Action Arcade Episode 2: CHIKARA Action Arcade Review

By
Tiffany Merryhill

The follow-up to the first Action Arcade was just as much of a good time! Week two featured something new to go along with all of the action. The Scoreboard with Scott Holladay is an addition to the Arcade that will air each Saturday. The segment provides the standings of all CHIKARA competitors in line for a shot at the Grand Championship. This is CHIKARA Action Arcade Review for Episode 2.

Making it to the top of the Scoreboard and earning three points for a title shot is one thing, but current CHIKARA Grand Champion Dasher Hatfield has ‘legally’ aligned himself with color commentator and Director of Fun Sidney Bakabella. It was in Episode 2 that Bakabella rolled out a severely strict amendment referred to as the ‘Sword of Damocles’. This amendment means that the contender is forced to put their career on the line in their granted title match. The title situation has gotten much more precarious!

 

Action Arcade Episode 2

Reno Garvin vs. Lance Steel (Crucible Rules match)

The first match this week saw Lance Steel taking on Reno Garvin in a match that followed Crucible rules as set by leader Ophidian. With these rules, the ring ropes are removed. There’s a 2-minute time limit to the match. No pinfalls will count toward a victory, but the competitors can either win by submission or knockout.

With these rules it’s no wonder that Crucible matches don’t count for points towards the Grand Championship. When a match follows Crucible rules, though, only the best and strongest have a chance at success. Lance Steel has stood out from the rest of Ophidian’s chosen crew for the longest, and it was no surprise that Steel got a submission victory here in less than a minute.

E.M. Demorest, Matt Makowski, and Tunku Amir vs. Jigsaw, Mobius, and Mike Quackenbush

The Crucible saw ring time twice on this second episode of the Arcade as three members (Demorest, Makowski, and Amir) took on the seasoned team of Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Mobius. This match is the one to watch for this week! The action stayed strong here from bell to bell. The Crucible appear to be the dominant faction at the moment in CHIKARA, but their members still display deficiencies as individuals. These flaws allow more accomplished teams to take the victory as Mobius did here for his team.

I’ll be interested in seeing what Ophidian will do next to strengthen the Crucible, but will it take more than harsh motivation to keep the chosen members at peak performance?

Action Arcade Episode 2

Kobald vs. Lucas Calhoun

Kobald surprised me a bit with the way he brought the fight to Calhoun. Sure, he’s a grimy goblin and all but there was some fight in Kobald here that gave this match some spark. Despite his fiery efforts in the beginning, however, Kobald couldn’t keep up the attack for long. Calhoun got the pinfall victory and a step in the right direction toward the Grand Championship.

ZERO & Boomer Hatfield vs. The Spoiler & Sonny Defarge

Excellent tag match this week; it’s good to see Boomer and ZERO team up and do work. The Spoiler may be an irritating character, but there’s no denying that he’s got his own established skillset. He even makes a solid partner for the exceptionally talented Defarge here, too. ZERO pairs up nicely with Boomer, who is great either in a singles or tag team match. Both Boomer and Defarge impressed the most in this match with Defarge getting the victory for his team. Things don’t appear to be over between the youngest Hatfield and the dirty Defarge, either – I see another great match down the road with these two.

Action Arcade Episode 2

Ophidian vs. Still Life With Apricots & Pears

The main event of Episode 2 had the leader of the Crucible taking on the masterpiece-in-progress Still Life. This match would be huge for Still Life to win, as they are in the process of re-birthing themselves after so much upheaval and change in 2019. Ophidian, however, would assuredly not make this renewal an easy go. I was glad to see Still Life take charge at points in this match. They gave the action in this main event a real back and forth feel, and at any moment we could have seen Still Life tip the balance of power and escape with an upset victory. This was not to be, despite the gallant effort put forth by Still Life the match still ended with Ophidian winning via submission. Be ready, though – we saw a new Still Life appear in this battle and it’s the most powerful piece we’ve seen yet.

Week two of the Action Arcade and the following weeks really look as if they’ll deliver on the entertainment factor. I’ve enjoyed the matches that have been put together for these episodes. The promo packages are great as well; the viewer really does feel a sense of nostalgia for Saturday morning 80s and 90s wrestling shows here. From production to storylines CHIKARA’s got a great start so far with the Arcade.

Check out CHIKARA Action Arcade weekly on Independent Wrestling TV

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