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Showing posts with label CHIKARA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CHIKARA. Show all posts

June 24, 2020

Mike Quackenbush Issues Statement On CHIKARA Shutting Down After "#SpeakingOut" Accusations

CHIKARA founder and pro wrestling veteran Mike Quackenbush has officially announced the end of his CHIKARA promotion. He has also stepped down as the head trainer of the WrestleFactory school.

As noted earlier, CHIKARA was set to shut down after several allegations against the promotion in the current "#SpeakingOut" movement, which we noted before at this link. Quackenbush confirmed the end of the promotion tonight and issued a statement on the accusations. His statement is as follows:

"I have been made aware of recent allegations about myself, and people in my employ.
I take all allegations seriously - whether they are about me, or members of my team.
Addressing these with openness and transparency is of the utmost importance to me. So these matters can be given the proper time and attention, I am discontinuing CHIKARA and resigning as head trainer at the Wrestle Factory.
I'll make a full statement on these matters in the near future."

Quackenbush launched CHIKARA back in 2002.

November 14, 2016

More Wrestling Promotions Drop Joey Styles


As noted, former WWE employee and ECW announcer Joey Styles was fired from EVOLVE over the weekend for making a Donald Trump related joke during a broadcast. Beyond Wrestling and CHIKARA have announced that they have also parted ways with Styles.

Beyond Wrestling posted on Twitter:

"Despite his unprofessional behavior I would like to extend him the professional courtesy of a phone call before making an announcement."

"Joey Styles will no longer be appearing at Sunday's live event in Worcester or any future Beyond Wrestling live events. Thank you."

CHIKARA founder Mike Quackenbush also posted a blog piece noting that the company would not be using Styles any further, as seen below:

The events of the last few days have been just cause to take a look at the state of professional wrestling. The art form that I love, and have dedicated my entire adult life to, is embarrassingly behind the times. It is beholden to outdated tenets that threaten to render it...obsolete at worst, and a punchline at best.

I know there are others, influential and celebrated, that imagine pro-wrestling to be a bubble in which the social norms from a bygone era are still relevant and valid. At CHIKARA, we rail against them, and those ideals, with everything we make. It is one thing to speak, to voice an opinion. It is one thing to call for change, to wish for change, to imagine how that change might come about. It is another thing to make it. At CHIKARA, we make it happen. It doesn't matter to us in the least how many people show up to see it, or how many people recognize it for what it is. Our mantra is not about critical acclaim or pats on the back: "We believe pro-wrestling should be fun. That's why we make it for everyone."

Effective today, we are terminating our relationship with Joey Styles. Effective today, we are instituting a zero tolerance policy for misogynistic, racist, and/or homophobic speech, written or verbal, whether it's directed toward our cast, our crew, or our patrons. This is the shape of CHIKARA.

April 1, 2016

The woman behind Chikara wrestling's crazy costumes


The culmination of the year in professional wrestling builds this weekend as the WWE presents its 32nd annual WrestleMania, the equivalent of the Super Bowl for scripted gladiatorial combat.

Sometime during Sunday's event, take a moment to tune out the spectacle, the muscled behemoths hurling their bodies around the ring, the over-the-top characters playing out their story lines in steel cages and atop precarious ladders, and give a thought to the wardrobe that has to withstand choreographed violence.

Kate Nyx (a.k.a. Nickerson) understands what it takes to costume a pro wrestler. Two years ago, she started Closet Champion (www.closetchampion.com), designing and creating custom wrestling gear out of her South Philadelphia home. A large portion of her income comes from Chikara, a Philadelphia independent wrestling promotion, in its 16th season, that draws equal inspiration from lucha libre and comic books.

Eight months after leaving her day job selling hosiery at a luxury boutique in Center City to focus on the new endeavor, she's tenuously returning to her sewing machines after a bout of tendinitis and nerve pain due to the challenging materials she works with.

"I just don't think my body was prepared for the volume of work that I was doing," Nyx said last week amid a clutter of glittering fabric scraps. "Stretch materials are notoriously hard to work with, and everything I use is basically vinyl, spandex, and elastic. It has to look like a larger-than-life costume, but it has to go through what activewear would go through. Exercising creativity within those limitations has been interesting and sometimes frustrating."

There won't be any Closet Champion designs on display when WrestleMania unfolds Sunday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The closest Nyx has come to that big a stage is through NXT, the WWE developmental program that is spotlighted in its own weekly show on the WWE Network (and that tonight will present its own big show, Takeover: Dallas). Nyx designed the gear for a wrestler named Sarah Dobson (known on the independent circuit as Crazy Mary Dobson), who made her NXT debut last week...More?

source: philly.com

March 5, 2016

The Golden Age of Independent Wrestling Is Right Now: Don't Be Left Behind


There is an awakening. Can you feel it?

Last weekend, there were four independent wrestling promotions running within 45 minutes of each other in New York City - CHIKARA, SWA, House of Glory and NYWC. All four featured good live crowds and in the case of at least three of the events, they sold out. NYWC and House of Glory had so many fans, there weren't enough chairs with a number of fans choosing to pay to stand and watch the shows. In The Carolinas, there were multiple events with upwards of 1,700-2,000 fans showing up to see The Rock N' Roll Express battle the Powers of Pain in a Steel Cage for Big Time Wrestling while CWF Mid-Atlantic presented a 105 minute bout that everyone is raving about featuring Trevor Lee and Roy Wilkins. Multiple shows in California for promotions APW and Revolution Pro were sold out. Beyond Wrestling sold out two back to back shows in Rhode Island that received great reviews.

This weekend, Northeast Wrestling is expected to have close to 2,000 fans at their Wrestlefest event in Newburgh, NY. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will present their latest big events, All Star Extravaganza in Reseda, CA that will undoubtedly draw raves and a sellout crowd. MCW in Baltimore will have another big house in Joppa, MD. There are countless other promotions running this weekend as well.

Wrestlemania weekend, there will be no less than TEN independent wrestling events with everyone from SHIMMER to EVOLVE to CZW to the NWA to VIP Wrestling to Queens of Combat to Kaiju Big Battel presenting shows. That number, by the way, does not include Ring of Honor. Most of these events, if not all, will be packed and will feature a lot of great in-ring wrestling. The biggest wrestling event of the year and ten events will be there as the alternative for the 100,000 fans in Dallas.

Mind you, none of what I wrote about mentions other promotions that are currently trying to build their foundation and brand name. AAW in Illinois. AIW in Cleveland. FIP in Florida. Tier 1 in NYC. WrestlePro in New Jersey. Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment in Georgia. Wildkat Sports in New Orleans. There are more quality independent wrestling promotions right now, at the same time, in the United States than at any point before this era.

Nor am I talking about promotions that can be seen in some vein, nationally, on cable. Championship Wrestling Hollywood. Paragon Pro Wrestling....or the countless ones that can be found on Youtube. Just this week, On Point Wrestling in New Jersey launched their own series online.

Now, let's open our scope to include Europe. WXW in Germany. OTT in Ireland. IPW-UK, Revolution Pro, PROGRESS in Great Britain. [Note from Mike: Or ICW, which many fans wrote me about after I neglected to list them here. Sorry!] The level of wrestling and the sheer amount of stuff out there is staggering, even for someone like me, who loves to follow as much as he can.

Holy sh**!

Don't say it's a revolution. Don't say it's aberration. There is no doubt about it. We are living in the golden age of independent professional wrestling, and it's pretty awesome.

So, why is it happening now? There's always been an independent, undercurrent to what mainstream professional wrestling is. Independent wrestling used to be a dirty word. Back in the territory era, anyone who didn't run without permission were considered "outlaw" shows and if those shows crossed the wrong promoter, The National Wrestling Alliance members would team up to trounce them.

When the WWF national expansion took place, suddenly the rules had changed. One, the territory rules no longer applied. Two, many of the smaller towns and venues that had previously been home to spot shows from the larger companies or now-defunct promoters were available. The era of the independents had begun.

Independents used to be, for the most part small, fly by night promotions. They ran shows that were pretty much the equivalent of the circus coming to town for a day. There would be a few names that fans recognized - The Jimmy Snukas, The Terry Funks, The Big Bossmans, The Abdullah The Butchers - either former nationally known names or renowned wild men who were their own men - responsible for drawing the house. Underneath would be a litany of locals, some talented, some not. Most of the locals never made it past that level. The promotions would come in, put on a show and be done. The shows might be good, they might be bad but most often, unless it was a specific promoters, it was likely a haphazard show. How haphazard? I once witnessed Terry Funk beat Abdullah the Butcher in a Texas Death Match...by DQ. These were shows designed to get money and get out. There was no foundation.

Now, following on the blueprint that promotions like ECW, IWA Mid-South and Ring of Honor created, we have independent promotions running regularly in the same venues, with the same talents, telling storylines that exist over multiple months. Some of them are still running and promoting the old grass-roots style and having great success with it. Big Time Wrestling and Wildkat Sports routinely draw good crowds without seeking online audiences. There are also companies building their momentum on DVD sales, digital downloads and streaming websites. We are seeing promotions making good money with multiple revenue streams. They aren't anywhere close to destroying WWE's place as the top wrestling company in the world, but they are making money for themselves and in many cases, thanks to t-shirt companies like ProWrestlingTees.com, the wrestlers have regular additional income coming in for themselves.

So, why are things so hot again? A cross-sectional check-in with independent promoters and personalities show that there's a number of different reasons that all seem to be hitting at just the right time.

February 19, 2016

Mike Quackenbush On Working At The WWE PC, Trading Holds With Chad Gable, Feeling Validated Now


As noted, indie veteran and CHIKARA owner Mike Quackenbush was recently at the WWE Performance Center for a guest coaching gig. Quack also owns The Wrestle Factory school in Philadelphia and revealed that graduates Cesaro and Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) were instrumental in WWE contacting him for the guest gig. His week with WWE just wrapped up but "Quack" also worked backstage as a producer for NXT live events. He spoke with WWE's website about working with the company. You can read the full interview at this link. Below are highlights:

What the week consisted of:

I got do a bit of observing, and then I got to do some coaching and training with beginners, intermediates and the advanced players —those that are getting ready to depart NXT and go to the main roster. I got to do in-ring technique, one of my favorites. I got to oversee presentation class. I got to oversee the sessions where the guys and girls review their past performance and we give constructive criticisms and feedback.

Who were some of the WWE NXT talents he worked with:

One of the best things I got to do was spend some one-on-one time with specific talent that wanted to develop certain areas of their game. There was nothing I enjoyed more than having an hour in the ring with Chad Gable, who is simply one of the most outstanding performers I've ever been able to share a ring with. To trade holds and moves, to teach him and learn from him was such pleasure.

Feeling validated after working at the Performance Center:

I recall a study that was done a couple years ago where wrestling fans were asked to name any organization other than WWE. Less than two percent of them could do that. Less than two percent! If that's true, then I've spent my entire adult life laboring in relative obscurity. The things that I do, the things that I make, the theories I espouse, everything I've created, by and large, based on that study, has been in complete obscurity. Oftentimes, especially when it's something you're passionate about , you wonder, "What am I doing? Does it really have value? Does it have any influence?" You want to impact people and make a difference. To be down at the Performance Center and see how openly everything I believed about the art form was not just received, but embraced and celebrated, by people I knew, people I don't know or just met, even people I idolized, like Terry Taylor or Matt Bloom, it gave me a tremendous sense of validation.

February 8, 2016

CHIKARA Owner At The WWE PC


Veteran wrestler and trainer Mike Quackenbush is working at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando as a guest coach this week, according to PWInsider. Quackenbush also owns the CHIKARA promotion.

February 5, 2016

Chikara: Pro Wrestling's Comic Book Turns the Page


He had previously turned his back on his fellow arthropods – a group known as the Colony ­– and was now supposed to destroy former friend Fire Ant, though judging by the way his tiny antennae was twitching, he was struggling with the task at hand. The crowd surrounding the ring picked up on his hesitation, begged him to remember his past and break free of the bonds that had caused him to go bad. Fire Ant begged too. But given that this was pro wrestling, reason quickly gave way to brute force: An errant blow to the head ended his amnesia, Soldier Ant embraced his opponent and all was right with the world.

Obviously, this did not happen at a Vince McMahon-sanctioned event. Instead, it went down at Top Banana, the season-capping event of Chikara, a Philadelphia-based wrestling promotion where ants and anthropomorphic ice cream cones share the ring with tough-as-nails princesses and all manner of masked marauders. Part badass B-movie, part sugary Saturday morning cartoon, it's wild, weird and everything WWE isn't. And that's precisely the point.

"We wanted to make something different from what we were seeing. It just felt monotonous. Everyone was making the same flavor of wrestling," Chikara founder (and former indie wrestler) Mike Quackenbush says. "I think we were kind of bored. At the end of the Nineties, during the [WWE's] Attitude Era, there was a thought that all characters needed to be written with shades of gray. But clear heroes and villains appeal to me. At a young age, I didn't watch wrestling, but I did read X-Men, I read the Justice League. I wanted to make something like that."

Originally, Quackenbush intended Chikara to be little more than a showcase for the students he was training at the Wrestle Factory, a school he had started with fellow indie grappler Tom "Reckless Youth" Carter. But after debuting in 2002, the promotion began to take on a life of its own, thanks in no small part to the Factory's focus: teaching a truly international style of pro wrestling, heavy on the tough, traditional techniques of Japan and the theatrical acrobatics of Mexican lucha libre. In short, the matches were awesome – but the characters that began to emerge were just as compelling...More?

source: rollingstone.com

December 11, 2015

Kimber Lee Soaks In Historic Victory


Back on July 13, WWE launched what it called a “divas revolution.”

Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch made the jump from NXT, WWE’s popular developmental territory, to its main roster. On NXT, Banks, Charlotte and Lynch, along with Bayley, broke down barriers for women’s wrestling by earning the same billing as the men by showcasing their in-ring prowess and captivating characters.

When the trio made finally made its way up to WWE, it created a buzz among the wrestling community, as it signaled what was supposed to be a shift in how WWE presented women’s wrestling from an uncoordinated cat fight to a technical showcase of skill that rivaled the quality of men’s matches.

While WWE considered what is was doing revolutionary, it wasn’t necessarily historic. Sure, Banks and Bayley became the first women to headline a WWE special event, but that was in NXT, not on one of WWE’s main shows.

However, something truly historic did occur at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Dec. 5.

On that night, Seattle native and University of the Arts graduate Kimber Lee captured the CHIKARA Grand championship at the company’s season finale, Top Banana.

With the victory, Lee (or Princess KimberLee in CHIKARA) became the first woman to win the primary championship of a non-female promotion in the history of professional wrestling in the United States.

December 7, 2015

Woman Wins CHIKARA Title


This past weekend at Chikara's Top Banana event, Kimber Lee made history by becoming the first woman to win the CHIKARA Grand Championship.

February 4, 2014

CHIKARA Announces Details of Return Event


CHIKARA released the following:

Tickets On Sale Right Now for 5.25.14 - Will You Be Admitted Free?

CHIKARA is back at last! Tickets are on sale right now for "You Only Live Twice" on 5.25.14, but you may not need one. Over the course of the last 9 months, fans from far and wide had the chance to take part in #IAmCHIKARA rallies and meet-ups organized by Icarus.

If you attended one of these, signed his petition and have the I Am CHIKARA shirt he gave you personally, make sure to wear it on 5.25.14...and you will be admitted to the event absolutely free!

Per CHIKARA tradition, all children ages 12 and under will get a FREE general admission ticket to this event, when accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets are already selling in record numbers for this landmark event - don't miss out! Order your advance tickets to "You Only Live Twice" today!

CHIKARA: You Only Live Twice
-Sunday, May 25th, 2014 @ 3:00 pm- @ Live at The Palmer Center
4100 Green Pond Rd :: Easton, PA 18045 Order Advance Tickets

July 21, 2013

CHIKARA Update


Icarus from Chikara had posted on the Chikara forum that he planned to be at the Palmer enter in Easton PA on July 20th (Chikara had a show scheduled for the venue but cancelled it) at 7pm. I attended and here is what happened.

30-35 Chikara fans showed up and waited. Billy Kumohara a former employee of Chikara arrived with a cameraman and interviewed the fans about the recent turn of events. Icarus arrived a little after 7 sorting blond hair and delivered a speech indicating Chikara was his family and his home and basically that we needed to fight for our promotion and he would lead the charge. He also asked if any other wrestlers had shown up and seemed upset that they hadn't answered his call to action but again stated we did and that meant something.. Icarus passed us out a new "I am Chikara" t-shirt to all who attended and then quickly left after having us sign our names/email addresses/and twitter names to a guestbook of sorts.

My assumption is this is a continuation fo the angle or Icarus's way of saying goodbye. Again this Chikara storyline is pretty confusing as the company has been very quiet since the last show on June 2nd.

July 19, 2013

Chikara Returning Tomorrow? Potential Reboot Of The Company And More


After supposedly closing down last month, it appears that Chikara may be relaunching tomorrow. After Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur announced that the company was closing during the main event of the ippv , "Aniversario: Never Compromise" back in June, very little has been said about Chikara. Recently, a thread on the Chikara101forums was started by wrestler Dasher Hatfield, with the topic discussing his favorite Chikara moments. Other wrestlers from the company chimed in, including company stalwart Icarus, who had this to say:

"And now here we are 11 years later, shut down by a group of bureaucrats. And I look at this forum and where are my brothers in arms crying 'fight!' like we did back in 2002? I see whimpering posts that seem to be saying 'I accept this fate.' It makes me sick, and heart-broken. It makes me angry.

"CHIKARA isn't some shadowy corporate suits pulling the strings behind the scenes. I am CHIKARA. You are CHIKARA. Are you forgetting that?

"I was given a family that quite honestly, I can't stand. So I spent my adult life creating and molding a new one. A family that I respect and love. You can shut the doors, liquidate the assets, and slap a 'for sale' sign on a company, but not a family. Not my family.

"On my calendar July 20th is marked 'Easton, PA.' That's where my family was supposed to be that day. And I do not accept this fate. If Easton is where CHIKARA was supposed to be, then that's where I'll be. The Palmer Center. 7:00 pm.

"I am CHIKARA. Are You?"


A Chikara event called "All You See Is Mine" was previously scheduled to take place, but was canceled when the company apparently closed down. No other details have been mentioned besides the post by Icarus.

When Chikara closed after Aniversario, The Wrestling Observer stated that anything could be possible, from a storyline to the legit closing of the company. Due to Chikara's affinity for comic books, it could be an excuse for a comic-like reboot of the company. Bryan Alvarez of Figure Four Weekly reported that those close to Chikara founder and booker Mike Quackenbush "don't have any idea where the storyline is going, but feel that Quackenbush is trying to do something big, something never done before in wrestling"

PWI also reported that Chikara talents were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements before the pay-per-view to help keep future developments a secret.

June 4, 2013

Latest on CHIKARA


The following statement was issued to PWInsider.com this morning:

"Some people have been attempting to distract from what happened on Sunday's iPPV by circulating rumors about an affair, a bitter divorce, or a dispute over the ownership of CHIKARA. All of these rumors are absolutely false."

A previous statement issued to PWInsider.com from CHIKARA's promotional end late last night claimed the promotion was liquidating its merchandise and that it would be selling off whatever physical assets (production material, etc.) off.

The idea fronted by the release was that the promotion had been struggling since their Joshimania events did not do well and they had been running in the red since late 2011. The implication was that the "parent company" had pulled the plug - literally, given the end of the show Sunday - on the promotion.

The statement claimed that all agreements with "third party vendors", such as their DVD deal with Smart Mark Video, would be honored through the end of 2013.

The canceled 7/21 date in NYC is now being filled by Kaiju Big Battel. Several of the CHIKARA "Wrestling Is..." sister promotions have already announced other dates that were formerly announced for CHIKARA as well.

As we move further down the rabbit hole, it certainly appears to be a completely massive angle, although what the end game on an angle that shuts down your company and potentially dilutes the brand name by splitting it across seven sister promotions remains to be seen.

June 3, 2013

All Upcoming CHIKARA Dates Cancelled

PWInsider.com is reporting that all upcoming CHIKARA dates have been officially canceled according to their website.

As we noted, it appears the satellite "Wrestling Is..." promotions and Kaiju Big Battel will eventually replace the existing dates, although not necessarily in the same markets that were announced.

December 3, 2012

National Pro Wrestling Day on February 2nd in Philadephia


It was announced at the CHIKARA iPPV in Philadelphia that on Feburary 2nd, it will be "National Pro Wrestling Day", a big one-day event at the Derby Ink Gardens in Philadelphia.

The day will consist of afternoon and evening shows, both free of charge, that will have talent & matches from 18 different independent promotions, including:

Ring of Honor
CHIKARA
Women Superstars Uncensored
EVOLVE Wrestling
Absolute Intense Wrestling
Wrestling is Fun!
Wrestling is Heart
Wrestling is Awesome!
CWF Mid-Atlantic
Kaiju Big Battel
International Wrestling Cartel
Resistance Pro
Beyond Wrestling
SOR Class Wars
Fighting Spirit Wrestling
QWEST
New York Wrestling Connection
CTWE

There will be more details in the weeks forthcoming, including news of an iPPV in conjuction with the shows and how fans from New York City & New Jersey can attend the show via a bus trip.

For all this info in the coming weeks, go to www.nationalprowrestlingday.com.

January 23, 2012

ROH & CHIKARA Announce "Unity" Card


Ring of Honor and CHIKARA announced Monday official details on a "synergy" between the two companies to promote a "Unity" card on April 28 in Chicago. ROH, which is officially incorporated as "Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.," noted the first match signed is ROH tag champions The Briscoes vs. Hallowicked & Jigsaw for ROH's Tag Titles. Tickets for the "Unity" event go on-sale this Wednesday for ROH Ringside Members and this Friday to the general public on ROH's website.

source: pwtorch.com

June 24, 2011

Interview with Chikara’s Mike Quackenbush


To the general public, Vince McMahon’s WWE is professional wrestling, and professional wrestling is the demented love child of NASCAR and Days Of Our Lives. Both assumptions are wrong, though. There is something silly about would-be juggernauts wearing next to nothing and dishing out choreographed offense to each other, but couldn’t the same be said for so many other things?

Based out of Philadelphia, independent wrestling federation Chikara is the anti-WWE. Chikara doesn’t hide from the surface-level goofiness—rather, the federation embraces it while retaining a fast-paced artfulness that sweeps the floor with the competition. The A.V. Club asked founder and frequent grappler Mike Quackenbush why Chikara is wrestling for skeptics.

The A.V. Club: What was your inspiration in creating Chikara?

Mike Quackenbush: To irritate wrestling traditionalists that still think we’re still hustling marks for a buck at a carnival. To make pro wrestling more like the live-action comic book I always thought it was, and less like a commercial for GNC supplements. Also, to ensure I’d have the best stories at my high school reunion...More?

April 17, 2011

CHIKARA King of Trios Results 04/17/11

CHIKARA King of Trios Results 04/16/11

April 16, 2011

CHIKARA King of Trios Results 04/15/11

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Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear