Q: What is the name of the company: CHIKARA, Chikara Pro or Chikara Wrestle Factory?
A: CHIKARA is the name of our wrestling promotion. The Wrestle Factory is the company-owned training center in Philadelphia, PA.

Q: I thought the promotion was called Chikara Pro?
A: Nope. But there is a contingent of fans that liken us to groups such as Michinoku Pro and Osaka Pro, resulting in us often being given the "Pro" tag.

Q: Can I try out for CHIKARA?
A: Not really. However, you can apply to our wrestling school, which is Chikara Wrestle Factory.

Q: I like pudding.
A: That's not a question.

Q: What are "Campeones de Parejas?"
A: That phrase is Spanish for "Tag Team Champions."

Q: What do "points" have to do with title shots?
A: In order to become challengers for CHIKARA's Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team championship), a team must accumulate 3 "points," that is to say, they must win 3 tag team matches governed by CHIKARA, in a row. If a tag team accrues, let's say two points, and then loses a match, they lose all their points and must start over again from zero.

Q: Why does the ref count to twenty when a wrestler is on the floor, instead of ten?
A: Because most CHIKARA matches are conducted under Lucha Libre rules, not Pro-Wrestling rules. The basics of Lucha rules are as follows: Count outs occur when a wrestler fails to return to the ring before a count of twenty. Disqualifications are rendered immediately for lowblows (fouls), or unmasking an opponent. An automatic tag is registered if the legal man in the ring touches the arena floor. These rules also provide for an unusual call named  "castigo excesivo" or "excessive punishment." That is to say, the referee can disqualify a wrestler or team that is not trying to win the match (not attempting any pins or submissions,) but is instead just beating up or attempting to otherwise injure an opponent. While rare, the referee does have the ability to disqualify for excessive punishment under this system of rules.

Q: Did Mike Quackenbush really write a book?
A: Yes, in fact, he's written several. "Fantastic Finishers" came out in 1998 as a special edition of Inside Wrestling magazine, and in 2001 he released "Headquarters." His latest, "Secret Identity" was released in September of 2004. His work is still published in monthly magazines like Pro Wrestling Illustrated and The Wrestler.

Q: How do I get on the CHIKARA e-mailing list?
A: Just send an e-mail to chikarawrestling@aol.com and type in the subject header: Add Me!

Q: Why are there so many CHIKARA 6-man (or 8-man) tag team matches?
A: Multiple-man tag matches are our specialty, an artform almost lost here in the United States, and it is an exciting type of match that allows for incredible action, creativity and zaniness. If you think of a wrestling match as a blank canvas, and each wrestler is a color in your paint palette, imagine how much more diverse a painting made with 6 or 8 colors can be than a painting made with just two.

Q: Who can compete in the Young Lions Cup tournament?
A: The current set of regulations state that any wrestler, age 25 or younger at the start of the tournament, is eligible.

Q: Is Ichabod Slayne the guy that now wrestles as Icarus?
A: Yes. Ichabod Slayne lost his mask on December 7th, 2002 to Blind Rage, and has since been wrestling without a hood as Icarus.

Q: Didn't Gran Akuma wear a mask?
A: He did, but lost it on November 13th, 2005 to Shane Storm.

Q: May I have some pudding?
A: You didn't say "please."

Q: I want to collect all the songs the wrestlers use for entrances, what are they?
A: Not all of them are commercially available. Some that are include "Hey Sandy" by Polaris (Chuck Taylor theme), "God is God" by Laiboch (Hallowicked theme), "Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band (Colony theme), "Blue Monday" by Orgy (Icarus theme), "Tearing the Veil from Grace" by Cradle of Filth (Neo Solar Temple theme), "Break it Down Again" by Tears for Fears (Mike Quackenbush theme), "All Star" by SmashMouth (Bob Saget theme) and "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns n' Roses (Shane Storm theme).

Q: Some of the CHIKARA DVD covers look like comic book covers, is that a coincidence?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, several web pages discuss the numerous pop culture allusions found in CHIKARA. This page does an excellent job of breaking it down one reference at a time, and there are several others as well. Our comic book homage DVD covers are the work of Marco D'Alfonso, a Canadian artist and lover of pudding.

Q: What was the deal with Lester Crabtree being dead?
A: Lester Crabtree faked his own death in the summer of 2003. Private Eye uncovered the plot as a life insurance scam, and exposed Crabtree's intent to flee to Brazil with the fraudulent funds. Since being foiled, Crabtree has returned to work at CHIKARA until hatching his next get-rich-quick scheme.

Q: Why do the old CHIKARA videos have text bubbles instead of audio commentary?
A: CHIKARA videos are often enjoyed by the hearing-impaired or deaf, and the text bubbles are a way of making sure that even our hearing-impaired friends are included in the fun. Most of our DVD releases feature regular audio commentary.

Q: Whatever happened to Dragonfly/Don Montoya/Jolly Roger/BlackJack Marciano/DJ Skittlez/Private Eye?
A: All of these wrestlers have left the business due to injury, personal committments and other whatnot. None of them are dead.

Q: I like the art used on the web page.Who makes all that stuff?
A: The illustrations used on our roster page were created by Marco D'Alfonso, Wiggly, and Shaun Ramkissoon. Artwork submitted to us for display in our gallery is credited as sent to us, and you can find that sort of information by holding your mouse over the image and/or looking in the caption box.

Q: Are there any pictures of the masked wrestlers without their masks on?
A: Of course. Their parents probably have several.