CHIKARA returns to the Wrestle Factory for its second event of the 21st season. They will present Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka on February 29th. If you are unable to join the fun that is a CHIKARA event in person, you can watch it later on IndependentWrestling.TV and CHIKARAtopia. We will see clashes between The Crucible and The Forged, as well as a few interesting tag team encounters. Headlining this show is the third and final encounter between CHIKARA founder Mike Quackenbush and The Herald of The Crucible, Ophidian.
Xavier Faraday vs. Tunku Amir
In the first of three encounters between members of The Crucible and the trio known as The Forged, we have Xavier Faraday taking on Tunku Amir. The crux of the issue between these groups is The Forged were the ones who leaked video and information about The Crucible onto the Internet. This led to Quackenbush discovering its existence and thus causing a monkey wrench in their operation. Faraday is one-half of the tag team Oreo Speedwagon with Joshua Wells, who will be in action later on at Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka. Amir was known as Armbreaker Amir and Arm Wringer Amir before being revealed as part of Ophidian’s Crucible. Amir has yet to taste victory in CHIKARA this season and would certainly like to prove himself as worthy to his group, as well as teach The Forged a lesson.
Mobius vs. The Whisper
Mobius returned to CHIKARA after an absence of 15 years to help combat The Crucible. He took on Todd Overbow at the ? event on November 23, 2019, and teamed with fellow CHIKARA original Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush at the Young Lions Cup XVI. The three CHIKARA hallmarks were victorious over the team of E.M. DeMorest, Tunku Amir, and Matt Makowski. The Whisper has not been seen since the Season 20 finale, when he lost to Dasher Hatfield. Following this loss, he was decimated by Ophidian, leaving doubt on the place of the Innovator of Silence in The Crucible. Depending on how this match shakes out, we shall see if he is still part of the group at Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka.
JoSue Ibanez vs. E.M. DeMorest
JoSue Ibanez, also known as Jawbreaker Josue, is another member of The Forged. Initially aligned with The Crucible, he helped expose their existence to the CHIKArmy and the world. Crucible mainstay E.M. DeMorest issued an open challenge for Stop the Hemorrhaging of Polka. Ibanez stepped up to answer the challenge and we have our second of three matches between these factions. DeMorest debuted as Enzuiguri Evan at the Young Lions Cup XV and has also been known as both Evan and Matt Demorest. Outside of his loyalty to the Crucible, he’s also competed for promotions like GCW and Pizza Party Wrestling.
Masked Enforcer #2 vs. The Spoiler
At Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka, relative newcomer The Spoiler will be taking on another newcomer in the Masked Enforcer #2! Now in every appearance that The Spoiler has made thus far, a mysterious then-unnamed masked man dressed in a suit would appear ringside. That would turn out to be The Masked Enforcer #2. We know nothing about the history between these two masked grapplers. What we do know is they will have an opportunity to work out their differences inside the squared circle.
Joshua Wells vs. Matt Makowski
Joshua Wells was the first volunteer when members of The Crucible laid out open challenges for Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka. Soon after the Personification of Patient Precision posted his impassioned plea, it was answered. He will be facing Matt Makowski of The Crucible; the group that has vowed to not only tear CHIKARA apart as we know it but berated Wells and attempted to break him for months. Makowski is a heavy hitter, with a very strong brawling style with a proven track record in fight-type scenarios. It will be an uphill battle for Wells, but he isn’t backing away from the challenge.
Xyberhawx 2000 (Razerhawk & Danjerhawk) vs. Dasher Hatfield & Molly McCoy
Flying in for combat at Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka (whatever that means) are Razerhawk and Danjerhawk! Both of these flyboys are well versed in tag team matches. However, they haven’t had a lot of success in terms of accomplishments as a duo. Separately, they have both held the Young Lions Cup. On February 29th, they will seek to change their luck against the Grand Champion and his niece. Since undergoing the character shift over season 20, Dasher Hatfield has grown closer to his niece Molly McCoy. While his relationship with his son Boomer has suffered. Molly will enter her sophomore season with CHIKARA and look to recapture some of Dasher’s former glory as a tag team specialist. Caw caw!
Boomer Hatfield & ZERO vs. F.I.S.T. (Travis Huckabee & Icarus)
Speaking of Boomer Hatfield, he is also in action with another second-generation star in ZERO. ZERO is the son of CHIKARA generation one original, Mister ZERO. He’s struck up a team with Boomer following his debut at the Young Lions Cup XVI. While they may not have been successful in their initial outing for Wrestling is Fun’s National Pro Wrestling Day, they’re back for another try. At Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka, they will tangle with CHIKARA original Icarus and Travis Huckabee. They are former Campeonatos de Parejas and a well-known and respected team. If Boomer and ZERO can overcome such a great obstacle, it would put a feather in their caps.
The Bird and The Bee (Willow Nightingale & Solo Darling) vs. The Colony (Green Ant & Thief Ant)
The current Campeonatos de Parejas will also be in action at Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka! While the titles will not be on the line, Willow Nightingale and Solo Darling will not be resting on their laurels. As champions, they have a reputation to uphold as the standard-bearers for tag teams in CHIKARA. Another point in their favor is that as a team, they have yet to lose in CHIKARA. The team of ants representing the Colony is a bit down on their luck. Green Ant came up short for a third time running in the Young Lions Cup tournament. Thief Ant lost to Sonny Defarge on that event and finished season 20 with a loss to Icarus. The Colony also were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2019 King of Trios tournament, after being the 2018 winners.
Mike Quackenbush vs. Ophidian
It’s come to this. During season 20, the power struggle between Mike Quackenbush and Ophidian escalated to mythic proportions. Two singles matches took place and each man holds a victory and a loss. Ophidian made Quackenbush pass out quickly at Anniversario: Scotch Mist. Quack bounced back at Earning the Lucha Libre Merit Badge and with the head trainer position on the line, defeated the Master of Snake Style. At Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka, the tie will be broken.
Ophidian has asserted that his purpose has been to cultivate this project, The Crucible, in order to save CHIKARA. This philosophy has now tweaked his idealogy to saving CHIKARA from its founder, Quack. Quack has been driven to the point of madness with Ophidian and his conduct, as well as that of The Crucible. Following the completion of his 25th-anniversary tour, he now finds himself in a position to quash The Crucible by defeating its Herald. Ophidian, of course, will not just roll over for his mentor and will fight to his last scale for The Crucible.
Also set to appear at this event is Cabana Man Dan! Devantes of The Crucible also has set out an open challenge that has yet to be answered. There’s also usually a surprise or two in store when CHIKARA comes to town. If you can’t make it out to the Wrestle Factory for Stem the Hemorrhaging of Polka, fear not! You can sign up for IndependentWrestling.TV or CHIKARAtopia and enjoy the event when it gets uploaded, as well as many other CHIKARA shows.
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