Tomorrow Never Dies Card Taking Shape

Can the Big Blue Ant lead his team to Cibernetico victory?
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Under two weeks remain before December 6 arrives and Chikara ends its 14th season with a return to the 2300 Arena (formerly ECW Arena). The show, which will be available on Internet pay-per-view, looks to be an epic clash between the forces of Chikara and the raging waters of The Flood, as displayed by the first matches announced. Heidi Lovelace vs. Missile Assault Ant in the Young Lions Cup final, the Cibernetico Royale with Jakob Hammermeier captaining the rudo squad, and the mammoth clash between Icarus and Deucalion have already been announced. Since then, Chikara's captain for Cibernetico has been named, two more Chikara vs. Flood bouts have been inked, and a third match outside of the main theater of battle with a funky stipulation was announced.

First up, Worker Ant, the former Gekido bruiser-turned-Colony strongman will be heading up the charge against his former would-be allies. In fact, Worker is the last Gekido standing, since combatANT was shelved by Mike Quackenbush years ago, deviANT and Shard met their fates at the hands of Deucalion, and 17 was more than likely replaced by a mole at National Pro Wrestling Day when a mysterious cane pulled him away from the fray. While none of his former compadres stand in opposition, he is the perfect captain for the eight-wrestler squad because of the path he took to get to where he is today.

Next up, while Icarus won't be defending his gold against Deucalion, his Golden Trio teammates will have to face a steep challenge from hossy members of The Flood. The last time Dasher Hatfield and Mark Angelosetti were in the ring with Blaster McMassive and Max Smashmaster, they ended up getting trucked en route to the Devastation Corporation taking King of Trios. Now, Sidney Bakabella's giant slabs of hoss will be looking to take Los Campeonatos de Parejas from the Throwbacks as well. As with every standard defense of the titles, the contest will be best two out of three falls.

Even though a title won't be on the line in the other Chikara/Flood match, one could argue Eddie Kingston's ultimate clash against Jimmy Jacobs has more on the line. The stakes may not be physical, but the emotional weight carried in this match is undeniably hefty. Jacobs used Kingston's lust for the Grand Championship to manipulate him into action against his home, a home which at times was the only company that would have him. I'm a huge fan of both guys in the ring, and with the added story surrounding it, I expect this not only to be the match of the night, but a solid top-tier Match of the Year candidate.

Not all the action will involve the war against The Flood. Juan Francisco de Coronado and "Smooth Sailing" Ashley Remington have been engaged in a bit of a row for most of the season. Their hostilities will come to a head at the finale as well with a curious stipulation attached. Their match can only end on a German suplex. I haven't seen as many full shows this season as I would have liked so far, but I'm assuming the move is central to their aggressions. I also expect this to be a good match, even if it only gets five or so minutes.

The dance card is filling up quite nicely. I'm not sure if any other matches will be announced, since Cibernetico tends to be a long affair, but it'll be interesting to note how the teams will fill out. Either way, I'm not sure missing the show is an option at this point.