The Crucible Has Entered a Second Team in King of Trios

Ophidian has reinforcements
Graphics via ChikaraPro.com

King of Trios 2010 was a wild time in Chikara's history. The Bruderschaft des Kreuzes had just formed four months earlier, steamrolling through the roster in its early stages. They entered two teams into the tournament: Claudio Castagnoli, Ares, and Tursas; and Tim Donst, Pinkie Sanchez, and Lince Dorado. The Colony of Fire, Soldier, and Green Ants gave the group its first pinfall loss by defeating the latter team in the final quarterfinal on Night Two. They were on their way to defeating the main team if not for some shenanigans from referee Derek Sabato, who relieved a knocked-out Bryce Remsburg and revealed himself to be the BDK's personal referee. History always has a way of repeating itself.

This year, The Crucible has established itself as a dominant force in Chikara. Although they ostensibly formed in secret over a year ago, they only really emerged in the last few months, again, sowing destruction and asserting dominance wherever they went. The team of Ophidian, The Whisper, and Lance Steel was announced earlier. Now, they have a second team of their recruits in the fray, Matt Makowski, Devantes, and EM DeMorest. Obviously, they don't come with the cache that Ophidian or even Whisper have, but they are also acolytes of the Venomous and Vile Serpent from the Nile. They could advance in the tournament based on their devotion to the group and not wanting to let them down.

Currently, the Crucible's second team is the tenth announced for Trios. The rest are:

• Team Pump (Scott Steiner, Jordynne Grace, Petey Williams)
• The Ancient Order of Nations (Mick Moretti, Adam Hoffman, Jack Bonza)
• The Carnies (Kerry Awful, Nick Iggy, Tripp Cassidy)
• The Embassy (Prince Nana, Jimmy Rave, Sal Rinauro)
• The VeloCities (Mat Diamond, Jude London, Paris DeSilva)
• Team FIST (Icarus, Tony Deppen, Travis Huckabee)
• The Crucible (Ophidian, The Whisper, Lance Steel)
• The Creatures of the Deep (Oceanea, Merlok, Hermit Crab)
• The Colony (Fire Ant, Green Ant, Thief Ant)

Additionally, Rey de Voladores will take place starting night two. Boomer Hatfield and Alex Zayne are the first to be announced. Trios emanates from the Goodwill Beneficial Association in Reading, PA. Night one will feature all 16 trios in first round action on October 4. October 5 is loaded with things to do. At 11 AM, there will be a character brunch with your favorite Chikara wrestlers (Green Ant has already stated his claim that he will eat all the cinnamon buns) at the venue. That will dovetail into the annual Fan Conclave, where there will be so much stuff for you to do that your head will spin. Then, that night, you will be able to attend night two of the tournament, featuring four quarterfinal matches, the two four-way Rey de Voladores qualifiers, and other fun action. October 6 will house the final night of the event, including both semifinal matches and the finals, as well as the Rey de Voladores final, the always-manic tag gauntlet, and some other great matches. Tickets are on sale now.

In other Chikara news, they announced today that they would be forming a partnership with Michinoku Pro Wrestling, the Japanese promotion that Extreme Championship Wrestling and WWE latched onto in the late '90s. While the tenor of the promotion has changed drastically since then, it is still a highly regarded promotion, probably one on the level in Japan that Chikara is in America. Additionally, wrestling's most prominent communist Dick Togo, the legendary Ultimo Dragon, and former Hakushi and current fed owner Jinsei Shinzaki all compete in it. Although the partnership will not yield a team for King of Trios, it will manifest itself in other ways over the coming year. Right away, Sonny DeFarge will go to M-Pro for a tour starting September 4. All in all, it's an exciting announcement for Chikara.