The King of Trios

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend all three night’s of Chikara’s King of Trios 2011 Tournament.  I’ve been familiar with the Chikara product for a while, but this was my first time experiencing the action live.  To say I was impressed would be an understatement.  I’ve been to three WrestleManias, plenty of Raws & Nitros, ECW tapings, Ring of Honor Manhattan supershows, and enough general indy shows to write a book about.  King of Trios was the most entertaining event I’ve ever attended.  Actually, King of Trios was the most entertaining THREE events I’ve ever attended.  The pageantry and comic book sensibilities of Chikara are unlike anything you’ve ever seen, and to peg them as just another independent wrestling promotion is one of the gravest injustices you can do yourself.  The combination of athleticism, humor, and over-the-top theatrics at this weekends’ events are unrivaled by any show I’ve ever witnessed.  Chikara is in a class of its own.  More thoughts on the shows, along with some more pictures (1-2-3 Kid included), after the jump.

For those not familiar with the concept of King of Trios, it’s a tournament held involving 16 teams of three.  The participants come from all over the world, with numerous countries and companies represented at the shows.  This lends to the events showcasing at least some talent with which you may not be familiar, and it’s a great way to acquaint yourself with knowledge of new wrestlers and styles.  The teams were as varied as they were numerous, ranging from Chikara staples like F.I.S.T. (Friends in Similar Tights) and the Osirian Portal to teams representing Australia and Osaka Pro.  The Amazing Red was on hand to team with his cousins, the Maximos (perhaps better known as S.A.T.), and former WWE talent Kizarny joined the Batiri in the tournament.  Especially impressive were team Dragon Gate, made up of Akira Tozawa, KAGETORA & Super Shisa, none of whom I was familiar with prior to this weekend.  Team Michinoku Pro was also a spectacular sight to witness – seeing legends the Great Sasuke, Dick Togo, and Jinsei Shinzaki (formerly Hakushi) perform live was a true privilege.  It was equally awe-inspiring to see Manami Toyota make a rare North American appearance.

And of course, there was the 1-2-3 Kid.  I’ve seen Sean Waltman wrestle live on a number of occasions, even in the very same venue in which King of Trios was held, and I’ve never been too attached to his work.  At King of Trios, though, it was different.  Resurrecting his 1-2-3 Kid persona, Waltman was into it.  He was clearly emotional after receiving an outstanding ovation from the crowd, and with his heart into it, he gave one of the best performances I’ve ever seen him deliver.  The lightning strikes of the Cannonball Kid never struck such a chord as they did this weekend.  At Sunday’s event, the last of the shows, Waltman made a heart-felt speech thanking the crowd for the forgiveness they’ve shown him after some of the mistakes he made in the past.  He went on to say that this year might prove to be his last in wrestling, to which the crowd responded by chanting “You still got it.”  It was kind of magical to see him in those old trunks again, and it was easy to cheer for the Kid, the loveable underdog that he is.  At one point, he even stood in the ring opposite his old Federation rival Hakushi, which drew “1995” chants from the Philadelphia crowd.

The sentimentality of seeing the Kid, Sauske, and Dick Toga was spectacular, but it was the in-ring work of Chikara’s own that stole the show.  Guys like Jigsaw, Marshe Rockett, and Young Lions Cup Champion Frightmare did what they do best and kept the crowd on the edge of their seats for the duration of their contests.  In addition to the fantastic matches, the humor was uncanny.  From slow motion wrestling, to Ultimate Spider Jr. tangling opponents up in invisible web, to the absolute genius of Colt Cabana’s Matt Classic character, I laughed ’til my sides hurt this weekend.  Newcomer Archibald Peck deserves special mention in his “Leader of the Band” character, too.  He was absolutely hilarious and had the audience eating out of his hand; I hope there’s plenty more Peck in Chikara’s future.  The crowd was hot the whole weekend, popping the faces and riding the heels pretty hard.  I think F.I.S.T. member Icarus generates more heat than Michael Cole & Vickie Guerrero combined, and the visiting stars from other promotions were all serenaded with “Please come back” chants.  Personally, I think that the BDK’s ring announcer, Jakob Hammermeier, was the star of the weekend, but that’s just me.  Check out King of Trios, people, the DVDs are already available.