Young Lions Cup VI Night 1

Hellertown, PA – 6.13.2008

Commentary is provided by Louden Noxious, Chuck Taylor, Bryce Remsburg, Jimmy Olsen, Larry Sweeney, UltraMantis Black, and Mike Quackenbush.

Louden Noxious opens the show with a song called “Young Lions Just Want to Have Fun.” He then introduces us to the first 12 participants of the tournament competing tonight, including Create-A-Wrestler’s new persona, Ultimo Breakfast.

Amasis says tonight is a big night not only for CHIKARA, but for him as well. He says he’s familiar with big nights: he broke up Jigsaw and Shane Storm in his debut match and he main evented the New Alhambra arena against Incoherence. He said there are several others in the tournament, but there can only be one victor, and that will be him.

Young Lions Cup VI Quarter-Final Round
Ultimo Breakfast vs. Amasis {OP}

Breakfast rocks Amasis with forearms. A Lucha exchange sees him counter Amasis’ headscissors attempt with a backbreaker. Amasis knees him right in the bread basket. He bites the piece of toast coming out of Breakfast’s toaster mask. Amasis puts on a Fujiwara armbar. Breakfast gets the ropes. Amasis does the splits as Breakfast comes off the ropes. Breakfast catches him with a kick and an elbow drop. He lifts up Amasis for a Razor’s Edge and proclaims “he’s toast.” Amasis escapes and Lucha pops Breakfast into a running elbow strike. He puts on a Camel Clutch. After he releases, Breakfast catches his crossbody attempt and rolls through into a fallaway slam. He throws him off his shoulders into a slam for two. Amasis nails a rolling elbow and brings Breakfast down with a bulldog. He does a little dancing before splashing onto Breakfast for two. Amasis delivers a Blockbuster, also for two. Breakfast drops Amasis with “He’s Toast” for two. Amasis comes back with the Twist of Funk for the pin at 7:04. It’s abundantly clear that with a character Create-A-Wrestler is a much stronger wrestler. This was a fun debut for the character, though Amasis was clearly the right choice to move forward. **¼

Ethan Page is on the phone. He says if they want him to do “Brokeback Mountain 2” they better get Dwayne Johnson. He introduces himself to the camera as the “Motion Picture” Ethan Page. The role he’s starring in tonight is “the winner.” He tells Pelle Primeau to watch out.

Young Lions Cup VI Quarter-Final Round
Pelle Primeau {ROH} vs. Ethan Page

Primeau ducks Page’s clotheslines. He trips Page into a front facelock. Page brings him to the ropes and knees him in the stomach. Primeau comes back with a Frankensteiner. He slingshots in from the apron into a headscissors. He sends Page out with an armdrag. Page comes back in. He catches Primeau with a fallaway slam. He gets two with a butterfly slam. Primeau catches him with a sunset flip in the corner for two. Page drives his shoulder into his stomach repeatedly in the corner. Page gives him the Cluster Bomb (a modified Regalplex) for two. He jumps up into an elbow drop. Primeau dropkicks Page away to avoid some offense. After a couple flying forearms he spikes Page with a tornado DDT. Primeau comes off the top with a seated senton. Primeau Oklahoma Rolls Page but Page grabs the bottom rope. Page goes for the Doctor Bomb. Primeau escapes, but Page hits it the second time. Primeau kicks out. He goes for a backslide but can’t get Page’s shoulders down. So, he schoolboys him up for the pin at 7:24. If the backslide had worked the finish would have come off better. Page had some nice bigger moves but didn’t seem to connect with the crowd. In general something was off about this match. Technically fine, but nothing particularly memorable. *½

Vin Gerard tells us that today is Friday the 13th and that he’s competing in his third Young Lions Cup. This year is different though, because he’s not wearing a mask. He says nobody is stopping him from taking the Cup. He’s beat several people in the tournament such as Lince Dorado, Jimmy Olsen, Create-A-Wrestler, and Worker Ant. He thinks facing Sami Callihan is a joke. He’s planning to beat him tonight and making it to the finals Sunday. He tells CHIKARA that they better hope their luck hasn’t run out.

Young Lions Cup VI Quarter-Final Round
Sami Callihan vs. Vin Gerard

Callihan threatens to cut Gerard’s face off and wear it as a mask. Gerard catches him with a running to the stomach. He fires Callihan up by slapping him in the face. Callihan strikes him to the corner and delivers a flurry of chops. He tosses Gerard across the ring. He follows Gerard to the floor and gets in more offense. Back in the ring, Callihan delivers a running forearm to the corner. He throws punches as Gerard cowers. Gerard boots him away. Callihan misses a crossbody. Gerard knocks him down with a running clothesline and claws at his face. He chokes Callihan with his boot. He puts on a chinlock. Callihan gets the ropes. Gerard rakes his eyes. He delivers a running knee strike to the face in the corner. He digs his knee into Callihan’s back while pulling on his arms. Callihan ducks a boot and nails a lariat. Gerard gets in a couple elbows. Callihan throws some offense of his own. He kicks out Gerard’s leg. Gerard trips him into the STF. Callihan gets his foot on the ropes. Callihan pump handles Gerard up into a cradle DDT. He calls for the Headlock Driver. Gerard blocks it. Callihan sets him on the top rope and brings him down into a lungblower. Gerard bails to the floor. Callihan comes off the apron with a forearm strike. Back in the ring Callihan looks for the Headlock Driver. Gerard shoves him off and drops him with an STO. Callihan avoids the STF and finally hits the Headlock Driver. Gerard gets his foot on the rope to stop the count. He puts the Equinox mask on Gerard. Gerard gets it off and throws Callihan down into the STF. Callihan taps at 8:41. Callihan impressed with his intensity and high impact offense. He and Gerard have styles that work well together and engaged the crowd. The winner was never in doubt, but Callihan definitely made a mark. **¾

Pinkie Sanchez says that those who know him know he brings it every time. For those who don’t know him, they’re in for a surprise. He’s been working hard for many years and this weekend it all pays off. He’s got the skills to pay the bills and is the hungriest of all the young lions.

Young Lions Cup VI Quarter-Final Round
Pinkie Sanchez vs. Alex Payne {ROH}

Payne attacks Sanchez from behind as Sanchez is dancing. He whips Sanchez to the ropes .He slides out and dances. Payne comes out, so Sanchez gets back in the rig to dance. He claps his arms around Payne’s ears when he comes to the apron, then follows with a running pescado. In the ring he does some JYD headbutts. He kicks Payne in the back a couple of times before driving his buttocks into his face. Sanchez goes for a crossbody. Payne catches him with a gutbuster. He gets two with a snap suplex. Sanchez gets two with a sunset flip. Payne immediately gives him a double axe handle after kicking out. He boots Sanchez in the posterior to avoid a corner attack. He brings him out of the corner with a powerbomb for two. Sanchez fires up after taking a clothesline. Payne turns him inside out with another clothesline. Sanchez whips him to the corner. He smacks him in the face with his buttocks. After a palm strike, Sanchez attempts a superplex. Payne counters with a gourdbuster from the second rope. Sanchez kicks out. Payne misses a top rope legdrop. Sanchez throws some forearms and an enzuigiri. He throws Payne out of a release German suplex. He backdrops Payne into a seated splash for the pin at 7:18. Sanchez was really over, which is no surprise as it was a petition on CHIKARA Fans that got him into the tournament. Payne worked hard and the match itself was good, but I thought Sanchez would have had more of an opportunity to shine. **

Young Lions Cup VI Quarter-Final Round
Drake Younger vs. James Ross

Ross slaps Younger in the face. Younger responds in kind. He throws some forearms before taking Ross to the floor with a Cactus clothesline. Younger throws a series of a headbutts and slams Ross on the floor. He comes off the apron with a Cactus elbow drop. Younger throws some chops and forearms back in the ring before giving him a belly-to-back suplex. Ross knee strikes Younger in the head as he ascends the ropes. He gets two with a leg lariat. He chokes Younger on the middle rope. He hits a stunner for two. Younger comes back with a DDT. He comes off the top with a frog splash for two. Ross back elbows Younger and hits him with a tumbleweed blockbuster. Younger kicks out. He stops an Irish whip and drops Ross with a Death Valley Driver for two. He goes for another. Ross slips off and goes for a butterfly suplex. Younger counters with the Drake’s Landing for the pin at 8:02. This was the Drake Younger show. He came in, whooped butt, and won over the crowd. Ross had zero personality or charisma, and aside from his blockbuster there was absolutely nothing interesting about him. Thank goodness Drake has enough energy for multiple men. **

Young Lions Cup VI Quarter-Final Round
Stupefied {SSB} vs. Jimmy Olsen

Stupefied applies a headlock. Olsen transitions into a headscisors. Stupefied pops out. They repeat this process again. They go back and forth until Stupefied catches Olsen with an elbow. Olsen calls Stupefied a jerk. He kicks Stupefied in the gut and hip tosses him. They armdrag one another. Stupefied sends Olsen to the floor with a quesadora. Olsen blocks his dive with a hip attack. He takes control back in the ring. Stupefied works out of a front facelock and drops Olsen in a reverse DDT. Olsen shoves Stupefied off the top rope and nails a missile dropkick. He throws some forearms. Stupefied catches him with a jumping kick and springboard elbow to the crown of the head. He follows Olsen to the floor with a tope con hilo. In the ring he goes for a cartwheel splash. Olsen catches him with a Saito suplex for two. Olsen tries the Overbomb. Stupefied counters with a release dragon suplex for two. Stupefied throws some forearms until Olsen superkicks him to stop the onslaught. He wants an Alabama Slam. Stupefied counters with a wrist-clutch exploder suplex. Olsen kicks out. He catches Stupefied on the top rope with a palm strike. Stupefied however shoves Olsen back to the mat. He misses a frog splash. Olsen tries the Overbomb. Stupefied escapes. He lifts up Olsen and spikes him into the mat with the Final Smash! That gets him the pin at 9:55. This was really hard hitting and competitive. You would never pair these two together mentally but they were fantastic opponents for one another. The Final Smash is such a scary finisher. ***¼

Mitch Ryder says everyone’s fired up about the Young Lions Cup, but there’s a bigger party in town. He claims that the Fabulous Three are going to stomp the Colony into the mat. Shayne Hawke says they’re coming to get the ants. Larry Sweeney says they’re going to shine as one and the ants are going to feel it.

Fire Ant {C}, Soldier Ant {C} & Worker Ant {C} vs. Larry Sweeney {FT}, Mitch Ryder {FT} & Shayne Hawke {FT}

This is a rematch from “Grit & Glory.” Worker Ant and Ryder trade holds. Worker Ant takes Ryder to the mat in an armdrag and holds on. Ryder forearms his way free. Worker Ant avoids a knee strike with a roll-up. He toreadors Ryder to the ropes, then takes him back down with an armdrag. Ryder digs his eyes in Worker Ant’s eyes behind Bryce Remsburg’s back. Hawke comes in and immediately feels an armdrag and hip toss. Soldier Ant tags in and takes Hawke’s wrist. Hawke tries to stop Soldier Ant from saluting. Soldier Ant smacks him in the face a few times. Hawke blocks a boot and delivers a chop. Soldier Ant salutes the American flag bandana in Hawke’s back pocket before monkey flipping him. Fire Ant snaps off some armdrags on Sweeney. He lands a senton for two. Worker Ant tags in and puts on a headlock. Ryder kicks Worker Ant from the apron into a clothesline from Worker Ant. Sweeney stomps away on Worker Ant while Hawke chokes him. The Fabulous Three beatdown Worker Ant in their corner until he rolls under a clothesline from Sweeney and tags in Fire Ant. He takes down all of the Fabulous Three with bodyslams. Ryder takes strikes from all three Colony members in the corner. Worker and Soldier Ant sweep out his legs for a top rope splash from Fire Ant. Sweeney breaks the cover. Sweeney gets overwhelmed by the numbers game. He eats the Ants Marching dropkick. Hawke breaks the pin. Soldier Ant gives him a rolling saluting headbutt. The Colony triple boot him. The G.I. Ant splash only gets two thanks to Ryder. Soldier Ant and Worker Ant take out Hawke and Ryder on the floor. Back in the ring, Fire Ant hits Sweeney with an antzuigiri. He prawn holds Sweeney for two.Sweeney blocks a Beach Break with a bionic elbow. Ryder snaps his neck on the top rope. Hawke hits Fire Ant with the Tomahawke for the pin in 16:18. This was a slight step above the first match, mostly because the Fabulous Three brought a lot of intensity in the heat segment, showing they had something to prove by losing the first match. It was smartly worked and fun to watch. ***

Tim Donst informs UltraMantis Black that while he was gone, he and Hydra got three points and a tag title shot. Mantis does not care. He instead yells at Hydra for putting the Hydralock on Grudyin at “AniverasrioMA” as it upset Dr. Cube. Mantis will accept no excuses and sends Hydra to his room. Mantis then turns to Donst. He says Donst is the chosen one and the person who will take The Order to the top.

UltraMantis Black {ONT}, Hydra {ONT} & Tim Donst {ONT} vs. Icarus {F}, Gran Akuma {F} & Chuck Taylor {F}

Icarus and Donst start off with some mat wrestling. Icarus smacks him in the face. Donst brings him to the Temple’s corner where he slingshots him into a bulldog from Hydra. Icarus kicks Hydra in the corner and suplexes him to the F.I.S.T. corner. Akuma tags in. Hydra poses in his face which causes Akuma to laugh. Akuma poses back which frightens Hydra. Hydra wants a test of strength. Akuma plays along at first, the wins the battle with ease. Hydra takes Akuma down with a satellite headscissors. He sends him to the floor with a clothesline. Mantis and Taylor tag in. They decide to wrestle “as frinds.” They trade wristlocks. Mantis gets two with a tornado clutch. He avoids Taylor’s dropkicks and puts him in a figure seven. This leads to all the Rudos in a submission chain. Donst pins Taylor. When Taylor kicks out, the submission chain breaks. Icarus catches Hydra with a spinebuster. Taylor and Akuma get rid of Mantis and Donst so F.I.S.T. can isolate Hydra in their corner. After a lenghty beatdown, Akuma water pumps Hydra’s arm over his shoulder repeatedly. Unbeknownst to Akuma, Donst switches Hydra’s arm with Icarus’. It’s not until everyone but Icarus is on the floor in front of him before he realizes it. Akuma amd Taylor have a spat. They shove Taylor away when he tries to stop them. Hydra encourages their fighting, leading to Icarus and Akuma making amends to fight him. Hydra clotheslines Akuma, who accidentally DDT’s Icarus. Donst tags in and cleans house. He tries an STO on Icarus. Icarus blocks it with an enzuigiri. Donst sends him to the floor. Akuma stops Donst’s dive with a springboard dropkick. Donst ducks a kick. Akuma lands on his feet out of a German suplex. Hydra tris one himself. Akuma lifts him over and tosses him into an Ace Crusher from Taylor. Mantis breaks the pin. Taylor elbows Mantis out of the corner. He misses a 450 splash but lands on his feet. Mantis drives him into the mat with a Killswitch. Icarus gives Mantis the Shiranui. Hydra gives Icarus a Kamikaze. Akuma exploder suplexes Hydra. Donst German suplexes Akuma. All of F.I.S.T. retreats to the floor. Donst powerbombs Hydra onto them! Back in the ring, Donst STO’s Icarus on Mantis’ knee. Hydra sentons onto Mantis’ knee. Taylor and Akuma break the pin. Icarus gives Mantis a lungblower into a German suplex from Akuma. Taylor boots him for two. He goes for Sole Food on Taylor. Donst picks up Taylor for the super seated senton from Hydra. That gets the Order the win at 18:41! The Order winning was a surprise. The two Rudo teams fighting one another worked really well since Hydra and Donst are pretty much universally beloved. These two teams had a fun match and the finish further showed Hydra and Donst’s unity. Good times. ***

Young Lions Cup VI Semi-Final Elimination Match
Amasis {OP} vs. Pelle Primeau {ROH} vs. Vin Gerard vs. Pinkie Sanchez vs. Drake Younger vs. Stupefied {SSB}

Younger and Amasis trade control of each other’s arms. Younger knocks him down with a shoulder block. He takes Amasis over with some armdrag variations. He holds onto Amasis’ arm. Primeau tags in, Amasis takes him down with some armdrags of his own. Primeau grabs a courting hold and pulls off his own armdrags. He sends Amasis out with a headscissors. In comes Gerard. He hits the floor before making any contact. Sanchez and Stupefied tag in. Sanchez goes for chops but accidentally hits Younger and Amasis. He successfully gives Stupefied one. Stupefied responds with a jawbreaker and enzuigiri. Stupefied and Sanchez dive onto Younger and Amasis who are now out on the floor with Primeau. Gerard mockingly teases a dive. Younger and Primeau end up the legal men as the other four fight on the floor. Primeau pulls off a headscissors. Younger sends him to the apron and dropkicks him to the floor. He misses a senton and crashes on the floor. Amasis avoids Sanchez’s hiney attack. Sanches uses his hiney to escape a German suplex. Amasis misses a corner attack. Sanchez hits a whoopee cushion while Amasis hangs in a tree of woe for two. Younger headbutts Sanchez silly. Sanchez kicks out his legs and nails the Shiney Hiney. Primeau lights up Sanchez with slaps. Sanchez gives him the Go Back 2 Sleep (a GTS on his buttocks). He rolls Amasis up into a Jig N’ Tonic. Gerard assists Amasis by giving Sanchez an STO, causing Amasis to hit a Yoshi Tonic, pinning Sanchez at 7:46. Younger and Primeau trade chops with Younger getting the better of the exchange. Primeau takes him over with a super huracanrana for two. Younger powerslams Primeau for two. Primeau counters the Drake’s Landing with a backslide. Younger hits it on his second try, eliminating Primeau at 9:52. Gerard sneaks in and rolls up Younger. He grabs the tights and gets the pin at 10:00. Younger is pissed. Stupefied misses a super dropkick. Gerard lands a senton for two. He and Amasis team up against Stupefied. They double Irish whip Stupefied to the floor. When he holds onto the ropes, Amasis attacks Gerard from behind and stomps him silly. He gives him a split-legged legdrop. Stupefied German suplexes Amasis for two. Amasis drops some elbows onto Stupefied’s back. Stupefied blocks a suplex with a small package, pinning Amasis at 13:03. Gerard jumps on Stupefied and unloads with punches. Stupefied ducks a clothesline and nails one of his own. He spin kicks Gerard and gives him a modified side slam. He gets two with a standing moonsault. He also gets two with a huracanrana. Gerard retreats to the floor. Stupefied follows with a corkscrew plancha. Back in the ring Gerard catches Stupefied on the top rope. He drops Stupefied stomach first across the top rope. Gerard tries a Rude Awakening. Stupefied counters with a sit-out DDT. The frog splash connects but Stupefied doesn’t go for a cover. He goes back up top. He tries a cancun tornado senton but Gerard gets his knees up. Stupefied blocks the STO. He tries the Final Smash. Gerard slides off his back and puts on the STF. Stupefied taps at 16:35, sending Gerard to the finals on Night 3. The characters in this match made it. Gerard was slimey, opportunistic, and universally hated. Younger, Primeau, and Sanchez all looked tough and made a nice impression on the crowd. Stupefied had a great ending portion with Gerard and Amasis brought a lot of charisma with some great wrestling as well. The roles were well defined and the Gerard’s story was well told. ***½