By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S CHIKARA “KING OF TRIOS 2014: NIGHT 1” REPORT
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
EASTON, PA

Bloc Party cut a promo backstage. Mr. Azerbaijan said tonight Eastern Europe would bring to you the King of Trios Champions.

Mr. Azerbaijan was introduced as a multi-time Azerbaijan Sexiest Man award winner after Block Party made their entrance. Team UK was out next to a good pop from the crowd.

Sean Waltman and Mike Quakenbush were in on commentary for the opening match. They have a nice entrance and lightening setup and it appears that the show is well-attended.

Sean Waltman's reaction to Sabar (pictured far left) was priceless.

(1) Team U.K. (Damian Dunne & Pete Dunne & Mark Andrews) vs. Bloc Party (Mr. Azerbaijan & The Proletariat Boar of Moldova & Prakash Sabar) in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. Sabar tagged in and Waltman said, “I’m just trying to digest this now.” Sabar is wearing a mask with a tongue stuck out the front complete with Waltman’s hair and tights. Sabar got the upper hand on Pete and hit Waltman’s signature spin kick on him. The highlight of the match was listening to Waltman’s reaction to Sabar hitting his signature offense throughout the match. Azerbaijan went for Road’s Dogg’s signature leg drop, but Pete got out of the way. Pete took a beating for a long period of time from Bloc Party, but he cut off Sabar and tagged in Andrews, who nailed Azerbaijan with a standing corkscrew moonsault. Team UK isolated The Boar and nailed him with a triple kick in the corner. They built to a big spot with The Boar hitting a big spears on Damian and Pete, but Andrews ducked a spear and sent him to the floor. Andrews then ducked under a clothesline from Azerbaijan and hit a big dive through the ropes to take out the Boar. Pete hit a big uppercut on Sabar that sent him into a German suplex from Damian a short time later. Andrews then finished off Sabar with a gorgeous SSP for the win.

Winners: Team U.K. (Damian Dunne & Pete Dunne & Mark Andrews)

Star rating: (***1/4) – This was a really fun match with The Bloc Party doing a lot of DX’s offense during the match. The highlight of the match was Waltman’s reaction to Sabar dressing like him and doing all of his moves. Matches like this one are what makes CHIKARA so much fun.

The Gekido cut a promo outside the venue. Shard said he hasn’t been able to sleep since losing the belts, but tonight was a time to shine. Jigsaw told him to keep his head in the game, but 17 stopped him and said that he decides what they’re doing tonight. Jigsaw held his arms up and sarcastically said alright.

(2) The Gekido (The Shard & 17 & Jigsaw) vs. KE4TPG (Jolly Roger & Lance Steel & Princess Kimberlee) in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. The Gekido jumped KE4TPG before the bell rang. Quackenbush noted that they’re not welcome in the locker room, which is why they come up from the side. The Gekido isolated Steel as the fans booed. Steel mounted a comeback and Jigsaw wanted no part of Roger when he tagged in, but The Shard hit him from behind and sent him flying into Jigsaw. Roger fired back and nailed The Shard with a kick to the head followed by a code breaker and the action broke down. 17 and Kimberlee began trading big forearms. Kimberlee finally took him down with a huge spinning DDT. The fans went nuts as Kimberlee continued to run wild. The Shard wiped out Lee and ducked a double team from Roger & Steel before nailing them both with a German. Kimberlee took out The Shard and set up for a dive, but 17 cut her off and nailed her with some big forearms. Kimberlee took a beating for a long period of time. The Shard nailed Kimberlee with a slap at one point and she fired up and told him to bring it. Kimberlee tried to mount a comeback, but The Shard caught her with a kick for a near fall. The fans fired up behind Kimberlee once again and she ducked a charge and The Shard flew to the floor. 17 tried to cut her off, but she nailed him with a kick and everyone was down.

The fans fired up as Roger got the hot tag and Jigsaw backed off. Roger ran wild on Jigsaw and nailed him with a big splash for a 2 count. Jigsaw went for the tag, but his partners got off the apron because they wanted him to fight Roger. 17 tripped Roger from the outside and told Jigsaw to finish him, but he wouldn’t do it. Jigsaw finally cut off Roger with a kick out of the corner and sold dismay. Jigsaw went for a superkick on Roger, but pulled up short. The Shard dragged Jigsaw to the floor and 17 got into the ring and finished off Roger with a variation of an arm bar for the win.

After the match, Jigsaw tried to check on Roger, but he wanted no part of him. Roger told Jigsaw he’s supposed to be his brother, but he’s not his brother. One fan told Roger his brother sucks too. Jigsaw sat in the corner of the ring and sold dismay.

Winners: The Shard & 17 & Jigsaw

Star rating: (***1/2) –This was a very good match combining elements of storytelling and in-ring action. Kimberlee shined in this match with her high octane offense early in the match and selling a beating during the middle portion of the match. It’s amazing how far she has come this year and the fans showed their appreciation for her with some big chants while she took a beating. The dynamic between Jigsaw and Roger also seems like something worth following going forward.

The Spirit Squad reunited in CHIKARA.

(3) The Spirit Squad (Kenny & Mikey & Johnny) vs. Kizarny & His Odditorium (Sinn Bodhi & Sir Oliver Grimsly &Qefka the Quiet) in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. The Spirit Squad was doing cheers for the crowd when the Odditorium ran down to the ring and jumped them. The Spirit Squad quickly cleared the ring and the fans applauded. Mikey set up for a dive, but Bodhi cut him off. The Odditorium began working over Mikey’s leg. Mikey finally rolled out of the ring, which allowed Johnny to legally enter the ring to wipe out Grimsly. Johnny did a mime for Quefka and then nailed him with a dropkick. Bohdi got an airplane spin on Johnny a short time later and hit a suplex. The action was a bit disjointed down the stretch, but Johnny and Mikey hit a leg drop/top rope splash combination on Grimsly for the win.

The fans wanted a cheer after the match and they gave it to them.

Winners: Johnny & Mikey & Kenny – The fans were into the Spirit Squad’s act, but the action was disjointed at times.

The Flood made their entrance from the side entrance to a chorus of boos. The Spectral Envoy got a big pop coming out second for the match.

Jimmy Jacobs leads The Flood into battle.

(4) The Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black & Hallowicked & Frightmare) vs. The Flood (Jimmy Jacobs & Eddie Kingston & Volgar w/The Lithuanian Snow Troll) in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. Jacobs abused the Snow Troll before the match started. The match started with everyone brawling to the floor. Waltman couldn’t believe Kingston had given up everything to turn heel. They talked about how Jacobs had promised to get Kingston the Grand Championship back if he joined The Flood. The announcers talked about Volgar being another one of Jacobs’s minions, who was covered head to toe in ring attire and a mask making it difficult to tell who he is. The Flood isolated Frightmare inside the ring and worked him over for a long period of time. Kingston ended up knocking Frightmare to the outside with a big slap, which allowed Hallowicked to legally enter the ring. Kingston sent him packing with a big forearm and the action broke down. They hit Jacobs with a big kick/crucifix bomb combination. They followed up the headless horsemen off the top, but Volgar made the save for Jacobs. They nailed Volgar with a combination of moves capped by the kneecolepsy from Frightmare, but Jacobs pulled him out of the ring. The Spectral Envoy wiped out the flood with a big dive sequence and The Snow Troll set up for a dive, but ended up getting stopped short because he was still chained to the ring post. Deucalion, who is the leader of the flood, came out with Delirious and sent him after UltraMantis Black. Delirious went to town on Black before tossing him into the ring. Kingston nailed Black with a big back fist and Jacobs covered him for the win.

The crowd was very upset with how The Flood won the match and booed loudly.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Eddie Kingston & Volgar

Star rating: (**3/4) – The match itself was just getting going when Deucalion came down with Delirious to turn the tide by attacking Black. The action was fine, but the match itself was designed more to further the agenda of The Flood. This was a big elimination in the tournament given that The Spectral Envoy won the last King of Trios tournament in 2012.

Team Extravaganza cut a promo backstage. Jervis Cottonbelly cut a promo telling Marion Fontaine they needed to bring a lady into their group. They said ThunderKitty was a little rough around the edges. ThunderKitty said someone was going to pay because she was up past her bedtime and had missed her TV shows. Cottonbelly offered to give her her Metamucil as they walked out of the picture.

Cottonbelly gave the ref a hug before the match started. Devastation Corporation wasn’t happy with this, so the ref teased giving Bakabella a hug, but instead he ran back and gave Cottonbelly another hug.

(5) Team Extravaganza (Jervis Cottonbelly & Marion Fontaine & ThunderKitty) vs. The Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch w/Sydney Bakabella) in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. Cottonbelly looked to faint after being yelled at by the Devastation Corporation. He rolled to the floor and ThunderKitty entered the ring to a big pop. Smashmaster mocked her asking for a test of strength on one knee. Smashmaster tossed her to the floor and McMassive tagged into the match to go at it with Fontaine. McMassive tossed Fontaine into the corner and ThunderKitty tagged herself into the match. McMassive acted like he didn’t want to fight her, but then slapped her across the face. Fontaine and Cottonbelly held her back from going after McMassive. Fontaine ended up getting isolated and took a beating for a long period of time. Bakabella choked Fontaine against the ropes with the ref distracted at one point. McMassive has gotten into much better shape since the last time I saw him wrestle. Cottonbelly entered the ring, but didn’t fare much better, as he took a combination of moves in the corner. ThunderKitty ended up nailing McMassive and Rumblecrunch with a series of blows in the corner. She ended up clotheslining McMassive over the top to the floor. She then nailed Smashmaster with a series of blows and hit a big slam. ThunderKitty followed up with a big elbow, but Rumblecrunch broke up the pin and nailed her with a fall away slam. The action broke down and it looked like Cottonbelly and Fontaine got the pin on Rumblecrunch with a running kick/crucifix bomb combination. The Devastation Corporation ended up messing up their finish, but Smashmaster went back up top and finished off Fontaine with the Death Blow on Fontaine.

Bakabella said if that’s the best they had gotten them for the tournament, they should crown them the winners now and refund the fans their money. The fans booed heavily after the match.

Winners: Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch & Max Smashmaster – This was a fairly one-sided match with Devastation Corporation dominating most of the action, although it did appear that Cotton & Fontaine had Rumblecrunch pinned late in the match. The finish didn’t come off smoothly when Smashmaster slipped climbing the ropes to go for the Death Blow on Fontaine either.

3Peck0 vs. BDK & Dr. Cube leads to a big reveal.

(6) 3Peck0 (Archibald Peck & Scott Parker & Shane Matthews) vs. The BDK (Nokken & Ares) & Dr. Cube in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. 3Peck0 ran wild early, but Nokken tossed Peck into Matthews on the apron and hit a big slam for a 2 count. Ares tagged in and continued to work over Peck. Cube tried to light up Peck with some punches, but they were very light. Peck fired back and went for a head butt, but ended up hurting himself. Peck cut off Nokken and went for a tag, but Tokken cut him off. Peck finally made a double tag to 3.0, who ran wild on Nokken and Ares. They nearly had Ares pinned, but Cube made the save and did a wacky dance. Cube ran away from Peck and 3Peck0 hit a triple team slam on Ares, who was on Peck’s shoulders, but Nokken made the save. The fans chanted for Dr. Cube as Nokken worked over Parker inside the ring. Parker was isolated for a long period of time and took a series of double slams from Ares and Nokken. Cube tried to run into the ring and get the pin, but Parker managed to kick out. That was funny. Cube made a blind tag a short time later on Ares. Ares didn’t like it and tossed Parker into Cube, but Parker ended up getting the rollup win on him a short time later for the win.

Ares yelled at Cube after the match. Cube slapped him across the face. Nokken stopped Ares from slapping and nailed him with a jumping DDT. The fans fired up as Cube took off his mask to reveal a bearded Jakob Hammermeier, who is a former BDK member. Hammermeier said the last time they saw him he had been walking away from disappointment after disappointment and he blamed Ares. He said in order to get him here, he had only one option. He took out the Eye of Tyr. He said Ares was the disappointment and not Jakob. He said it was time for him to fulfill his destiny and take over the BDK. Hammermeier said he had to make a deal with the devil to get the Eye of Tyr. He said the BDK would make all of the wrongs right.

Winners: Archibald Peck & Shane Matthews & Scott Parker

Star rating: (**) – This was a short, but fun match. The post-match reveal of Hammermeier is the big story here and the crowd really ate it up and enjoyed his promo.

LAX in CHIKARA? Yup!

LAX got a good pop coming out, as did the Golden Trio.

(7) LAX (Homicide & Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero) vs. The Golden Trio (Campeonatos de Parejas Mr. Touchdown & Dasher Hatfield & CHIKARA Grand Champion Icarus) in a King of Trios 2014 First Round match. Quackenbush and Chikarason were in on commentary for this match. Chavo entered the match and sent Touchdown to the outside during the early stages of the match. He then began working over Hatfield. The fans chanted for Hatfield after he fired back and caught Chavo with a nice pinning combination, but his feet ended up in the ropes to break the count. Icarus ended up sending Homicide and Hernandez to the floor and he went for a dive, but pulled up short when they got out of the way. LAX regrouped on the outside before Hernandez got back into the ring to go at it with Touchdown. Touchdown charged at Hernandez, but he caught him in a delayed vertical suplex. Homicide caught Icarus in a STF and Chavo hit the three amigos on Hatfield before Hernandez finally dropped Touchdown down to the mat and the fans applauded. LAX showed some nice teamwork with Hernandez holding up Touchdown before Homicide dropped an elbow on him. They continued to show nice teamwork tagging in and out to work over Touchdown. Touchdown finally ended up helping Hatfield hit a slingshot shoulder tackle on Chavo. The Golden Trio isolated Chavo and began working him over. Hatfield ended up in LAX’s corner, he managed to fend off Homicide and Hernandez and hit a sunset flip off the turnbuckles on Chavo, but Homicide broke up the pin.

Hernandez ended up hitting a leaping shoulder tackle over the ropes from the entranceway to wipe out Hatfield. Homicide then whipped Hatfield into a big clothesline from Hernandez and went after his mask, but the ref warned him it would be a DQ. The fans tried to fire up behind Hatfield and Homicide went after his mask again. Hatfield tried to go after Homicide’s bandana, but he cut him off. Hatfield finally mounted a comeback and hit a belly to back suplex. Hatfield finally made the hot tag to Touchdown, who ran wild on Chavo. The action broke down and Chavo went up top after taking out Hatfield, but Touchdown cut him off. Chavo pushed him off the top into a spear from Hernandez. Icarus went for a splash off the top, but Hernandez caught him and hit a Liger bomb, but Hatfield made the save. They went to a big sequence and Icarus wiped out Homicide and Hernandez with an Asai moonsault to the floor. Chavo landed on his feet after going for a splash off the top on Hatfield when he saw him moving out of the way, but walked right into a 3D from Touchdown and Hatfield. Touchdown then made the cover for the win.

The fans applauded and chanted for The Golden Trio after the match. Chavo got on the mic after the match and got a mixed reaction. Chavo said it was a breath of fresh air to see independent wrestling still alive. He got a good pop and the fans applauded. He asked the fans to give The Golden Ovation and they did. The fans then chanted, “Thank you Chavo.” Both teams shook hands.

Winners: Mr. Touchdown & Dasher Hatfield & Icarus

Star rating: (**3/4) – The match was a little slow in spots, but they built up to a hot finishing sequence leading into the Golden Trio getting the win. Chavo’s post-match promo was a nice way to thank the fans and put over CHIKARA.

Kid Cyclone came out and introduced Equinox 3 and Create-a-Wrestler 2. He then introduced himself. He said they are the Greenhorn Militia. He asked the fans if they miss the Latvian Proud Oak, Estonian Thunderfrog, and Kobald. He asked why are they the ones stepping up tonight against The Flood. He said they were here for a fight. He called out The Flood. He led the fans in a coward chant, but The Flood didn’t come out. He got on the mic and said he had proven his point when they didn’t come out. Hallowicked came down to the ring and told the GHM to get out of the ring. Hallowicked is one of the CHIKARA trainers.

The fans surrounded the ring and pounded the mat prior to the main event. The Colony Xtreme Force came out first through the side entrance.

The Colony is ready for battle in the main event.

(8) Colony Xtreme Force (Arctic Rescue Ant & Orbit Adventure Ant & Missile Assault Ant) vs. The Colony (Silver Ant & Fire Ant & Worker Ant). Artic Ant and Fire Ant kicked things off, but the action quickly picked up with Fire Ant continuing to clean house. Missile Ant tried to get the upper hand, but got taken down with a multiple rotation head scissors. The Colony then took out everyone with a triple tope and the fans chanted for them. Worker Ant dominated the action in the ring slamming Missile Ant on top of Artic Ant. Missile Ant grabbed the ref, which allowed Orbit Ant to attack Worker Ant from behind. Artic Ant ended up hitting Worker Ant with a snowboard over the legs and he sold pain as his partners checked on him. Several attendants came to check on worker ant and helped him to the back. Missile Ant tossed Silver Ant off the entrance ramp to the floor and began working him over on the floor. On the other side of the ring Orbit Ant tossed Fire Ant into a pile of chairs and the fans booed with The Colony at a numbers disadvantage. Colony Xtreme Force isolated Fire Ant and worked him over in their corner. Missile Ant spelled out his name while putting the boots to Fire Ant and the fans booed. Fire Ant finally caught Orbit Ant with a big DDT, but Artic Ant immediately came off the top with a leg drop. Colony Xtreme Force dragged Silver Ant off the apron and Fire Ant continued to take a beating. Colony Xtreme Force took cheap shots at Fire Ant and Silver Ant on the apron with the ref distracted. Fire Ant finally made the hot tag to Silver Ant, who ran wild on Colony Xtreme Force. He hit a big Michinoku driver on Artic Ant, but Missile Ant broke it up.

The fans fired up with Silver Ant running wild. Silver Ant hit a big double springboard DDT on Missile Ant, but Orbit Ant broke up the pin. The pace picked up with The Colony running wild. Silver Ant hit a big frog splash off the top on Orbit Ant after Fire Ant hit a stunner, but he kicked out at 2. Silver Ant applied the CHIKARA special on Orbit Ant, but Missile Ant broke it up. Missile Ant blocked a DDT off the turnbuckles and ended up hitting a suplex. He tried to roll through for another suplex, but Silver Ant grabbed a front chancery. Missile Ant began to fan, but kept his hand up when the ref raised it a third time and hit a second northern lights suplex, but Silver Ant immediately grabbed a triangle. Missile Ant lifted him with one arm and power bombed him into the turnbuckles. The fans chanted for Silver Ant with both men down. Silver Ant went for a triangle again in the corner and grabbed it in the ropes, but Missile Ant slammed him into the turnbuckles again. They ended up battling up top and Missile Ant hit a running head butt on the apron that sent him to the floor. Fire Ant went for a hurricanrana on the apron, but Missile Ant caught him and power bombed him back into the ring. Fire Ant took a combination of moves from Colony Xtreme Force capped by a diving head butt from Missile Ant, but he kicked out at the last second. Colony Xtreme Force took off several turnbuckle pads with the ref distracted, but Worker Ant distracted them by making his way back to the ring. Worker Ant tossed Orbit Ant and Artic Ant to the floor. Missile Ant pushed the ref into Worker Ant’s injured leg. Worker Ant went for an abdominal stretch, but Artic Ant blasted him with a snowboard. The ref recover and made the count, but Worker Ant kicked out at the last second. The fans fired up and chanted for The Colony. Worker Ant hit a pump-handle slam into a neck breaker over his knee, but Orbit Ant threw a piece of the snowboard into the ring to break up the pin. The ref yelled at Orbit Ant and Artic Ant, but The Colony hit the catapult to the floor and Fire Ant wiped out both men. The Colony then finished off Missile Ant with the ant hill for the win.

The fans fired up and chanted for The Colony after the match.

Winners: Fire Ant & Silver Ant & Worker Ant.

Star rating: (***3/4) – This was a great way to end the show. Colony Xtreme Force cheated their way through the entire match and had The Colony in peril after Artic Ant hit Worker Ant with his snowboard behind the ref’s back. Xtreme Force used every dirty trick in the book, but Worker Ant ended coming back out at the end of the match and things picked up nicely from there leading into the finish.

Overall thoughts: (7.0) – This show did a nice job of setting the table for the rest of the King of Trios tournament. The show started with a couple of good matches in Team UK vs. The Bloc Party and Gekido vs. KE4TPG. Although there were some lulls in the action leading into the main event, the crowd heat and storytelling carried the night and made for an enjoyable opening act to the 2014 edition of King of Trios.

It was great that CHIKARA brought in Sean Waltman to do commentary on several matches and he was really good in his role discussing the matches and bringing some insight into what was going in the ring. One of the biggest highlights of the show was Waltman’s reaction to Sabar of The Bloc Party. Sabar was wearing a X-Pac mask with a long tongue sticking out of it and Waltman’s gear. Waltman was practically speechless watching Sabar hit his signature offense against Team UK in the ring, but things got even better when Mr. Azerbaijan began doing Road Dogg’s signature maneuvers throughout the match as well.

Kimberlee was really impressive during the KE4TPG-Gekido match. She took a beating, but showed some great fire mounting a spirited comeback before her team ultimately fell short. The match also had some good storytelling elements with Jigsaw refusing to go at it with Roger, despite the urging of 17.

The card hit a bit of a lull in terms of in-ring action after the first couple of matches, but it was fun to see The Spirit Squad in this environment and the crowd ate up their act. It wasn’t an upset, but it was surprising to see The Spectral Envoy get eliminated in the first round, albeit at the hands of The Flood. It took the outside interference of Deucalion and Delirious to get the job done much to the dismay of the fans.

After 3Peck0 beat BDK & Dr. Cube, Jakob Hammermeier took off the Dr. Cube head and revealed himself to the crowd and told them he possessed the Eye of Tyr and was now the leader of the BDK. The crowd reacted to this reveal like it was a big moment and it was cool to see Hammermeier return treated like a big deal.

The main event was the in-ring highlight of the show. The match was put together well and told a good story with Colony Xtreme Force cheating to get the numbers advantage early by taking out Worker Ant after Artic Ant blasted his leg with a snowboard. The crowd was hot for The Colony throughout the match, as they made several spirited comebacks, despite the numbers disadvantage. They built to some good near falls late for Colony Xtreme Force after Worker Ant came out limping with several officials trying to hold him back from getting into the ring. The match built to a nice conclusion and sent the fans home happy.

I hadn’t gotten the chance to watch a CHIKARA show since the promotion returned back in May, but it this show was a reminder of how much fun CHIKARA can be. I was immediately hooked into the ongoing storylines and left wanting to find out more about The Flood and their role as a heel force in CHIKARA. The addition of Waltman on commentary was a big plus and I would like to see him come back again in the future to do it again. If you’re looking for a good place to get back into CHIKARA, I can’t think of a better way to start than with the King of Trios tournament. I really missed King of Trios when it didn’t take place last year when CHIKARA went dark for a long period of time and night 1 provided a much welcome reminder of how much fun these shows can be.

You can purchase CHIKARA’s “King of Trios 2014: Night 1” on VOD by clicking HERE or by visiting SMVOD.com. This show is also available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and MP4 at SmartMarkVideo.com For more information on CHIKARA visit CHIKARAPro.com.

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