The Chikara Grand Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the Chikara promotion. The first champion was crowned on November 13, 2011, at the High Noon pay-per-view, when Eddie Kingston defeated Mike Quackenbush at the conclusion of a six-month long, twelve-person tournament.[2]
| Chikara Grand Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | Chikara | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | February 3, 2011[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date retired | June 24, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result of a scripted match. Since the founding of the promotion in 2002 and before the Chikara Grand Championship was created, Chikara promoted only the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas, a tag team championship, and the Chikara Young Lions Cup, a championship for rookies, but did not have a major singles championship until an announcement regarding the creation of the Grand Championship was made in February 2011. On March 14, 2013, Chikara announced that in the future the title would be defended at every event held by the promotion.[6] This was later negated following Mike Quackenbush's takeover as Director of Fun and on August 1, 2014, he announced a three-point system to determine contendership for the title, similar to the system used for the Campeonatos de Parejas. Under the system, wrestlers need to accumulate three back-to-back wins in order to be eligible to challenge for the title.[7]
Overall, there have been nine reigns shared among eight wrestlers. One female wrestler, Princess KimberLee, has held the title. With the win, KimberLee became the first female wrestler to hold the top title in a major non-female promotion.[8]
History
edit12 Large: Summit
editOn February 3, 2011, Chikara's new Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur announced that the promotion would be determining their first ever singles champion, nine years after the promotion was founded in 2002. Being new in his job, Vavasseur asked the Chikara roster to cast their vote on who should get to compete for the title with the only provision being that a wrestler cannot vote for themselves.[1] For the next two months wrestlers such as Vin Gerard, UltraMantis Black, Green Ant, Brodie Lee and Icarus pleaded for votes on Chikara's official website.[9][10][11][12][13] While most of Chikara's top rudo (villainous) stable Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK) seemed united behind their leader Claudio Castagnoli, who had ordered his stablemates to vote for him, BDK member Sara Del Rey also asked for votes for herself.[14][15][16]
On April 21, Vavasseur announced the result of the vote. Castagnoli had received the most votes, getting five votes from his seven stablemates. The others qualified were Jigsaw with three votes and Amasis, Brodie Lee, Eddie Kingston, Fire Ant, Hallowicked, Icarus, Mike Quackenbush, Sara Del Rey, UltraMantis Black and Vin Gerard, all with two votes.[17] Vavasseur then revealed that the twelve wrestlers would then be divided into two blocks in a round-robin tournament, starting on May 21.[17] On April 11, Chikara Wrestle Factory graduate and former Chikara Young Lions Cup Champion Larry Sweeney committed suicide.[18][19] On April 29, Chikara announced that the tournament to determine the promotion's first ever singles champion would be named 12 Large: Summit, after Sweeney's catchphrase and finishing maneuver.[20] On May 10, Chikara revealed the tournament's block structure and rules; each match in the tournament had a 60-minute time limit, a win was worth two points and a draw one point. The top wrestler from each block would then face each other on November 13 to determine the first ever Chikara singles champion.[21]
On May 16, Vavasseur announced that Amasis had suffered an injury, which would force him out of the tournament. He then gave Chikara's fans the right to vote one of his Osirian Portal stablemates, Hieracon or Ophidian, to take his place.[22] On June 18, Vavasseur announced that Ophidian had won the vote and would get the vacant spot in the tournament.[23] Meanwhile, also Brodie Lee was sidelined with an injury and was forced to pull out of his match with Eddie Kingston on June 26, giving Kingston two points via forfeit. Lee was, however, given the opportunity to rejoin the tournament later, but never did make his return, forfeiting the rest of his matches.[23] Jigsaw started the tournament on the sidelines, but returned at the July 30 event.[24] On July 25, Ophidian announced that he had broken his jaw and would be forced to forfeit his match with Icarus on July 31.[25] On August 27, Claudio Castagnoli became the first person eliminated from contention in the tournament, after being defeated by Icarus.[26] Following the event, Castagnoli signed a contract with WWE and was forced to forfeit his final match against Ophidian.[27] On August 1, Chikara announced that the finals on November 13 would take place on the promotion's first ever live internet pay-per-view High Noon.[28] When the event's poster was revealed on August 29, the championship's name was at the same time revealed as the Chikara Grand Championship.[29] On October 7, Mike Quackenbush secured the top spot in Block A with a win over Sara Del Rey.[26] The following day, Eddie Kingston won Block B, when Jigsaw defeated the only man who could have threatened his number one spot, UltraMantis Black.[26] On November 13 at High Noon, Kingston defeated Quackenbush to win the 12 Large: Summit and become the inaugural Chikara Grand Champion.[2]
| Block A | Block B | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Quackenbush | 8 | Eddie Kingston | 8 |
| Icarus | 6 | Fire Ant | 6 |
| Hallowicked | 6 | Jigsaw | 6 |
| Sara Del Rey | 6 | UltraMantis Black | 6 |
| Ophidian | 2 | Vin Gerard | 4 |
| Claudio Castagnoli | 2 | Brodie Lee | 0 |
| Block A | Castagnoli | Del Rey | Hallowicked | Icarus | Ophidian | Quackenbush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castagnoli | X | Del Rey (13:15)[26] |
Castagnoli (14:34)[26] |
Icarus (12:45)[26] |
Ophidian (forfeit) |
Quackenbush (19:59)[26] |
| Del Rey | Del Rey (13:15)[26] |
X | Hallowicked (11:56)[26] |
Del Rey (13:56)[26] |
Del Rey (13:59)[26] |
Quackenbush (15:00)[26] |
| Hallowicked | Castagnoli (14:34)[26] |
Hallowicked (11:56)[26] |
X | Icarus (15:16)[26] |
Hallowicked (14:28)[26] |
Hallowicked (18:50)[26] |
| Icarus | Icarus (12:45)[26] |
Del Rey (13:56)[26] |
Icarus (15:16)[26] |
X | Icarus (forfeit)[25] |
Quackenbush (6:59)[26] |
| Ophidian | Ophidian (forfeit) |
Del Rey (13:59)[26] |
Hallowicked (14:28)[26] |
Icarus (forfeit)[25] |
X | Quackenbush (17:31)[26] |
| Quackenbush | Quackenbush (19:59)[26] |
Quackenbush (15:00)[26] |
Hallowicked (18:50)[26] |
Quackenbush (6:59)[26] |
Quackenbush (17:31)[26] |
X |
| Block B | Fire Ant | Gerard | Jigsaw | Kingston | Lee | UltraMantis |
| Fire Ant | X | Fire Ant (11:45)[26] |
Fire Ant (11:40)[26] |
Kingston (22:27)[26] |
Fire Ant (forfeit) |
UltraMantis (12:46)[26] |
| Gerard | Fire Ant (11:45)[26] |
X | Jigsaw (12:48)[26] |
Gerard (9:47)[26] |
Gerard (7:15)[26] |
UltraMantis (forfeit) |
| Jigsaw | Fire Ant (11:40)[26] |
Jigsaw (12:48)[26] |
X | Kingston (19:43)[26] |
Jigsaw (forfeit) |
Jigsaw (12:13)[26] |
| Kingston | Kingston (22:27)[26] |
Gerard (9:47)[26] |
Kingston (19:43)[26] |
X | Kingston (forfeit)[23] |
Kingston (11:56)[26] |
| Lee | Fire Ant (forfeit) |
Gerard (7:15)[26] |
Jigsaw (forfeit) |
Kingston (forfeit)[23] |
X | UltraMantis (forfeit) |
| UltraMantis | UltraMantis (12:46)[26] |
UltraMantis (forfeit) |
Jigsaw (12:13)[26] |
Kingston (11:56)[26] |
UltraMantis (forfeit) |
X |
| Final | ||||
| A1 | Mike Quackenbush | Pin | ||
| B1 | Eddie Kingston | 17:52[26] | ||
Reigns
edit| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||
| 1 | Eddie Kingston | November 13, 2011 | High Noon | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 924 | 13[30] | Kingston defeated Mike Quackenbush in the finals of a 12-person tournament to become the inaugural champion.
Kingston's 14th Title defense against Icarus at CHIKARA Aniversario: Never Compromise on June 2, 2013 ended in a No Contest |
[2] |
| 2 | Icarus | May 25, 2014 | You Only Live Twice | Easton, PA | 1 | 316 | 4[31] | [32] | |
| 3 | Hallowicked | April 6, 2015 | Afternoon Delight | London, England | 1 | 243 | 6[33] | [34] | |
| 4 | Princess KimberLee | December 5, 2015 | Top Banana | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 177 | 5[35] | Cashed in her Golden Opportunity she had won earlier in the night in the finals of the Challenge of the Immortals tournament with Los Ice Creams and Jervis Cottenbelly as Crown and Court | [36] |
| 5 | Hallowicked | May 30, 2016 | Aniversario: The Lost World | Glasgow, Scotland | 2 | 213 | 7[37] | [38] | |
| 6 | UltraMantis Black | December 29, 2016 | Whatever Happened, Happened | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 93 | 2 | [39] | |
| 7 | Juan Francisco de Coronado | April 1, 2017 | Bad Wolf | Orlando, FL | 1 | 497 | 13 | [40] | |
| 8 | Mark Angelosetti | August 11, 2018 | Chikarasaurus Rex: A Deadly Secret | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 237 | 0 | [41] | |
| — | Dasher Hatfield | September 4, 2018 | Chikara Wrestle Factory Press Conference | Philadelphia, PA | 213 | 5 | When Mark Angelosetti got legitimately injured, Chikara Director Of Fun Bryce Remsburg allowed Angelosetti choose an Interim Champion to defend the belt until he comes back. Angelosetti then chose Dasher Hatfield. | ||
| 9 | Dasher Hatfield | April 5, 2019 | Once Upon A Beginning | Jersey City, NJ | 1 | 446 | 3 | Hatfield defeated Mark Angelosetti in a ladder match. | [42] |
| — | Deactivated | June 24, 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | Deactivated when Chikara closed down. | |
Combined reigns
edit
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns |
Combined defenses |
Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Kingston | 1 | 14 | 924 |
| 2 | Juan Francisco de Coronado | 13 | 497 | |
| 3 | Hallowicked | 2 | 13 | 456 |
| 4 | Dasher Hatfield | 1 | 3 | 446 |
| 5 | Icarus | 4 | 316 | |
| 6 | Mark Angelosetti | 5 | 237 | |
| 7 | Princess KimberLee | 5 | 177 | |
| 8 | UltraMantis Black | 2 | 93 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Wink Vavasseur". Chikara. February 3, 2011. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Radican, Sean (November 13, 2011). "Radican's Chikara "High Noon" iPPV coverage 11/13 -Quackenbush vs. Kingston, Young Bucks vs. The Colony". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Grand Champion of Chikara". Chikara. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ "Roster". Chikara. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ "Princess KimberLee". Chikara. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ "Wink Vavasseur". Chikara. March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ "Chikara Event Center (8.1.14)". Chikara. YouTube. August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
- ^ Oster, Aaron (December 10, 2015). "Chikara Grand Champion KimberLee: 'This Is the Real Divas Revolution'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "Vin Gerard". Chikara. February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "UltraMantis Black". Chikara. February 15, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Green Ant". Chikara. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Brodie Lee". Chikara. February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Icarus". Chikara. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Claudio Castagnoli". Chikara. March 29, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Ares". Chikara. April 13, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Sara Del Rey". Chikara. March 25, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "Wink Vavasseur". Chikara. April 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Caldwell, James (April 11, 2011). "Other News: Former manager Larry Sweeney reportedly dies at age 29, colleague remembers Sweeney's life". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 11, 2011). "Former top manager, Sweeney, dead at 29". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on April 13, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Martin, Adam (April 29, 2011). "Indy News #1: Chikara, DVD charity with Foley". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Martin, Adam (May 10, 2011). "Indy News #3: WWC Puerto Rico, Chikara, ECWA". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Wink Vavasseur". Chikara. May 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Wink Vavasseur". Chikara. June 18, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Jigsaw". Chikara. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Ophidian". Chikara. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax "Past results". Chikara. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "Claudio Castagnoli no more - former ROH tag champ signs with WWE, changes name". Pro Wrestling Torch. September 16, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Csonka, Larry (August 1, 2011). "Various News: Chikara's to I-PPV, Joshimania, Billy Corgan's New Promotion, More". 411Mania. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Chikara – High Noon". Go Fight Live. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Reign 1: Eddie Kingston". Cagematch. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "Reign 2: Icarus". Cagematch. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Higham, Joshua (May 25, 2014). "Chikara 'You Only Live Twice' iPPV live report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ "Reign 3: Hallowicked". Cagematch. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Green, Dave (April 6, 2014). "Show results - 4/6 Chikara in London: New Chikara Grand Champion, Gentlemen's Club, more big matches from tour finale". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- ^ "Reign 4: Princess KimberLee". Cagematch. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ "12/5 Chikara in Philadelphia – new Chikara champion closes 2015". Pro Wrestling Torch. December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ "Reign 5: Hallowicked". Cagematch. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ "5/30 Chikara Results – U.K. Tour wraps with Chikara Grand Championship match". Pro Wrestling Torch. May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
- ^ Philip Kreikenbohm (December 29, 2016). "CHIKARA Whatever Happened, Happened - TV-Show @ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ Trionfo, Richard (April 1, 2017). "Chikara Bad Wolf report: UltraMantis Black versus Juan Francisco de Coronado, Sabre Jr. versus Quackenbush, elimination tag match, and more". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ "CHIKARA "Chikarasaurus Rex: A Deadly Secret" 08/11/18 Results".
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 5, 2019). "CHIKARA Once Upon A Beginning - TV-Show @ White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 6, 2021.