bitter defeat for Fire Ant who had to be helped out of the ring while DDP raised the arm of a smug Quackenbush in victory. After DDP left the ring it was Quackenbush grabbing the mic and calling out Cabana who was in the Commentation Station. He said that Cabana has been the “worst DOF in CHIKARA history” and did everything he could to undermine his championship reign. He then issued an open challenge to Cabana to meet him for the title at Final Battle BLUE (Card #889 in Easton, PA) where the winner gets the title, a guaranteed IWA contract and a spot in the IWA championship match at IWA Genesis (Card #899 in Las Vegas, NV) which takes place during WrestleCade IX weekend. Cabana needed about two seconds to accept and said that he will not only defeat Quackenbush but send him packing back to the outlaw independent circuit drawing cheers from the crowd.

[Crimson Cross]

It's always good to see Gran Akuma win a bout, plus cool seeing The Batiri take the gold. I was rooting for Fire Ant, but that smug Quackenbush walks away still the champ and it's cool seeing DDP as the guest referee, solid action...