Impact and Chikara Cooperating: What Are the Stakes?

"Rubix" on Impact interviewed by Jeremy Borash. Will we see more of him on Spike TV?
Photo Credit: Impact Wrestling on WhoSay

Word on the street is that the worst major professional wrestling company is reaching out and wants to work with the best. According to The Site That Shall Not Be Linked, the appearance by Rubix, better known to Chikara fans like myself as Jigsaw, on Impact Thursday was the start of a budding relationship between the former TNA and the current leading purveyor of lucha libre in America. It seems that Chikara is a dance partner in high demand. The first six months of 2012 saw it famously working with Ring of Honor in a partnership that climaxed with a doubleheader in Chicago that featured cards headlined by excellent Sara del Rey vs. El Generico and Briscoe Bros. vs. Jigsaw and Hallowicked matches respectively. Beyond Wrestling has also done some stuff with Chikara, which is obvious, since I'd place them in the group with Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Anarchy Championship Wrestling as the core group of promotions bringing innovation and progression into the American wrestling scene.

The question now becomes what does Impact Wrestling want or need with a relationship with Chikara? Obviously, they're not seeking it out of the goodness of their hearts. No one in wrestling operates that altruistically. That being said, Chikara wouldn't enter into anything either if it didn't benefit them in some way. As with any agreement, both sides are thinking that there's something in it for them. Is that the case? On the surface, I'd say so, but this could easily turn into a one-sided affair if Chikara is not careful.

The rub is that their wrestlers are going to get time on television. I have not seen Impact from this past week yet, so I can't comment on how anything played out. That being said, there's no doubt that if given the time, wrestlers like Jigsaw, Frightmare, Mike Quackenbush and the rest of their talented roster with few exception (I'd omit Archibald Peck, Sara del Rey and Eddie Kingston at this point since all three are appearing on ROH TV in some capacity) will bring it, especially with the caliber of wrestler that Impact is featuring nowadays. For example, the infamous Rubix match from Thursday saw him go up against Sonjay Dutt, one of the most highly-regarded X-Division wrestlers in TNA history. It wasn't a shock that the match was said to be a highlight on the show.

That being said, will the Chikara wrestlers be used mostly as enhancement talent? That's really a question of perception. One could argue that wins and losses are the only things that matter here, but in my view, that's extremely shortsighted. People were talking about Rubix, and he was the guy who ate the pinfall in that match. The real question is will Chikara get any name benefit out of this? The big plus from their relationship with ROH was that the name of the company was prominently featured. That being said, Chikara and ROH are a lot closer together in stature than even ROH and Impact are. It would be too easy for Impact to trot out the cavalcade of masked wrestlers without context and just have them perform for a crowd that may or may not have a clue who they are or where they work.

There's one major hope that leads me to believe that this relationship won't just be beneficial to Impact. King of Trios is coming up in September, and it's the one event on the Chikalendar that brings out more than a couple big-name guest stars. If Impact were to send a team, they'd have to hype them up, even if it were a trio of not-as-featured wrestlers like ODB, Eric Young and, uh, [insert Impact wrestler here]. That would mean that the million people who watch Impact will be turned onto King of Trios, and the event would benefit that much more from heightened exposure (which will be needed now that it's happening in Easton rather than at the iconic ECW Arena in Philadelphia).

From a storyline perspective, it's a no-brainer as to why Impact would come calling to Chikara. The show has improved over the last year or so, but at the same time, there's always room to grow, so why not bring in the one company that runs nationwide and is renowned for its critical excellence? This is a great sign for Impact going forward, but at the same time, the people in charge at Chikara need to be careful as to their dealings with Nashville on this. They can't end up being used and thrown out, or else any exposure they get from sending their wrestlers to Orlando for work will be for naught.