We finish off wXw’s Best of 2005 Countdown with a CHIKARA trios match!
For the final time, Andy Jackson introduces us to a match from early on in 2005 – and a match that wrapped up a double-header with CHIKARA.
Eddie Kingston, Hallowicked & Skayde vs. Gran Akuma, Jigsaw & Mike Quackenbush
Akuma and Hallowicked start us off, rolling under clotheslines, before Akuma snapmared Hallowicked out of the corner.
Akuma goes boo on Hallowicked, backing him into the corner before taking him down with a hiptoss and a back body drop, prompting Hallowicked to want a hug from Eddie Kingston which drew some, erm, not progressive chants from 2005. Kingston and Jigsaw come in, which led to more non-PG chants towards Kingston.
A waistlock from Jigsaw is broken as Kingston counters with a wristlock… which Jigsaw spins free of as he applies his own in return. Kingston counters from a waistlock back into the wristlock, before Jigsaw spun in for a Corning hold that kept Kingston at bay.
Chops from Jigsaw corner Kingston ahead of a leaping knee, with face-washing boots following… along with a low chop and a stomp off of Kingston’s back for the hell of it. Kingston misses a charge into the corner as Quackenbush comes in with headscissors… then lifted Hallowicked over with a back body drop ahead of a springboard armdrag to Kingston. Skayde’s in with an armdrag to Akuma, before Kingston and Skayde were taken down with headscissors and a headlock takedown by Jigsaw, who was clearing that ring before they faked out a trio of dives.
Things settle down, with Hallowicked looking to shake referee Tassilo Jung’s hand… and instead just forced the issue. A chinlock’s escaped by Quackenbush, who comes back with an armbar and rolls Hallowicked away from the ropes… only for Hallowicked to kip up to freedom.
Lucha roll throughs follow (and a weird jump cut) as Quackenbush rolled back into the path of a stomp from Hallowicked… who then followed up by grapevining Quackenbush’s legs on the mat. Quackenbush gets free and rolls through Hallowicked, before eventually taking him down with a headlock takedown for a two-count. Quackenbush keeps it on the mat, rolling out of pinning attempts before some headscissors started some see-saw pinning attempts.
The pair reach a stand-off, prompting Jigsaw and Quackenbush to tag back in, trading elbows before Kingston began to pull ahead with chops and forearms. They quickly tag out to Skayde and Akuma, but Skayde’s caught by Jigsaw, who hits a lucha armdrag before Akuma returned with a crossbody to Skayde and Kingston.
Akuma fights them off one-on-three until everyone… jumps?
Dropkicks take the rudos outside ahead of a trio of topes con giro as things started to reduce to a simmer. Back inside, Quackenbush and Skayde play to the crowd as one particularly vocal fan yelled his displeasure… and they then wrestle with Quackenbush being taken down with an inverted fireman’s carry before he quickly replied.
Skayde tries for a crucifix pin, but Quackenbush kicks out as the pair exchange holds on the mat… leading to Skayde taking to the skies with armdrags as he ended up dizzying Quackenbush so much, he went into the wrong corner. The bad guys isolate Quackenbush for some double and triple-teams, including a wheelbarrow facebuster, before some weird editing took us around Quackenbush getting laid out.
A spin-out Alabama slam and a low dropkick from Skayde lands a Quackenbush gets taken to and choked in the ropes, before Kingsotm came in with a camel clutch. Hallowicked runs in to poke Quackenbush in the eye, before a spinning gutbuster gets a two-count. The pressure builds as Quackenbush ends up in the wrong corner once more…
Kingston tags in… but that’s where things begin to slip as Quackenbush sidesteps a charge… only for Hallowicked to clothesline Quackenbush into a back suplex for a near-fall. Skayde’s back with headbutts as the rudos keep up the quick tags, before things spilled outside with Jigsaw heading up onto the balcony as he dives onto the pile below.
After composing themselves, everyone heads back inside, with Akuma back in first to trade chops with Kingston. Eddie’s clothesline is blocked, with Akuma trying his luck with kicks, stinging Eddie’s leg ahead of a buzzsaw kick for a near-fall. Jigsaw flies in off the top, but Kingston caught him for a buckle bomb, before a tombstone ghes a near-fall to begin the Parade of Moves.
Quackenbush’s springboard swinging DDT nearly puts Hallowicked away, before Skayde wheelbarrowed in and tied up Quackenbush… Jigsaw breaks it apart as the pace rises again, leading to a leaping headscissors takedown out of the corner by Jigsaw for a two-count, before Jigsaw needed help to break up a pin after an avalanche brainbuster.
Kingston and Hallowicked tie up Jigsaw and Akuma for some row-boat action, with Quackenbush and Skayde breaking it up in their own way. Out of nowhere, Steve Douglas runs in to try and catch out Quackenbush… but Emil Sitoci makes the save as Quackenbush’s sit-out tombstone put paid to Douglas… before a satellite headscissors into an inside cradle gets Quackenbush the win.
For me, this one was a product of its time – if you weren’t deeply invested in 2005 CHIKARA, you may struggle to engage with this. The CHIKARA house style stood out from the pack for a reason, and while the promotion’s reputation has been tarnished in recent years, this match in a vacuum perhaps is as good an example of any of why CHIKARA connected so well when it did.
Result: Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Gran Akuma pinned Skayde, Eddie Kingston & Hallowicked in 34:06 (***½)