SaviorBeeRad™;20737153 said:
So if I'm a Chikara noob where do I start!?
Probably best to do so from the start of 2005 if wanting to go way back to the more "relevant" early days. Promotion started to use commentary on matches, expanded more to different markets in the Pennsylvania area and saw significant growth in crowd size, reaction, and involvement. Not to mention the beginning of the Kings of Wrestling stable which would be the defining force for major programs within the promotion for close to three years.
Some other key notes for ya:
Every year holds a Cibernetico match since 2004 & a "rookies" Tournament called the Young Lions Cup. Which has the winner holding and defending the cup as a championship. It was the first and only championship during the years of 2002 - 2005. Chikara was also known for putting on the Lucha feud ender tradition of "apuestas" matches. Which means they were along the lines of being Mask vs Hair, Hair vs Hair, or Hair vs Mask. Sometimes a different wager would be placed on the line such as career or a specific object.
2006: Chikara tag team championships are introduced to the company. The rules to challenge for the straps are a tag team must win three tag team matches in a row (not on the same show; unless in a Gauntlet type match) and then they can cash in their "points", aka wins, to get a title shot. If they lose any match before then, then they lose all their points and have to start from square one. Those rules would stay in tact for the entire duration. Btw, every tag team championship match is contested under two out of three falls rules.
2007: First ever King of Trios was held. The annual event that would become Chikara's go-to staple every year following. A whole lot of new blood started to rise up the card and the promotion continued to get more and more popular.
2008: Kings of Wrestling were dead, Vin Gerard was pissed up and looked to take his revenge on the company, & loads of intricate details became interwoven with all the programs. A plot that seemed to have major implications in the "demise" of Chikara. First ever Steel Cage match occurred during this year.
2009: Eye of Tyr is wreaking havoc, with UltraManis Black at the helm. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends. And a shocking relevation at the season finale show turned the entire promotion upside down. This is the most underrated year in Chikara for my money. Great stuff from top to bottom. First ever Ladder match occurred during this year.
2010: The BDK
(Bruderschaft Des Kreuzes or "Brotherhood of the Cross") is on the scene and it's internal warfare for control within Chikara. The heel faction was dominate for a majority and it led to some just unbelivably terrific story driven matches all throughout the year. 2010 also saw a new staple Chikara show debut: Chikarasarus Rex - King of Show. Which continued to be another supershow of sorts within the Chikara universe. This ties 2011 for me as the greatest year Chikara ever had.
2011: BDK is still going strong despite the sides being a hair or more even. The loss of Larry Sweeney was felt and Chikara takes the next big step in their company by introducing a major singles championship. Up to this point all they had was the Young Lions Cup, which was only allowed to wrestlers 25 years or younger to compete with. The Chikara Grand Championship was introduced and a round robin tournament with twelve wrestlers was made, so aptly dubbed: The 12-Large Summit. The round robin tournament hit a few snags with injuries or wrestlers getting signed to WWE
(Claudio Castagnoli ---> Antonio Cesaro) and it felt as is it was cursed for whichever reason. They powered through and it finished to great success. Such success in the form where the finals was held at Chikara's first iPPV High Noon. This year was tremendous too, like I stated above.
2012: BDK was on its last legs. In fact, damn near dead with the exception of two men attempting to keep it alive: Tim Donst & Jakob Hammermeier. Just when things seemed to be keeping on course with new horizons looking bright considering the company has a World Champion, tag team champions, & a Young Lions Cup
(although the current champ was in Japan and never defended it in America) things got rick rolled into ever so slight confusion with the debut of GEKIDO. A five piece group of unknown wrestlers who are dressed in "Bizarro" costumes to mirror the evil side of Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, & The Colony. The story behind them is that they all apparently were training in the Wrestle Factory, but either quit or were pushed out for some reason. Their goal was revenge; mostly attributed in revealing who the masked wrestlers they copied truly are to the world. The Grand Championship was defended fairly often and each match tend to top itself as being better than the last. Chikara vs ROH rivalry began and spread through both promotions. Including having the Cibernetico match that year be Team Kingston
(Team Chikara) vs Team Steen
(Team ROH). Chikara hit up what felt like a new market every month and the growth was almost secondary to the company during this year. By the end, Chikara had pumped out two more iPPVs in Chikarasarus Rex - How To Hatch A Dinosaur & Under The Hood. This year also saw the return of only the second Ladder match the company put on. Also by the end, a lot of confusing means came to light. Including a time traveling paradox with Archibald Peck, the new Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur being a jerk and clearly not qualified for the job, and some shocking, unusual alignments. This year was good on the wrestling. Not my favorite overall year, but a good follow up to the last two booming years seen prior. Mr. Touchdown Mark Angelosetti debuted and he would rise up the card in super swift fashion. Hell of a talent.
2013: Continued confusion rolls on. Grand Championship begins to be defended on each and every show. Tell tell signs of "the end" are scattered all throughout in subtle notes. Chikara defeats ROH early on in the year to commence their grudge. Jushin Liger debuts, Icarus appears to go technico, & the company appears to be defunct after their fourth and final iPPV Aniversario: Never Compromise. More details behind the end are in a long conspiracy manifesto that was posted in the Chikara thread on this site. If curious, head over there and check it out. Given, learning up on past history is essential and it is a very, very long read. Match wise, this year was quite good. With Jakob Hammermeier come into his own and Mr. Touchdown Mark Angelosetti being the all around MVP.