Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Estonian Farmer Frog Is Officially Coming to Chikara

Is this the Frog returning to Chikara, or is it just happenstance?
Photo Credit: TH
For the first time since the Estonian Thunder Frog's unfortunate demise at the hands of Deucalion, an anthropomorphic, Eastern European amphibian will grace a Chikara ring. The company's next tour of the Midwest will kick off tomorrow night in Minneapolis, MN and run through Chicago, the Louisville suburbs, and Columbus. The enigmatic and agriculturally inclined Estonian Farmer Frog will wrestle at two of those shows at least. He's been announced for Chicago's Not Without My Daughter on Friday night against Oleg the Usurper and Jeffersonville, IN's Off the Hook against Prakash Sabar. I don't know if he'll be added to the Minneapolis or Columbus shows, but given that he's been based out of Minnesota since his mysterious return earlier this year, I'd imagine he'd at least show up in a surprise capacity on tomorrow's Making a Stand in the western Twin City.

Despite the uncanny facial resemblance and similar speech patterns, the Farmer Frog has denied up and down that he's the reincarnated Thunder Frog. His Twitter has been used to roundly deny any connection, and he's even claimed that amphibians who can wield the power of the gods are the stuff of legends. Is he telling the truth, or has he just come down with the most righteous case of amnesia this side of nearly every television show from the 1980s? Whether or not the past life that many are linking him to is real or not, one wrestler is certainly convinced that even if Farmer Frog isn't the deceased God of Thunder, that someone out there truly is:

Jervis Cottonbelly has not given up the ghost, and for good reason. While Thunder Frog's Baltic Siege comrades the Latvian Proud Oak and Lithuanian Snow Troll were his stablemates, Cottonbelly was his best friend in the business. Even now, the World's Sweetest Man has not given up the search, inquiring in every dark alley and bad corner of town he can to find clues as to his whereabouts. Will his search come to an end happily? That all may come down to another splinter story that on the surface is separate from this current development.

As most who follow Chikara already know, Kevin Condron currently has lost control of his mental faculties and is now possessed by a being who calls himself "Snowflake." Before the possession/psychotic break, Condron was a staunch critic of the daily goings on in Chikara during the war with the Flood. He lost two fellow Wrestle Factory classmates to Deucalion's chokebreaker and chided people like Eddie Kingston, Icarus, and the Thunder Frog for answering that lethal violence either with passivity, complicity, or in the case of both the Frog and Icarus, lethal turnabout. But all that changed at King of Trios when Condron broke out the chokebreaker himself and ended the functional life of one Orbit Adventure Ant.

If you don't buy that something invaded Condron's body, then he's a hypocrite. But if you do buy the possession shtick, then is it time for Thunder Frog's hammer to be used for the good of many? The body count left behind by Deucalion was stark, and in times of war, sometimes, lethal force is the most attractive option on the table. Icarus still presumably has the hammer. One can argue whether or not he's still worthy to wield it, however, after his antics towards the end of his Grand Championship reign. One could argue the gold possessed his mind and that the title itself has poisoning properties. The only reason why they haven't manifested themselves in Hallowicked is because, thanks to Nazmaldun, he was already off the deep end when he won it. But if Icarus can't hold it, then who can? And if so, will it even come into play?

My uneducated guess is that if it does, Icarus won't be the one to use it. But will it be the Farmer Frog? Or will it be someone else? I have to say, the reemergence of the Farmer Frog raised red flags, and his joining the Chikara roster for this tour has been both a long time coming and a signpost for something even bigger. This stretch of four shows will go a long way into setting the table for the season 15 finale and for action going into season 16 and beyond.