Wrestling is Cool: My Favorite Chikara Characters

 

I'm back with my second piece honoring the 20th Anniversary of the professional wrestling promotion known as Chikara Pro. Last month, I talked at length about the history of Chikara, and my own personal history with it, and what I loved about the company in general. Now I'm going to delve a bit deeper, and talk about many of the characters I loved, and why. Chikara Pro was a universe inhabited by all manner of strange warriors, from living ice creams, to humanoid ants, to maniacal insect overlords, and goofy white rappers, and demons, and knights from the past, and even heroes from the future! All that and more graced Chikara rings over the years, and I'm about to tell you what I feel were the cream of the crop. So buckle up!

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Name: Ultramantis Black

Type: Evil Insect Overlord

Style: Great and Devious

I'll start more or less where I started in the previous piece, talking about the character who might just be my top overall favorite Chikara persona of all time: Ultramantis Black! One of the graduates of the very first Wrestle Factory class in 2002, he was originally a heroic character known simply as "Ultra Mantis". Mantis was a send-up to Japanese tokusatsu heroes, specifically himself something of a cross between Ultraman, and the insect-like biker Kamen Rider. For the first couple seasons of Chikara, he was a red-clad hero of the people, and even spent some time teaming with fellow "Gen 1" graduate Mister Zero, a grumpy, coffee-addicted, middle-aged white-collar worker. Together, their team was known as "Ultra Zero". 

The Gen 1 Originals

But by 2004, Mantis grew tired of, at least in his mind, being seen as a joke. So he eventually turned his back on Zero, nay, ALL of humanity, and revealed a new persona: Ultramantis BLACK! This name too, was a send-up to tokusatsu, as such heroes often had evil shadowy twins or doppelgangers of sorts. It was as UM Black, that Mantis declared his hatred of humanity, and his intention to eventually dominate, or destroy, not just Chikara, but the entire world! This was the genesis of true foundation of the character: a villain very much also in the mold of Saturday Morning Cartoons, mustache twirling, monologuing, and while indeed being "Great and Devious", also at times proving to be somewhat incompetent. 

The Order of the Neo Solar Temple

Before too long, he set about building his army to accomplish his goals. He first introduced the devastating sea monster Hydra, who was one of the tiniest members of the roster, yet thought he was a Big Show-sized super heavyweight. He also recruited Crossbones, a genuine heavyweight, with a penchant for running his mouth during matches. Together they were known as the "Order of the Neo Solar Temple", with Mantis as the mastermind and spiritual leader. Unfortunately for Mantis, and true to Saturday Morning Cartoon villainy, they didn't often have success in their maniacal schemes. To counter this, Mantis would eventually add other members, such as brainwashing the squeaky-clean rookie Tim Donst, and convincing the technical grappler that he was part of the Order (right down to painting half his face ala King Diamond, or KISS). Later still, as I explained in the first article, Mantis "recruited" his enemy Delirious, by means of total mind control, thanks to the mystical and mysterious "Eye of Tyre" crystal that came into his possession. Of course, that would also be his downfall...

New and Improved?

I covered the mishaps with the Eye of Tyre, and the BDK group who came after it, in the Chikara tribute piece. But needless to say, after years of devious machinations, Mantis' scheming backfired on him, big-time, and he ultimately wound up losing his entire Order stable. He would then "see the light", to a point, joining the side of "good", at least to get revenge on the BDK. He befriended former ally-turned-enemy Hallowicked, and his spawn Frightmare, and the trio known as the "Spectral Envoy" fought on the side of Chikara, against not one, but what would eventually be multiple waves of Chikara invaders. The Envoy era is when I first started watching Chikara, circa 2012. In fact, the first full Chikara shows I ever watched (instead of merely just clips on Youtube), was the 2012 King of Trios tournament, which (SPOILERS), I was thrilled to discover Ultramantis and the Envoy won! 

It's Halloween All Year Round!

Looking back over Chikara's history, of which I was there actively watching from 2014 through 2016, and keeping tabs on after (and more recently going back and watching from its beginnings onward), I have had other characters who I would say were my "favorites" at the time. But when I really think about it, the character I am most entertained by, and find the most consistent and endearing from all of Chikaradom, is Ultramantis Black. In other words, I would have to call him my Top Favorite Chikara wrestler of all time. His commitment to character, his charisma, his in-ring work, his flair for presentation. He was just the "total package". 

 

The coolest tattoos I have ever seen.

 

But more than that, even for a "Maniacal Villain", there was always something endearing and lovable about Ultramantis. In a similar way to, again, Saturday Morning Cartoon villains like Skeletor, or Cobra Commander, or King Bowser Koopa. Mantis as a character (and seemingly as a person) is a juxtaposition of disparate parts. For instance, as you can see above, while he is supposed to be this evil, devious overlord, his "evil" tattoos are literally all nice, peaceful, happy Christmas iconography. I love his tattoos more than words can express, and the hilarity and sheer awesomeness of what people would automatically assume MUST be totally EVIL tattoos, being the friendliest shit you've ever seen, is priceless. 

 

 

Grand Champion!

 

 

Ultramantis Black is my favorite Chikara wrestler of all time, because he's dastardly, but charming. He's an incorrigible, arrogant rogue, yet at the same time a totally lovable, gregarious paragon. He's a mystical, supernatural character, who claims to be a sorcerer of great eldritch power. Yet he's also something of a warped, spiritual zen Buddhist. I was glad to be able to see him win the King of Trios (which was his first MAJOR accomplishment in Chikara) in 2012. And even though I wasn't watching regularly anymore by 2017, I was also happy to discover he finally won THE top prize, the Chikara Grand Championship! I wasn't thrilled with how all that was handled, and will always think his reign should have lasted significantly longer than it did. But considering he suffered a leg injury in 2015, of which I was devastated, and genuinely feared he might never wrestler again, it did my blackened heart good to see him with "The Strap". I had been genuinely hoping that he would win it before he retired, and he did. So in that, at least, I could be content.

Name(s): Hallowicked and Frightmare

Type: Nightmare Warriors

Style: Brutal and Frenetic

Instead of listing them separately, I might as well list Hallowicked, and his literal storyline spawn Frightmare, together. During that time that I was most actively a Chikara fan (2014-2016), I listed Frightmare as one of my probably Top 5 Favorite Chikara wrestlers. I have always liked Hallowicked too, but especially back then, I just loved Frightmare's seemingly boundless energy, his lethal combination of high-speed brutality and high-flying marvel. For his part, Hallowicked (whom I have come to appreciate more and more as I go back through Chikara's old shows), a fellow Gen 1 Wrestle Factory graduate of Ultramantis', is arguably the most overall "complete" wrestler that Chikara ever produced, that Mike Quackenbush ever trained. If 'Wicked were a Super Mario Bros. 2 character, he would be Mario, the All-Rounder. He isn't the most high flying, but he can sure fly, and he isn't THE biggest or strongest, but he's pretty big and strong. And he isn't the TOP most technical wrestler the company had, but he could tie you up six ways from Sunday when he tried. He was a lethal mixture of all the right elements, and together with Frightmare, these so-called "Nightmare Warriors" were one of the best tag teams Chikara ever had (which makes it ironic that they were never Tag Champs). 

All Glory, Nazmaldun.

When I was watching the 2014 Season Finale live, it was a roller-coaster of emotions when, first, Ultramantis defeated his old frenemy Delirious, but then Delirious turned around and got the last laugh, when he used the Eye of Tyre to seemingly take control of Mantis' friend Hallowicked (and through him Frightmare). But that wasn't quite what happened. Instead of being mind-controlled as Victims of the Eye had in the past, Hallowicked would instead seemingly be possessed by something else entirely. The very next Chikara show, the season opener of 2015, he and Frightmare came out looking completely different than they had before. Not only that, but Hallowicked, who had for his entire previous history only ever spoken in gibberish, now spoke perfect, sinister English, and they brandished the banner of some Lovecraftian forgotten god, the Lord of Rot, Nazmaldun. Hallowicked was now his scion, and he was bent on building an army for his Dark Lord, to take over Chikara (and of course, the world). 

Two Princes.

While I unfortunately never got to see Hallowicked and Frightmare capture the Chikara "Campeones de Parejas" (Tag Team Championship), I DID get to see Hallowicked, in this new "Evil Overlord" form, win the Grand Championship not once, but twice. In fact, in the entire (tragically ended) history of Chikara, Hallowicked was the ONLY 2 time Grand Champion. I was initially heartbroken (so to speak) when Wicked and Frightmare were turned against my boy Mantis, and I still prefer them as the heroes I first knew them as. But I also found the whole unexpected Nazmaldun direction to be quite interesting, and the storyline had a lot of potential. I don't think it quite lived up to that potential, ultimately, but it certainly had some cool moments. I had strongly hoped, as had been hinted before his injury, that the ultimate payoff for the story would be Ultramantis eventually defeating Hallowicked to finally become Grand Champion himself (which technically he did), and ultimately, to somehow "purify" and redeem his old friends, reuniting the Spectral Envoy one last time. That sadly didn't happen, and I'll always wish it had.

Overall, Hallowicked and Frightmare, individually or as a team, are two of my favorite Chikara personalities. Frightmare for his barely-contained energy and crazy moves, and Hallowicked for his excellent wrestling and commanding presence. I loved them as heroes, but I have to admit, they also made for some truly fearsome villains. 

 

Name: Estonian Thunderfrog

Type: God of Lightning and Thunder

Style: Power and Majesty of the Baltics

Right around the time that I was actually able to start watching and keeping up with every Chikara show in a given season (2014), a couple of rival "European" trios were on the rise. Originally appearing in Chikara's "Wrestling Is" satellite promotions, the two forces known as "The Baltic Siege" and "The Bloc Party" were now in Chikara proper. Both groups represented countries/regions of Eastern Europe, with the Bloc of course representing old Soviet Bloc nations, in The Proletariat Boar of Moldova, Mr. Azerbaijan, and Prakash Sabbar (who represented Georgia). The Siege, meanwhile, was made up of The Lithuanian Snow Troll, The Latvian Proud Oak, and the man we're here to talk about, The Estonian Thunderfrog. 

Bloc Party fan art.

Baltic Siege fan art.

The Thunderfrog character, for anyone familiar with classic Marvel comics, is an homage to an 80s Mighty Thor storyline, wherein the God of Thunder was transformed by Loki, into a life-size frog. Thunderfrog, of course, while also being a God of Thunder, is a man-sized frog...man. Who loves the ladies (especially classy milk-maidens), dancing, and justice. He speaks with a "Baltic" accent, and has that mysterious Eastern European charm. He is proud to represent the nation of Estonia, and even more proud to use his mighty "Hammer of Peace" to rain down justice upon evil-doers! In fact, true to his Thor homage roots, only Thunderfrog can lift his hammer. When others try, it proves to be too heavy for them to barely even budge!

Thunderfrog, wielding the mighty Hammer of Peace.

Not only did I immediately fall in love with Thunderfrog, as in he instantly became one of my Chikara favorites, but little did I know the emotional roller-coaster of sorts Chikara would take me on with him. Early in the 2014 season, the Siege continued their rivalry with the Bloc, and ultimately, they got the best of them. But their triumph was short-lived. Thunderfrog took part in a match that involved the great hulking behemoth of the BDK, the Nordic Nightmare, Tursas. And ever vigilant against evil, near the end of the match, Thunderfrog lifted his mighty Hammer of Peace, and used it to vanquish the giant, seemingly once and for all. 

But in reprisal for such an act, the terrorizing leader of "The Flood" villain super-group that was trying to destroy Chikara at the time, the monster known as Deucalion, came out at a following show, and "murdered" the Thunderfrog, with his fearsome "Chokebreaker". Not only did his fellow Baltic Siege-mates mourn their valiant friend, but they foolishly tried to avenge him at a subsequent show, which also led to the poor Proud Oak's demise as well. 

Evolution.

For my part, I was legitimately, unironically devastated. Not only was I, yes, actually sad that the character "died" (something in and of itself that is fairly rare in pro wrestling), but I was also shocked, and even kinda pissed off, like "DUDE, what the fuck, I just got into this guy and you're already getting rid of him?" That was one of the few things that season that I didn't like about the whole Flood storyline, even though for the most part I enjoyed it. I honestly feared The Frog was gone for good from Chikara, and one of my new favorites was super short lived. Thankfully, I was wrong. 

Somewhat reminiscent of the '93 "Death and Return of Superman" storyline in DC Comics, there was a glimmer of hope! At the 2014 season finale, when former villain-turned-hero Icarus led the charge to stop The Flood, and faced their fearsome leader, "Duke" alone in a cage, because of his righteous cause, he proved worthy to wield Thunderfrog's Hammer. He used it to smite Deucalion, and end the Flood threat. As a post-show "stinger", they showed a brief skit wherein a mid-west farmer, after a random lighting strike, discovered a tiny frog, wearing Thor trappings! Via mysterious means, our hero had somehow returned from Valhalla, reborn as the mortal "Estonian Farmerfrog", an incarnation of the character which would eventually appear again within Chikara rings.

 

 

The Return!

 

 

But at the 2015 season finale, a year removed from that "rebirth" vignette, Icarus, who no longer could do anything more than drag the Hammer along the ground, left it backstage before his main event match that night. He was no longer worthy to lift it, because where he had once been fighting for Chikara, now he fought for himself, to recapture the Grand Championship he had lost (to Hallowicked, Scion of Nazmaldun). Well, ol' Froggy, in yet another post-show "stinger" skit, found the Hammer leaning against a wall backstage, and touched it. Doing so caused him to be charged with lightning, and he transformed into a NEW incarnation of the fully realized Thunderfrog! 

Now wearing golden "armor", and adorned with a superheroic cape, the Thunderfrog (no longer prefaced by "Estonian"), was a major player and hero of the 2016 season, for which I was enormously gratified. Not only would he take part in major matches at King of Trios, and in the main event Cibernetico Match against the forces of Nazmaldun at the season finale, but he began the season with a bang. At the 2016 "National Pro Wrestling Day" show, he won the 2016 "Young Lions Cup" tournament, and became that years YLC Champion, which he went on to successfully defend. I was happy to see him be featured prominently like that, and have some major success. Though sadly, 2016 would also mostly be the end of it. Outside of a couple appearances in later seasons, "Because Reasons", the Thunderfrog stopped appearing in Chikara for the most part in 2017, which again made me sad. But at least I got his hot 2016 run, even though I would have hoped for him to be a long-term fixture, and future Grand Champ. Alas.

 

Name(s): Silver Ant & The Colony (Soldier Ant, Fire Ant, Worker Ant)

Type: Humanoid Insectoid Heroes

Style: Technical Wrestling Bug (Depends on the Ant)

Circa 2015/2016, especially in 2015 with Thunderfrog gone, and Ultramantis injured, my answer for not only "Favorite Chikara Wrestler", but "Favorite Wrestler At The Moment PERIOD", was none other than Silver Ant, of Chikara's long-running super-group, The Colony. As explained in the previous piece, The Colony debuted in Chikara in 2005/06, as the team of Fire Ant and Soldier Ant, the two originals. Later in 2006, and into 2007, they were joined by the original (and sadly somewhat forgotten) Worker Ant. Poor Worker fell afoul of some heinous villainy in 2008, and wound up retiring. But he would be replaced by a new-comer, a literal "Green" rookie, hence he was called "Green Ant".

Your 2011 King of Trios.

All of the ants had some kind of specialty or character trait. Fire Ant was the "hot" tempered high flier. Soldier Ant, while technically proficient in his own right, was the military marching brawler of the bunch. The original Worker Ant, was the "blue collar" kid who never gave up. Even the future replacement Worker II, while he was originally the villainous "AssailANT", as one of the Colony was the big bruising power guy. But Green Ant? His specialty was technical mat-based wrestling. Much like their trainer, "The Man of 1000 Holds", Mike Quackenbush. Green may not have known 1000 holds, but he certainly knew many dangerous ones, and over time, he developed into one of the best technical wrestlers I've ever seen. And considering what a big fan of technical submission-based wrestling I am, considering All-Time favorites of mine like Bret "The Hitman" Hart, that made me a natural fan of his.

The Colony.

Well, when Chikara came back in 2014 from their "shut down" as part of the Titor/Flood story arc, Green was no longer a "Green" rookie anymore. So it was decided he graduate, into an older, wiser version of himself. Thus he became my preferred incarnation, and one of my top favorite Chikara wrestlers, Silver Ant! Once again, sadly, ol' Silver never won any major accolades during his Silver years, during my time of closely watching Chikara. He was another that I had high hopes would be around long-term, and one day have a run as Grand Champ, but it was not to be. 

It should be stated that, in all honesty, there hasn't really been a legitimate member of The Colony that I haven't liked. I like them all: Silver, Fire, Soldier, Worker I, Worker II. I even liked all the members of the villainous Swarm team: AssailANT (later Worker II), CombatANT, and DeviANT. Or the goofy but dangerous members of the Colony Xtreme Force: Missile Assault Ant, Orbit Adventure Ant, and my favorite, Arctic Rescue Ant. Hell, I don't even mind the two "New Generation" additions that popped up in 2018, Green Ant II and Thief Ant. If you find yourself thinking "Geezus, there's been a lot of Ants!", well, you're not wrong. 

Fire vs. "Winter" Soldier Ant. Brother vs. Brother.

 

But outside of Silver Ant, my top favorite, the one I liked the best, at least a specific and limited incarnation of him, was Soldier Ant, circa December 2014 through December 2015. For that one sweet year, he portrayed what many fans dubbed the "Winter Soldier Ant", referring to the Marvel character. He had been kidnapped and brainwashed/programmed by Titor, and employed by the Flood (and later Jakob Hammermeir's new BDK), to hate the other ants, and to destroy on command. As you can see above, his outfit was riddled with bullet holes, and he was implied to have at least some kind of possible cyborg shit going on as well. 

Either way, his performance during this time, in AND out of the ring, was amazing. I have rarely ever seen such an intense display of pro wrestling character, nor such dedication to constantly staying IN character, as I did with Soldier Ant that year. His mannerisms and persona were such a stark contrast from the goofy, fun-loving Soldier Ant of old. Instead, his movements were cold and robotic, he seemed impervious to most pain, he wrestled as if he legitimately possessed enhanced strength. And he was hyper angry and aggressive, yet cold and calculating. He destroyed people, and his rage engine never ran on "Low". It was short-lived, and I was a bit disappointed that he dropped all of those mannerisms entirely when his Colony-mates snapped him out of it and brought him back. But it will remain one of the best wrestling performance, one of my top favorites, I have ever seen, in ANY promotion. 

Unfortunately, by mid-2017, both Silver Ant AND Soldier Ant were gone from Chikara completely, having been hired by bigger wrestling companies (obviously as non-ant personas). 

Name(s): Ophidian / The Osirian Portal

Type: Venomous and Vile, Serpent of the Nile

Style: Master of Snake Style

One of my top favorite Chikara tag teams, aside from the likes of the Nightmare Warriors, or the Colony, was the Osirian Portal. Consisting of Ophidian the Cobra, and the "Funky Pharaoh" Amasis, they were a pair of ancient Egypt themed characters. They were not only a pair of dancing goofballs, on the one hand, but also a very dangerous and unpredictable team on the other, steeped in Egyptian symbolism and mysticism. In their early years, there were other temporary additions to the Portals' entourage, but these two were always the core of the group. And in 2008, very early into their tenure, they managed to capture the Campeones de Parejas, as seen above. And in spite of heel-ish antics in their early days, they also managed to quickly capture the hearts of fans. 

One of the reasons I liked them so much as a team, was because they were exciting and proficient in-ring wrestlers, who didn't always rely on the same exact moves every match. But they were also just highly entertaining. One of their classic "moves", and the way I first discovered them through Youtube clips, consisted of Amasis holding Ophidian up, while he did a "Snake Charm" routine, hypnotizing their opponent(s), and then making them do whatever they wanted. Which often consisted of dancing, but it also ranged from leaving the ring, hitting their own tag-partner, or whatever else. Amasis specifically also loved to challenge opponents to "Dance Offs", where he would try to show them up with his hip break-dancing moves. I love both characters, though as individuals, I always found Ophidian to be more interesting, and that echoed in his time(s) as a singles wrestler. The first of which came at the expense of Amasis himself.

Deceiver.

Conqueror.

Warlord.

In 2011, Ophidian grew tired of the Portal's feel-good ways, and their failure to re-capture the Tag Gold. So he eventually turned on his friend Amasis, stealing his mask. He would likewise target and defeat Portal allies, such as Hieracon, taking their masks as well. After this, now a crazed solo-act, Ophidian started undergoing a long-term metamorphosis, wherein he changed his form, "shedding his skin" like a snake, and changing up his mask and outfit over time, as he continued to evolve. He ultimately came out looking rather G.I. Joe-ish, or rather, COBRA-ish, which I'm sure was deliberate. And he also wound up allying himself with the evil newcomers, the demonic Batiri, as well as their manipulator at the time, Delirious. Delirious was occupied with trying to get revenge on Ultramantis Black for controlling him with the Eye of Tyre, and in so doing took the Batiri under his wing, and recruited Ophidian to be their "Ring General" and field leader. 

During much of this time, he continued to carry around Amasis' old mask, wherever he went, and even took to talking to it, having conversations with it, believing the spirit of Amasis was still communicating with him. The character had been corrupted, and was going insane, believing he kept seeing Amasis in the crowd at different shows. This was circa 2013, and before long, the true Amasis really did show up, seemingly to get revenge. But his motives were different: he wanted his friend back, and to do that, he had to "Purify" Ophidian of the evil that had gripped him. To accomplish this, he challenged him to a "Sarcophagus Match" at the final Chikara show of 2013 (the one where the company got "Shut Down"). He managed to seal Ophidian within, and even though the company was in doubt, Ophidian's soul had been saved. 

Purified.

Circa 2014.

Crucible.

The main reason I share so many pictures of Ophidian, is because he's had so many looks over time. And these pictures are only some of them. When I started really watching in 2014, he looked like the middle picture above, reunited with Amasis, a hero once more, trying to protect Chikara from the invading Flood. In 2015, he led his own "Challenge of the Immortals" team, the "Snake Pit", which also involved two young wrestlers I liked, Shynron and Argus, though it also unfortunately included Eddie Kingston. That same year he and Amasis also challenged once again to become Tag Champs, though they fell short. In 2016, both would become embroiled with the growing army of Nazmaldun, with Amasis ultimately succumbing, being defeated and stripped of his mask, leaving Chikara for good. While Ophidian played a major role in defeating Hallowicked and Co., by once again becoming "Purified", and in turn freeing poor Ultramantis Black, who had become a wheel-chair bound puppet and voice for Nazmaldun himself. 

Overall, Ophidian was one of the very few long-term Chikara characters, along with the likes of Dasher Hatfield, Icarus, and Hallowicked, to stick around in the company until the sad and unjust end. In later years, after failing to fully protect Chikara from evil-doers, Ophidian turned "evil" once again, though this time through ego, not supernatural malice. He was convinced only he knew how to truly protect Chikara, and thus started secretly training Wrestle Factory students in night-time "Fight Club" type sessions, building a group of would-be (but overly violent and misguided) defenders calling themselves "The Crucible". This group, in Chikara's last days, challenged Quackenbush and the old order of Chikara, led of course by Ophidian. The story never truly concluded, because the company shut down for real, which was one of many unfortunate things about the situation. 

I liked Ophidian as a solo character and singles wrestler, because he was, quite frankly, one of the most interesting, complex, and compelling pro wrestling characters I've ever encountered. He was layered, nuanced, and one hell of a wrestler to boot. Ophidian could pull off moves, and "snake like" movements and mannerisms in the ring, that I've never seen anyone else do. At his peak, he had uncanny body control, and his signature moves, such as his dreaded "Ophidian Death Grip" submission, were top of the class. Whatever else can be said about Ophidian, I will always fondly remember him, and the Portal, as some of the greatest Chikara had to offer.

 

Name: Jervis Cottonbelly

Type: World's Sweetest Man

Style: Purveyor of Gentlemania

There is perhaps no more unique a personality (at least that I've ever seen) in all of professional wrestling, than Mr. Jervis Cottonbelly. Originally appearing as early as 2005, the early days of Chikara, the character of Jervis was that of a vaguely aristocratic, vaguely Victorian (or perhaps Edwardian) Era British gentleman. He was the embodiment of "Chivalry" and the ultimate Gentleman, as well as being purported to be the friendliest/sweetest man on Earth. While his appearances were sporadic prior to 2012, he eventually started appearing more regularly in the "Wrestling Is..." spinoff promotions around that time. By 2014, again the first year that I was able to watch every Chikara show and really dive in to the promotion, Mr. Cottonbelly was appearing regularly in Chikara itself.

Implied to be possibly immortal, or at least very long-lived (and thus slow-aged), this "blast from the past" personality immediately struck my fancy. From his penchant for treating his opponents kindly, dancing with them or even gently putting them to sleep, to his ceaseless positive attitude and "Gentlemanly" charm, he won me over. Jervis was a sometimes tag-team partner of fellow "Olde Fashioned" (in fact their team name) rassler Marion Fontaine. As well as having a friendship with the Estonian Thunderfrog, which somewhat played out when he tried searching for the hero after his apparent "demise". He was ALSO a member of the 2015 Challenge of the Immortals team "Crown & Court", led by Princess Kimberlee and including the team Los Ice Creams. I have mixed feelings about the end results and aftermath, but I was happy at the time, that Jervis and his team ultimately wound up winning the tournament, the ultimate underdogs.

The reward for winning the tournament, was that all members of the team received an automatic, un-loseable title shot for whatever Championship they wanted (Grand or Tag). But sadly, Jervis was another character who disappeared from Chikara, without any sort of storyline explanation whatsoever, in 2016. So he never got a chance to cash in, which is a damn shame, because I would have taken a Jervis Cottonbelly Grand Championship reign over Kimberlee, any day. Jervis appeared all of one more time, in the first ever "Infinite Gauntlet" Match (basically a Royal Rumble), but was never ever seen again in Chikara thereafter. Which made me very sad, as he was one of my favorites.

Name(s): Los Ice Creams

Type: Sweet Yet Sour Living Ice Creams...With Sprinkles!

Style: Frozen Lucha Libre

Speaking of Los Ice Creams, another of my favorite tag teams in Chikara, were these vaguely sinister, but ultimately harmless fighting treats. Brothers, Ice Cream Jr. and El Hijo del Ice Cream, were supposed to be the sons of actual Mexican luchador, "Ice Cream". Originally appearing in 2006, for most of their existence, these living dairy delights were more or less "Rudos", yet they also quickly became fan favorites. They were silly as hell, and their antics were a lot of fun, known for such shenanigans as Hijo pinching people's bottoms, or the boys dropping their opponents on deadly, painful candy sprinkles!

Unlike regular Ice Cream, these guys would often shift their look/flavor, from mint green, to purple grape, or some manner of sherbet. But no matter their look, for much of their career, the brothers were known more for goofy antics than being much of a threat. That wasn't always true, of course, as there was a period around 2007/08, where they acted as a formidable team. But by the time I really started watching, they were clownish Rudos with charm, for the most part. That all changed when they became co-winners of the CotI tournament in 2015, and unlike poor Jervis, while they bided their time before doing so, the Ice Creams DID eventually cash in, and seemingly won the Tag Team titles! There was some nonsense that saw them stripped of this win, BUT they did later actually (finally) win the belts for real, and Ice Cream Mania ran wild in Chikara for a brief but happy time.