Feliz Aniversario, Chikara!

Only in Chikara

Nine years ago today, Chikara Pro Wrestling was founded by "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush and Reckless Youth. Over the near-decade, Youth left and several men and women wrestled under the Chikara banner. They've also proven themselves to be on the cutting edge of what wrestling can be and frankly should be. No, I'm not saying that the WWE should hire a bunch of masked wrestlers with comedic-tinged gimmicks. However, I do think the WWE could stand to learn from the tone and tenor of Chikara. Same with TNA. Tell you the absolute truth, same with ROH as well.

The atmosphere of Chikara is the biggest reason why I'm such a major fanboy for the fed. They know how to have a sense of humor about themselves while knowing when to keep things serious. Even the serious stuff is never too intensely humorless to the point where you can't get a laugh. The major difference between wrestling and "entertainment" to me is that I think there should always be a tinge of comedy, of a sense of humor, mainly because of crowd involvement and interaction. Quack and company know this, and thus there are always a ton of smiles to go with the oohs, aahs and oh nos involved in any show.

Over the last 2+ years that I've been following, I've seen them really hit their stride. Each year seems to be better than the last. 2010 was amazing, and so far, from what I've seen in 2011, they're improving upon that product, which to me seems astounding given how high they set the bar last year. The rep is only growing, as they attract more and more name guest stars to weave within the tapestry of the amazing native roster on their watch. And as more and more people find out about the promotion, more and more people fall in love with it.

It's never too late to get in on secret. What better birthday present can you give to Chikara than to give them a look, give them a chance? You can start out by peeping their Youtube page. It includes their move spotlights - the Throwdown Lowdown and Video des Kreuzes - as well as the Podcast-a-Go-Go, which now has taken to airing full matches. If you like that, then go to Smart Mark Video and order a DVD, or go right to their page and see if/when they're coming to your area. Trust me, you'll be hooked, just like me.

And then next year, when their anniversary comes around again, you can be just like me and wish them more and more years of continued success.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!