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In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analogous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.

Specific promotions on the independent circuit are referred to as indy promotions or indies. A wrestler is said to be in the indies or working the indies if he or she is wrestling in one of the independent promotions, or working the indy circuit if he or she is performing in different independent promotions.

Origins[link]

The indie scene in the United States dates back to the days of regional territories. When a promoter ran opposition in even one town controlled by a National Wrestling Alliance sanctioned territory, they were often called an outlaw territory. This is considered by some to be a forerunner to indies since some stars of the past got their start in these low quality local rivals to the big regional territories.

The modern definition of the independent circuit came about in the middle to late 1980s and fully formed and flourished after 1990. These promotions initially sought to revive the feel of old school territorial wrestling after former territories either went national, such as WWF and WCW, or went out of business. Several indies did in fact manage to tour different towns within a region and maintain a consistent schedule.

After Vince McMahon gave a 1989 testimony in front of The New Jersey State Athletic Commission where he revealed wrestling was in fact entertainment, many state athletic commission stopped regulating wrestling for promoters and wrestlers. After the business was exposed, just about anyone could be a promoter or a wrestler. Many thought they could save money by holding shows in lesser towns and smaller arenas with little to no televised exposure, leading to many shows being held only once a week or once a month in local towns.

Differences between "the old territories" and the current independent scene[link]

Territories held shows in a certain town each week while also going to a different town night after night with several towns covering a certain region. Most of today's indie promoters struggle to hold a show on a monthly basis in a single town. Promoters in those days could fill big arenas up into the thousands, while indie promoters struggle to draw a few hundred people at a high school gym, small venue or local fairground.

Wrestlers in the territories could afford to make a good living in the wrestling business for years at a time (despite still needing a day job for insurance and retirement benefits) while current day indie wrestlers struggle to pay their bills, much less risk living out of their car. Territories also had weekly television shows on local stations in each town while most indies cannot afford such exposure.

Many of today's wrestlers learn their trade in a wrestling school, but scrape by learning their craft on occasional indie bookings with no consistency in developing their skills the way many wrestlers during the era of the territories had been able to do. Many wrestlers would learn the basics by setting up the ring or having a job at the arena setting up chairs and selling merchandise, refereeing matches, or some other way of being trained and entering the business.

They would then wrestle night after night in a different town wrestling in front of the same crowd each week when they debuted, and then go to other territories to learn something new from experience. Many young wrestlers in this era do not have this kind of tough education in the business or that luxury of learning their craft from experience.

Focus of U.S. indies[link]

Independent promotions are usually local in focus and, lacking national TV contracts, are much more dependent on revenue from house show attendance. Due to their lower budgets, most independent promotions offer low salaries (it is not unusual for a wrestler to be paid only $5 to $20 per match). Most cannot afford to regularly rent large venues, and would not be able to attract a large enough crowd to fill such a venue.

They have to make use of any open space (such as fields, ballrooms, or gymnasiums) to put on their performances. Some independent promotions are attached to professional wrestling schools, serving as a venue for students to gain experience in front of an audience.

As independent matches are usually not televised, indy wrestlers who have not already gained recognition in other promotions tend to remain in obscurity. However, scouts from major promotions attend indy shows, and an indy wrestler who makes a good impression may be offered a developmental or even a professional contract.

The advent of the internet has allowed independent wrestlers and promotions to reach a wider audience, and it is possible for wrestlers regularly working the indy circuit to gain some measure of fame among wrestling fans online. Additionally, some of the more successful indies have video distribution deals, giving them an additional source of income and allowing them to reach a larger audience outside of their local areas.

Growing national exposure[link]

Such promotions are Jersey All Pro Wrestling,, Lucha Libre USA,, World Xtreme Wrestling, CHIKARA, Combat Zone Wrestling, Heartland Wrestling Association, Maryland Championship Wrestling, Memphis Wrestling, Chaotic Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, East Coast Wrestling Alliance, Ohio Valley Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Ring of Honor and its sister promotions Full Impact Pro and SHIMMER Women Athletes.

There is some debate over whether or not Ring of Honor should even be called an indie promotion, since it is not restricted to holding one monthly show in a local town. Some believe it to be a modern day regional territory, considering they have several shows a month across The Northeast and The Midwest. There are those who even dare to call it a national or worldwide promotion on a niche level due to their presence on DVD, in merchandising, The Internet, and exchanges with talent from Great Britain and Japan. Furthermore, ROH has recently been bought out by a major company (The Sinclair Broadcasting Group which televises ROH on the stations that it owns), leaving it in the possession of another business, much like TNA (Panda Energy), and World Championship Wrestling (Time Warner).

They also had a development league in Florida called Full Impact Pro, which although is still active as an independent promotion, has been somewhat replaced by Pro Wrestling Respect. The promotion has also experienced limited coverage on television such as The Fight Network in Canada, the now defunct TWC Fight! in the United Kingdom, and Samurai TV in Japan along limited pay per views every two months in addition to a TV deal with HDNet Fights in the United States.

Independent promotions in other countries[link]

In Mexico and Japan, which have recognized major circuits, the concept of independent circuits also exists. The reliance on major promotions to acquire talent from them, however, varies widely from each other and from the North American system.

Mexico[link]

Lucha libre has many more independent wrestlers in proportion than the rest of North America, because of the weight classes prevalent in the Mexican league system as well as its emphasis on multiple person tag matches; just about anyone with ability can emerge from an independent promotion into either Asistencia Asesoría y Administración or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and be a champion there. Independent Mexican wrestlers may use a lot of gimmicks, including some that may be based on copyrighted characters from American television shows, such as Thundercats and X-Men. (These gimmicks are often changed if the wrestler playing them makes it into AAA or CMLL; the most prominent example of non-compliance with this method is midget wrestler Chucky from AAA, whose gimmick is based on the Child's Play movies.)

Japan[link]

Until 1984, no independent puroresu promotion per se existed in Japan; potential talent went directly into the training dojos of either New Japan Pro Wrestling or All Japan Pro Wrestling. (International Pro Wrestling also was a third-party promotion until 1981.) The advent of the Japanese UWF offered a long-sought third alternative.

From 1986 to 1988 the Japanese system went back to the two-promotion system, but then the UWF was reformed and another promotion Pioneer Senshi, was started. Because of Japanese societal mores which implied that a wrestler was a lifelong employee of a company and thus identified with it wherever he went, neither AJPW nor NJPW made an effort to acquire wrestlers trained in other promotions; wrestlers from the major promotions who left, such as Genichiro Tenryu, Gran Hamada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Atsushi Onita, and Nobuhiko Takada had to start their own independent promotions in order to keep themselves in the limelight.

As the 1990s ended, though, things began to change. Independent promotions began gaining more prominence as they were featured in major specialized media such as Shukan Puroresu and Shukan Gong magazines. With the death of Giant Baba and retirement of Antonio Inoki, which effectively broke their control over the promotions they founded, the major promotions began looking to the smaller promotions for talent.

In 2000, the first major signing from an independent, Minoru Tanaka by NJPW from BattlARTS, took place; soon after NJPW stocked the junior heavyweight division with independent talent such as Masayuki Naruse, Tiger Mask IV, Gedo, and Jado. On the same year, following the Pro Wrestling Noah split, AJPW was forced to fill its ranks with independent talent; Nobutaka Araya, Shigeo Okumura and Mitsuya Nagai signed up (Araya is the only one who remains, but other signings since then have been Kaz Hayashi, Tomoaki Honma, Hideki Hosaka, and Ryuji Hijikata.)

Noah admitted one wrestler from the independents, Daisuke Ikeda, to its ranks as well (Ikeda has since left, but other wrestlers from the independents that were signed included Akitoshi Saito, Takahiro Suwa, and Taiji Ishimori). Although AJPW, NJPW, and Noah remain committed to their dojos, the reliance on independents is growing as obscure talent is recognized for its ability.

See also[link]

• List of professional wrestling terms
• List of independent circuit, unaffiliated or retired wrestlers
• List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States
• List of professional wrestling memorial shows

v t e Professional wrestling in the United States Active promotions National promotions WWE · Total Nonstop Action Wrestling · Ring of Honor Notable independent promotions Men: All Pro Wrestling · Chikara · Combat Zone Wrestling · Dory Funk’s Bang · Dragon Gate USA · East Coast Wrestling Association · Empire Wrestling Federation · Evolve · Florida Championship Wrestling · Full Impact Pro · Heartland Wrestling Association · Jersey All Pro Wrestling · Juggalo Championship Wrestling · Lucha Libre USA · Maryland Championship Wrestling · Memphis Wrestling · Ohio Valley Wrestling · Pro Wrestling Alliance · Pro Wrestling Guerrilla · Real Championship Wrestling · United Wrestling Federation · World Xtreme Wrestling · World League Wrestling · Wrestling Retribution Project Women: ChickFight · Professional Girl Wrestling Association · Shimmer Women Athletes · Women Superstars Uncensored · Wrestlicious Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances Global Professional Wrestling Alliance · National Wrestling Alliance Defunct promotions National promotions World Championship Wrestling (Jim Crockett Promotions) · Extreme Championship Wrestling · American Wrestling Association Notable former independent promotions and wrestling territories Men: American Wrestling Federation · Championship Wrestling from Florida · Continental Championship Wrestling · Continental Wrestling Association · Deep South Wrestling · Georgia Championship Wrestling · Global Wrestling Federation · Hardcore Homecoming · Heart of America Sports Attractions/Central States Wrestling · Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South · International Championship Wrestling · International (World Class) Championship Wrestling · Major League Wrestling · Memphis Championship Wrestling · National Wrestling Federation · Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts · Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling · Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling · Pro Wrestling USA · Smoky Mountain Wrestling · United States Wrestling Association · Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)/Mid-South Wrestling · Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams) · Windy City Pro Wrestling · World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis) · World Class Championship Wrestling · Wrestling Society X · Xcitement Wrestling Federation · Xtreme Pro Wrestling Women: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling · Ladies Major League Wrestling · Ladies Professional Wrestling Association · Powerful Women of Wrestling · Women of Wrestling · Women's Extreme Wrestling · World Women's Wrestling Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances Pro Wrestling USA · Wrestling Superstars Live

Archie Van Winkle
180px   Archie Van Winkle, Medal of Honor recipient
Born	(1925-03-17)March 17, 1925 Juneau, Alaska
Died	May 22, 1986(1986-05-22) (aged 61) Ketchikan, Alaska
Place of burial	cremated and scattered at sea
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1942-1945, 1948-1974
Rank	Colonel
Unit	1st Battalion, 7th Marines
Commands held	2nd Battalion, 1st Marines
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Medal of Honor Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star (2) Air Medal Purple Heart (3)

Colonel Archie Van Winkle (March 17, 1925–May 22, 1986) was a United States Marine who was awarded Medal of Honor for his actions as a Staff Sergeant during the Korean War.

A combat veteran of World War II, he was called to active duty with the Marine Corps Reserve after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea and was released to inactive duty on July 16, 1951. Van Winkle again returned to active duty and served in combat during the Vietnam War. He is the only MOH recipient from Alaska.^[1]

Early life and World War II[link]

Born March 17, 1925 in Juneau, Alaska, Archie Van Winkle attended public school in Darrington, Washington. An ardent athlete, he captained both the boxing and football teams at Darrington High School, where he also played baseball and basketball. He entered the University of Washington in Seattle to study physical education, but left after a few months to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve on December 14, 1942.

During almost three years of active duty, he served as an aviation radioman-gunner and mechanic, participating in the Solomons, Philippines and Emirau operations. On October 22, 1945, he received his honorable discharge.

He continued his studies in physical education for two years at Everett Junior College and for another year at the University of Washington. In March 1948, he rejoined the Marine Corps Reserve and became a member of Company A, 11th Infantry Battalion, in Seattle.

Korean War and after[link]

The battalion was mobilized and ordered to Camp Pendleton, California, on August 7, 1950. Late that month he arrived in Korea and participated in the Inchon landing.

By November 2, 1950, Van Winkle had reached the rank of staff sergeant and was serving as an infantry platoon sergeant. On that night, near Sudong, Korea, he led a charge through withering enemy fire. A bullet shattered his arm and he was seriously wounded in the chest by a direct hit from a hand grenade. He refused to be evacuated and continued to shout orders and encouragement to his men while lying on the ground, weak from loss of blood. His leadership enabled the outnumbered platoon to repulse an enemy attack. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Evacuated to Japan and later to the United States, he subsequently served for several months with the Marine guards at the Naval Base, Bremerton, Washington. He was released from active duty on July 16, 1951 and was attached to the 10th Infantry Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, in Seattle.

President Harry S. Truman presented Van Winkle with the Medal of Honor during ceremonies at the White House on February 6, 1952.^[2] The following day he was sworn in as a Second Lieutenant by General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps, having qualified under the "meritorious noncommissioned officer" program.

Later recalled to active duty, Van Winkle attended Basic School at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, from November 1952 to May 1953. First Lieutenant Van Winkle completed Air Observation School at Quantico that November and was assigned as an Air Observer with the 3rd Marine Division then at Camp Pendleton. He was later Assistant G-3 of Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, then served as a company executive officer and company commander, respectively, with the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He was promoted to captain on December 31, 1954 and in 1955, he was assigned as Regimental Liaison Officer, 9th Marines.

From November 1955 until April 1958, he served as Assistant Officer in Charge of the Marine Corps Recruiting Station, Indianapolis, Indiana. In May 1958, he was named Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Newport News (CA-148). Following two years in this assignment, he was assigned to the college degree program at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history in June 1961.

Transferred to Hawaii that month, Capt Van Winkle was assigned as a company commander with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Brigade. In April 1962, he became Director of the 1st Marine Brigade Schools and was credited with the establishment of a brigade guerilla warfare school. Earlier, as part of a special observer group sent to Vietnam in late February 1962, he was commended by General Paul D. Harkins, U.S. Army, head of the United States Military Assistance Command in Vietnam, and Admirals H.D. Felt and J.H. Sides, CINCPAC, and CINCPAC Fleet commanders, respectively. He was promoted to major in August 1962.

In June 1964, Van Winkle reported to the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Upon graduation in June 1965, he was assigned duty as Manpower Analyst and, later, Head, Operating Forces Section, Manpower Control Branch, G-1 Division, at Headquarters Marine Corps. While serving in his capacity, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on July 1, 1967.

Vietnam War[link]

Van Winkle's next duty assignment was in the Republic of Vietnam. He served consecutively as Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines; G-3 Operations Officer, 1st Marine Division; and as Assistant G-3, Task Force X-Ray, Sub Unit #1, 1st Marine Division, from August 1967 to September 1968, and earned the Bronze Star with Combat "V". A gold star in lieu of a second Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" was awarded him for his actions on July 6, 1968, on Hill 689 near Khe Sanh Combat Base. He also received the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Gold Star.

He was commanding officer of 1st Battalion 1st Marines from June 1968 to September 1968.

Later life and memorials[link]

After his return to the United States, he was again assigned to the G-1 Division at Headquarters Marine Corps, this time as Head, Standards and Utilization Section, Manpower Control Branch. He then served as Provost Marshal at Camp Pendleton Californian them Provost marshal General of the Marine Corp. He retired from service in February 1974.

In his retirement, Van Winkle lived on a boat in Bar Harbor near Ketchikan, Alaska. He died there on May 22, 1986, and his remains were cremated and scattered at sea in the Tongass Narrows, on which Ketchikan sits.^[3] A memorial headstone was placed in Sitka National Cemetery in Alaska.^[4]

On October 1, 1997, a granite monument in Juneau, Alaska was dedicated memorializing Archie Van Winkle, Alaska's only Medal of Honor recipient.^[5]

Van Winkle is also honored at the University of Washington Medal of Honor veterans Memorial.

The events for which he received the Medal of Honor, and the story of his unit there is related in the book, "Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir" by Joseph R. Owen, published by Presdio Press in 1996.

Awards[link]

A complete list of his medals and decorations include:

Medal of Honor citation[link]

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Platoon Sergeant in Company B, First Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Sudong, Korea, on November 2, 1950. Immediately rallying the men in his area after a fanatical and numerically superior enemy force penetrated the center of the line under cover of darkness and pinned down the platoon with a devastating barrage of deadly, automatic weapons and grenade fire, Staff Sergeant Van Winkle boldly spearheaded a determined attack through withering fire against hostile frontal positions and, though he and all the others who charged with him were wounded, succeeded in enabling his platoon to gain the fire superiority and the opportunity to reorganize. Realizing that the left-flank squad was isolated from the rest of the unit, he rushed through forty yards of fierce enemy fire to reunite his troops despite an elbow wound which rendered one of his arms totally useless. Severely wounded a second time when a direct hit in the chest from a hostile hand grenade caused serious and painful wounds, he staunchly refused evacuation and continued to shout orders and words of encouragement to his depleted and battered platoon. Finally carried from his position unconscious from shock and loss of blood, Staff Sergeant Van Winkle served to inspire all who observed him to heroic efforts in successfully repulsing the enemy attack. His superb leadership, valiant fighting spirit and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of heavy odds reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.

/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	World War II portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

• List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Korean War veterans who are recipients of the Bronze Star

Notes[link]

References[link]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

• "Colonel Archie Van Winkle, USMCR". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who/VanWinkle_A.htm. 
• "SSgt Archie Van Winkle, Medal of Honor, 1950, 1/7/1, Korea (Medal of Honor citation)". Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-03-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20070305080053/www.usmc.mil/moh.nsf/000003c919889c0385255f980058f5b6/0000033ba9f47a7385255fa60052d7ab?OpenDocument. 

External links[link]

• "Archie Van Winkle". New York Times. May 30, 1986. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE5D6173CF933A05756C0A960948260. Retrieved June 6, 2006. 
• "1st Battalion 7th Marines history". http://www.1-7marineskorea.com/history.htm. Retrieved June 6, 2006. 

Mike Quackenbush
Quackenbush at a Chikara show in June 2008.
Ring name(s)	M. Quackenbush[1] Mike Quackenbush[1] Spyrazul[2]
Billed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3]
Billed weight	191 lb (87 kg)[3]
Born	(1976-03-18) March 18, 1976 (age 36)[3] West Lawn, Pennsylvania[3]
Billed from	West Lawn, Pennsylvania
Trained by	Ace Darling[2][4] Jorge "Skayde" Rivera[2][4] Reckless Youth[2]
Debut	May 20, 1994[1][4]

Michael Spillane^[1] (born March 18, 1976),^[3] better known by his ring name Mike Quackenbush, is an American professional wrestler, trainer, author and the founder of both The Wrestle Factory and Chikara.^[2] Quackenbush is best known as the patriarch of the Chikara family and his work on the independent circuit, the latter of which has spanned for over 15 years. He has written seven books: Fantastic Finishers (1998), Headquarters (2001), Secret Identity (2004), Chikara Yearbook (2002, 2004, 2009 and 2011). From 1998 to 2008, he penned a regular column for The Wrestler magazine entitled 'From Bell To Bell' and 'International Report' in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Both Headquarters and Secret Identity were re-released as e-books for the Kindle in May 2010. He is also the host of the weekly video podcast entitled "Chikara Podcast–A–Go–Go".^[5] Quackenbush also hosts a non-wrestling related podcast called "The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe" with his long-time friend, Fox News host Clayton Morris. In wrestling, Quackenbush is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and one half of the Chikara Campeones de Parejas with Jigsaw.^[2]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Quackenbush began taking bookings for multiple local independent companies, including PCW and SCW in late 1998. Growing up, Quackenbush idolized Japanese professional wrestler Jushin "Thunder" Liger and adopted the nickname "Lightning" in tribute to him.^[6] Entering the business untrained, Quackenbush received training from wrestler Ace Darling, who took Quackenbush in as his protege. In 1999, he was ranked #128 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in the annual PWI 500 as well as being named the June Flavour of the Month by the publication.^[7] Quackenbush eventually befriended independent wrestlers Reckless Youth and Don Montoya. They began teaming together as a trio, dubbed The Black T-Shirt Squad (abbreviated to The BTS), due to all three wearing black t-shirts in their wrestling attire, by fellow wrestlers, which eventually was used as their stage name. Quackenbush started taking most bookings with his fellow stablemates opposed to performing as a singles wrestler.

Combat Zone Wrestling (1999, 2004–2005)[link]

Quackenbush first appeared in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) on June 19, 1999, at Down In Flames, where he defeated Reckless Youth and Ric Blade in the opening three-way dance.^[8] On May 14, 2005, he won CZW's Best of the Best 5 elimination tournament in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after defeating Arik Cannon, Claudio Castagnoli, B-Boy, Kevin Steen and Super Dragon.^[2] He also held the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship twice.^[2]

Chikara (2002–present)[link]

Quackenbush founded a professional wrestling school branded The Wrestle Factory in January 2002 along with Reckless Youth, where both men were appointed as head trainers for the school.^[9] They opened the promotion Chikara in May of the same year. At the inaugural show on May 25, 2002, Quackenbush teamed with fellow BTS stablemates Reckless Youth and Don Montoya in a match, where they defeated the Gold Bond Mafia (CM Punk, Colt Cabana and Chris Hero).^[10] On the last show of 2002 Quackenbush finished his first feud in Chikara, by pinning Mitch Ryder.^[2] The following year Quackenbush formed the SuperFriends tag team with Chris Hero and went the whole year undefeated.^[2] In 2004 Quackenbush teamed up with Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus and Gran Akuma) and started a feud with the Toxic Trio (Eddie Kingston, BlackJack Marciano and Jigsaw). The two teams faced each other on May 22, 2004, at Aniversario 3: Dodging the Sophomore Jinx, where Quackenbush and F.I.S.T. were victorious and as per stipulation of the match, Kingston and Marciano were shaved bald.^[11] In the spring of 2004 Quackenbush started disappearing from Chikara shows, just as Larry Sweeney's Sweet 'n' Sour International rose to prominence.^[2] He returned on October 30 during the first annual torneo cibernetico match at The Cibernetico Cometh under a mask and the ringname Spyrazul as a member of the Sweet 'n' Sour International. However, at the end of the match Spyrazul attacked his own team mates, removed his mask and walked out on Sweeney, who ended up being pinned by Jigsaw to end the match.^[12]

In March 2005 the Chikara Wrestle Factory assumed control of the Combat Zone Wrestling wrestling school. Quackenbush served as head trainer of the joint facility for the two year duration, until the schools separated in March 2007. Quackenbush re-formed his SuperFriends tag team with Chris Hero and together the two of them entered the 2005 Tag World Grand Prix. They would make it to the finals of the tournament, where they were defeated by AC/DC (Arik Cannon and Claudio Castagnoli), after Hero turned on Quackenbush.^[2] Together Hero, Castagnoli and Cannon would form the highly successful stable and later tag team Kings of Wrestling, with whom Quackenbush, Reckless Youth and Jigsaw would feud with the rest of the year.^[2]

In late 2005 Quackenbush suffered a career-threathening back injury.^[2] He would make his in-ring return on March 18, 2006, at a westside Xtreme wrestling event, where he defeated Ares for the wXw World Heavyweight Championship.^[2][13] In his Chikara return on March 31, he would drop the title back to Ares.^[2] He then recruited Jigsaw and Shane Storm to help him battle the Kings of Wrestling, who had replaced Arik Cannon with Quackenbush's former partners Team F.I.S.T.^[2] Quackenbush set his sights on Chris Hero and defeated Gran Akuma and Icarus with his new finishing maneuver Quackendriver III.^[2] At the conclusion of the year Quackenbush, Storm and Jigsaw saved Claudio Castagnoli from a beatdown at the hands of his Kings of Wrestling partners.^[2]

(Left to right) Quackenbush, Shane Storm and Jigsaw, the 2007 King of Trios.

2007 started with Quackenbush, Jigsaw and Storm defeating Team Canada (Jagged, Shane Matthews and Max Boyer), Team TNA (Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt), Team Mucha Lucha (Lince Dorado, El Pantera and Sicodelico, Jr.) and finally MIYAWAKI, Yoshiaki Yago and KUDO to win the inaugural King of Trios tournament.^[14][15] The following month on March 25 Claudio Castagnoli defeated Quackenbush to win the right to represent Chikara in the first ever King of Europe Cup.^[2] That same month Chikara Podcast–A–Go–Go was launched.^[5] The weekly video podcast debuts a new episode every Monday night and is available through iTunes, YouTube and other online outlets.

On April 22, 2007, Quackenbush refereed a match between former partners Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli and counted the pinfall that forced Castagnoli to re-join the Kings of Wrestling.^[16] The following month Quackenbush faced Hero in a match two years in the making and defeated him after debuting a new submission maneuver, the Chikara Special.^[17]

Following the match, Quackenbush announced that since he knew Hero would never be able to break the Chikara Special, he would teach it and the counter to it to every tecnico wrestler on the Chikara roster. However, to Quackenbush's amazement it did not take long for Hero to break the hold and apply it himself in a match against Equinox.^[18] In order to find out who leaked the move, Quackenbush sent Tim Donst to infiltrate the rudo stable the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, led by UltraMantis Black. Meanwhile, Quackenbush and Shane Storm gained three straight victories, which would give them the right to challenge for the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (Tag Team Championship), but on June 14, 2008, Donst returned from his assignment and informed Quackenbush that his partner Shane Storm had been the one who leaked the move to UltraMantis Black, who in turn taught it to Hero.^[2] Quackenbush attacked Storm, who would find new partners in Vin Gerard and Colin Delaney, while renaming himself STIGMA.^[2]

On September 7, 2008, Jigsaw, who had unmasked himself while in Ring of Honor, returned to Chikara and saved Quackenbush and Donst from the UnStable.^[2] Quackenbush returned the favor the following month, but refused to re-form the team with Jigsaw until he put his mask back on.^[2] On December 14 at the season seven finale Quackenbush and Jigsaw, under a mask, defeated STIGMA and Delaney in a tag team match.^[19] In early 2009 Quackenbush and Jigsaw gained three points, but were unable to defeat the Campeones de Parejas The Osirian Portal (Amasis and Ophidian) on April 25. After May's anniversary shows Quackenbush decided to take some time off from in-ring competition in order to heal his injured back.^[2]

Quackenbush with Manami Toyota in April 2011.

In 2010 Quackenbush became embroiled in a feud with Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK), who had formed on the final show of 2009 and were threatening to take over Chikara, with its members quickly winning the Young Lions Cup, Campeonatos de Parejas and King of Trios, while also having one of its members as the Chikara Director of Fun.^[20] After UltraMantis Black declared that rudos and tecnicos would have to come together in order to stop BDK, Quackenbush announced on August 11 that he would join his seven man team facing BDK in the annual torneo cibernetico match on October 23.^[21] After defeating The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and BDK members Lince Dorado and Pinkie Sanchez, Quackenbush and Jigsaw were looking to get a shot at BDK's Claudio Castagnoli and Ares and their Campeonatos de Parejas.^[22][23] However, on August 27 Quackenbush and Jigsaw failed in their attempt at getting a third point by losing to BDK members Daizee Haze and Sara Del Rey, after some shady officiating from the stable's own referee Derek Sabato.^[24] The following day Quackenbush and Jigsaw restarted their march towards three points by defeating the House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Abel).^[25] On September 18 they picked up their second point by defeating BDK's Lince Dorado and Tim Donst.^[26] On October 23 Quackenbush represented Chikara in the torneo cibernetico match, where the company's originals faced BDK. He managed to eliminate Tim Donst from the match after countering his Inverted Chikara Special into the original Chikara Special, but was immediately afterwards eliminated himself by BDK's Claudio Castagnoli.^[27] The following day Quackenbush and Jigsaw once again failed in their attempt at getting their third point in a match against BDK members Pinkie Sanchez and Tursas.^[28] This failure led to Quackenbush's and Jigsaw's former partner STIGMA reminding them that he and Quackenbush still had the three points they had earned two and a half years earlier, but Quackenbush made it clear that he wanted to win the Campeonatos de Parejas with Jigsaw, not STIGMA.^[29][30] On November 22 Quackenbush and Jigsaw competed in a four–way elimination match with Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze, The Osirian Portal and F.I.S.T. (Icarus and Chuck Taylor) and after eliminating all three teams, finally earned the three points needed in order to challenge for the Campeonatos de Parejas.^[31] On December 12, 2010, at the season nine finale Reality is Relative Quackenbush and Jigsaw cashed in their points and defeated Ares and Castagnoli two falls to one to win the Campeonatos de Parejas for the first time.^[32] Quackenbush and Jigsaw made their first successful defense of the title on February 19, 2011, defeating The Batiri (Obariyon and Kodama).^[33] For the 2011 King of Trios, Quackenbush and Jigsaw formed a trio with Japanese joshi legend Manami Toyota, who had made her Chikara debut alongside Quackenbush the previous September, and on April 15 defeated Amazing Red, Joel Maximo and Wil Maximo in their first round match.^[34] The following day, the trio was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinal stage by Team Michinoku Pro (Dick Togo, Great Sasuke and Jinsei Shinzaki).^[35] On September 18, Quackenbush and Jigsaw lost the Campeonatos de Parejas to F.I.S.T. (Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano) in their third defense.^[32] From May to October 2011, Quackenbush took part in 12 Large: Summit, a tournament used to determine the first ever Chikara Grand Champion. Quackenbush ended up winning his block of the tournament with a record of four wins and one loss to set up a final match with the winner of the other block, Eddie Kingston.^[36][37] On November 13 at Chikara's first internet pay-per-view, High Noon, Quackenbush was defeated by Kingston in a match to determine the first Chikara Grand Champion.^[38]

National Wrestling Alliance (2007–2010)[link]

Quackenbush defeated Tiger Mask IV at the now defunct Fight Sports Midwest, to capture the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship on May 11, 2007.^[2] Throughout the match, Quackenbush unlaced and loosened Tiger Mask's mask, a major sign of disrespect amongst masked wrestlers. In the finish of the match Quackenbush completely pulled off his opponent's mask and used the distraction to pin him for the title. In a promo after the match, Quackenbush explained that he did everything to get the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and that he was, in no way, proud of it. He said he viewed the belt as his ticket to Japan, as Japanese promotions had not booked him in any events. He has since defended the title in Chikara against the likes of Black Tiger IV and Akira Raijin.^[2] On November 6, 2010, Quackenbush lost the title to Craig Classic at Pro Wrestling Fusion's November Coming Fire pay-per-view, ending his reign at 1,275 days, the second longest reign in the title's history.^[39]

Ring of Honor (2007, 2008, 2009)[link]

On April 27, 2007, Quackenbush made his debut for Ring of Honor, at The Battle of Saint Paul.^[1] Throughout the remainder of the year, he made multiple appearances, several times teaming with Jigsaw. He has competed against the likes of Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Sydal and Bryan Danielson. Quackenbush was supposed to compete more for Ring of Honor in 2007, but a back injury suffered at the 2007 Ted Petty Invitational caused him to leave Ring of Honor. Although he did compete in one six man tag team match at Ring of Honor's Transform show on January 12, 2008, he did not compete in ROH again till March 2009 when he wrestled, and lost to, Bryan Danielson and Jerry Lynn in singles matches on March 20 and March 21, respectively.

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (2007)[link]

In September 2007 Quackenbush won the 2007 Ted Petty Invitational held by Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South by defeating Billy Roc, Joey Ryan and Josh Abercrombie on his way to the finals where he eliminated both Claudio Castagnoli and Chuck Taylor to win the tournament.^[2] Quackenbush also captured the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship.^[13] Quackenbush made his debut in Japan for Michinoku Pro, defeating Shibaten in the village of Takazawa.^[40] He wrestled for the same company, the next night, defeating Rei. In a four way elimination match against Chris Hero, Eddie Kingston and Chuck Taylor, Quackenbush put his IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship and IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship on the line. Quackenbush was pinned by Chuck Taylor, thus capturing the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship. Eddie Kingston then pinned Quackenbush, capturing the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship.

Dragon Gate USA (2009–2011)[link]

On July 25, 2009, Quackenbush appeared on Dragon Gate USA's first pay-per-view Enter the Dragon in an eight man tag team Chikara showcase match, where Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant defeated Gran Akuma, Icarus, Amasis and Hallowicked. Following the match Quackenbush started a promo, which was interrupted by YAMATO, who low-blowed him. Jigsaw and Gran Akuma ran to make the save, but Akuma turned on his fellow Chikara wrestlers and assisted YAMATO in assaulting Quackenbush and Jigsaw.^[41] On September 6 at the second PPV titled Untouchable Quackenbush and Jigsaw defeated YAMATO and Akuma.^[42] On November 28 at the third PPV Freedom Fight Quackenbush entered the tournament to crown the first Open the Freedom Gate Champion, but was eliminated in the first round in a four-way match with Jorge Rivera, Super Crazy and the winner of the match, CIMA.^[43] On January 23, 2010, at the fourth PPV, Fearless, Quackenbush and Jigsaw defeated CIMA and Super Crazy in a tag team match.^[44] At the two following shows, Open the Ultimate Gate and Mercury Rising, on March 26 and 27, Quackenbush and Jigsaw lost to Genki Horiguchi and Susumu Yokosuka and defeated The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) in tag team matches.^[45][46] On May 7 at Open the Northern Gate Quackenbush and Jigsaw defeated Kamikaze USA representatives Gran Akuma and Akira Tozawa in a tag team match and were then assaulted by their team mates YAMATO and Shingo.^[47] At the following day's tapings of the Uprising pay-per-view, Quackenbush and Jigsaw were defeated by the team of Naruki Doi and PAC.^[48] After the match Quackenbush challenged YAMATO to a tag team match, before he and Jigsaw were once again jumped by the members of Kamikaze USA.^[48] On July 24 at the tapings of the Enter the Dragon 2010 pay–per–view, Quackenbush, Jigsaw and Hallowicked teamed up with the Open the Dream Gate Champion Masato Yoshino to defeat Kamikaze USA's YAMATO, Gran Akuma, Akira Tozawa and Jon Moxley in an eight man elimination tag team match.^[49] On September 25 at Untouchable 2010, Quackenbush competed in a three–way match, which was won by BxB Hulk and also included Akira Tozawa.^[50] The following day at Way of the Ronin, Quackenbush wrestled in a six–way match, which was won by Brodie Lee.^[51] On February 21, 2011, Dragon Gate USA announced that Quackenbush had decided to disband the Chikara Sekigun stable and take a leave of absence from the promotion in order to concentrate on defending his newly won Campeonatos de Parejas in Chikara.^[52]

Other[link]

Quackenbush has toured Canada, Mexico and several European countries during his career. In 2004, he briefly united six championships from three different countries (USA, Mexico and Germany) into the "I-Crown".^[13] During his 2000 hiatus from wrestling, Quackenbush wrote his novel Headquarters, produced a direct–to–video project called Crusaders and hosted an improv comedy show and jousting tournament.^[9] He returned to the ring in April 2000, after just two full months off.

On December 11, 2010, Quackenbush wrestled his idol Jushin "Thunder" Liger at a Jersey All Pro Wrestling event. In the end, Liger defeated Quackenbush to retain his JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship.^[53]

In wrestling[link]

Quackenbush performing the Chikara Special on the Great Sasuke.

Quackenbush going for a high-angle senton bomb on the Great Sasuke.

• Finishing moves

• Chikara Special (Kneeling step–over head–hold wrist–lock followed by hooking the opponent's far leg)^[2] – Innovated
• Jig 'n' Tonic (Cradle back to belly piledriver)^[54][55] – adopted from Jigsaw
• QD – Quackendriver (Standing iconoclasm)^[2][3]
• QD II – Quackendriver II (Cross-legged reverse piledriver)^[2][3]
• QD III – Quackendriver III (Spinning modified fisherman driver)^[2][3][4]
• QD IV – Quackendriver IV (Arm trap gutwrench brainbuster)^[2][3]

• Signature moves

• Alligator Clutch (Double leg trap rana pin)^[2][3]
• Black Tornado Slam (Standing or a spinning inverted Samoan drop)^[2][3][4]
• Bulldog,^[3] usually preceded by a corner clothesline^[56]
• Chain Lightning (Triple jump moonsault)^[2][3]
• Déjà Vu DDT (Spinning headscissors takedown transitioned into a DDT)^[2][3]
• Double knee drop^[3]
• High-angle senton bomb^[57]
• Inazuma Suplex Special (Vertical suplex followed by a brainbuster)^[2][3]
• Inazuma Suplex Special II (Vertical suplex followed by a double underhook DDT)^[2][3]
• La Quackica (Tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown transitioned into a single arm DDT floated over into a Fujiwara armbar)^[58] – adopted from Místico
• Lightning Lock (Crossface / Over the shoulder cloverleaf combination)^[2][3]
• Lightning Lock β (Inverted cloverleaf)^[2][3][4]
• Lightning Lock δ (Seated over the shoulder single leg Boston crab)^[2][3]
• Lightning Lock Ω (Over rotated step-over toe-hold sleeper)^[2]
• Quacken-Rana (Reverse frankensteiner)^[59]
• QuackenSmash (Double springboard corkscrew senton)^[2]
• Sitout double underhook powerbomb,^[1] sometimes from the top rope^[1]
• Tail of the Dragon (Springboard swinging DDT)^[3]
• Thrust palm strike^[2][3]
• Tiger Driver '91 (Kneeling double underhook ganso bomb)^[60]

• Nicknames

• "The Master of a Thousand Holds"^[61]
• "Lightning"^[1]

• Entrance themes

• "Just A Hero" by Michinoku Pro Wrestling^[62] (2001–2005)
• "Break It Down Again" by Tears for Fears^[62] (2005–2011)
• "Heat of the Battle" by Stan Bush^[63] (2011–present)

• Wrestlers trained

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Alianza Universal Lucha Libre

• AULL Intercontinental Lightweight Championship (2 times, current)^[2]
• AULL Mexican Middleweight Championship (2 times)^[2]

• Allied Powers Wrestling Federation

• APWF Internet Championship (1 time)^[2]

• Chikara

• Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (1 time) – with Jigsaw^[32]
• King of Trios (2007) – with Jigsaw and Shane Storm^[2]

• Combat Zone Wrestling

• CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[2]
• Best of the Best 5^[2]

• Eastern Wrestling Federation

• EWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• Far North Wrestling

• FNW Freeweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• Future Wrestling Alliance

• FWA Championship (3 times)^[2]

• International Pro Wrestling

• IPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)^[2]
• IPW Hardcore Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• Independent Wrestling Association Deep South

• IWA Deep South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

• IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[68]
• IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[69]
• Ted Petty Invitational (2007)^[2]

• Independent Wrestling Union

• IWU Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• National Wrestling Alliance

• NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• North East Wrestling

• NEW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling

• PCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]
• PCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Inferno Kid and Boogie Woogie Brown^[2]
• PCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Pat Shamrock (1), and Inferno Kid (1)^[2]

• Pro Wrestling Entertainment

• PWE Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[2]
• PWE Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Hallowicked^[2]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI ranked him #128 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999^[7]

• Steel City Wrestling

• SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]
• SCW Lord of the Dance Championship (1 time)^[2]

• United States Championship Wrestling

• USCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

• westside Xtreme wrestling

• wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[2]
• wXw World Lightweight Championship (1 time)^[2]

Book references[link]

• Mike Quackenbush (2001) Headquarters
• Mike Quackenbush (2002) CHIKARA Yearbook: 2002
• Mike Quackenbush (2004) Secret Identity
• Mike Quackenbush (2004) CHIKARA Yearbook: 2004
• Mike Quackenbush (2009) CHIKARA Yearbook: 2009 Edition
• Mike Quackenbush (2011) CHIKARA Yearbook: 2011 – Update

References[link]