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| One of the Impostor Ants of the Gekido... who could they be? Photo Credit: Zia Hiltey |
I thought it could have been the Briscoe Brothers leading a group of ROH invaders to tie into that whole Synergy thing that they're doing with each other, but at the same time, since when are the Briscoes ones to hide behind masks anyway? They're straightforward ass-kickers if any existed in professional wrestling. The Gekido are more devious and spiteful than the innocent-seeming rednecks from Sandy Fork.
So, who would be the other suspects that could be involved? I've got a few names floating in my head. First, there's Vin Gerard, who was "fired" from Chikara after harassing Kingston and then losing a match for the Grand Championship where his career was in the balance. While the Gekido showed up before he was officially tossed, well, there's no reason to believe that Gerard could have been pulling double duty. I figured his stablemate STIGMA could have had some claim to stake as he has history with the Chikara tecnicos, but visual reports of the size of each individual member of the group seem to rule him out. Sal Rinauro is a name I've heard floated around too, which makes sense. In 2009, when Quack still had the NWA Light Heavyweight Championship, it was Rinauro making noise about the then-Champ ducking him. That came to a head October 17th of that year when Quack defeated Rinauro in short order. Of course, being over two years ago might seem too long to hold a grudge, but this is Chikara we're talking about here. They're the kings of long-term storytelling.
TWB superfan and Chikara devotee John Eibach floated the biggest shock idea of them all. What if Quack himself was the guy behind the group? In the span of six months in the company, Quack saw his Campeonatos de Parejas slip out of his grasp, his shot at the Grand Championship evaporate and his winning streak against Green Ant end in a submission battle, the kinds of matches he rarely loses. His temper in those matches has come to the forefront, most famously in the Kingston match where he wrestled as a rudo for a good part of the match. But then why would Quack turn on his creation and introduce the virus that would cripple and possibly kill the goodwill inside of it? It's one thing to theorize, but without asking why, it's just posturing. Why would Quack go so far as to put himself in a match with 17 and The Shard to protect the lie (and go out with an "injury" at the same time)?
For me, the simplest answer would be that Quack is doing the same thing Hulk Hogan did in 1996, Steve Austin in 2001 and any other legendary figure in a company has done since being surpassed by his peers/pupils/up-and-comers below him. He's trying to hold onto this mental image of what his "spot" in the pecking order is, and he'll do whatever it takes to stay there, even as his health fails more frequently upon getting older. It's a tried and true story, yes, but sometimes, those are the best bases for what kind of story works. Plus, if that's the road Chikara is going down, then you know they're going to do it up right.
Gekido literally translated means "rage". Quack has been straddling the edge of anger and serenity, but it's also entirely possible that it's another group of unknowns or heretofore forgotten men and/or women who are trying to express their frustrations with Chikara through acts of expressed rage. Sabato actually dropped a blog today explaining what the Gekido want, and that's equal treatment. Is that the biggest clue yet? Who knows except for the people behind the masks.
Something tells me though that we won't have to wait any longer than June 2nd to find out though.
