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| The Osirian Portal... your 2011 King of Trios Champions? |
King of Trios, Chikara's epic six-man tag team tournament, is now three nights away. The weekend has two distinct parts to it. The main attraction is the tournament itself, while the second part contains the rest of the trappings. This will preview the main attraction, the tournament itself. Sixteen trios will enter the fray, but who will come out on top? That's a good question, and one that's difficult to answer. While I don't think I'll have the right one in terms of who's going to win, I think it's better to go into an event like this not with an eye for fantasy booking, but for one of total and complete fandom. So, I'll give a prediction, but I think this preview will concentrate more on what you can expect from the teams in the tournament, so that if you're on the fence, you might come off on the side of going and come on out.
Trio 1 - Team Australia - Percy T, Kabel and Tama Williams
I'm going with the Aussies first because I know the least about them. I'll know as much about them as anyone else who comes into the building excepting Madison Eagles (if she's in attendance, of course). I've heard interesting things about them, and they'll have a good canvas to work from in Team FIST, but these guys are an unknown quantity in the truest form. Although I will say this, Percy T looks like he has a great gimmick...
Trio 2 - Team Osaka Pro - Atsushe Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Ultimate Spider, Jr.
Osaka Pro makes their big return this year, as Kotoge and Harada come back with a newer, less-adversarial partner in Spider. With their other partner last year Tadasuke, they went all the way to the semifinals. With a friendlier partner, can they go further? I don't know, but I will say that if they can produce half the highlight reel they did last year in their three match run, they should steal the show again this year. A lot of highspots, a lot of really fast action, a lot of moments to chant "HOLY POOP!"
Trio 3 - SAT - Amazing Red, Jose Maximo and Joel Maximo
I'm only really familiar with Red here, but unlike the other unknown quantity, I'll probably be one of the only adults in the audience who hasn't seen the Maximo Bros. in action. I expect to see a lot of fireworks from this team, and I'm feeling that they were brought in mainly for the second and third night action, like Rey de Voladores and the tag gauntlet.
Trio 4 - Team Dragon Gate - Akira Tozawa, KAGETORA and Super Shisa
Dragon Gate seems to inspire a lot of excitement from the fanboys, and for good reason. They've got a great stable of wrestlers that have translated well to the American indie game. Tozawa is the most familiar of the three in this year's tourney, as he's done dates for several American feds, including Chikara and PWG. He's got the reputation from some of being the best worker of that bunch; I'd be hard pressed to disagree with them. Team DG could end up going far in the tourney, at least one round, unless Shisa is primed for a RdV run.
Trio 5 - Team Minnesota - Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin and the 1-2-3 Kid
Here's our first really big guest star of the tourney, and he'll be replacing Ryan Cruz in what has traditionally been the F1rst Family. Sean Waltman will put to bed the 1-2-3 Kid character after one last run, this time in a Chikara ring. For a fed that values nostalgia as well as innocent characters from an era long past, this is a perfect venue for the resurrection of the Kid. Cannon is a rising star in the indies himself; he and Sami Callihan are in line for huge exposure in DGUSA as the Dirty Ugly Fucks. So yeah, Cannon wrestles just the way his stable name sounds. Bruising, hard-hitting yet still a fan favorite for his crowd engaging "OH YEAH!" shouts. Corbin is the X-factor, since he's usually joined at the hip with Cruz when he comes to Chikara, but I'm sure he'll find a way to connect with Waltman. Plus, there's no guarantee that Cruz WON'T make the trip for a North Star Express run in the tag gauntlet.
Trio 6 - Team Michinoku Pro - The Great Sasuke, Dick Togo and Jinsei Shinzaki
As a unit, this team may be the biggest deal in the entire tournament. Sasuke is a legend amongst the junior heavyweights in Japan, Togo is still regarded as one of the best and stiffest workers in the world, and Shinzaki, known as Hakushi in his WWF stint, commands veneration and respect. Yes, this is the team you're going to want to pay money to see. I think they're going to go pretty far in the tournament, maybe making it all the way to night 3 intact and ready for action, and you know what? They'll have the support of the crowd the entire way.
Trio 7 - Da Soul Touchaz - Big Willie Richardson, Acid Jaz, Marshe Rocket
For the second time in three years, Da Soul Touchaz will make an appearance at King of Trios, this time as semi-regulars within the fed. They've carried on a pretty intense feud with the BDK over the last year, one that started innocently enough with a win over the dastardly trio of Claudio Castagnoli, Ares and Tursas. They notched two more wins over the interlopers before the BDK had enough and Pearl Harbored their behinds at The Germans. This knocked their manager, C-Red, for such a loop that he had to be stretchered out of The Arena. The bad blood has continued into this season, and lo and behold, they'll get the BDK entry into this year's tourney in round 1. That match would be night 1's main event if there wasn't a little tilt between Team M-Pro and Team Minnesota. This match for me is the hardest one to pick, but it'll have a ton of heat. As for the guys in the ring, there'll be something for everyone. Rocket, like his last name implies, is among the most explosive high flyers out there. Acid Jaz, who was missing from the group in 2009 and replaced by a guy named Trauma, is your basic sports entertainment/indie strong style hybrid worker, and Big Willie Richardson is among the most fun big guys you'll ever have the pleasure of watching. They're a great combination of team-based spots, hip-hop ethos and pure fun.
Trio 8 - ¡Team 3.0lé! - Scott Parker, Shane Matthews and El Generico
Ah yes, this tumultuous trio of crazy Canucks might seem a bit random, but I think it works. Generico in Chikara is always a welcome sight, and after nearly two years of absence from his last appearance, he came back with a bang, wrestling a hard-hitting affair against Eddie Kingston at the season premiere. This time, he teams up with the goofiest, most comedically gifted tag team in a company that features wrestling ice cream cones. So you know they're good. 3.0 is probably the most charismatic team in the indies right now, and they really have an innate gift at making the crowd laugh without sacrificing match quality or credibility. Think of them as Canadian Santinos, only without the Cobra and with an unusual predilection towards Boston crabs and headscissor takedowns. I'm not sure if they're going to make it past night 1, as they've drawn the Osirian Portal, but I doubt Generico is splitting town after Friday night's events, especially since ROH isn't running this weekend. Maybe Generico/Kingston II? Generico in Rey de Voladores? Generico vs.... THE 1-2-3 KID?????
Trio 9 - Team QuackSaw Toyota (BEST.CAR DEALERSHIP.EVER) - Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Manami Toyota
Toyota made her US debut last year for Chikara, and now, she returns to turn the current Campeonatos de Parejas into an epic trio of win. I actually watched Through Savage Progress Cuts the Jungle Line today, and while the main event match pitting Toyota and Quack against Claudio and Sara del Rey was a bit sloppy at times, it was still entertaining, and the Flying Angel acquitted herself well, ESPECIALLY against the mammoth Swiss powerhouse. I mean, she's giving away 100 pounds at least, and she went in there with no fear. Then again, is it any different than going up against Aja Kong or Bull Nakano? Eh, a little I guess. Either way, this team has to be one of the favorites to go all the way, and of course, they'd be favorites to have match of the night each night along the way too. This is basically a bunch of lucha libre and joshi strong-style puroresu rolled up into one Super Happy Fun Ball of pure, unadulterated awesome over here. I am super-psyched...
Trio 10 - The Throwbacks - Dasher Hatfield, Sugar Dunkerton and Matt Classic
...speaking of being super-psyched, The Classic Throwbacks are back again this year, baby! As the foremost Throwback mark on the Internet, I'm thrilled to see these guys back with Matt Classic in toe. Maybe Classic's running buddy, Colt Cabana, will be there too. I still feel bad about making a "future endeavor" joke to him last year, although if ANYONE can take a good ribbing, it's Colt. But it's not about him. It's about Matt Classic. And the Throwbacks. Last year, they were able to work the comedic style against Team FIST for an enthusiastically awesome opener for night 1. This year, they'll get Osaka Pro. I'm not sure how much better a canvas they'll be for the lulz, but if you haven't noticed in the last year, through their feud with the Roughnecks, both Dasher and Sugar have upped their "serious" game too. Then again, Osaka Pro did wrestle the Colony for a bag of sugar in last year's semifinals. SO who knows? Still, whether they work serious, comical or a combination of both, the Throwbacks will definitely be crowd pleasers on night 1 and possibly beyond.
Trio 11 - Bruderschaft des Kreuzes - Tim Donst, Delirious and Jakob Hammermeir
Because the tournament is now "beneath" them, the defending Champions from last year - Claudio, Ares and Tursas - will not be competing this year. Instead, the BDK will send this trio, which is eclectic to say the very least. Donst is being positioned as one of the elite workers in the company, and you know what you get with Delirious... which is unpredictability (ZOMG WRITER CLICHE! ABORT! ABORT!). Meanwhile, yes, the third member of the team is their ring announcer. He made his "debut" a couple of months ago with a traveshamockery of a win over Green Ant, and his involvement in the match makes me believe that there are going to be some pretty heavy shenanigans involving crooked referee Derek Sabato here as well as perhaps a visit from Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur.
Trio 12 - The Colony - Fire Ant, Soldier Ant and Green Ant
They were last year's finals losers to the BDK team, albeit under dubious circumstances. They're fan favorites, and are perhaps the most popular trio in Chikara right now. Each Ant has his own unique style. Fire Ant goes antennae to the wall, a classic indie strong-style worker if there was one. Soldier Ant is based more on strikes and any move he can add a salute to. Green Ant is actually the most grounded worker of them all, working a classic style that makes him, in my estimation, the best pure worker in the group. He's come a long way in the last two years since his debut. In terms of how they'll do in the tournament, is this their year? Well, it would be well-received, but I think it all depends on how they play out the angle with their first round opponents in Kizarny and the Batiri and the Spectral Envoy. If they go the "each trio costs each other their first round match", then yeah, the Colony may be on its way to another night 3 tournament appearance. If the narrative is "setting up a showdown between the Batiri and Spectral Envoy in the tournament" then have fun in Rey de Voladores, Greenie.
Trio 13 - Team FIST - Chuck Taylor, Icarus and Johnny Gargano
They're the 2009 Champions, albeit with Gran Akuma in Gargano's spot. They drew an easy first round opponent in Team Australia, right? Well, I think that there could be a SUPER upset special in the works, especially if Akuma happens to come back this weekend (I haven't heard anything, but hey, it'd be a great surprise if he did show up). Still, whether they're set up for hyper-humiliation or on their way to another long run, FIST will do what they do best - deliver stiff strikes, cocky beatdowns and they'll probably cheat their asses off in the process. Also, Icarus will almost certainly draw a "Worst in the world! Worst in the world!" chant, which he rightly deserves because MY GOD, have you seen the awful tattoo on his back lately? Chuckie T deserves better.
Trio 14 - The Kizarnival - Sinn Bodhi, Obariyon and Kodama
Bodhi has found a good home in Chikara, and with his demons at his side and his Evil Midget Hydra, whose name is Kobold, at ringside, what is there to stop him from taking Chikara's richest yearly prize? Well, a lot of things, actually, the least of which is certainly not the Spectral Envoy. Regardless of how the booking plays out, this will be an interesting team to watch in the tournament. Kizarny's bizarre hybrid of old-school catch-as-catch-can brawling and carnival antics pair very well with the demonic savagery of the Batiri. This will be a great learning experience for the painted demons, who are still a bit rough around the edges. They've shown promise, and I think the Colony is a great match up for them.
Trio 15 - The Spectral Envoy - UltraMantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare
Ah yes, UltraMantis Black, who was foiled from entering the tournament in the last two years, has found teammates for this year's event. Hallowicked, an old rival and ally, and Frightmare, still wet behind the ears but learning and growing exponentially, give Mantis a potent trio that could take him far into the tourney if the Kizarnival doesn't get in their way. Mantis has become a fan favorite for his EEEEEVIL ways and his undying defense of Chikara in the face of the BDK invasion. Hallowicked and Frightmare speak gibberish but work at such a fast-paced, crowd involving style that they're among the biggest fan favorites in the company as well.
Trio 16 - The Osirian Portal - Ophidian, Amasis and Hieracon
Rounding out this year's field is the Osirian Portal. It's been a big year for the resident Egyptian time travelers. They went viral, recruited a new member and are growing in popularity around the Internet. Hieracon thus far has worked out much better than Escorpion Egipcio has for them, and that makes them a good bet to go far. In addition to their hypnosis, which got them that Youtube notoreity, they, well Amasis anyway, has dance moves that put anyone not named Bryce Remsburg to shame. Oh yeah, they're pretty awesome wrestlers too, especially when it comes to tag team maneuvers. Look for these guys to go far.
PREDICTION TIME
To me, there are a handful of teams that could take this. M-Pro has the right amount of respect, experience and anticipation to be the rare visitor team to get the duke here. QuackSaw Toyota would be fan favorites to win and would make sense too. Either one of the Spectral Envoy or the Kizarnival could end up with the medals around their necks as a means of advancing their feud. The Colony could finish what they started last year. However, I'm going to go with my gut, and my gut says
(Now that my jinx is in place, expect the Portal to lose on night one).
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
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