In early April 2019, Mike Quackenbush’s CHIKARA presented a show in New York as part of Wrestlemania week. The event was to be headlined by a Ladder Match between Dasher Hatfield and his nephew, Mr. Touchdown. Hatfield had stood in for Angelosetti as Grand Champion when he hurt his knee, but now back to full health, Hatfield would refuse to relinquish the title, turning on his nephew and leading to this match. The match was booked by Bryce Remsburg, who booked it as his last act as Director of Fun before quitting, distraught and downtrodden by how rough the waters had got inside The Wrestle Factory for the longest time.

Those rough waters would come to a head as Hatfield would use nefarious means, as well as his own son, the rookie Boomer Hatfield, to grab the title and crown himself the undisputed Grand Champion of CHIKARA. Or so he thought, at least, for Mike Quackenbush had other ideas. Storming to the ring, he derided Hatfield for turning into a monster and everything he had fought against for so many years. Quackenbush admitted he had a role to play in it all, but said a line in the sand was being drawn. He had lost his right-hand man Bryce Remsburg, but he wasn’t going to lose let his company be corrupt too. Therefore, effective immediately, regardless of his victory, Dasher Hatfield was being STRIPPED of the Grand Championship of CHIKARA!

But that wasn’t all, shouting and becoming as animated as he had ever been, Quackenbush declared this version of CHIKARA “beyond salvation”. “That’s all folks …”, and with that, the lights went off, and the feed on Chikaratopia went dark. CHIKARA had been reduced to ashes.

But what would die, could always rise again. Two weeks later, after radio silence, and not one tweet, Mike Quackenbush returned to the platform, and with a flurry of tweets, sent the CHIKARMY into a frenzy.

Mike Quackenbush had confirmed a phoenix would rise from the ashes in three weeks with the third annual Johnny Kidd Invitational. Sixteen men would enter and over the course of two days, the field would be whittled down until one man was left standing: that man would be crowned the Grand Champion of CHIKARA.

This is a story of a company rising from it’s ashes, with a burning new hope, with the same identity. Mistakes had been made, lines blurred, but the spirit remained intact, and that would be drawn upon as CHIKARA went forward bravely into it’s new dawn.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MORE TBA

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THE ARCHIVES

BLOGS

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SPECIAL UPDATES

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EVENT HISTORY

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GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP OF CHIKARA

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CURRENT CAMPEONATOS DE PAREJAS

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CAMPEONATOS DE PAREJAS STANDINGS

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Dasher Hatfield

I put my name and my body on the line for months upon months to defend my family name, and my Nephew’s Grand Championship whilst he is injured and unable to.

When he returns, I simply ask for what I have gained out of the experience. I feel I deserve a bit more respect, perhaps a chance at the Grand Championship?

But no, that’s not what happens.

Instead, I am made to feel bad, to look like the bad guy. I was close to the edge for a fair while, but I finally had enough.

Enough of the games, of the words, of not being seen worthy of a throne I helped defend for many months when, let’s remember, I didin’t have to … but offered to.

So in New York a week or so ago, I went to battle with my Nephew. It was never something I wanted to do.

It was something I had to do.

And I won.

Fair and square.

But oh no, AGAIN, that wasn’t good enough. This time though, the powers that be were so unhappy, they shut down and reset THE ENTIRE COMPANY to try and keep me from my perch on the top.

Years of slog, of blood, sweat and tears, of being one of the few constants in a world that changed seemingly by the week, and what do I have to show for it?!

NOTHING.

I lost a member of my family, I lost MY title as it was snatched away from me, and to top it all, Mike Quackenbush threatened to take away my livelihood.

Without CHIKARA, I have NOTHING.

So I will enter the Johnny Kidd Invitational.

I will give in to the machine.

I will fight whoever, wherever, whenever, because I WILL get back what is rightfully MINE.

I will make you respect me.

I will make you crown me, Mike.

And I will make everybody I face fear me.

I will be avenged.

I will win.

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Gran Akuma

When I announced my retirement last year, I never imagined I would be back here.

I always thought I would be one of those guys who stuck by his word, and I was, for a while.

I did some work at The Wrestle Factory, I helped mould some of the names you will see in this tournament. I was having a great time.

But “the itch”, it never disappeared.

I thought I could walk away and I wouldn’t miss it.

Boy was I wrong.

So when Mike Quackenbush asked me if I wanted a spot in the Johnny Kidd Invitational, I thought about it, but I always knew what the answer was gonna’ be.

I may be washed up, over the hill, old, slow, I may be all of those things.

But I might just be better than I have ever been.

This may be my The Wrestler.

No one knows, and that’s the beauty of it.

In a few weeks, I go back to doing what I love.

Win or lose, it’ll be a thrill to be back, and soon we’ll see if I’ve still got it.

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Hallowicked

My spell in the shadows has gone on too long.

By the power given to me by Lord Nazmaldun, I shall ascend to my throne once more.

Not to be defeated.

Not to be denied.

No glory for anyone but me.

Only pain and suffering.

The Grand Championship will come home.

ALL HAIL NAZMALDUN.

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Jonathan Gresham

I’ve been about a while. Due to my exploits around the world, I have never called CHIKARA home for more than the odd appearance.

That changes now.

CHIKARA is my home, and I’m going to be around a load more, so you’re gonna’ have to get used to seeing this face around this place.

I have competed in the last two Invitational’s, and I plan on making this lucky number three.

I am under no illusions of how tough it will be, but I’m not just here for a weekend of fun.

I’m tired of being the special attraction brought in to companies for a cheap pop and some ticket sales.

I’m here to be a winner.

I’m here to be Grand Champion.

It’s up to the other fifteen men to try and stop me.

BLANK

Disgusted, distrusting, felt like I had been cast out in the shadows, I went to the lengths of protecting my identity and hiding my face through fear of the modern world.

YOU made me into the man I am today.

Race Jaxon no longer exists. He has been taken over by a blank canvas.

My face may be hidden, but my talents remain vast.

There is no doubt that the best is yet to come.

I shout from the rooftops about the training I acquired at the hands of Mike Quackenbush and The Gulak’s, among others.

I never try to hide where I came from. I am glad of my training, it is just a shame that I have had to hide away and have received no backing as a result of this.

But that is neither here, nor there.

I am not looking for admiration, adulation, I’m just looking to find myself.

The Johnny Kidd Invitational provides the perfect chance for me to find where I fit into this “new dawn” of CHIKARA.

I will put into practice my skills, I will fight without fear, and though my face will be covered from the world’s evil glare, the portraits I paint inside that ring with be magnificent, as ever.

I invite you all to a viewing of some of my best work at The Wrestle Factory in two weeks’ time.

It will be my most beautiful creation yet.

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The Last of a Dying Breed Eddie Kingston

I've been with this company through it all.

Absolutely every single big thing, your boy has been right in the middle of it.

I left for pastures new, but I always knew I’d be called back one day, and here we are. Old Yella has been called back, and it’s because of something that not many people can claim to have been.

‘cause for all you’s that are unaware, I was not only a Grand Champion, I was the FIRST-EVER Grand Champion when I beat Mike Quackenbush’s black and blue.

Now here we are years later and a new champ is needed, and when I was contacted about getting involved, it seemed the right thing.

After all, who better to be Grand Champion than the man who set the path for all those who have walked it since?

I’m sure the youngsters, some of the boys I’ve not seen in years, and even some of you fans think I haven’t got it in me anymore.

Yeah, I may blow out my ass a bit more than I did a decade ago, but to this day, I’m as good as I have ever been, and I’ve got the battle scars to prove it.

So on a couple weeks, I’m walking in, and then walking out of The Wrestle Factory with that belt over my shoulder, just like the late, great Larry Sweeney would’ve wanted.

I am the Last of a Dying Breed.

But you know what else?

I’m the next Grand Champion.

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The Amazing Rory Gulak

I started out at The Wrestle Factory at the age of 14 back in 2004.

I traveled the world, honing my craft, and when my brother got his dream move to the WWE, I replaced him as a trainer at The Wrestle Factory and became more of a presence, not just at the building, but on shows.

But this is my big chance.

No more hiding in the shadows behind my big brother, watching him do magical things and wishing it was me.

It’s time for me to take what’s mine, and continue the historic, beautiful lineage that my family name has brought to The Wrestle Factory, and CHIKARA.

The Johnny Kidd Invitational provides that chance. Johnny Kidd is a hero, and a lot of my skills have been picked up after studying under him, watching his tapes, wanting to be like him.

In a couple of weeks, I get the chance.

I can be like Johnny, like my brother, like my best friend Mike Quackenbush.

I can be a champion.

Finally, my shot at glory.

I’m comin’ out the shadows swinging, and I’m comin’ for the Grand Championship, and I know that at my best, the tournament, and the title is as good as mine.

It’s up to the other fifteen men to try and prove me wrong.

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Addicted to Love Rhett Titus

They say I’m Addicted to Love, but that’s not all there is to me.

I’m addicted to something else.

Competing, and being valued, two things I’ve not felt for a lot of years.

That changes now. This is a new start, and I am going to make the most of it.

Rhett Titus is not a joke, a curtain jerker, not to be taken seriously.

Quite frankly, I’m THE MAN, and I’m going to show you all why as I make your heroes bow at my feet.

I will be respected.

I will be valued.

I will prove myself.

It all starts at the Johnny Kidd Invitational, and it’ll continue FOREVER.

Because Rhett Titus is here to stay, CHIKARMY, so you better get used to this beautiful face, because you’ll be seeing a lot of it for a long time to come.

Hallowicked

War and Peace?

What a JOKE.

No peace.

Only war.

Nazmaldum has sent the Legion of Rot to accomplish a mission.

We will not fail.

Bad times are upon you, CHIKARA.

WAR IS COMING, CHIKARA.

ALL HAIL NAZMALDUM

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Shane Taylor

Many of you won’t know my name, which means you wouldn’t have seen me wrestle, but that’s okay. I’ve spent most of my career being in the shadows.

Maybe if I said the name Keith Lee, it would jog some memories?

See, a couple of years ago, he made the decision to risk it all, leaving the company in which we were making his name and going solo.

I can’t blame him. We all have our own dreams.

But where did that leave me?

On the scrap heap, that was where.

It seemed like people wanted Keith Lee and Shane Taylor as a tag team, but Shane Taylor on his own?

It looked like that wasn’t the plan.

But I waited. I was patient. I did all that was expected of me, but did I get a chance to prove that I was every bit as good as Keith Lee?

My loyalty meant nothing.

So loyalty no longer exists.

Burned by my experience, I have come to see that if you want anything in this business, let alone life, you’ve got to go out there and take it.

That’s exactly what I intend to do.

It all starts with the Johnny Kidd Invitational, but regardless of what happens over that weekend, I will be sticking around.

Because I am good enough, and I am a bright enough star to show on my own.

My proving ground starts now.

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Jigsaw

I’ve been here before. Blogging to try and justify why I deserve to be the Grand Champion.

The word original gets thrown around a lot, and I see a lot in the blogs, but that’s exactly what I am.

When The Wrestle Factory became its own separate entity, I was one of its first head trainers.

I have sat in on meetings about this companies future.

I have been Mike Quackenbush’s best friend and right-hand man.

I have done and seen it all, but even I can’t believe what’s happened around here as of late.

So here I find myself.

I made my comeback in New York, but I always knew my name would be beckoned again in some way, shape or form.

I’m ready to go.

I’ve been around the world learning new styles, gaining experience, and I am better than I have ever been.

Better, and more confident.

Whoever faces me, I’ll wrap you up like a Christmas present on my way to championship gold.

I didn’t manage to capture it the first time around, but this is a different time.

It’s Jigaw’s time.

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Tursas

It has been a while, CHIKARMY.

Me, the first colossus is back to inflict pain and suffering upon all your heroes once more.

As part of die BDK, I was one, a massive part of a conglomerate of evil that did what it pleased and took what it needed from CHIKARA’s bloody corpse.

Tursas has been in hibernation for many years, but I have awakened to find CHIKARA in peril once more.

So what better time to strike than whilst it is at its weakest?

The Bruderschaft reigned once, and it will again, but this time with me at its helm, leading the way into a glorious future for the single most devastating entity CHIKARA has ever seen.

In just over a weeks time, for you CHIKARA, it is time to revisit days of future past.

The time is drawing near.

The spirit of Bruderschaft has been reborn through me.

Fear your future, CHIKARA.

Fear me.

Mike Quackenbush

I didn’t want to do this.

Though I occasionally compete, these days, my mind has been more focused on helping those whose name’s do not shine as bright as they embark on the first, initial steps of their career.

However, it has become clear that many, can you say, “villainous” personnel seek to destroy what we have all worked so hard to build.

Whilst this version of CHIKARA rises from the ashes, it’s foundations are crystal clear. I have made mistakes in the past of not being willing enough to face, and defeat the dark forces of evil, but I won’t make that mistake again.

I won’t sit ideally by and let everything I love and care about be eroded.

That’s why, as my last act of authority, I enter myself into the Johnny Kidd Invitational.

I give up my authority, because my focus will once more be on that ring, and providing the very best show I can for all that come to see me, and us, be at live, or at home on their TV’s or smart devices.

Therefore, in just over a week’s time, a new Director of Fun will be anointed and revealed at the Johnny Kidd Invitational, to allow me to take a step back and concentrate on doing what I do best.

Training the members of The Wrestle Factory, and in that ring in front of the watching world, being one of the very best to have ever laced up a pair of boots.

And that’s not hype, or overconfidence, it’s plain truth. There is no denial.

I know many holds, but it’ll take only one to knock you down, and defeat you.

Be it Dasher Hatfield, Jigsaw, Rory Gulak or anyone else, I will face them, I will fight them.

I won’t back down.

Not this time.

Mike Quackenbush is back.

This time for keeps.

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Daisuke Sekimoto

This coming weekend, I make my CHIKARA debut.

I have spent the last few years doing what I want, freelancing, ticking things off the list, because I know this body won’t go forever.

This weekend, I compete in a tournament dedicated to a man I have great respect for.

We have wrestled before, and with the chance to compete against him no longer viable, this is the next best thing.

I’m not sure how many more chances I’m going to have to come over and do my thing in front of you all, so this weekend, it’s massive for a multitude of reasons.

So let’s make it a good one.

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Jack Evans

Your boy Jack’s always marched to the beat of his own drum.

No one saw this comin’ I bet, but yep, ya got I right, Jack’s taking a spot in the Johnny Kidd Invitational.

I’ve spent the last few years doing the unexpected, taking the less traveled world, and what better way to prove this than coming to CHIKARA?

On paper, me and CHIKARA should be a perfect fit, but save a brief appearance here or there, our encounters have not been plentiful.

Until now.

For one weekend next weekend, I’m going to be showing off my skills inside The Wrestle Factory and look for a piece of acclaim and gold.

The Grand Champion was created with the legacy of Larry Sweeney in mind, and he’s a man I love and admire, a man I wrestled with, against, and someone who even managed me to the ring once upon a time.

A few people in the field can lay claim to being in Larry’s orbit, and I’m determined I will play my part in helping celebrate his life.

And what better way than becoming champion of the belt his legacy helped make possible?

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The Savage Jake Strong

Jack Swagger. Jake Hager.

No, and no.

I take no prisoners.

I have no equal.

I fight until the last drop of blood, and my last breath has left me.

I’m not just a wrestler.

I’m a fighter.

I don’t need to list my accomplishments.

I need no believers.

I need no mouthpiece speaking for me.

My actions inside that ring, at the Johnny Kidd Invitational and beyond, will speak for themselves.

Forget what you think you already know.

I am not the man you used to know.

I am a machine.

I am The Savage.

I am Jake Strong.

The Johnny Kidd Invitational :: Night One

  

Addicted to Love Rhett Titus vs. BLANK

  

Dasher Hatfield vs. Wrestling's Greatest Riddle Jigsaw

  

The Nightmare Warrior Hallowicked vs. The Savage Jake Strong

  

Jack Evans vs. Shane Taylor

  

Tursas vs. Frightmare

  

Lightning Mike Quackenbush vs. Gran Akuma

  

Jonathan Gresham vs. Daisuke Sekimoto

  

The Last of a Dying Breed Eddie Kingston vs. The Amazing Rory Gulak

TWO NIGHTS :: SIXTEEN MEN

COMING SOON

ONE WINNER :: ONE GRAND CHAMPION