RADICAN’S CHIKARA “King of Trios: Night 3” review
April 17, 2010
Philadelphia, Pa.


(1) The Osirian Portal (Ophidian & Hieracon & Amasis) vs. The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant & Green Ant) in a Semi-Final KOT 2011 match. The match started slowly with neither team getting the upper hand. The Portal finally began working over Fire Ant. Ophidian and Fire Ant had a good exchange before the action broke down momentarily. The Colony tried to launch Fire Ant to the outside, but the Portal broke it up. Soldier Ant broke up a sleeper from Ophidian on Fire Ant. Green Ant then applied a unique leg submission on Ophidian, but Amasis broke it up. The Colony hit a triple team kick on Hieracon and went for the ant hill, but Ophidian broke it up. The Portal hit a combination of moves on Fire Ant, but he kicked out. Soldier Ant caught Hieracon with a stunner, but he kicked out. He then applied the CHIKARA special, but the Portal finally broke it up. The Portal hit a stacked superplex on Soldier Ant and Hieracon followed up with an eye of the storm, but Soldier Ant kicked out.

Green Ant slammed Ophidian and Hieracon at the same time and the crowd popped big, but they both rolled to the outside. Fire Ant and Green Ant hit stereo springboards to the outside to take out Amasis and Ophidian. Soldier Ant and Hieracon botch a spot and both men were down. Hieracon hit a DDT on Soldier Ant and went up top. He nailed Soldier Ant with a 450, but he kicked out. Hieracon went up top again, but Soldier Ant cut him off. Soldier Ant eventually hit a T.K.O. off the second rope for the pin. (**1/2)

After the match both teams shook hands. Amasis told the Colony the rest is up to them to win the tournament.

(2) F.I.S.T. (Chuck Taylor & Icarus & Johnny Gargano vs. Team Michinoku Pro (Dick Togo & Great Sasuke & Jinsei Shinzaki) in a Semi-Final KOT 2011 match. Shinsaki nailed Gargano with a nice superkick after a rapid-fire exchange during the early stages of the match. He followed up with his signature top rope walk before taking down Gargano with a chop. Icarus then came into the match and the crowd booed. Icarus cheered leaving the ring and the crowd cheered. Sasuke applied a headlock and Icarus could not escape. He nearly passed out, but managed to finally escape. Icarus fired back with kicks, but Sasuke caught his leg and tagged in Togo. Shinsaki tagged in and hit a big headstand doublestomp and the crowd went nuts. Icarus finally tagged out and F.I.S.T. ran wild on Sasuke. Taylor bit Sasuke’s head and the crowd booed. F.I.S.T. continued to work Sasuke over and even applied a triple leveraged abdominal stretch while the ref was distracted.

Sasuke finally made the hot tag to Shinsaki, who took out all three members of F.I.S.T. Shinzaki tried to knock Gargano off the apron, but Gargano caught him with a spear through the ropes. Gargano tried to come off the top, but got caught with a chop. The action broke down and Taylor caught Togo with a rock bottom. All six men went at it again and everyone was down after a double clothesline from Icarus and Togo. Michinoku Pro cleared the ring and Sasuke took out everyone with a flip dive to the outside and the crowd went nuts. Togo hit a pedigree on Icarus and went up top, but Gargano hit him with a chair. The ref was distracted, so Shinsaki set up Icarus on a chair and Togo put him through the chair with a dive off the top. The ref turned around and saw the aftermath and just acted confused. Sasuke was about to finish off Icarus, but Taylor through powder in his eyes and Icarus rolled him up for the pin. (**3/4)

The crowd chanted for Team Michinoku Pro after the match. They then chanted “please come back.”

Ultimate Spider Jr. cut a promo backstage. He cut a promo in Japanese on Jigsaw that I didn’t understand. He did get very excited towards the end of the promo.

(3) Ultimate Spider Jr. vs. Jigsaw. They had a contest of rolls on the ground. Both men went at it and came to a stalemate for a polite pop from the crowd. They continued to compare Spider to RVD after he hit a spinning kick on Jigsaw. Jigsaw fired back with a missile dropkick followed by a dive through the ropes, but that didn’t get much of a reaction. They exchanged kicks to the back and Jigsaw got a nearfall with a kick to the head. Spider tried to hide after ducking a clothesline and Jigsaw simply kicked him on the back. Spider fired back and hit a flip dive over the top. The crowd got into the action and clapped as both men recovered. Spider hit a splash off the top for a two count. Spider shot his webs at Jigsaw and nailed him with a dropkick.

Jigsaw fired back and hit a DDT for a nearfall. Spider fired back moments later with a falcon arrow for a nearfall. Jigsaw fired up and hit a rack bomb for a nearfall. Jigsaw went up top, but missed a doublestomp. He caught spider with a superkick and a brainbuster. He then nailed Spider with a doublestomp for the pin. This was alright, but they didn’t tell much of a story and basically exchanged big moves. (*3/4)

After the match spider used his web powers to bring himself to his feet. He then shook hands with Jigsaw as the crowd applauded and chanter for Spider. Spider promised to come back and the crowd applauded.


(4) 10 Team Tag Gauntlet match. This is an annual tradition at the KOT tournament on night 3. Wins count for points. A team can accumulate three points here and earn a shot at the tag titles in CHIKARA by winning the gauntlet. Willie Richardson & Acid Jazz vs. Arik Cannon & Darin Corbin is up first. Cannon rolled up Richardson while he was stuck in slow motion. Obariyon & Kodama vs. Cannon & Corbin is next. After a back and forth contest, Obariyon pinned Corbin with a DDT off the top. Up next is Obariyon & Kobalt vs. Dasher Hatfield & Sugar Dunkerton. Kobalt kicked Hatfield low to eliminate his team via DQ. Obariyon & Kobalt then beat down Dunkerton before leaving. Next up is Hatfield & Dunkerton vs. BDK (Daizee Haze & Sara Del Rey). Del Rey hit the royal butterfly on Hatfield for the quick win. Next up is Matt Classic & Darkness Crabtree vs. Del Rey & Haze. Crabtree got a huge ovation coming out, but he had a heck of a time getting into the ring. Classic demanded that they warm up with some squats. Crabtree collapsed doing squats. Classic gave Del Rey and Haze his jacket and towel and told them to leave the ring. He then turned away from them and motioned for his opponents to come out thinking Del Rey and Haze were the ring girls, which was hilarious.

Crabtree tagged into the match, but he had trouble getting into the ring. Crabtree said, “Hit the bricks Matthew!” Crabtree took a kick to the belly. Classic tried to make the save, but he accidentally hit Crabtree. Classic yelled at Crabtree and told him he’s worse than Pinkie Sanchez. Haze and Del Rey made them hit heads. Classic told them to get out of the ring and no-sold the headbutt. Classic did squats each time Del Rey and Haze tried to take him down. Del Rey nailed Classic with a big kick. Del Rey then nailed Crabtree with a German for the pin. That was hilarious.

Up next is Del Rey & Haze vs. Grizzly Redwood & Brodie Lee. Del Rey took out Brodie with a senton off the apron. Del Rey went stiff on Redwood by slapping him across the face and then nailing him with a chop. Haze locked in an arm submission on the mat, but Redwood lifted her up. Del Rey made the save with a kick, but Redwood kicked out. Lee tripped Del Rey and tossed her into the guardrail. Haze ran right into Lee and took a bump. Lee told Redwood to get out of the ring. He picked up Haze and slammed her with one hand before choking her with his boot. Haze ducked a kick from Lee and Del Rey ran in and lit up Redwood with chops before Lee nailed her with the truck stop, but she kicked out! Haze hit a dropkick from behind, but Lee didn’t move. Haze and Del Rey hit a kick/German combo on Lee, but Redwood broke it up. Redwood finally pinned Haze using the ropes for leverage to advance. Next up is Lee & Redwood vs. Harada & Kotoge. Lee hit a big kick on Kotoge, but Harada broke up the pin.

Kotoge hit a one man Spanish fly on Redwood to advance. Next up is Team Osaka Pro vs. Matthews & Parker. Fast-paced action with everyone down after Kotoge nailed Parker with an ace crusher. Kotoge pinned Matthews with a rollup to advance. Next up is Super Shisa & Kagetora vs. Kotoge & Harada. This is the last team and only Kotoge & Harada can earn a shot at the tag titles by winning the gauntlet. Team Dragon Gate got the heat on Kotoge, but he fired up and ran wild before tagging in Harada. Shisha cut him off, but Harada fired right back and suplexed Kagetora into Shisha in the corner. Shisha fired back in locked in a nasty version of the STFU with the legs tied up. Kagetora ran into the ring caught Kotoge in a submission, but he escaped and freed his partner. Kotoge told everyone to be quiet and nailed Kagetora with a headbutt. He then hit a springboard frogsplash, but Kagetora kicked out at the last second. Kagetora fired back with a combination of kicks, but Kotoge kicked out. Kotoge & Harada isolated Shisa and nailed him with a combination of strikes. It appeared Shisha kicked out, but the ref said no and the decision stood. Kotoge & Harada also earn a shot at the tag titles with the win. This is easily the best gauntlet I’ve ever seen from CHIKARA, especially the second half. The finish was a bit odd, but Osaka Pro vs. Dragon Gate was really good while it lasted. (***)

Madison Eagles cut a promo backstage. She said being the SHIMMER Champion doesn’t make her the best female wrestler in the world. She said to be the best; she had to beat the best in Toyota. Eagles said she would fight for the win that would make her the best and beat Toyota.

(5) Madison Eagles vs. Manami Toyota. Toyota turned around for no reason allowing Eagles to jump her and get a quick two count. Toyota fired right back and tied Eagles up in the ropes before nailing her with a charge. Eagles fired back and hit Miz’s clothesline in the corner. Eagles countered a suplex and got a two count with a rollup. Eagles locked in the Chinese torture rack and then grabbed an arm bar, but Toyota escaped. Toyota fired back and hit two missile dropkicks. She covered Eagles, but only got a two count. Eagles fired back and evaded Toyota as she tried to knock her off the top. Both women traded kicks, but Eagles sent Toyota down with a kick for a 2 count. Eagles charged Toyota, but got caught in the rolling cradle for a nearfall.

Toyota went up top, but Eagles nailed her with a German. Toyota got right up and nailed her with a German for a two count. Toyota went up top and hit a stiff-looking moonsault for a 2 count. Eagles countered Toyota and hit a suplex for a 2 count. Madison hit a DVD into a knee drop on the head for a nearfall. Eagles looked frustrated at being unable to put Toyota away. Toyota fired back and hit the queen bee bomb, but Toyota couldn’t cover her. Both women got up and hit a double clothesline and they were down again. Toyota hit the ocean cyclone, but Eagles kicked out! Toyota hit another queen bee bomb for the pin. This was really good. (***1/2)

The crowd chanted for Toyota after the match. Toyota helped Eagles get to her knees and the crowd chanted for Eagles.

Eddie Kingston cut a promo backstage. He said he didn’t want to cut a promo. He said he wasn’t going to get depressed about losing to Castagnoli. Kingston said Tozawa had never met anyone like him. Kingston told Tozawa to blame Castagnoli for what was going to happen to him.

(6) Eddie Kingston vs. Akira Tozawa. Dr. Keith Lipinski came in on commentary! Kingston went for a dive, but Tozawa caught him with a kick as he came through the ropes. Kingston tried to fire back, but Tozawa took him down with a series of hard forearms. Kingston fired back and caught Kingston with a belly-to-belly suplex. Tozawa fired back and hit two dives through the ropes and the crowd went nuts. Tozawa went up to the apron and nailed Kingston with a summersault senton and the crowd went nuts again. Tozawa hit a high-end suplex, but Kingston kicked out. Kingston fired back with an arm-trap suplex for a nearfall.

Kingston hit a northern lights bomb, but Tozawa kicked out at the last second. Kingston went up top, but Tozawa nailed him with a bicycle kick and both men were down. Tozawa hit a big German, but Kingston turned him inside out with a clothesline. Kingston followed up with a sliding clothesline for a nearfall. Kingston caught Tozawa with a spinning backfist and a backdrop driver for the pin. (***1/4)

Kingston told the fans to chant for Tozawa after the match. Kingston said he doesn’t do this a lot. He got on his knees and bowed to Tozawa. Tozawa returned the gesture and the crowd got on their feet and applauded both men.

(7) Rey De Voladores Finals: El Generico vs. 1-2-3 Kid. The crowd chanted 1-2-3 in Spanish. They started out with several exchanges that resulted in a stalemate. Both me showed good sportsmanship and shook hands before things began to heat up. Kid sent Generico to the outside and nailed him with a tope con hilo. Generico fired back and elevated Kid crotch-first into the ringpost on the outside. Generico missed a split-legged moonsault a short time later and Kid went back on the attack. They battled on the apron, but Generico nailed Kid with a running Yokuza kick.

Kid took a lot of punishment from Generico, but he wouldn’t stay down for the three count. Kid countered a hurricanrana into a Liger bomb for a nearfall. Generico fired back and went for a top rope brainbuster a short time later. Kid countered and they fell awkwardly to the mat, but they covered it up well with a rollup spot from Kid for a nearfall. Kid gained the upper hand and hit a bronco buster and an x-factor, but Generico kicked out at the last second.

Generico fired back and hit a brainbuster after a Yokuza kick for a nearfall. Generico hit the Razor’s edge, but Kid countered it into a pinning combination for a nearfall and the crowd went nuts. Both men battled up top a short time later and Kid hit a super x-factor for another nearfall. Kid went up top again and missed a senton. Generico fired back with a Yokuza kick in the corner and the super brainbuster for the pin. This was really great down the stretch. (****)

After the match, Kid presented Generico with a plaque for winning the RDV tournament. He then cut an awesome post-match promo putting over the fans, CHIKARA, and Generico. He said this year might be his last year and wrestling. He also said this might have been his last match and if it was, Generico was a great last opponent. The crowd ate this up and went nuts as Kid made his exit.

(8) F.I.S.T. (Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano & Icarus) vs. The Colony (Fire Ant & Green Ant & Solider Ant) in the finals of the KOT 2011 Tournament. F.I.S.T. took control of the match from the start. Taylor hurt Green Ant’s injured arm during the early stages of the match. F.I.S.T. then took turns working over Soldier Ant for a long period of time. Fire Ant got the hot tag, but he got cut off as well. Fire Ant fired back and tagged in Green Ant, but he couldn’t gain the upper hand because of his injured arm.

F.I.S.T. continued to tag in and out of the match and used cheap tactics behind the ref’s back while working over Green Ant’s arm. Icarus got a ton of heat from the fans every time he got in the ring. At one point they chanted that he should retire. Solider Ant finally got the hot tag as the match heated up. Fire Ant then came back into the ring and nailed Taylor with a flip dive over the top to the outside.

The action broke down towards the edge of the match, as both teams hit some fantastic triple team combinations for nearfalls. At one point Soldier Ant rolled the injured Green Ant out of the ring just to avoid his team taking the loss. Green Ant showed a ton of heart down the stretch after taking a low blow and a pedigree from Icarus, but still managing to kick out at the last second. F.I.S.T. then hit a series of maneuvers on Green Ant capped by Gargano’s hurt’s don’t it finish, but Green Ant kicked out.

With Taylor and Gargano down and out, The Colony hit the ant hill on Icarus, but he kicked out. They then set up on the top rope and lifted Green Ant up high. Green Ant then hit a huge assisted splash off the top for the pin on Icarus. (***3/4)

The show closed with the Colony getting their medals for winning the tournament as the crowd applauded. It was a nice moment after they got screwed out of winning the previous year.

Overall thoughts: (7.5) This was another good show from the annual King of Trios tournament. The show got off to a slow start, but rebounded once the Tag Team Gauntlet began. The semi-main event with 1-2-3 Kid taking on El Generico and the main event featuring the Colony taking on F.I.S.T. delivered a strong go-home punch.

The first three matches of the show didn’t set the tone for a great night of action, especially Jigsaw vs. Ultimate Spider Jr., which featured an exchange of big moves with very little storytelling. Once the annual Tag Gauntlet match took place, things picked up. Matt Classic teaming with Darkness Crabtree provided some hilarious moments, especially when Classic thought Haze and Del Rey were ring girls. The action between Team Osaka Pro and Team Dragon Gate at the end of the gauntlet was also really good after the gauntlet started slowly.

The action continued to improve with a very good singles match between Toyota and Eagles. The announcers did a good job of providing background on Toyota for those of us not familiar with her signature moves. Eagles delivered a really good performance and wasn’t hurt by losing to Toyota in the end.

Tozawa-Kingston was another good match on the card. Kingston’s look holds him back from climbing the ladder in the industry, but he delivers really good promos and wrestles a physical style that matched up perfectly with Tozawa here. Tozawa has put together an awesome resume of work in 2011 and this won’t make his “best-of” collection, but it was still a good match.

The semi-main event that featured El Generico beating 1-2-3 Kid in front of a red hot crowd was the high point of the show, although the main event came close. I really enjoyed the atmosphere for the match. Although there was a sequence of spots that didn’t come off as planned, I thought both guys did a good job of covering up the mistakes. It was awesome to see Kid get so much love from fans after the match and his post-match promo was awesome. Kid’s appearances on these shows will be among the top memorable moments from the independent scene when the year is done.

The main event started slowly, but built into an excellent match built around Green Ant’s arm injury. F.I.S.T. used every shortcut in the book, but ultimately their heel work backfired and Green Ant got the win with a cool looking ant hill splash off the top rope. I loved the post-match ceremony that saw the Colony receive medals like they had won an Olympic event.

I highly recommend purchasing all three nights of KOT 2011. You’re really missing out if you don’t watch the entire tournament unfold. It’s a lot of time to invest, but the payoff is well-worth your time. These shows are also an excellent starting point for anyone looking to get into CHIKARA.

You can purchase this DVD at SmartMarkVideo.com

Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com

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