CHIKARA "Tag World Grand Prix 2005 Night 3"
February 20, 2005
Pittston, Pennsylvania
With Commentary by Dave Prazak, "The King of Diamonds" Eddie Kingston, "Sweet and Sour" Larry Sweeney, and Trik Davis

"The Barbaric Berserker" Jimmy Jacobs, Danny Daniels, and Allison Danger vs. D.J. Hyde, Jon Dahmer, and "The King of Diamonds" Eddie Kingston

After a couple comedy moments and some hard strikes, Jacobs hits a good-looking flying hurricanrana off the 2nd rope to D.J. Hyde. D.J. responds with a wheelbarrow-to-half-nelson backbreaker. After taking a nasty Piledriver from Danny Daniels, Eddie Kingston rolls up Allison Danger and grabs the tights to get the cheap win.

Analysis: A good opener, but I didn't care for the amount of time it stalled. Everything you would expect it to be from everyone involved, but not much more. Kingston was good at getting somewhat cheap heel heat, Jacobs was playful but could get stiff, D.J. Hyde threw around a bunch of people, etc. Not the greatest start, but it was a nice way to get the event rolling. **¾

The SuperFriends (Chris Hero and "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush) vs. Team I.W.S. ("Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen and "The Generic One" El Generico)

After plenty of chain wrestling and a few funny parts, Steen's arm becomes a point of focus for Hero and Quackenbush. There's an almost-obligatory crowd dive, followed by Steen and Hero stiffing each other. After a small bit of everyone fighting in-ring, Quackenbush hits a crazy somersault senton when he runs through the crowd and flies above the ring, nailing Steen spot-on. Quackenbush rolls through on a powerbomb attempt to score the victory.

Analysis: The show's first good match. It had a lot of entertaining moments, many of them different; some were usual but done well. Everyone played out their usual character aspects: Hero was the chain wrestler who could stiff you and had a temper, Quackenbush was the chain wrestler that could fly, El Generico was the funny guy that could drop you on your head, Steen was the guy that stiffed you and dropped you on your head and could fly. To be really honest, I expected a bit more from these four, but that's mostly because I'm such a big fan of them all. Still, I wasn't disappointed, just a bit underwhelmed. And this was still a fine match. ***

Jigsaw and Sabian vs. The Death Match Kings (Mad Man Pondo and Necro Butcher)

Pondo argues with Necro about whether they should "wrestle" or not, and so they wrestle instead of brawling. Sabian and Jigsaw use their speed to their advantage; while Pondo does all sorts of weird stuff (for him) like an Avalanche Hurricanrana and a praying rope walk into an armdrag. Whenever Necro comes in, he just stiffs the crap out of whomever he's facing. In the end, Pondo abandons "wrestling" and hits Jigsaw with a stop sign, producing a sickening thud and causing the referee to disqualify the Death Match Kings. Post-match, Pondo and Necro assault Sabian and Jigsaw in various ways, the highlight of which sees Pondo hitting Jigsaw with a somersault senton through two chairs (one of which was on Jigsaw, the other of which was put in-between two other chairs) and a stop sign.

Analysis: Although the ending wasn't to my taste, the post-match beat-down brought the match back up. There was some actual wrestling from Pondo, and everyone else did more of the same. Like Night 2, Pondo's "Hey, look at me! I can wrestle!" comedy moments didn't exactly bust a gut, but they were good for a quick laugh. The match was good as well, and the story delivered. **¾

"The Anarchist" Arik Cannon and "Double C" Claudio Castagnoli vs. Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy (Jolly Roger and Lance Steel)

After some chain wrestling, Lance Steel hits the Joust to the outside onto both Castagnoli and Cannon. Castagnoli manages to get in a many-revolution swinging full nelson. Jolly Roger is isolated, and a few highspots, stiff-shots, and cluster-****s later, Cannon and Castagnoli pick up the win with their Glimmering Warlock => Pyramid Bomb combination.

Analysis: It was good, but a few things held it back. The same basic formula for a tag match had already been done to death by this point: both teams start out average and flashy, then one guy is isolated, then there's a big brawl, etc. It's just gotten formulaic by this point. And, even though it's a cool combo, having every match won with the Glimmering Warlock to Pyramid Bomb is kinda-sorta getting on my nerves. I want Cannon and Castagnoli to do more than hit their signature moves and offense. Still, it was another good match, just a bit tiring when you've seen so much of its kind by this point. ***

Team Osaka Pro (Ebessan and Billy Ken Kid) vs. Team Toryumon X (Milanito Collection A.T. and Skayde)

As one could expect, there's everything you've seen before done here: there's some comedy by Ebessan, some athletic counter-to-counter sequences, a few highspots, a few submissions... everything. After Skayde saves Milanito from getting pinned after an Air Raid Crash, Team Osaka Pro gets the win following a 450° Splash.

Analysis: Like the match before it, too formulaic for my tastes. I could've predicted the kind of stuff that happened here blindfolded. It's not that everything was done bad…it was just that it had all been done before, multiple times, in the span of three days. I know the "everything (figuratively speaking) has been done before, so that's not a valid point" argument is there, but my main point is that I've seen this exact same match in a tournament that spanned three days, not the entire sum of all the wrestling I've ever watched. And for that, it gets only a somewhat-above-average score. **¾

"The Anarchist" Arik Cannon and "Double C" Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jigsaw and Sabian

Arik and Claudio sprint to the ring to get a sneaky advantage, but Jigsaw and Sabian soon turn the tables and hit simultaneous somersault senton's to the outside. Then it's basically anyone's game with a few near-falls, but eventually Sabian is isolated due to his bad arm, which becomes a focus point for Cannon and Castagnoli. Sabian is spun around a bunch of times after taking an airplane spin by Cannon, and then a Full Nelson spin by Castagnoli. Arik Cannon fakes an injury so Claudio can blindside and incapacitate Jigsaw, then Sabian is blasted and defeated with the Glimmering Warlock => Pyramid Bomb combination Arik and Claudio have been using for the entire tournament.

Analysis: Very nice, with lots of good moments and plenty of story to tell. The premise is that Sabian and Jigsaw are running on empty after the beatdown by the Death Match Kings, but still have enough fight to try and win, and still respect their opponents despite the Death Match Kings completely disrespecting them, as evidenced when Jigsaw and Sabian left Cannon alone when they believed he had an injury. On the flip-side, Cannon and Castagnoli are operating like a well-oiled machine by this point, and even though they didn't need a cheap win, they wanted to get one anyway just to prove that they could. The story flowed at a good pace, as did the moves and occasional highspots. All in all, a good match. ***

The SuperFriends (Chris Hero and "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush) vs. Team Osaka Pro (Ebessan and Billy Ken Kid)

Ebessan does some Ric Flair impersonations in a good comedy segment. Quackenbush and Hero do all the chain wrestling they're known for, and Ebessan impersonates more people. After a nice corkscrew body press off the top turnbuckle to the outside onto Billy Ken Kid by Quackenbush, Ebessan is cut off and has his back torqued in various ways. After Ken Kid tags in, there's a multi-man brawl and some near-falls. Chris Hero polishes off Ebessan with the Hero's Welcome while Quackenbush keeps Billy Ken Kid at bay, giving them the win and sending the SuperFriends into the finals.

Analysis: The match benefited from some good chain wrestling and a nice sense of foreboding. Ebessan was his usual hilarious self, and still proved to have a big will to win. Quackenbush had the same fire he always has when he gets into a match, but Hero showed the first signs of cracking under pressure as he occasionally let his temper bring out a more vicious side to him, even more than it had before. Billy Ken Kid was a great secondary character to support and bail out Ebessan in his time of need. The wrestling itself was good, and to be honest, I actually preferred how the highspots were used very sparingly in the match. The focal point was the psychology and the way everyone involved was dealing with the pressure and need to make it into the finals, which produced an involving, entertaining semi-final matchup. ***

Matt Turner, Anthony Franco, J.C. Ryder, and Lucky vs. Beef Wellington, The Bear, and F.I.S.T. (Gran Akuma and Icarus)

After some basic hold-for-hold exchanges and stand-offish stuff, Gran Akuma is isolated and takes a nasty backdrop by Matt Turner, followed by an equally nasty double stomp to his back by J.C. Ryder. Gran Akuma gets some revenge by way of a sick front dropkick right to the face of Lucky. Beef Wellington stuns the crowd with a Double Ass Punch to Lucky and J.C. Ryder, who sell it by flipping themselves over. The inevitable brawl breaks out; there are lots of near-falls, and even more highspots. Matt Turner sneaks in a Fujiwara Armbar on The Bear, causing The Bear to tap out. Post-match, everyone shakes hands.

Analysis: A good spotfest that had a lot going for it: the diversity of the characters, the mixing and matching of different opponents, some good spots, and nice comedy moments. It was, as expected, a complete spot-for-spot match, but everything was pulled off well. Though I've seen better, I've seen worse, and this one entertained and was good enough to earn it some praise. ***

Shane Storm, "Tremendous" Emil Sitoci, Trik Davis, Version 2.0, and Darrin Corbin vs. "Sweet and Sour" Larry Sweeney, Davey Andrews, Shane Hagadorn, Cheech, and Cloudy

There's some stiffness, some chain wrestling, all the stuff you've seen before. That and a bunch of brawls. There's a bunch of double-team moves by various people, and multi-man dives aplenty. There's even (shocking!) some neck bumps and some near-falls. Shane Storm eventually takes the win for his team with That Japanese Move.

Analysis: Spot-fueled spotty-ness spotfest with a bunch of spots, to put it lightly. Still, it was alright as one giant cluster-**** and spot-machine match. It was almost good, which is actually saying quite a lot, because normally these kinds of matches don't score very high for me, since they don't do anything new and they usually don't do anything all that well. For what it was, it'll be entertaining if you like this kind of match. If not, it's still above average. **¾

Tag World Grand Prix 2005 Finals: "The Anarchist" Arik Cannon and "Double C" Claudio Castagnoli vs. The SuperFriends (Chris Hero and "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush)

There's a bunch of chain wrestling, as you could expect, and Arik Cannon quickly angers Hero by generally out-wrestling him and putting on several cravates throughout the match. There are also plenty of submissions. Quackenbush starts busting out some highspots, but he's quickly isolated, and occasionally stiffed. A rope-assisted double underhook facebuster by Cannon gets 2¼. There's even more stiffness, and by this point, Hero is enraged as Quackenbush has been in-ring and at the mercy of Arik and Claudio for quite some time, to the point that Hero is basically shouting at Quackenbush to suck it up and tag him in. When Quackenbush does tag him in, Hero misses a forearm on both Claudio and Arik…and then forearms his own partner! Mike Quackenbush gets forearmed one more time and then gets decimated with a Rubix Cube. Chris Hero rolls out, and due to the entire tag tournament being under Lucha rules, the K.O.'d Quackenbush is, technically, the legal man. One too-easy pinfall later, Arik Cannon and Claudio Castagnoli are the winners of the Tag World Grand Prix 2005. Post-match, Chris Hero cuts an excellent promo explaining himself.

Analysis: The match was great, and the finish was a thing of beauty, in my opinion. It just felt so "real". Everyone put on a great performance and dropped a lot of subtle hints: Claudio and Arik cemented their status as a well-versed tag team when they came out with matching ring attire for the first time in the entire tournament, Mike Quackenbush played the "never-say-die" face to a tee, and even Chris Hero's choice of an all-black attire was an excellent way to continue the foreshadowing. The entire story of the match revolved around Hero's eventual struggle to get Quackenbush right where Quackenbush needed Hero the most, then turn on him and cost him something he desperately wanted. The psychology and emotion of the match was also top-notch, as the streamlined "isolate the good guy" story was enhanced to reflect the individual nuances of everyone's character: Cannon took particular delight in trying to humiliate Hero, who some say he emulated, Claudio just enjoyed beating the hell out of a defenseless person, Quackenbush refused to give up since this was his shot at winning a tournament after years of coming close, and Hero's rage and hidden agenda eventually became all too clear, all too late. A very, very fitting end to the tournament, and while I was originally undecided whether to do the following or not, I'm going to give it an additional fourth of a point due to the incredible post-match promo by Chris Hero. ***½

Final Thoughts: This wasn't as mixed a bag as Night 1 or Night 2, as it was usually either a spotfest with varying levels of originality or a good match with several things going for it. So, in that regard, it's a bit "love it or hate it". There were a bit too many spotfests for my taste, but the good matches on the card instantly raised the show back up to my liking. Some of the matches were simply fun to watch, others were great wrestling-wise, and still others managed to do both very well. While I did feel that some of the matches had been done to death by this point, that's mostly because I watched the entire three-event tournament, straight, with nothing in-between. As a person physically going to all three shows, this'd be perfectly fine since it's all mostly good and the things that stand out are great, so the slight repetitiveness of the matches wouldn’t affect the fact that CHIKARA delivered three nights of good wrestling.

But, of course, I didn't physically go to all three shows, and as a reviewer, I can't help but throw out a bit of a word of caution. If you're getting Night 3, it's best to get the whole thing, since some of the more-detailed plot-points of a few of the matches won't be as enjoyable, since they were established previously and not during this event. Still, if only one can be chosen, it's a toss-up between Night 1 and Night 3, in terms of the best overall value as a stand-alone wrestling show. Without a doubt, Night 3 produced some memorable moments, some good matches, and is worth a viewing and addition to your collection. It's not the best you'll see from CHIKARA, but as an ice breaker, you won't be disappointed. And even if you've seen CHIKARA before, this is still a good show for fans and newcomers alike.

Overall Rating for "Tag World Grand Prix 2005 Night 3": ***¼

The Tag World Grand Prix 2005, As a Whole: This was a big event, and a great tournament. Every single Night had at least one memorable match, and was backed by several good ones. Night 1 started off a bit slow as everyone got accustomed to each other, but ended up paying off by the end with everyone looking polished and ready to take on all comers. Night 2 delivered in various ways, and the Death Match Kings vs. R.O.H. students match was a lesson in how to realistically make a compelling match that was both brutal and told a story. Night 3 had a bit of both Nights mixed in with some spotfests, and featured the biggest moment of the entire tournament when Hero turned on Quackenbush and did a fantastic post-match promo. While it’s debatable that the Tag World Grad Prix 2006 is better, not purchasing the 2005 event simply because it's over a year old is a weak excuse in the face of three great stand-alone events that, combined, make a tournament worth watching. If you're thinking of getting them all, do it. It'll just feel hallow if you don't have them all. Together, the Tag World Grand Prix 2005 is a great start, and will likely make you a fan of CHIKARA, as it made me a fan. While the overall score is the average of all three events, it's also one that clearly shows that the Tag World Grand Prix 2005 is a mark above the rest, and well worth checking out.

Overall Rating of CHIKARA "Tag World Grand Prix 2005": ***¼