I went to see CHIKARA today at the old ECW Arena in S. Philly. It was a TOTAL blast. I can't stress enough how awesome it is in person.
The atmosphere is great. It's such a weird/awesome hybrid of rasslin' nerds, little kids and indie/hardcore types. They've really been making a push to brand Chikara as more than just pro wrestling -- they want it to be a comic book come to life. They've promoted the show a ton in the Philly Onion AV Club and the local alt.weeklies to go after the more hipster audience -- as they should, since it's something everyone would like in some way. It's such a DIY thing. A decent amount of the wrestlers were just kids from the Lehigh Valley who wanted to be wrestlers so they became wrestlers. Word on the street is that members of Pissed Jeans were (or maybe are) at one time performers under masks.
It's also great because it's family friendly. There's no cursing allowed. If you curse or act like an idiot, you get kicked out. It's the exact opposite of ECW, and that's not a bad thing at all! Wrestling doesn't have to be sleazy to be awesome. You could totally bring your kids/nephews and neices/etc. to it and not feel like you're making a life mistake.
The wrestlers are also great. A lot of acrobats and more cruiserweight moves.
Also: Colt Cabana was there. If you don't know him, check him out! He's an indie wrestling superstar who hosts "The Art of Wrestling" podcast. He also does stand-up comedy (I co-hosted a show with him once) and has been on The Sound of Young America. He really should be a huge star in the WWE but somehow he's not.
His match was great. He took on a guy named Archibald Peck whose gimmick was that he was the leader of a marching band. Peck came out with a valet who was his color guard girlfriend and a giant bunny mascont named Colt Cabunny. The Colt/Peck match was a masterpiece in physical comedy and a true honor to watch unfold. Just a masterpiece of seeing two performers knowing what an audience wants and giving it to them.
The main event was to crown the first ever Chikara world champion. Mike Quakenbush took on Eddie Kingston. It was EPIC. The whole roster (past and present) came down to surround the ring since it was so emotional. Before the match, a "Sweet and Sour" chant broke out in honor of the late, great Larry Sweeney. Larry's brother and best friend gave Kingston the title after the match. People were legitimately sobbing.
My favorite wrestler in Chikara is Ultramantis Black. His gimmick is that he's a preying mantis/religious cult leader complete with skull staff and ridiculous voice. I got one of his shirt's which is just awesome. It's the Black Flag logo but instead it says "Ultra" and "Mantis."
Seriously -- I can't stress enough how awesome Chikara is! If you ever get a chance to see it don't hesitate.
