Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Inside the Sarcophagus

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The beginning of their troubles
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

It wasn't supposed to come to this.

The Osirian Portal was supposed to be the next cornerstone trio in Chikara. Ophidian and Amasis were supposed to have found their permanent third in Hieracon. It was supposed to be an Egyptian revival of sorts, with Ophidian hypnotizing Snake Style, Amasis' funky dance moves, and Hieracon's hot newness. But then it all went to hell as quickly as it was formed. Amasis, who was supposed to compete in the 12 Large Summit, suffered a debilitating injury in a car accident, one that was thought to be career ending. In the aftermath, whether intentionally or not, Hieracon scattered into the great unknown.

Ophidian was left a solitary serpent. In the aftermath, he took Amasis' spot in the tournament, but he never really had a chance. Furthermore, he, for whatever reason, ran afoul of Wink Vavasseur. He was the first non-BDK member to incur the new Director of Fun's disfavor, and it was a strong portent of what was to come from the bespectacled legacy hire of the Worldwide Media Development corporation.

So, when it came time to bid farewell to Amasis at High Noon, something inside Ophidian snapped. Instead of warm wishes of recovery, Ophidian shockingly attacked his now-former partner, blaming him for what had become of his career. He stole Amasis' mask, and then two months later, he'd take Hieracon's, before undergoing a metamorphosis of his own. He found a position of consigliere underneath Delirious, and his position as field general against the war of the combined forces of the Spectral Envoy, the Night Shift, and the Order of the Neo Solar Temple was one of confidence. But then, a familiar face popped up. Amasis had begun to creep his way back into the mind of Ophidian to the point where he thought he saw him in the crowd at Under the Hood.

Except he totally did.

And he saw Amasis again at National Pro Wrestling Day, so much so that he was distracted enough to walk into dueling chokeslams with his partner Kobold against Shane Helms and Matty DeNero. Amasis was back, and Amasis was well. Amasis was also looking for a bit of revenge. As it turns out, being assaulted by the man you thought was your best friend on your supposed last day as a wrestler doesn't make you want to accept retirement. It pushes a man to defy the odds and reclaim his career.

And so that's why we've arrived at the Sarcophagus. A man whose career was once thought dead has brought the ancient Egyptian vessel for the body's voyage into the great unknown of the afterlife to bury the career of the man who betrayed him. Honestly, the casket match in WWE has been a great fit for the man who introduced it into their lexicon in the Undertaker, but never have I ever thought there was a match where the stipulation was more appropriate than Ophidian vs. Amasis.

As a fan of the Portal since I became a follower of Chikara, I thought their teaming was perfect. I thought that the only way they'd split would be if figurative death would come between them, like a retirement or an injury or something of that ilk. But then again, Chikara on the whole has taken quite the schismatic tone. The Portal was just the first to get in on the action. IN a way, Ophidian's betrayal of Amasis was the first domino in the dissolution of the bonds within the company. At that same event, Tim Donst walked out on Ares, allowing him to suffer justice alone at the hands of UltraMantis Black and Hallowicked. Then Sugar Dunkerton announced his hiatus, fracturing the Throwbacks, Original Formula. Then it would be 3.0 being cleft from El Generico, the Colony and Swarm both being intermingled, Jigsaw superkicking Mike Quackenbush, Team FIST imploding before our very eyes. The traditional alliances are all dying, but the first one that had to go into the crypt was the one meant for the pyramids.

So with that, after a dead partnership and a career that had to be resuscitated from near flatline, the only way to completely end the Osirian Portal would be to shove one of them in a sarcophagus. It's a shame, because there was so much promise in that trio. Hell, even without Hieracon, the Portal was blowing up the tag scene in CZW and other places outside of Chikara as well. But all good things have to end, I suppose. All things must pass. And if the Osirian Portal has to die completely, then how appropriate will it be to have one of them shove the other in an ornate tomb, set to live in the great beyond with all the pharaohs and gods of the Nile.