Season 18 Flashback - Fearful Symmetry

For years Fire Ant and Soldier Ant were joined at the hip, debuting together at “Tag World Grand Prix” in 2006. Few would have guessed at the time that since their debut that nine other ants would pass through the company and that the Colony would grow into the stable most closely associated with CHIKARA? Since their debut, this duo has accomplished so much. With Soldier Ant by his side, Fire Ant won the Young Lions Cup VI tournament. They won the Tag World Grand Prix in 2008 in Germany. In 2009, they successfully defended their masks against arch-rivals F.I.S.T., traveled to Japan, and won Los Campeonatos de Parejas. Two years after that, they became King of Trios champions with Green Ant. As a team they were practically unstoppable. Their last match together as partners was in a trios match back in April of 2012. 

That summer was when appointed Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur decided it was best to split up the members of the Colony and the Swarm, ant imposters with the GEKIDO group, putting Soldier Ant with deviANT and combatANT and teaming assailANT (who eventually became the second Worker Ant) with Fire and Green (now Silver) Ant. Their were a few occasions when these former partners were put against one another, Soldier Ant would often refuse to fight Fire Ant and even partner up against him. When Wink acquiesced to Soldier Ant’s desire to leave the Swarm, instead of having him re-join the Colony, he put him in charge of the Colony: Xtreme Force, a cheap knock off of the beloved faction made solely to profit off of the Colony’s popularity. Rather than put up with Wink’s nonsense, Soldier Ant quit the company. 

Despite Fire Ant and Green Ant’s attempts to find him (as seen in “Ashes”), Soldier Ant was totally absent not only for the rest of CHIKARA’s 12th Season, but during the shutdown period and National Pro Wrestling Day. He would however reappear at CHIKARA’s relaunch event, “You Only Live Twice”, by the side of Deucalion, the leader of the Flood. No one is quite sure what happened to Soldier Ant in his time away, but the scar on his mask, his reckless attitude, his ability to take (and give) a lot of pain, and the fact that he was now willing to fight his Colony members suggest some sort of torture, brainwashing, etc. Soldier Ant would appear infrequently in Season 14, eventually wrestling (and winning) the 2014 Cibernetico by pinning his former partner Fire Ant with his patented Trench Slam. 

Soldier Ant was recruited to the BDK during the Challenge of the Immortals, and while he was successful on many occasions, he also never accepted Jakob Hammermeier as his leader. The Colony would do their best during matches in which they stood across the ring from Soldier Ant to try and get through to him, reminding him of who he was. The CHIKARMY, who have always been the only people Soldier Ant has answered to, have also tried. And while Soldier Ant has almost saluted on many occasions, he eventually gives into whatever mental anguish he’s feeling and resists the urge. 

During the season, Soldier Ant has squared off with and defeated Worker Ant and Silver Ant in singles matches. Worker Ant also scored a rare pinfall victory over Soldier Ant in a tag team match at, coincidentally enough, “Colony Collapse.” Although it’s not a match many fans ever wanted to see, with all that’s happened since May of 2014, it’s been inevitable. The two founders of the most popular group in CHIKARA history will do battle at the Season 15 finale in Philadelphia.

“Top Banana”  - Saturday, December 5th - Philadelphia, PA

1) Grand Championship: Hallowicked (Champion) vs. Icarus vs. Eddie Kingston

2) Challenge of the Immortals Finals: Princess Kimberlee/Jervis Cottonbelly/El Hijo del Ice Cream/Ice Cream Jr. [Crown & Court] vs. Max Smashmaster/Blaster McMassive/Flex Rumblecrunch/Jaka [Wrecking Crew]

3) Fire Ant (0 Points) vs. Soldier Ant (2 Points)

Event Center (6.13.14) with words from 17 and Amasis.

Three matches have been added to "Goldfinger" in Detroit, MI on Sunday June 22nd:

Main Event: The Colony (Fire, Silver, and Worker Ant) & The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) vs. The Flood

The Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black, Hallowicked & Frightmare) vs. GEKIDO

Shynron vs. Eddie Kingston

Worker Ant takes on deviANT when CHIKARA returns to Chicago for "Quantum of Solace" (matinee card) on Saturday June 21st.

Of course, Worker Ant came into CHIKARA as assailANT, a member of the Swarm/GEKIDO with deviANT. Wink Vavasseur's shake up saw assailANT join up with Fire and Green Ant where his tune immediately changed and he did the best he could to be accepted. While the crowd were able to accept the big bruiser, it wasn't until National Pro Wrestling Day 2014 when Fire and Green Ant fully began to trust assailANT and accept him as their own, gifting him the outfit of former Colony member Worker Ant, the persona he now dons. Of course, deviANT's message of taking down CHIKARA's infrastructure, and now the two former partners are now enemies. Which of the two ants will come out victorious in the Windy City?

Previously in CHIKARA (Part 1, May 2014 edition) ft. The Colony, Colony: Xtreme Force, and the resignation of Soldier Ant.

Ashes - "Torch"

Ashes - "Flood"

Ashes - "Fuel"

GEKIDO tearing down Wrestling is Intense. Notice combatANT's neck brace and 17's taped up hands.

(Thanks to Kevin Hunsperger)

The Shard blog, 3.5.2013

3/5/2013: 2012 proved something to me. And we - the GEKIDO - proved something to the world. About entitlement. About acclaim. About the dark underbelly of the bright and shiny sham of CHIKARA. Things got bad for a while. What happened to 17. What happened to combatANT. I was right there. I saw that with my own two eyes. And I lost matches to circus clowns like Sugar Dunkerton and the Mysterious and Handsome Stranger.

But on November 18th, 2012 that all started to change. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. That's when Jigsaw realized what he had to do so he could live with himself. The Superkick heard 'round the world. A turning point.

I've said all along that I am every bit as good as any member of the CHIKARA roster, and after the Season 12 premiere, who can argue with me? I knew Jigsaw before there even was a Wrestle Factory. We go way back. But this isn't about ancient history, this is about 2013.

In 2013 - Jigsaw and I are the dream team. The fans were calling for it for months. Now my purpose, my direction, is clear. And with Jigsaw as my partner, I've already avenged my loss to that idiot Dunkerton. Together, we hold a victory over Quackenbush's Team Frightning. How long will it take before we capture the Campeonatos de Parejas and cement ourselves as the best tag team in all of wrestling?

You think Fire Ant is going to help stop us in our tracks, Quackenbush? Maybe in Orlando I'll finish what I started back in Manhattan.

THE SHARD

Podcast-A-Go-Go #353 ft. Gran Akuma vs. The Shard from "Deep Freeze" and The Throwbacks vs. The Bravado Bros. from "The Zodiac Crimes." 

Team Frightning (Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked & Frightmare) reunites for the first time since 2010 to take on Jigsaw, The Shard and deviANT. Jigsaw superkicked Quackenbush at The Cibernetico Rises, officially declaring his allegiance with the group formerly known as the GEKIDO. It has to be seen as a betrayal by some that the first generation CHIKARA star would align himself with those who at one point wanted in infiltrate the company and injured their friends. Hallowicked is a fellow first generation CHIKARA star who also has a long history with Jigsaw stemming back years and years and bleeding into other promotions. He and his buddy Frightmare would certainly be more than willing to team with Quackenbush to get some measure of revenge. Will this trio who hasn't fought together since years be able to topple the newer triumvirate of masked terror?

Wink Vavasseur blog, 1.2.2013

1.2.2013: CHIKARA,

From the desk of your boss:

Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Blah blah blah... Now that we’ve gotten the formalities out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks. Over the past week or so, I’ve had some rare downtime, and have had the distinct misfortune of being brought up to speed on the recent CHIKARA blog posts. Allow me to make a number of things perfectly clear:

- I am the Director of Fun, and that is extremely unlikely to change.

- My word is bond and I will have no problem backing it up.

- The changes I have made to the CHIKARA roster will stand. Not just for Season 12. Forever.

John Gargano, you’ve publicly complained that my addition of Sugar Dunkington to the F.I.S.T. trio cost you a chance at winning the King of Trios. You've implied that perhaps my math was wrong. Did it ever occur to you that maybe you’ve used Sugar’s talents incorrectly? He certainly seems motivated to make this new arrangement work.

While I understand that you’re no math whiz Mr. Guy-From-Cleveland, it defies logic that a trio consisting of four members would fail to advance in a competition for three-man teams. This isn’t a potato sack race. I’m not tying your fists behind your back with Sugar, I’m giving you another tool in your arsenal with which to succeed. I think it’s pretty clear that I’m not the one who screwed up here. So, get your F.I.S.T.'s fists in gear, and use Sugar’s penchant for talking (a lot, yes) to your advantage.

Ants Fire and devi-, I know I’ve spoken a bit in the past about sports math, but maybe I should introduce you to a different kind of numbers game. Colony merchandise has been selling out left and right. T-shirts, keychains, magnets, posters, trading cards, masks – all of it selling out in 2012. If we sold Colony-themed ant traps, you can bet the CHIKARMY would buy them all up. The simple fact is that the Colony moves merchandise, moreso in Season 11 than ever before.

Monetarily speaking, they are the most valuable act on the roster. (How's that feel, #GrandChamp?) Even if I agreed with you that my moves were erroneous (which is not something I’m inclined to agree with, mind you,) it would be fool’s logic to now put all the Ants back where they were a year ago. I know neither of you are called BusinessAnt, but you both must see why that just wouldn’t make sense at this time. So, allow me to reiterate my previous point: my roster changes will stand. Permanently. When the Director of Fun makes a decision, it stays decided.

Enjoy your 2013, gang; it’s sure to be a strong one. WV

deviANT blog, 12.21.2012

12/21/2012: Mr. Vavasseur, these words are for you, so pin your ears back.

Your new version of The Swarm isn't what it is set out to be. There’s one problem plain and simple: SOLDIER ANT. Anyone that saw "Under The Hood" - or any recent CHIKARA event - will tell you as much.

When I was teamed with partners that shared my ambition, like combatANT or The Shard or most recently Jigsaw, it was evident to the world...we accomplish whatever we set out to do! And it's one thing to be held back, and another thing to have your talent denied.

It was I who yanked off the defeatist Green Ant’s mask, when teamed with the classic Swarm!

It was I who pinned the deranged Mike Quackenbush, when teamed with The Shard!

It was I who attained the pinfall at the season finale iPay-Per-View, when teamed with The Shard and Jigsaw! Not Soldier Ant!

Well, he might have been standing in our corner of the ring, but I assure you Wink, one Soldier was M.I.A. at "Under The Hood."

Your CHIKARAbermetrics system proves that we can dominate all. It is a mathematical certainty...when everyone follows orders. YOU SAID we would be (and I quote,) “the strongest trio of ants,” but we didn't win King of Trios back in September. We were eliminated in the opening round!

How much longer will you allow him to flaunt his disobedience of you? Soldier Ant is screwing everything up and it isn't fair that others have to overcompensate as a result. I should be Young Lions Cup champ at the very least, if not a Campeon and a King of Trios. But Soldier Ant just doesn't respect your leadership, Wink. And every time he fails to work as a member of a team, he is mocking your authority. His constant disobedience and disrespect...I don't know how you can take the constant humiliation from Soldier Ant.

Who directs the fun around here, anyway?

deviANT