C'mon, Irene: Chikara Young Lions Cup IX Preview

Is Green Ant this year's YLC Champion?

Hurricane Irene, she's a real bitch, isn't she?

Already truncated from three days down to two this year, Chikara's annual Young Lions Cup Tournament has gotten the shortening treatment down to one day thanks to the burgeoning menace that is this year's major hurricane. So, instead of two days of mirth, merriment and new wrestlers making splashes to the Easton audience, the entire proceedings will be compressed into one day at the Palmer Center, Saturday at 4:30 PM (note the change in time from your tickets). Tickets for both days will be honored, and if you can't make it, or you have tickets to BOTH events, then you can get a refund by contacting the promotion at their website.

The only thing that's been announced so far is that all scheduled Cup tournament matches will happen. Other matches, like the 12 Large Summit tournament matches, the Countdown Showdown and the like, don't have clear statuses, although the Website lists other bouts to take place in addition to the seven match tournament to crown a new Young Lions Cup Champion.

So, what's the deal with this tournament anyway? Frightmare is still the Champion, and he's not even involved, right? Well, to understand the nature of the Cup would be to understand why they hold a YLC every year. The Cup is defended as a regular Championship among anyone in the promotion who is under the age of 25. The stipulation is that once you've held the title, you can't challenge back for it, and each "year" is an iteration of it. It's a title that embodies youth, hungriness and the constant turnover that happens in the wrestling business. Frightmare's reign is considered a great success since he went wire to wire as the YLC VIII Champ. Player Dos, for example, wasn't as lucky, as his reign was ended in January of 2010 by Tim Donst.

The tournament format, as foreshadowed by the initial decrease in days, has changed. In years past, it was set up as a 24-man fray with 12 "qualifier" matches, two big six-man eliminator matches and then a final on the third day. This year, there are only 16 men in the tourney. There will be four quarterfinal four-way elimination matches and then one-on-one matches from there on out - two semifinals and one final. The four matches shake out as such:

Green Ant vs. Will-o-the-Wisp II (there was a first one?) vs. Robbie Eagles vs. Kobold

Greg Iron vs. Chase Owens vs. Wil Maximo vs. Jakob Hammermeir

Nick Jackson vs. Mark Andrews vs. Tadasuke vs. Sean South

Archibald Peck vs. MK McKinnan vs. Milo Shizo vs. Mat Fitchett

That is an impressive list from the guys that I do know. The guys I don't? Well, that's a big reason why I look forward to YLC weekend each year. There's always an introduction to people you normally don't get to see. Mike Quackenbush is very much a student of the game, and he's always looking to bring in new talent, whether it's people known to the wrestling world like Manami Toyota or those who are wild cards, like Sindarin or Kaio last year (the former having appeared off and on for NWA Hollywood) and this year, folks like Sean South and Mat Fitchett.

Let's break down each match though as best as I can. The first match, there are roster regulars Green Ant and Kobold. Both are known quantities. In fact, with the Flex Express angle behind him, I'd say not only is Greenie a heavy favorite in this match, but in the entire tournament as well. Kobold is probably the least exposed member of the Chikara roster, but he's under the evil influence of the Batiri, so you can expect some shenanigans on his behalf. Will-o-the-Wisp II is a complete unknown to me, although he does have a neat looking mask. Robbie Eagles is from the Land Down Under, and as you can expect from his last name, he is related to current SHIMMER Champion and hiatused-Chikara roster member Madison Eagles. He's her brother-in-law. That pedigree bodes well for him, and hopefully, he'll be a better representation of the Australian males than Kabel and Percy T were at King of Trios. I expect Green Ant to win this match, but look out for Kobold, as he looks to stake his claim as more than just "Evil Midget Hydra."

Match two has three known names in it. Greg Iron was the new hotness in indie wrestling after CM Punk put him over after an AAW show in Berwyn. He truly is an inspiration, becoming a cult favorite despite being limited by cerebral palsy. His main roadblock in this match will be Jakob Hammermeir, or to be more specific, Hammermeir and the rest of his BDK backing. We actually saw seeds be planted for their tension at Chikarasaurus Rex, Night 1, when in the surprise match, Iron and Hammermeir locked up. Iron got laid out by the BDK after a ref bump, but won the match thanks to UltraMantis Black saving him from the announce table. I figure these two will be the main focus of the match. I see either Iron winning despite shenanigans or Hammermeir winning because of them. That's not to say that Wil Maximo or Chase Owens are dogmeat. Maximo impressed me enough King of Trios weekend. He's a serviceable high-flying type, and he'll provide some fireworks. Owens is someone that I'm completely new to.

The toughest match in which to pick a winner is the third one. Nick Jackson seems like he's the obvious choice because he's the most known one, but then again, that hasn't always been Chikara's MO. Tadasuke is making his first appearance for the promotion since King of Trios '10 when he teamed with Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada. He's known to bring the pain, and is a counterbalance to Jackson's high flying style. That being said, both Jackson and Tadasuke both like to play the villain, which could be a good thing for Sean South and Mark Andrews, both guys who are unknown quantities to me. If I had to flip a coin, I'd say Tadasuke takes this match, but again, I have no clue.

Finally, there's the last match. Archibald Peck is the marquee name here, although technically, he's too old for the competition. That being said, he gave a call to his lawyer, the Barrister RD Evans (totally two different people, I swear!) and argued that in metric years, he was eligible to compete on the count that he is Canadian and they go by the metric system. I think picking him in this match might be a bit too easy though. The problem is, I don't know enough about the other three guys in the match - Milo Shizo (a Delirious protege/clone), MK McKinnan (British star), Mat Fitchett (appeared for ACW and given rave reviews by Brandon Stroud) - to make an educated guess.

Regardless of how those matches turn out, I really feel like this is going to be a fun, if compacted, event. The stock of the guys I can vouch for is pretty high, especially with natives such as Green Ant and Marchie Archie populating the ranks. If you're in the area, and you want to do something before you get blown away by Hurricane Irene, stop by Easton and buy a ticket. I think the Cup this year is going to have a special atmosphere given how chaotic things are surrounding it.

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

Future Endeavors 7/30 Power Poll: We Rushed Punk... Back to the Top of the Power Poll

Problem?
Photo Credit: WWE.com; manipulation: unknown

Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Daniel Bro-yan, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:

1. CM Punk (1)
2. John Cena (6)
3. Rey Mysterio (7)
4. Alberto Del Rio (3)
5. Christian (4)
6. Daniel Bryan (2)
7. Dolph Ziggler (NR)
8. The Miz (8)
9. Mark Henry (5)
10. Zack Ryder (NR)

And now, my ballot:

1. CM Punk - OH NOES THEY RUSHED HIM BACK HURRRR

2. Kevin Steen - Three matches at PWG EIGHT, three wins, including taking home the World Championship. If it weren't for CM Punk, Steen would be the hottest property in wrestling right now, I think.

3. Gregory Iron - Yeah, he lost his match at AAW, but he got a rub from Punk that every other wrestler in the world would kill for.

4. Rey Mysterio - He may have been Champion for only 90 minutes, but what a 90 minutes it was!

5. John Cena - Yeah, he got shown up by Punk, but hey, that match with Mysterio was awesome.

6. Daniel Bryan - He's cashing in at WrestleMania! It's a long way off, and a lot could happen, but, *sniff*, our boy is growing up.

7. Dolph Ziggler - Hey guys? Dolph Ziggler's pretty good.

8. Christian - He's a sneaky fella, fella. Wait, that was supposed to be Sheamus related. This is Christian. Oh well, be that as it may, Christian is still tearing it up on Fridays.

9. The Miz - The match between him and Mysterio was a seriously good tilt. His ring work is catching up with his character.

10. Jim Ross - BAH GAWD. BAH GAWD. BAH GAWD. Yeah he's not a wrestler. No, I don't give a shit. It was good hearing JR again.

Good on You, Gregory Iron

A true inspiration
Photo Credit. Lyle C. Williams

I've been aware of Gregory Iron for almost a year now. He made his Chikara debut last year in the Young Lions Cup, and he's made two appearances since, splitting a pair of matches with Icarus. He's also been a standout in several big Midwest indies, including AIW, CLASH, PWO and of course, AAW. In that last fed is where he went from being a rising star on the Midwestern scene to becoming a household name with indie wrestling fans, thanks to one CM Punk.

Of course, the subject of that putting-over was something that was news to me. I should have known about it, since Iron blogged about it for the Chikara Pro site, but I guess I missed that one. Still, regardless of when I heard Iron had been competing in pro wrestling rings around the country despite having cerebral palsy? I was dumbfounded. Then I was inspired.

In a business where sleaze and heartbreak can be the rule of the day, it's very rare to find a true, feelgood story like Iron's. If he can overcome a physical handicap to be a pro wrestler, and from what I've heard a damn good one too, then what the hell is my excuse? I'm only fat, and that was my own doing. Why am I not running marathons or playing rec league sports or climbing mountains? I don't have any real limitations, at least ones that I can't overcome through a little hard work. Yet, Iron was born with a limiting disease, and he's excelling at a medium of entertainment that can be very demanding even for the completely able-bodied.

So yeah, he's inspiring me to do more with my own life. Maybe I won't be a pro wrestler or climb Everest, but maybe each week, I'll get a little more active and a little more active until I'm down to a goal weight and and happy with my body to the point where I'm not wasting what I have. Guys like Iron have less, and are making more with it than I have to this point.

That's why he should be lauded. That's why when Punk came out and put him over in Berwyn, it was something long overdue. Every wrestler who has ever heard of Iron should step forward and praise this guy, because his story is special.

Hopefully, he hits it bigger and comes by the East Coast more often. Until then, all I can do is offer my words and hope it's a good enough tribute to a guy who deserves all the tributes that can be offered.

Weekend Wrap-Up: Gregory Iron, Household Name

- On a weekend where arguably the best indie promotion not on television had its anniversary event with a big title change, the biggest news of the weekend came not from Southern California but from Berwyn, IL and AAW. As I noted on here, CM Punk came to their show Saturday and cut a promo putting over one Gregory Iron (not on WWE as was originally reported). Here's the video:

Iron, man!
Photo Credit: Lyle C. Williams

That is some classy, classy stuff right there. I had no idea that Iron suffered from cerebral palsy. That's awesome that he's wrestling at all given his condition. It's also awesome that Punk did that promo for Iron. As for the show, the big promo came after Iron and Colt Cabana lost a tag match to the Awesome Threesome. Also on the card, Michael Elgin took out Brent B, Arik Cannon defeated Jimmy Jacobs, and Silas Young regained the AAW Heavyweight Championship with a 2 falls to 1 win over Dan Lawrence.

- Speaking of new Champions, PWG has a new World Titleholder, and it's not Chris Hero either. Kevin Steen won the title, defeating Champ Claudio Castagnoli to regain the strap, this after having wrestled two other matches that evening. Talking about being an iron man. This is a great move, I think, as PWG has always struck when the iron is hot, this being yet another example of that. IT was also Claudio's second match of the evening, as he had defeated Hero one-on-one in the match before his loss. Steen defeated PAC in the opener and teamed with CIMA to defeat the Young Bucks in a grudge tag match. Also on the card saw Roderick Strong and Alex Shelley defeat Ricochet and El Generico, and the RockNES Monsters taking out Joey Ryan and Scorpio Sky.

- El Hijo del Bamboo is your Burger King of the Ring, crowned Saturday in Danbury at the latest Interspecies Wrestling Show. He defeated Frankie Arion in the final. The tournament also featured Pinkie Sanchez, Player Uno and a guy named Lloyd Cthulowitz. Oddly enough, Llody Cthulowitz is my new favorite name in all of wrestling. Also on the card, Twiggy defeated Eddie Kingston in a No DQ match.

- Finally, it seems the Osirian Portal cannot catch a break as Ophidian dropped a blog today stating that his jaw has been wired shut and he'll be out for a month or so. Damn, given Amasis' recent retirement, I guess that's a fleshwound comparatively speaking, but it still sucks. The Egyptian time travelers can't catch a break, can they? Someone wrap Hieracon in cellophane! In all seriousness, here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the Venomous and Vile Serpent from the Nile.