Philadelphia, PA – 12.2.2011

Commentary is provided by Bryce Remsburg, Eddie Kingston, UltraMantis Black, Mike Quackenbush, Leonard F. Chikarason and Gavin Loudspeaker.

Archibald Peck is with Veronica backstage. Peck says he has a recipe for success tonight with Los Ice Creams as his partners. Veronica is still upset at Peck’s loss to Cabana from “High Noon” and that he keeps making excuses for it. Veronica threatens to leave March Madness if Peck loses again.

Team JWP (Tsubasa Kuragaki, Kaori Yoneyama & Hanako Nakamori vs. Archibald Peck & Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.)

Hijo mocks Yoneyama’s height by asking for a test of strength. She rolls through the wristlocks and boots him in the mid-section. Yoneyama crossbody’s him for two. Hijo slams her but Yoneyama slips up and sends Hijo to the floor with a quesadora. Yoneyama fakes a dive and instead slaps Hijo in the back. Jr. consoles him on the floor, then tags in with Nakamori. Jr. backs her to the corner. She comes off the ropes with a crossbody for two. Jr. reverses her suplex attempt and brags about it. Hijo then tags in, but he and Jr. get sent to the floor by Nakamori. She follows out with a flying crossbody. Peck and Kuragaki tag in. Peck does not take his female competitor seriously at all. She slaps him in the chest, so he responds with a glove slap to the face. Kuragaki chops Peck silly in response. They run off the ropes and hit each other with simultaneous shoulder tackles. Kuragaki slams Peck after he tries to foil her by dropping down. She follows with a slingshot senton and a springboard dropkick. Both Ice Creams are frightened by her primal scream. Yoneyama crossbody’s Hijo for two. Hijo takes her down by her arm and stomps on. Los Ice Creams and Peck each take time wearing targeting their attack on Yoneyama’s arm. Peck gets in trouble for trying to lick the Ice Creams, but Jr. is able to regroup and keep Yoneyama in the Rudo corner. Yoneyama switches her way out of a Tennessee Water Pump, causing Jr. to wear down Hijo’s arm by accident. Yoneyama forearms Peck multiple times until Peck throws her down by her head. Yoneyama is able to counter a spin-out backbreaker with a DDT. She then kicks Peck in the side of the head and DDT’s him for two. She hits a top rope senton but Hijo and Jr. break the pin. They pitch Yoneyama to the floor to bring in Nakamori. She kicks them both to the mat and then drops them with double DDT’s for two. Kuragaki tags in and suplexes Jr. and Hijo. Yoneyama and Nakamori help Kuragaki put Peck and Hijo in a torture rack at the same time. They submit at 14:43. I really liked what I saw from the JWP team but I think we’ll see more of what they’re about as the weekend progresses. This showcased a lot of Los Ice Creams and Peck’s humor, which was good for the opener and to get the crowd warmed up. **1/2

GAMI vs. Sawako Shimono

Shimono is actually the student of GAMI, the founder of the WAVE promotion. GAMI breaks a strong lock-up in the ropes. She boots Shimono in the stomach, snaps her back with the top rope and boots her to the mat for two. Shimono fails to knock GAMI down with a shoulder block. Shimono drops her with a Samoan Drop and boots her in the stomach. GAMI smacks Shimono in the head with a plastic megaphone she brought to the ring multiple times. GAMI walks and walks backwards on the top rope while holding Shimono’s arm. Too much showboating allows Shimono to bring GAMI off the ropes. She crucifix pins GAMI for one. GAMI nails her with a superkick to block a corner attack. GAMI drops an elbow for two. Shimono and GAMI exchange forearms mid-ring. GAMI smacks Shimono a couple times in the face, as well as some forearm strikes. Shimono finally knocks her down with a pair of shoulder tackles. She hits the Earthquake Splash for two. GAMI powers Shimono into a backdrop to counter a powerbomb attempt. Shimono however Judo throws GAMI into a cross armbreaker. GAMI puts her foot on the bottom rope to break. Shimono Samoan drops her for two and heads up top. GAMI cuts her off with a super Frankensteiner for two. Shimono slips out of a full nelson. GAMI stomps on her face and pokes her in the eyes. Shimono catches GAMI coming off the top rope. She drops her with a Falcon Arrow for two. She goes for a second one but GAMI drops to a knee. She nails Shimono with a lariat for two. Shimono ducks a second lariat and cradles GAMI for two. GAMI back suplexes Shimono for two. GAMI comes off the top with an elbow drop for the pin at 10:03. The ending came out of nowhere, but up until that point the action was really good. GAMI was a great bully and Shimono was effective at being both sympathetic and making it look like she could go toe to toe with the woman who trained her. **3/4

Tim Donst says most people would expect him to rant and rave since Hallowicked stole his Young Lions Cup at “High Noon” but instead he’s concentrating on trying to hook up with one of the ladies tonight. He says that may lead him to Japan where he can confront current Young Lions Cup champion Tadasuke who is keeping the Cup in Japan. Donst says he can’t win the cup back from Tadasuke and blames Green Ant for the Cup being held captive since he was the one who failed at beating Tadasuke in the YLC finals. Donst says since he can’t win the Cup back, he’ll knock out Green Ant instead.

Green Ant vs. Tim Donst

Donst and Green Ant exchange holds whilst standing and take the exchange to the mat. Green Ant turns Donst’s straightjacket choke into an abdominal stretch. Donst grabs the ropes to break, then takes Green Ant over with a gutwrench suplex. Green Ant ducks a clothesline and takes Donst down with a quesadora and an armdrag. Green Ant follows him to the floor with a knee drop off the apron. Green Ant misses a dropkick to the side of the head. Donst brings him in from the apron with a belly-to-belly suplex. Donst batters Green Ant in the face with multiple forearms and twists his shoulder. Donst grabs his antennae after Green Ant delivers an overhead chop. He twists Green Ant’s nipples in the corner. Green Ant chops him in response. Donst brings Green Ant off the apron and to the floor with a backbreaker. Tim Donst stretches Green Ant’s back and arms out. Green Ant boots Donst to block a corner elbow. He hops over Donst and comes off the second rope with a headbutt to the chest. Green Ant headscissors Donst to the ropes. He dropkicks Donst in the side of the head from the apron for a two count. Donst sends referee Jon Barber into the ropes to crotch Green Ant on the top rope. Donst German suplexes Green Ant for two. Donst gets two after an STO as well. Green Ant and Donst trade strikes on the second rope. Green Ant elbows Donst in the side of the head and headbutts him to send him to the mat. Green Ant comes down with a swinging DDT. Green Ant nails a short-arm lariat for two, then transitions into the Cloverleaf. Donst grabs the bottom rope to break it. Donst powerbombs Green Ant twice and then climbs the ropes with Green Ant on his shoulders. He lands a super Donstitution for a two count. Green Ant blocks a Gator Roll with an Angle Slam. Donst throws Green Ant down by his bad arm and then locks on From Dusk til Donst. Green Ant taps out at 10:47. This was a step up from their encounter at “Maiden Flight” a couple months back. Donst is on the verge of breaking out to being a bonafide main eventer in CHIKARA, and he’s closer to that spot than further away. Green Ant too is quickly becoming the singles stand out of the Colony, making this a fine showcase for two of the companies rising stars. ***

Cherry & Ayako Hamada vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Mio Shirai

Shirai and Ozaki attack their partners at the beginning. Ozaki bits Cherry’s forehead while putting her in a headlock. She stomps on Cherry’s hands and then bites her hand while sitting on an armbar. Shirai also mocks and twists Cherry when she gets the opportunity. Cherry rolls Ozaki forward in order to tag Hamada, but Ozaki pulls Cherry back by her hair and with Shirai’s help keeps her in the corner. Cherry evades a clothesline from Shirai by cartwheeling into one of her own. Cherry drops Shirai into a reverse DDT out of a Dragon sleeper. She puts on a cross armbreaker which Ozaki breaks with a Dragon kick. Shirai drops her with an STO for two. Ozaki comes in to bully Cherry some more. Cherry suplexes her way free and finally tags in Hamada. Ozaki knees her in the corner and brings in Shirai. Hamada kicks her down and nails Ozaki with an enzuigiri. Hamada headbutts them both, but they come back with a double boot. Hamada grabs their wrists and flips off the top rope into stereo armdrags. Cherry connects with a double clothesline. Hamada suplexes Ozaki for two. Ozaki and Hamada duck each others’ moves until Hamada kicks Ozaki in the head. Hamada misses a top rope moonsault. Ozaki nails her with a double axe handle for two. Shirai blasts Hamada with three kicks to the head. She then hits an enzuigiri for two. Hamada DDT’s her to stop her momentum. Shirai small packages Hamada to block a suplex for two. Hamada German suplexes Shirai to the corner. Shirai rolls Hamada into a modified armbreaker. Cherry kicks Shirai off. Ozaki sends Cherry to the floor. Shirai forearms Hamada in the face for two. Hamada powerbombs Shirai for two. Cherry goes up top. Hamada slams Shirai. Cherry follows with a somersault senton bomb. Hamada then hits a second rope moonsault but Ozaki breaks the pin. Hamada headbutts Shirai. Shirai hits a running knee strike for two. Ozaki delivers a Shining Wizard and Shirai hits an enzuigiri. Cherry again saves Hamada from being pinned. Shirai accidentally kicks Ozaki in the side of the head. Hamada spin kicks Shirai. Ozaki has the wherewithal to break the pin still. Hamada drops Shirai with a Michinoku Driver for the pin at 15:07. If you want to talk about perfect roles being played, Ozaki and Cherry had some of the best bully/babyface interaction you’ve ever seen. Hamada is just as good as you have seen her in TNA, and Shirai also brought the goods. In essence, this was the perfect blend of storytelling and ring work. ***1/4

Uematsu cuts a promo in Japanese backstage. David from Diva Dirt is in the ring and presents Manami Toyota with a Lifetime Achievement award.

Manami Toyota vs. Toshie Uematsu

Uematsu refuses to shake Toyota’s hand. Toyota nails her with a dropkick at the bell in response. Toyota chases Uematsu around the ring and stops when Uematsu slides back in the ring. Uematsu surprisingly holds the ropes open for her. They end up on the ropes where Toyota knocks Uematsu back to the mat. Toyota comes off the top rope with a dropkick and ties Uematsu’s arms in the ropes. Toyota goes for a dropkick but Uematsu escapes just in the time. Uematsu now chases Toyota around the ring. Toyota slides back in and lets Uematsu back in as well. Out of a test of strength, Toyota runs the ropes into an armdrag. Toyota puts on a Camel Clutch, transitioning into a kamigatame. She laces it with her left leg and leans back into a bridging chinlock, shaking Uematsu’s head. Uematsu escapes and puts on an octopus stretch. Toyota struggles to the ropes to break it. Uematsu is clearly frustrated. Regardless, Toyota puts her in her own octopus stretch. Toyota puts Uematsu in the Romero Special afterwards. Toyota releases and kicks Uematsu’s inner thighs. She forces Uematsu’s into the splits before putting on a figure four leg lock. Uematsu rolls to the ropes to break the hold. Uematsu grabs Toyota’s nose and slaps her hand down to inflict more damage. Uematsu does it once more. Uematsu comes off the second rope with a dropkick. She calls Toyota to her feet and hits a second one. Uematsu slaps Toyota’s nose and puts Toyota in a figure four leg lock of her own. Uematsu does sit-ups over the edge of the ring apron to add more pain to the hold. Uematsu misses a top rope splash, allowing Toyota to go up top herself and deliver a top rope dropkick. Toyota hits another dropkick for two. Toyota yakuza kicks Uematsu in the corner. Uematsu responds with a back elbow and some boot scrapes. She face washes Toyota before picking her up. Toyota hits a German suplex. Uematsu gets up and rolls Toyota into a reverse prawn hold for two. Uematsu hits the ropes but gets booted to the floor. Toyota follows after with a crossbody from the top rope. Toyota misses a moonsault back in the ring. Uematsu capitalizes with a top rope dropkick. Toyota pops up but gets rolled up for two. Uematsu spits water into Toyota’s eyes and rolls her up for two. Uematsu superkicks Toyota to the ropes and rides a face wash kick to the floor. Uematsu missile dropkicks Toyota in her ribs for two. A Superfly splash also gets her two. Uematsu tries for a Dragon suplex. Toyota instead rolls Uematsu around on the mat in a cradle. Uematsu slides off Toyota’s shoulders, Dragon suplexing her for two. Toyota responds with the Queen Bee Bomb. Once on their feet, Toyota hits the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the pin at 19:50. This was just two top notch Joshi talents putting showcasing their talent. Toyota proves time and time again just how good she is every time she comes to CHIKARA and Uematsu matched up with her along the way. Like the last match, this had a great hero/villain dynamic which made it that much more enjoyable. ***1/2

Campeonatos de Parejas
F.I.S.T. (Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano) (Campeones) vs. The Colony (Fire Ant & Soldier Ant)

This is F.I.S.T’s third defense of the titles. Fire Ant wins the opening exchange, sending Gargano to the corner with a headscissors and then to the floor with the Stop, Drop and Roll. Soldier Ant takes Taylor to the corner with a saluting headscissors as well. The Colony double flapjack Taylor and deliver a falling headbutt/senton combo for two. Gargano gets slammed by Soldier Ant. Fire Ant hits him with two sentons before Soldier Ant hits a falling headbutt for one. Fire Ant gets one with a fireman’s carry. Soldier Ant gets two with a small package. Gargano knees Fire Ant and brings him to the F.I.S.T. corner. Taylor tags in and gets chopped Karate Kid style in the corner. Soldier Ant and Fire Ant team up on Taylor, taking turns attacking him in opposite corners. Gargano knees Soldier Ant from the apron. Soldier Ant forearms Gargano off the apron. Taylor however rolls him up and Gargano holds Taylor’s boots to give them the first fall at 6:25. Both teams fight to the floor at the beginning of the second fall. Taylor whips Fire Ant into the guardrail and brings in Soldier Ant from the apron with a Falcon Arrow. F.I.S.T. team up on Soldier Ant while Fire Ant recovers. Although Soldier Ant got a tag, Taylor purposefully distracted Bryce Remsburg so that he would miss it. Taylor misses a quebrada after Gargano’s slingshot senton. Soldier Ant rolls Taylor up after missing the move to pick up the second fall at 13:08.

Soldier Ant goes to the floor, tagging in Fire Ant. Fire Ant comes in with a crossbody. He uses Taylor to send Gargano to the floor with a headscissors. He moonsaults into a DDT on Taylor. He tope con hilo’s onto Gargano while Soldier Ant comes off the top with a saluting headbutt to Taylor for two. Taylor gets sent out with Revenge of the Ants. The Colony then double boot Gargano and look for Ants Marching. Taylor instead dropkicks Fire Ant into a neckbreaker from Gargano for two. A series of strikes knocks all four combatants down to the mat. Both teams slug it out with forearms. Taylor drops Fire Ant with the Sole Food while Gargano rolls Soldier Ant into a low enzuigiri. Taylor tosses Fire Ant into an ace crusher from Gargano for two. Fire Ant baseball slides out to give Taylor a headscissors on the floor. In the ring, Soldier Ant goes for the TKO on Gargano. Gargano evades it and hits two superkicks. Soldier Ant barrel rolls Gargano for two. He then transitions into the CHIKARA Special. Taylor superkicks his partner free. Taylor catches Fire Ant coming up the ropes. He fights both Taylor and Gargano off. He misses the Heat of the Moment. Taylor throws Fire Ant into double boots from Gargano. F.I.S.T. hit stereo low superkicks for two. Fire Ant sends Gargano to the floor by Burning Down the House. Soldier Ant suicide dives onto him. Fire Ant antzuigiri’s Taylor twice. They each block the others’ signature moves. Taylor shrugs off a stunner and delivers the Awful Waffle for two. He turns Fire Ant over in the Cross Crab. Gargano takes out Soldier Ant on the floor while Fire Ant taps at 20:54. This was not the best match both teams have had with one another, and I think a lot of it was to blame on the quiet Philadelphia crowd. Sure, it wasn’t spectacular and nothing we haven’t seen from both teams, but still a very good defense and potentially the match of the night so far. The 20 minutes flew by as the action was constant and always interesting. ***1/2

Sara Del Rey vs. Aja Kong

Kong cuts a promo backstage in Japanese. She also uses “Electric Eye” by Judas Priest as her entrance theme, so she already gets a thumbs up from me. Kong turns her back to Sara in a sign of disrespect. Sara attacks Kong and twists up her arm. Kong takes Sara’s legs out and kicks her in thigh. Sara shoves Kong and trades chops with her. Kong doesn’t budge from Sara’s headbutt. Kong headbutts her right back after being slammed head first into the top turnbuckle. Kong clotheslines Sara in the corner for two. She cranks on a headlock, keeping Sara grounded. Sara elbows her way free, but then gets choked on the middle rope. Kong throws her down out of a tree slam and reapplies the headlock. Sara rolls her into a cross armbreaker. Kong gets to the ropes right away. Kong shrugs off Sara’s dropkicks and forearm strikes. One big slap brings Sara to her knees. Kong scoop slams Sara for two. Kong puts on a sleeper hold with a bodyscissors. Sara escapes by getting her feet to the ropes. She kicks Sara in the side of the head and boots her thrice for a two count. Sara gets two again with an axe kick. Kong drops out of Sara’s suplex attempt and kicks her in the forehead. Kong mows her down with a lariat and goes up top. Sara punches Kong to the floor. Sara follows with a somersault senton off the apron. In the ring Sara gets two with a Koppu Kick. Sara brings her to the mat in a Fujiwara armbar. Kong inches towards the ropes to break it. Kong slams Sara and climbs the ropes. Sara throws her off. She hits a high kick to the head but Kong kicks out at one. Sara German suplexes Kong for two. Kong pulls Bryce in the way so Sara accidentally hits him with a Koppu Kick. Kong slaps Sara and brings a small metal trash can into the ring. She bashes Sara in the head with it and drops her with a Saito suplex. Sara ducks the Uraken and rolls Kong up for the pin at 11:50. This was a huge win for Sara and it’s awesome to see her get this dream match. The action was as hard hitting as you would expect, but not as much as say Sara’s match with Kana a couple months ago. The Philly crowd did this match no favors either. I actually thought this could have used a few more minutes, but it was still enjoyable for the time allotted. ***1/4

Kong knocks down a few of the Joshi talent hanging around ringside. She then tells the crowd that she will be back. Let’s hope it’s for King of Trios.

Overall: An excellent start to the weekend. The final three matches were all very good, but didn’t necessarily reach the lofty expectations I had set forth. Regardless, over half the card ranked three stars or higher which says a lot about the consistency of quality. It’s a good show, but I still contend that it wasn’t as good in execution than it was on paper. Still, Joshimania Night 1 gets a solid recommendation.

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