Chikara's season 8 wrapped up in November with the Earth-shattering introduction of the Bruderschaft des Kreuzes, a group bent on getting revenge on Chikara for various perceived wrongs against them at various times. This attack at the end of Three-Fisted Tales was the culmination of a year of build, an angle that was surreptitiously fed-wide, all encompassing without being blatant about it. Now, it sets up a war between a faction of rogue malcontents and what seems to be an entire fed. Sound familiar? Well, of course it does, but if you think this angle will end up like the nWo, well, you don't know Chikara very well, do you?Chikara's ninth season promises to pick up where TFT left off, and not only will it bring the big war between Chikara and the BDK, but other great matches, stories and events as well. So, without further ado...
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What Happened in '09?
Chikara had a lot going on in 2009, as much as any fed could do running two-to-three shows a month. First off, the Osirian Portal began the year as rudo Campeonatos de Parejas, defending against anyone who would accumulate the points required to take them on. They ended the year as tecnicos without titles, having lost them to the Colony in the interim. The Portal was going strong until Ophidian broke his arm in the summer, causing Director of Fun Leonard F. Chikarason to put a freeze on title defenses for 90 days. When the hissing snake-man came back, three teams had accumulated three points, one of them being the aforementioned Colony.
After the jump...The first major tournament of the calendar year took place in Philly in late March, the King of Trios. I covered the event's first night, but looking back, I don't think I gave it justice, mainly because I was just starting to get into the indies. KoT gave us Team FIST as the winner and set the tone for the rest of the year as to whom the dominant rudos in the fed would be. FIST's momentum would take a temporary dip though, as at Aniversario Yang, their feud with the Colony came to a head in a Lucha de Apuesta, Icarus' and Chuck Taylor's hair vs. Fire and Soldier Ants' masks. The Colony won after a valiant effort from Soldier Ant, being taken to the back after taking an Omega Driver through a table and then crawling back, limping and struggling.
The second major tournament was the Young Lions Cup VII, which was taken by Player Dos of the Super Smash Bros. This caused some tension between him and his partner Player Uno, mainly because Dos beat Uno to qualify for the semi-finals and then again with the YLC in play as well as in the third major tournament, which was really more just a huge match rather than tournament, Cibernetico Incredible. In that, Carpenter Ant, the mysterious fourth member of the Colony who debuted at the aforementioned Lucha de Apuesta, was the sole survivor, defeating stable mate Solder Ant with an inverted Chikara Special.
Little did we know then that Carpenter Ant would be an infiltrator, Pinkie Sanchez, member of the BDK. So would Claudio Castagnoli, a guy who spent the entire year as one of the most popular tecnicos in the promotion, feuding with the embittered and hated Eddie Kingston. So would Tim Donst, who disguised himself as the mysterious Vökoder. So would Daizee Haze and Sara Del Rey. Part of their unveiling and crusade against Chikara had to do with the mysterious Eye of Tyr, an ancient artifact purported to have mind-controlling abilities. Possessed by UltraMantis Black of the Neo-Solar Temple, it was used to turn Delirious away from his partners Hallowicked and Frightmare and into the fold of the ONST. Donst, as the masked Germanic robot, got close to the Temple and stole the Eye before unveiling as a BDK. Both Donst and Pinkie had scores to settle with the ONST. The women had bones to pick with Chikara in general for not giving them proper competition. As for Claudio, Ares and Tursas, the mysterious big Viking guy? Their motives are unclear, but everyone seems to be a target.
What's the Forecast for '10?
Well, the BDK/Chikara war is definitely going to be the main focus. We know that UltraMantis Black, Mike Quackenbush and The Colony will be targets, but who else? Will this truly be a fedwide thing, or will there still be other festivities? If I'm a betting man, it'll be a little of the former but mostly the latter. There's still the matter of the Campeonatos de Parejas as well as the big tournaments and such. Plus, you have to figure that rudo factions such as Team FIST and the UnStable won't have a stake in the fight unless they're made to have one.
But back to the BDK, the biggest thing coming up early will be who their eighth member will be. There are plenty of suspects within the company. The most obvious is Crossbones, who spent the better part of the year in UMB's doghouse as the leader of the cultish Temple was more enamored with his acquisition Delirious. Delirious himself is a candidate as well since he was only a member of the ONST because of the Eye of Tyr. Now that the BDK has this artifact, would control of his services revert to the holders of the Eye? Another interesting candidate is Player Uno. The members of BDK seem to share a common thread in that they felt disaffected by Chikara or members of Chikara in some way. Uno fits the bill in that he feels left out by his partner's success, so don't be surprised if he's revealed as the eighth man.
Of course, the BDK's rising means that there will be at least one team representing the renegades in King of Trios, which was announced for another year much to the delight of fans around the Chikarmy. I'd probably peg a team from the Brotherhood as the favorites to win even, which would keep in line with how I think the angle will progress. I.E., the BDK will appear dominant early until Chikara strengthens through unity and then has them on their heels around Cibernetico time.
Outside of storyline continuity, Chikara seems to be doing well for itself, as it's making its first foray into new locales such as Michigan, New Jersey (both south and in the suburbs of NYC) and Pottsville, PA. It's also making a return trip to Cleveland as well as heading back to New England. While Chikara had a great year this past year running shows mainly in Reading, Easton and South Philly, it's great to see them branch out and spread the love to other parts of the country.
Guys to Watch for in '10
Ares - The menacing face of BDK, it's unknown what his connection to Chikara is or why he wants to wage this war. He seems to have a connection to Claudio Castagnoli prior to now, but either way, he looks to make the biggest splash of anyone in the group. I expect him to be at the forefront, leading the charge with Claudio by his side and his minions behind him.
Sara Del Rey - As crazy as it sounds, I think she'll spend more time wrestling men in 2010 then women, and even crazier, I think she'll be credible and entertaining doing it. The average size of the Chikara wrestler isn't exactly intimidating, and Death Rey has the physical credibility to hang with the featherweights on the roster. She wanted a challenge, and I think she'll not only get it but rise to it.
The Badd Boys. - These brothers from ISW are known for their foul mouths outside of the family-friendly Chikara, but have done their best to circumvent that obstacle and become message board favorites. They've made a huge impact in the fed in their limited time in Chikara thus far, and I think they'll be one of the "it" teams going forward in 2010. If the focus of the CdP is away from the BDK feud, then I expect the Badd Boys to be very much in the thick of things with it.
Frightmare - He was a rookie in 2009, and now with Delirious really gone from Incoherence, it's his time to shine alongside Chikara vet and crowd favorite Hallowicked. Frightmare has a very high energy style and he's endeared himself to crowds in a big way. I think 2010 will see his climb continue as he comes into his own.
Gran Akuma - While FIST's most recognizable name has been Chuck Taylor, Gran Akuma is starting to come into his own across the indies. He's being positioned as a top heel in Chikara's sister fed, DGUSA, and he's the leader of his own trios team in EVOLVE. In Chikara, he's developed an identity within FIST and has feuded with Jigsaw in the past year. With others in the company fighting against the BDK at the forefront, Akuma can carve a nice spot for himself in the main event right below the big angle.
Three Things I Want To See Happen in 2010
1. I want a team representing DGUSA, featuring CIMA and Susumu Yokosuka, and a team representing EVOLVE, featuring Ken Doane and Davey Richards, in the King of Trios tournament.
2. I want Create-A-Wrestler to keep the Dasher Hatfield persona in perpetuity. Dasher is by far the best of his three personas, and the fans, myself included, have become attached to it.
3. Team Chikara vs. Team BDK in Torneo Cibernetico. MAKE IT HAPPEN,
Next up, DGUSA/EVOLVE.
