I attended the CHIKARA event “Sword of Destiny” last night and oh boy. It was a really, really good show. In addition to a roster filled out with some of my favorite wrestlers, every match was just a damn fine piece of work.
Particular highlights: Silver Ant vs. Blaster McMassive in a NJPW-level match that was as Strong Style as anything I’ve ever seen, Snake Pit (Ophidian & Argus) vs. Devastation Corporation (Flex Rumblecrunch & Max Smashmaster) in a really smartly booked, fantastically wrestling “small guys vs big guys” COTI match and Dasher Hatfield vs. g’damn Tommaso Ciampa in the main event.
I love how menacing Ciampa is and he blended so well with institutional crowd favorite Hatfield to where he had real heel heat – not boos, but near-silent “oh god what is going to happen next” intensity when he had the upper hand, and then ecstatic cheers for Hatfield when he was able to turn the tables. So. Good.
It was so good that after the main event the crowd started chanting one more match and, well, they gave us one more match! A trios match (Los Ice Creams and Jervis Cottonbelly vs. United Nations), no less. It was an unprecedented moment! What wrestling promotion throws on another match after the main event?!
One of the big advantages to having half your roster be in masks is that you can do stuff like that, I guess.
Go see CHIKARA!
http://chikarapro.com/events/season-15/06-13-2015_sword-destiny
Been watching CHIKARA for years. Will definitely try and go to an event but the distance makes it hard :/
Hatfield vs Ciampa must have been a real knocker!
I hope they do too! CHIKARA went to the UK this year, you’d think they’d at least be able to put together a west coast tour or something.
And yes, Ciampa/Hatfield was brutal. Alongside the Silver Ant/McMassive and Eddie Kingston/Jaka matches, there was a lot of really stiff stuff on this card, and comparatively little high flying. I think Strong Style is on trend in the indies.
Jeebus Crust I need Chikara in California.
I just bought tickets for the Columbus show in October. It better be good Nathan Paoletta