MDKing of Trios

MDK BABY
Graphics via ChikaraPro.com

The sixteenth team for King of Trios has been announced. I speculated that it might be the Proteus Wheel or a Whisper-led counter-Crucible team, and hoped that it might be the Minnesota Wrecking Zoo. The trio that was announced, however, was so much different, and to be honest, so, so, SO much better. Nick Gage will make his King of Trios debut, leading his Nerder Death Kill tag partner Thomas Santell and fellow Beyond Wrestling Uncharted Territory stalwart Kris Statlander into battle. Santell is no stranger to Chikara, competing under his prior alias, Antonio "The Promise" Thomas. He drank some Ovaltine, found a sweater, and is now wholesome and also more technically grounded. Statlander has become one of the hottest properties in indie wrestling in addition to being perhaps the best unsigned wrestler out there. One can question how long she will remain unsigned at this rate, but the longer the big companies hold out, the better it is for indie fans.

Gage, however, is the main event. He's not a stranger to Chikara at all, which is a hilarious thing to say. His dalliances had been confined to wrestling for Beyond Wrestling's partisans during the two promotions' feud last year. He left with unfinished business, as at Cibernetico last year, he cut the tail off the Proletariat Boar of Moldova. That business will probably stay unfinished, since Boar has been estranged from Chikara over the last year. Pity, I loved the Boar. Anyway, regardless of how shocking it is or not, it's still an incredible pairing. Gage has lost little of his steam since coming back from his second stint in jail (which was for bullshit, by the way), which is pretty rare.

One more bit of news, last week, I mentioned that Boomer Hatfield would be pulling double duty at Trios. That statement was factually incorrect. When Boomer entered Trios with father Dasher and cousin Molly McCoy, he forfeited his slot in Rey de Voladores. That takes a little more drama out of his weekend, but Chikara does what Chikara does, and it'll probably turn out okay. Alex Zayne and Cajun Crawdad, however, will still compete in the eight-wrestler mini-tournament that will take place over the second and third nights of action. The third night of the tournament also has a ten-team tag team gauntlet, and the first two pairs have been announced, and neither are surprising. The first two in are Los Ice Creams. The Chikara staples will look to win their second tag gauntlet; they won at the infamous English Trios in 2017. The second team are former Campeones de Parejas, the Closers. Rick Roland and Sloan Caprice will look to get on the fast track to getting those titles back by winning the gauntlet and taking the points at stake. Each win is worth a point, so theoretically, a team that starts out can get nine points if they run the table.

Team MDK completes the slate for Trios this year. The other 15 teams can be found right here:

• 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, Kimber Lee, Lance Steel)
• The Creatures of the Deep (Oceanea, Merlok, Hermit Crab)
• The Colony (Fire Ant, Green Ant, Thief Ant)
• The Crucible II (Matt Makowski, Devantes, EM DeMorest)
• Three Queens (Solo Darling, Willow Nightingale, Freddie Mercurio)
• The Quack Pack (Mike Quackenbush, Rob Killjoy, Lance Lude)
• The Nightmare Warriors (Hallowicked, Frightmare, Kobald)
• The Fightin' Hatfield Family (Dasher Hatfield, Boomer Hatfield, Molly McCoy)
• Team Juke Joint (Lucas Calhoun, Stray Kat, Missile Assault Man)

King of Trios takes place in Reading, PA at the Goodwill Beneficial Association October 4-6. October 4, you will see all eight first round matches, a show packed wall-to-wall with trios action. October 5 is the big day, and a big day needs a big breakfast (not Baron Corbin). That's why King of Brunches will start first in the morning. Seating is limited, so inquire now. Later in the afternoon is Fan Conclave where you can play games and hang out with your favorite Chikara wrestlers. Then, the evening holds the second card, with four quarterfinal matches, two exciting four-way Rey de Voladores eliminators, and a battle between master and student, as BLANK battles the Young Lions Cup holder, Still Life with Apricots and Pears. Then, on October 6, you get the semifinal and final matches of Trios, the final match of Rey de Voladores, the tag gauntlet, and a few more tasty treats for your viewing pleasure.