CHIKARA

[10.0] "One of the best promotions to ever exist. The King of Trios events were always a lot of fun to watch because of the teams that were involved. And a lot of the talents involved in Chikara have gone on to greener pastures in WWE, AEW or TNA or wherever."

[10.0] "One of the promotions I very much miss to this day. Fun, action packed and filled with a lot of talented, this promotion represented, in my opinion, the pinnacle of independent wrestling. Hopefully we'll see it up and running once again someday."

"I truly despise chikara and wish it never existed. I don't think I can ever forgive Mike Quackenbush for the monstrosity he created. Shame."

[10.0] "I've deleted my 2012 comment for finding it quite cringeworthy...so I'm doing it for real this time: CHIKARA is absolutely one of my favorite promotions of all time with ECW, FMW, '90s AJPW, '00s CZW and Lucha Underground. They had some of the greatest storylines of all time: the BDK (greatest indy stable of all time) rise and fall, Sara Del Rey stepping up to the evil patriarch Claudio (that's how you write proper women's revolution, WWE! ), the incredible journey of Princess Kimberlee from jobber to champion (again, that's how you write proper women's revolution, WWE! ), the Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli feud (which AEW/ROH ruined), The Ashes of CHIKARA which is my no.1 indies storyline ever. Such an incredible long time storytelling arcs here. While this promotion was overlooked from the wrestling nerds obsessed with flips and Big Dave's stars (which is a plus to me), they actually had one of the greatest match of the indies in the Rey De Voladores 2009 semi-final with Ibushi, Jigsaw, El Generico (numero uno! ) and Matt Jackson. And on top, they had the best comedy wrestling and spots which I revisit many times and they always bring me to laughable tears: Archibald Peck and Chuck Taylor's photo battle, the videogame war with Delirious and Player Uno (and yes, Princess Peach is a tramp! ) of all...such a shame they went down: decent to great booking, a great inclusive atmosphere with the best audience in the US (no stupid chants here, which is a BIG plus), and a lot...I mean a LOT of great talents that were trained at the Factory or wrestled there that are now in the two US major promotions. God, I miss CHIKARA..."

[10.0] "This promotion means so much to me as it was the first pro wrestling I had looked up and find outside of WWE, with it incredible blend of comic book style and engaging cast of wrestlers with some stellar storyline spending decades! I love Chikara its still my favorite promotion despite it unfortunate downfall! Its amazing looking back on how well-received and how much of a impacted they've left on the pro wrestling atmosphere with hilarious moments & incredible in-ring matches! From Hallowicked, The Colony, Eddie Kingston, Dasher Hatfield, FIST, Travis Huckabee, and many more these wrestlers made what Chikara is what it is and I wish nothing for the best for them as some of them have gone on to bigger and brighter success. I'm so happy to look back at this promotion with so fond memories and will continue to consider it my favorite!"

[10.0] "Still to this day my favorite wrestling company of all time. It's an absolute tragedy that the company ended the way it did, as every single event was just the most entertaining and unpredictable thing that could be imagined. So many amazing wrestlers graced this promotion, and the fact that the silliness was always cranked up to 11 meant that for a show that didn't take itself seriously at all, it was seriously the most entertaining that I think wrestling can be. I've only attended four pro wrestling events in my life, and all four were held by CHIKARA. and I think the next wrestling show í go to will have to be AMAZING to begin to compare to the legacy of this promotion."

[10.0] "Discovering Chikara in 2024 felt like discovering ECW back in the day. If someone were to try and sell me on watching it, I never would have. I thought the PG stuff would not work for me, and the quirky "magic gimmick" spots. But you have to have a little suspension of belief for wrestling in general, all Chikara does is push that envelope. It's like going to a minor league baseball game and I was OK with the comedy spots, everyone bought into it. Chikara has a strong pedigree of wrestlers that went on to become bigger stars, but also a lot of great talent that made careers just in the indies and/or work backstage for other companies. Chikara as a promotion is heavily influenced by the lucha style. Lots of multiple people in a match, with rules that promote more action and creativity when you have multiple people contributing to a big spot. There are def "eras" of Chikara which are better than others. 2002-2009ish - Grassroots, decent product still trying to find its footing. Not BAD and a lot of people on the roster that are still extremely young, but are staples in the lifespan of Chikara. 2009-2015 - Their golden age. They really leaned into their production and put on a very entertaining product. From top to bottom this roster has more talent than they have any business doing. Brodie Lee, Claudio, and Kingston probably lead the way, but there isn't a big dropoff after them. Icarus, Frightmare, Hallowicked, Jigsaw, The Colony, Dasher, Ophidian, Chuck Taylor, 2.0/3.0, Larry Sweeney, Ultramantis, Batiri, all develop into stars and mostly all stay with Chikara until it closed in 2020. The stories were compelling enough, even though not a large amount of promos - but the fact there were so many stories told in the ring. Claudio and the BDK invasion storyline is absolutely top tier all time for me. They actually were able to develop the characters of their talent as well. Around 2013 Claudio, Kingston, Lee, and others started to move on. Not only did Chikara need to replace the big names, but the big bodies. Claudio and Lee are incredible bases and really the glue that kept everything together, allowing the high-flyers to shine. Gavin Loudspeaker really shined as an announcer, and Bryce Remsburg as a Ref. You can see where AEW got a lot of influence from. I like how Bryce applied himself, as part of the show but it was subtle. It started to take a life of its own as time went on which I didn't particularly hate. Chikara stumbled in finding its footing after this - as a wrestling school I think they brought in students too early to try and fix that. Not only were they too green, but the style of the promotion changed as everyone was basically the same build/style. The top end was still very good, its just there was a big dropoff after that which didn't exist before. About 2016 the product really cooled off for me. Virtually becoming unwatchable over the next 2 years. Not only what was in-ring, but Quack on commentary was a disaster. He sounds so flat and uninspired, and constantly calls a spot before it happens on screen. Plus it was one thing to have a PG/kid friendly product that people respected and understood without making a big deal out of it. However then they started making long announcements about it, shoving it down your throat. Kind of Trios was always remained a top tier event each year. Overall I have to give it a 10 because there is a SOLID ~5 year run that can compete with any other era. It just did it in a different and unique way that makes it impossible to directly compare, but like every era it stands on its own 2 legs. At it stands, I was introduced to it in 2024, and I really wish I knew about it when it was 'live'. At that time WWE was stale and really fell out of love with wrestling due to it. But it really provided something I didn't know I needed or even wanted."

[7.0] "Good comedy wrestling promotion for a long time. Was losing steam at the end before the speakout movement being the last nail in the coffin for Chikara. Introduced us to a lot of new stars and the King of the Trios tournament was must watch every year"

[10.0] "Some of the best wrestling I have ever seen featuring lot of future stars and fun characters. It felt like a fun wwe show with great story telling, the fueds were either down to earth or crazy with magic or some stuff. I'm gonna miss this company and it's great content."

[9.0] "the first indy a lot of people really cared for, a lot of future stars like Kington, Quack, Claudio, Hero, Gargano, 3.0, Chuckie T, Sara, Kimber, UltraMantis, Dasher, Delirious and Sweeney now very well known around the world came from here, the shows were fun, the storylines were engaging, and the wrestling was phenomenal"

[8.0] "It was the very first independent wrestling federation I ever paid attention to. The thing that impressed me the most was the gimmicks of some wrestlers (like Los Ice Creams or Jervis Cottonbelly), and the touch of comedy is really a plus. AND it's a shame that it had to close its doors because of this pandemic."

[8.0] "Man, I remember back in the day when I was really into Chikara. I loved their King of Trios tournament and Torneo Cibernetico match, I would anticipate it every year. Chikara has also introduced me to some of the finest wrestlers and characters such as Mike Quackenbush, Sara Del Rey, Cesaro/Claudio Castagnoli, CP MUNK, UltraMantis Black, Larry Sweeney, Jigsaw, 3. 0, Icarus, Chuck Taylor, Johnny Gargano, Hallowicked, Archibald Peck, Princess Kimber Lee, Jervis Cottonbelly, and THE ANTS! There're so too many ants but you can never have enough ants. If you think they lack in storyline just check out the BDK invasion storyline. One of my favorite storylines in wrestling ever."

[10.0] "Chikara, all things considered, had one of the best runs in pro wrestling history from 2007-2015. The current landscape of wrestling in part reflects their output in this auspicious era. Regardless of how you feel about him personally, Mike Quackenbush is a wrestling genius who, besides the shutdown, could do no wrong in these years. Ever since they moved largely to the Wrestle Factory, it doesn? t really feel like Chikara anymore, but they continue to produce incredible characters year after year, my favorite new wrestler being Still Life With Apricots and Pears."

[8.0] "Look, when it gets down to it wrestling is meant to be fun. I have fun when I watch CHIKARA. Crazy characters, good in-ring action, good storylines. It? s a fun time."

[4.0] "Convoluted story lines, personal problems affecting the bottom line, a eclectic and unique fanbase? check, check and check. CHIKARA is a different breed of wrestling that once touted that it was "PG wrestling done right. " Given the nature of the business many of the top stars don't stick around for more than a couple of seasons, but despite that and an eccentric promoter CHIKARA is still hanging on trying to prove they are the little fed that could. Kudos to them, I just can't get behind their product after their faux shutdown in 2013."

[4.0] "Fantastic in ring prowess by all competitors followed up by creative character ideas make Chikara one of the top ten wrestling promotions outside of WWE, the only downside is the small amount of free content."

[2.0] "There's an air of insecurity clinging to Chikara, whose in-ring work is largely pedestrian at best. The booking decisions, the angles, the gimmicks and the general presence of it reeks of New Generation WWF, but made inexplicably even worse by an air of smugness and pop culture oversaturation that clings to it. It could only have been born in the internet age, and like millions of marks around the world, it thinks that subsuming its whole identity into its favourite anime and video games is a passable enough attempt at a personality. It isn't. And when Chikara aren't being patently insulting in the name of comedy, they're putting on sad, lumbering, awkward play-wrestling matches to crowds who will mark out to anything. Dreadful promotion."

[9.0] "CHIKARA is by far one of the most fun companies that exist and one of the few indies with its own identity. Their storylines are some of the best and they know how to combine comedy very well with what happens in the ring (contrary to what is usually thought, they offer very good matches and feuds); although unfortunately they have not been able to fully recover from that story where they supposedly closed in 2013. A friendly family product that alienates many smarks because they are not the target audience."

[7.0] "CHIKARA knows exactly what it is and what it is capable of. Simply, this is a promotion based around FUN and comedy which is done really well. Believe it or not, many great wrestling matches have been put on here and the promotion is still incredibly overlooked in 2018. As I stated before, this promotion is self-aware and knows what it's capable of which is a really big strong point for them"

[6.0] "I really like wrestling that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's enjoyable. But just not great or anything."

[6.0] "CHIKARA is goofy wrestling. It doesn't take itself seriously, doesn't pretend that it should be taken seriously, and is rated accordingly."

[10.0] "I absolutely love this promotion. They do an amazing job at so many things. They can do Comedy, Lucha, Puro, Catch, Indy, you name it. Their unique, slow burn, comic book style storylines make CHIKARA extremely watchable. They are also superb at creating memorable moments through storytelling like the YLC 3 Final, The Dark Ciberknetico, The Tomorrow Never Dies cage match, the aftermath of the Three Fisted Tales main event, and the main event of High Noon just to name a few."

[0.0] "This is the kind of wrestling that makes fans embarrassed to admit they watch. Too cartoonish, the in ring product isn't good, and some of the gimmicks are just pathetic. An entire stable that is an ant colony? That's so bad even 1995 WWF and Jim Herd wouldn't touch it. I don't understand how anyone over 10 likes this."

[9.0] "Perhaps best-known for its colorful cast of characters and commitment to the "fun" side of wrestling, CHIKARA is also notable for its strong booking and complex storytelling, deep mythology, and its maintaining of an overall high standard of in-ring quality. Most importantly of all, it has firmly established an identity all its own that sets it apart from the rest of the independent scene. You really couldn't ask for much more out of an independent promotion."

[10.0] "Absolute best in terms of family friendly wrestling. If your wrestling diet consists of all fed groups, you need CHIKARA to lighten the mood from time to time. Unique, easy to follow characters with an actual story line that progresses. Some matches are funny, some are serious. Some are hard hitting, some are high flying. Everything you could want from a wrestling fed is here. CHIKARA is must watch for me, and with their streaming service CHIKARAtopia it's so very accessible. I'm a newer fan but I'm a fan for life."

[8.0] "a very entertaining promotion with a comic book charm to it and obvious Lucha Libre influences, have had some great shows over the years (King of Trios every year is a spotlight stealer in terms of top indy shows) and with a good group of workers at their disposal the company puts on some really impressive matches."

[10.0] "I'm very glad to see how well they're doing after a near closure scare a couple of years back. They seem to draw really well for an indy promotion. I really like their style which blends American, Mexican, and British traditions. Definitely my favorite promotion to watch right now."

[10.0] "Best company in the world today, excellent fun-oriented wrestling, deep and complex storytelling, spot on comedy, a huge respect for history, scintillating characters, this company has it all and then some. The, full stop, best company of all time."

[10.0] "absolutely my favorite wrestling promotion of all time. Good quality matches, even from the female competitors- which get WAY underutilized by "the big two". And it's FUN!"

[10.0] "If you ask me, CHIKARA Pro has always been the epitome of professional wrestling. Any style of wrestling you could want is in CHIKARA, you're treated to the most "out there" stories you could imagine, and it's fun. Yes, fun. Exactly what wrestling is meant to be."

[8.0] "Each show is fun and includes a lot of awesome wrestling. Their top stars are Eddie Kingston, Icarus along with more midcard talent Jigsaw, Hallowicked and many more. As of July 28th 2013, No one really knows if the company is around anymore, but we all want it to."

[10.0] "Fun is the best word to describe Chikara. It has grown into an unique promotion with a very strong identity that provide both extremely solid wrestling as well as tremendous entertainment. With colorful characters unlike any others and young vibrant talents who grow up so fast, Chikara never lacks on fun. It's future is now in serious doubt, but it's legacy will remain vibrant for all those who witnessed it and enjoyed it."

[10.0] "CHIKARA is a fresh bit of wrestling from the standard that is normally seen from WWE and TNA. What I really enjoy is the colorful characters and some of the engaging storylines, especially when it came to the B. D. K."

[5.0] "Not my cup of tea, I don't get the love. It's boring and sloppy."