Gran Akuma debuted as a masked wrestler at a Chikara show on October 12, 2002, in Allentown, Pennsylvania[6] and went on to take part in the inaugural Young Lions Cup later that year.[7]
In 2003 Akuma found a tag team partner in Icarus, and they formed the babyface Team F.I.S.T. (Friends In Similar Tights).[8] The team competed in the 2003 Tag World Grand Prix but were defeated in the semi-finals by The Night Shift (Blind Rage and Hallowicked).[9] Team F.I.S.T then went on to feud with The Wildcards (Eddie Kingston and Blackjack Marciano), leading to an 'Ultimate Jeopardy' match at the 2004 Anniversario show. This match consisted of Team F.I.S.T and Mike Quackenbush vs The Toxic Trio (The Wildcards and Jigsaw) with various stipulations attached. As a result of these stipulations, after Akuma forced Kingston to submit, The Wildcards were shaved bald.[10]
After a second round loss to Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon in the 2005 Tag World Grand Prix,[11] the team snapped and attacked Men@Work (Mister ZERO and Shane Storm) after a match, turning heel for the first time. They then joined up with the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon). This led to a vicious feud between Akuma and Storm, culminating in a "Mascara contra Mascara" match at "Running in the Red" in November which Akuma lost, forcing him to remove his mask.[12]
Team F.I.S.T. (from left to right: Chuck Taylor, Icarus, and Gran Akuma in May 2008
On November 17, 2006, at Brick, Team F.I.S.T. defeated their stablemates Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli for the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas.[13] Team F.I.S.T. held the titles until October 26, 2007, when they were defeated by Incoherence (Delirious and Hallowicked) at Chikara's "Bruised" event.[14] Gran Akuma was injured and had to watch from ringside as his Team F.I.S.T. stablemate Chuck Taylor wrestled in his place.[3]
Gran Akuma won the 2009 King of Trios tournament with his two partners Icarus and Chuck Taylor when they beat "Team Uppercut" (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Dave Taylor) in the final during the "Night 3" of the event in March 2009.
On April 23, 2010, F.I.S.T. entered the 2010 King of Trios tournament, attempting to become the first two-time King of Trios winners. After defeating The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield, Sugar Dunkerton and Matt Classic) in the first round, F.I.S.T. was eliminated in the second round by Team Osaka Pro (Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Tadasuke).[15] During the tournament F.I.S.T. was observed by Johnny Gargano, a self admitted fan of the team, who managed to stir up problems between its members by suggesting that the team had a weak link, which led to Taylor, who had been pinned in the match against Osaka Pro, pointing out Akuma and Akuma retaliating by claiming that Icarus was and always had been the weak link.[16][17][18] Taylor caused even more dissension in F.I.S.T. by offering himself to Dragon Gate USA's World–1 stable, a competitor of Kamikaze USA, Gran Akuma's stable in the company.[19] On July 26 at Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show F.I.S.T. was defeated in a six-man tag team match by Cima, Masaaki Mochizuki and Super Shenglong, when Cima pinned Akuma. After the match Icarus and Taylor turned on Akuma, kicked him out of both F.I.S.T. and Chikara and gave his spot in the stable to Johnny Gargano.[20]
Dragon Gate USA (2009–2010)
On July 25, 2009, Akuma appeared on Dragon Gate USA's first pay-per-viewEnter the Dragon in an eight-man tag team Chikara showcase match, where he, Icarus, Amasis and Hallowicked were defeated by Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant. After the match Akuma turned on his fellow Chikara wrestlers Quackenbush and Jigsaw and joined Yamato's Kamikaze USA stable.[21] On September 6 at the second PPV titled Untouchable Akuma and Yamato were defeated in a tag team match by Quackenbush and Jigsaw.[22] On November 28 at the third PPV Freedom Fight Akuma entered the tournament to crown the first Open the Freedom Gate Champion and made it all the way to the finals, before losing the four-way match to BxB Hulk.[23] Kamikaze USA continued its feud with Quackenbush and the Chikara Sekigun and on July 24 at the tapings of the Enter the Dragon 2010 pay–per–view, Kamikaze USA members Akuma, Yamato, Jon Moxley and Akira Tozawa were defeated in an eight-man elimination tag team match by Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Hallowicked and Masato Yoshino.[24]
Combat Zone Wrestling (2010–2011)
After making several sporadic appearances for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) from 2004 to 2006, Gran Akuma returned to the promotion as a regular on November 13, 2010, at Night of Infamy 9: Betrayal, where he, billed simply as Akuma (stylized in all capital letters) defeated Kit Osbourne.[25] On December 11 at Cage of Death XII Akuma defeated Alex Colon, Jonathan Gresham, Rich Swann, Ruckus and Ryan McBride in a six-way match to qualify for the Best of the Best X tournament.[26] On April 9, Akuma was eliminated from the Best of the Best tournament in the first round by Zack Sabre Jr., ending his undefeated streak in CZW.[27] He left CZW shortly thereafter.
Return to Chikara (2011–2013)
On November 12, 2011, Akuma made his return to Chikara, chasing former tag team partner Icarus from the ring as he was attacking Steve "The Turtle" Weiner.[28] The following day at Chikara's first internet pay-per-view, High Noon, Akuma again tried to attack Icarus, after he had defeated Gregory Iron, but accidentally hit Iron instead.[29] On January 28, 2012, Akuma and Icarus had their first match against each other, which ended in a double countout.[30] Akuma was then put in a trial series to earn his way back to Chikara's roster, which built to a three-on-one handicap match on April 28, where Akuma defeated all three members of F.I.S.T.[15] On June 2 at Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur, Akuma defeated Icarus in a ladder match to earn a Chikara contract.[31] Afterwards, Akuma began regularly teaming with Scott Parker and Shane Matthews.[32] On September 14, the three entered the 2012 King of Trios tournament, but were eliminated in their first round match by The Batiri (Kobald, Kodama and Obariyon).[15][33]
He also made an appearance for Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling on September 14, 2013, with a win over Eric Alverado.
↑ Six man tag team match, where Akuma, Icarus and Mike Quackenbush faced The Toxic Trio (Marciano, Kingston and Jigsaw) with Akuma's and Jigsaw's masks, Icarus', Kingston's and Marciano's hairs and Quackenbush's six championship belts on the line.Kevin Ford (22 May 2004). "CHIKARA Aniversario 3: Dodging the Sophomore Jinx". The CHIKARA Special. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
Michael Spillane is an American podcaster, author, professional wrestling trainer, professional wrestling promoter, and semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mike Quackenbush.
Edward Moore, better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. As of July 2020, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he was the inaugural AEW Continental Champion. He also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion. Additionally, he makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. All three of these championships were defended jointly under the Continental Crown Championship banner until he lost the Continental Championship.
A torneo cibernetico is a multi-man professional wrestling elimination match that was created and primarily used in Mexican lucha libre professional wrestling promotions, especially in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The match format sees two teams of varying sizes face off against each other. It uses standard lucha libre tag team rules with elimination occurring with a pinfall, submission, disqualification and count out and allows a wrestler to enter the match when their tag team partner exits the ring as well as when they tag out. A special 'batting' order system is used in which the wrestlers are given a specific order and may only tag in and out in this order. If two or more men from the same team remain, they must face each other to determine one individual winner.
The Kings of Wrestling was a professional wrestling stable that worked on the independent circuit. It was formed in Chikara as a large stable, but also appeared in numerous promotions mainly as a tag team of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. Hero's manager Larry Sweeney and valet Sara Del Rey were also part of the group at differing times. The group also comprised Icarus and Gran Akuma who teamed separately as Team F.I.S.T. as well as Arik Cannon, Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer, Chuck Taylor and Shayne Hawke.
Dustin Lee Howard, better known by the ring name Chuck Taylor, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Known as "The Kentucky Gentleman" and "Sexy Chuckie T", he is a member of the Best Friends stable alongside original tag team partner Trent Beretta, Orange Cassidy, Kris Statlander, and Danhausen. Howard has wrestled on the independent circuit since 2002, most notably appearing for Chikara, where he held the Campeonatos de Parejas twice, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where he is a former two-time PWG World Champion. He is also known for his work in larger national and international promotions like Ring of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
The Colony was a professional wrestling stable, best known for performing for Chikara. As their name suggests, their gimmick is that of an ant colony, which is further reinforced with their names being based on particular ants and classes within an ant colony.
Michael Hopes is an American professional wrestler, better known under the ring name Tim Donst. He is performing primarily in Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), Chikara and Dragon Gate USA. He is known for his amateur wrestling background, which became the focal point of his gimmick. He is a former two-time AIW Absolute Champion and holder of the Young Lions Cup.
The Osirian Portal is a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Amasis and Ophidian. The team mainly competed in Chikara, where they held the Campeonatos de Parejas, and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). They have also made appearances in Ring of Honor (ROH) and several other independent promotions based in the north eastern part of the United States. The tag team eventually expanded into a stable with the additions of Escorpion Egipcio and Hieracon. Amasis was forced to retire from professional wrestling in June 2011 as a result of a non-wrestling accident, which led to the official dissolution of the team in September. Amasis returned to the ring in early 2013, starting a rivalry between the two former tag team partners. The team reunited in mid-2013.
Jimmy Olsen is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Chikara, under his real name and the ring name Equinox.
Darnell Kittrell is an American professional wrestler. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance under the ring name BLK Jeez.
Bruderschaft des Kreuzes was a professional wrestling stable in the Chikara promotion.
Edward McGuckin is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jigsaw. He is best known for his work on the independent circuit for promotions such as Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, Full Impact Pro, and Ring of Honor and has also made appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he worked under the ring name Rubix. He is currently working most notably in the United Kingdom, where he predominantly appears for HOPE Wrestling.
UltraMantis Black is a professional wrestler and musician, who performed primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion. He is a former one-time Chikara Grand Champion and winner of the 2012 King of Trios tournament. Throughout his career he has also worked for promotions such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Jersey All Pro Wrestling. As part of his gimmick, he wears a mantis mask. As UltraMantis, his original red and green attire was based on the main protagonist from the Kamen Rider series, while his ring name was derived from another Japanese television program, Ultraman. In May 2004 he renamed himself UltraMantis Black and adopted a new mask and a red and black attire, while also beginning to express communist views. In June 2006 he formed his own stable, the Order of the Neo–Solar Temple and adopted the dark look he has used to this day.
Robert Goodwin, better known by the ring name Hallowicked, is an American retired professional wrestler. He performed primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he started his career in May 2002. His accomplishments in the promotion include becoming the inaugural Young Lions Cup Champion, a one-time Campeon de Parejas, a two-time Grand Champion and the winner of the 2003 Tag World Grand Prix and 2012 King of Trios tournaments. He served as an assistant trainer at The Wrestle Factory, operated by Chikara founder Mike Quackenbush. Throughout his career he has also worked for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor. He is known for his ghoulish looks and incoherent speech pattern.
Ronald Grams is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his 18-year tenure with the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, under the name Icarus since 2002, where he is a former Grand Champion, Campeon de Parejas and King of Trios winner. He has also wrestled for Combat Zone Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Stigma is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he is a former Young Lions Cup Champion and King of Trios winner. He was previously known as Shane Storm and has also wrestled for other independent promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South.
Stephen Delicato is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Frightmare. He performed in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he was a former Young Lions Cup Champion. He has also worked for promotions such as Evolve Wrestling, International Wrestling Cartel, IWA East Coast, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Synergy Professional Wrestling, where he is a 2-time Synergy Pro Wrestling Champion.
High Noon was a professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by the Chikara promotion, that took place on November 13, 2011, at the Asylum Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event marked Chikara's first ever live pay-per-view and it was headlined by the finals of a tournament to determine the first ever Chikara Grand Champion. The event aired on GoFightLive, with a pre-show airing live on Ustream. The event broke Chikara's attendance record, drawing 864 fans into the Asylum Arena, and drew more than 1,000 buys online, beating Ring of Honor's previous iPPV, Death Before Dishonor IX, which drew 972 buys. The event was released on DVD by Smart Mark Video on November 25, 2011.
Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur was a professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by the Chikara promotion, that took place on June 2, 2012 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and aired live on GoFightLive, with a pre-show airing live on Ustream. The event marked Chikara's second pay-per-view, following previous November's High Noon. This was the third year in which Chikara promoted a summer event under the Chikarasaurus Rex banner, with the original Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show having taken place July 25, 2010, and the Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Sequel weekend on July 30 and 31, 2011. The event was released on DVD and downloadable MP4 by Smart Mark Video on June 4, 2012.
Under the Hood was a professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by the Chikara promotion, that took place on December 2, 2012 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event marked Chikara's third iPPV, following November 2011's High Noon and June 2012's Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur. While the two previous iPPV's aired live through GoFightLive, Under the Hood instead aired through Smart Mark Video, Chikara's longtime DVD production and distribution partner. The event was headlined by Eddie Kingston defending the Chikara Grand Championship against the number one contender and 2012 Torneo Cibernetico winner Tim Donst. The event also saw The Young Bucks defending the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas against 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty and "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti defending the Chikara Young Lions Cup against A. C. H., making Under the Hood the first ever Chikara event, where all three titles were defended. Other featured matches saw the culmination of two year-long storylines, with UltraMantis Black leading his Spectral Envoy stable to take on a team led by Delirious and a match where two teams, mixed of representatives of both Chikara and the villainous Gekido stable, battled each other. Under the Hood was Chikara's season eleven finale event. The event was attended by 525 fans and drew 1,025 buys online. The event was released on DVD and downloadable MP4 by Smart Mark Video on December 7, 2012.
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