chikara-high-noon

As the guy in charge of the Best And Worst Of WWE Raw column I’ve built up a little Internet street cred, all of which I’d like to use now; if you’ve ever trusted my opinions on the world of pro wrestling, order this Sunday’s CHIKARA pro wrestling’s “High Noon” Internet pay-per-view. I’m not posting this because I’ve been paid or asked to, I’m posting because I sincerely believe that this company of crazy little guys in masks is one of the best things we’ve got going on in the putrid, niche world we’ve decided to love and think you’d love it, and that they need to be supported.

Here’s the quick version: you watch it live as it happens on your computer and it only costs you $14.99 for (give or take) three hours and 45 minutes of wrestling. The upside is that every one of those 230ish minutes is better than what you might’ve paid 50 dollars to see one of three times from WWE this month. Remember, this is coming from a guy who finds something to like on even the worst episodes of Raw.

I didn’t like CHIKARA a few years ago. I thought it was stupid. People kept telling me, “watch CHIKARA, they blew a guy up with a fake grenade, watch CHIKARA, they’ve got a guy named Dragon Dragon who is literally a dragon, watch CHIKARA, you’ll love this match”. I resisted. A couple of years ago I found myself in Philadelphia and attended a show (Aniversario Yang, if you’re keeping score) and it hooked the sh*t out of me. Since then I’ve driven hours and bought plane tickets from Texas to see CHIKARA shows, shows that might be happening down the street from you, because of how I’ve come to understand it and how much they’ve given me back. They’ve given me a lot.

Don’t just think it’s funny stuff in masks. The wrestling has gotten better and better and has started feeling like that “great” you forget about watching TV. They’ve also got Eddie Kingston, and if you don’t know how Eddie Kingston is, let me share with you hands down the best pro wrestling promo of 2011.

I’ll spare you a rundown of the card, which you can find in total on CHIKARAPro.com. Colt Cabana will be there. He spent time in WWE and is one of the most enjoyable wrestlers in the world. Gregory Iron, the kid with cerebral palsy CM Punk put over this summer, is on the card. So is Archibald Peck, who I think I namedrop in Best and Worst at least once every two columns. Sara Del Rey, the best female pro wrestler in North America (at least) is wrestling. It goes on and on. And don’t forget Kingston, crawling to Philadelphia.

Seriously, do yourself a favor as a fan of this dumb thing we love and order High Noon this Sunday. Order it before then, but watch it on Sunday. You can help these guys make a difference. And hey, worst case scenario, you’ll know what I’m talking about during Monday’s Best And Worst Of CHIKARA High Noon.