At Odds with Wrestling Homework: Chikara While the Dawn in Breaking

This week’s homework assignment has to be handed in early! The show will be recorded Wednesday night. Wait, does that mean Joe and Adam are missing Dynamite? I have to get my thoughts down so I can latch on to, I mean contribute to the show. Each and every week without a big event PPV thing, Joe and Adam alternate assigning wrestling shows for each other to watch. I always throw my opinions in as well because I crave attention. 

This week we watched Chikara’s While the Dawn is Breaking show from January 24, 2013. First there was a Chikara Event Center video to get us up to speed. 3.0 and the Young Bucks had dueling promos. 

We start the show and Gavin is in the ring playing a Chikara themed version of We’re the Kids in America called Luchadores in America. I know Adam has issues with some of these but I loved it. 

Also, the entire show was not assigned but I watched it anyway. 

Mr Touchdown vs Saturyne. 

I like the look of this venue. Saturyne has some good high spots and initial flurries but then TD is in control. She does the offense well and brings out the sympathy. Saturnyne off the top to the floor but TD catches her and tosses her back in the ring. I know she’s small but what a power move. Great way to show off TD’s power. TD catches Saturyne and hits a huge spike spine buster for two. Saturyne keeps using the ax kick that was passed down to her by Sara Del Rey. Saturyne just won’t give up. She locks on a figure four triangle choke while on top of TD’s shoulders. Saturyne with a ‘rana from the second rope and still only gets two. TD drops her throat first across the ropes and follows up with a spinning ace crusher for three. 

Good opener, but if you were late to the venue or checking your phone like Joe, you didn’t miss much. 

Jakob Hammermeir vs Gran Akuma. 

Jakob comes out just absolutely defeated and dejected. Show of respect handshake to start the match. Gaven and Bryce discuss the symptoms of depression and that hit a little too close. Thanks guys. Jakob fights back up from Akuma’s kicks and will not stay down! Jakob punches and oh my God he drops Akuma! Everyone is in shock, especially Jakob. He is so shocked it takes a while to go for the cover and he only gets two. Jakob trips Akuma off the ropes and gets the surprise pin. Jakob getting a few wins is going to do wonders for his self esteem in this continuing story with Tim Donst. 

Wink Vavasseur comes out and the crowd absolutely shits on him. Wink tries to get Soldier Ant to align with him but Soldier Ant refuses. I’m curious to see where this story goes in the future. 

Tim Donst (with Jakob Hammermeir) vs Archibald Peck. 

Tim won’t get in the rings through the ropes that Jakob is holding open. The match just gets going when Archie is distracted by Veronica coming out. Archie goes over the top rope and crashes hard to the floor. Between no mats, no guard rails, and how close the fans are to the ring – especially that little girl – the set up is giving me nervous anxiety. Donst gets disqualified but it doesn’t matter because the real story is about to start. Donst says Veronica is better than Jakob and if you pause at just the right time you can see Jakob’s heart breaking. Donst goes after Gavin but swerves and attacks Archie some more. Donst helps Veronica, who falls in all the excitement, and Veronica leaves with him. Jakob follows behind, somehow even more dejected than he already was. I cannot wait to see where the Veronica and Donst pairing goes. 

FIST vs The Colony. 

Sugar, Chuck Taylor, and Icarus for FIST and Fire, Green, and Assail ANT for the Colony. Chuck T keeps joining for commentary. Assail ANT wants “that ugly tattoo guy”. The story is the comedy of Sugar trying his best to be a team player. Fun match and good trios excitement but the story is Sugar’s place in FIST. Blue, I mean Assail ANT locks the Chikara Special on Sugar for the win. After the match Sugar begs Dasher to reform the Throwbacks. Dasher adamantly refuses. 

Kobald vs Dasher Hatfield. 

Kobald jumps Dasher as he comes out. Joe and Mantis are great on commentary for this match and I have to imagine they’re just trying to pop each other. Just a fun match to do commentary for. Lots of silliness. Delirious comes out and tries to distract Dasher. Dasher fights back and everyone forgets Delirious is out there. Delirious pops back up minutes later and distracts Dasher. Kobald rolls up Dasher for the pin. Sugar meets Dasher at the curtain but Dasher throws him down. “Now is not the time Suge!” When is the time Dasher? When?! 

Jigsaw, DeviANT, and the Shard vs Hallowicked, Frightmare, and Quack. 

Match of the night so far. So much action. Is this because Quack is in this match and he wanted everyone else to tone it down? Jigsaw extends his hand in friendship to Quack but it’s a swerve and Jig kicks Quack in the gut. There are a crazy amount of near falls in this match. Jig and Tonic and a double stomp for the pin. This is really just a rest stop in the larger Jigsaw vs Quack story.  Fun match, but not one that will be remembered at season’s end. 

Eddie Kingston vs Kevin Steen. 

Eddie and Kevin are already fighting backstage and come brawling through the curtain. They fight all the way through the building. Steen is violent. He will not let up the attack on Eddie’s knee. Wink comes out to watch the action and probably hopes that Eddie falls. Eddie keeps fighting and will not give up. All the things people love about Eddie nearly 10 years later are already here. The back fist only gets two but Eddie will not give up. Eddie hits Steen’s head off of the ring post. Second backfist and Eddie gets the pin. Green Ant comes out to challenge Eddie thanks to his victory the previous evening. Wink says no match is official until he says so, despite Eddie agreeing to it. 

Ophidian comes out and freaks out on people wearing Amasis’s masks. Amasis appears in the ring but Delirious and Kobald come out to hold Ophidian back. 

3.0 vs the Young Bucks in a two out of three falls match. 

Mantis says he “winters in Quebec” and I am losing it. That was one of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard and Joe’s reaction made it even better. Sidney and Devastation Corporation come out to watch the match. The Bucks get the first fall with a quick rollup. 3.0 counter with a Big Rig to get their own fall and tie it up 1-1. Big Magic here, not yet Daddy Magic. This is slow. The first two falls were quick but now it feels like a half ass speed. The match finally gets going. All four men get in, take a hit, and all four men are down. The locker room empties to watch the final fall and that just telegraphs the ending. OMG what a two count though! That fooled everyone in the building and me watching. One of the best near falls I’ve ever seen. Matthews locks on a Boston Crab. He eats a super kick but will not give up or let it go. A cactus clothesline! A tap out to the crab! We have new tag team champions! Everyone goes nuts. 

There are some good moments to further stories but really the two title matches are all that is needed here. This venue seems nice and they’ve run there before but I feel like the earlier matches held back a bit.