Kings of Wrestling (independent circuit)

:"For the short-lived TNA stable, see Kings of Wrestling (TNA)"Infobox Wrestling team
article_name=Kings of Wrestling
type=S


caption=(left to right) Icarus, Gran Akuma, and Chuck Taylor
members=Chris Hero
Claudio Castagnoli
Icarus
Gran Akuma
Chuck Taylor
Max Boyer
Mitch Ryder
Larry Sweeney
names=Kings of Wrestling
heights=
weights=
billed=
hometown=
former_members=Arik Cannon
debut=February 20, 2005
promotions=CHIKARA
CZW
PWG
ROH
disbanded=
trainer=|

The Kings of Wrestling, is the professional wrestling stable of Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Larry Sweeney, Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer, Chuck Taylor, Icarus, and Gran Akuma from the CHIKARA wrestling promotion. As well as being a part of the Kings of Wrestling, Icarus and Gran Akuma regularly team together under the name F.I.S.T. both in and out of CHIKARA. However, outside of CHIKARA, the Kings of Wrestling is known only as the tag team of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. Together, Hero and Castagnoli are former CZW World Tag Team Champions, CHIKARA Campeones de Parejas, and ROH World Tag Team Champions, and at one point, held all three titles simultaneously.

History

This team came about at CHIKARA's "Tag World Grand Prix 2005" show when Chris Hero turned on his Super Friends partner Mike Quackenbush and joined Claudio Castagnoli and Arik Cannon. Cannon has since left the group. Hero and Castagnoli continued teaming together, and in 2006, became the first ever CHIKARA Campeones de Parejas by winning the Tag World Grand Prix tournament, defeating Milano Collection AT and Skayde in the final round.

Hero and Castagnoli are also known for teaming in Combat Zone Wrestling. On September 10, 2005, they won the CZW World Tag Team Championship from Tough Crazy Bastards, Necro Butcher and Toby Klein. In 2005, Chris Hero became involved in a feud with Eddie Kingston. This feud involved Hero's partner Claudio as well as Kingston's stablemates from Blackout. At "Cage of Death 7", Hero and Castagnoli defended the tag titles against Kingston and Sabian, and at "An Afternoon of Main Events", they teamed with Super Dragon, with whom they formed an alliance, to face Kingston, Sabian, and Ruckus. In February 2006, the Kings of Wrestling lost the titles to Eddie Kingston and Joker.

In late 2005, Chris Hero began a war with Ring of Honor. Castagnoli, who was a member of the ROH roster at the time, said he would be loyal to ROH despite his relationship with Hero. However, at the "100th Show" during a CZW vs. ROH six man tag team match, Castagnoli came to the ring and turned on ROH, helping CZW win the match, and uniting with Hero for the first time in ROH. They went on to team together as the Kings of Wrestling to face and defeat BJ Whitmer and Adam Pearce. During the final match in their feud against ROH, Hero and Castagnoli teamed together once again with partners Eddie Kingston, Nate Webb, and Necro Butcher to unsuccessfully challenge ROH's Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer, Adam Pearce, Ace Steel, and Bryan Danielson (later replaced by Homicide) in a Cage of Death match.

In August 2006, the Ring of Honor tag title belts were stolen and later returned from champions Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. Hero revealed on his LiveJournal that he and Castagnoli were the culprits and would be challenging for the titles. On September 16, they successfully defeated Aries and Strong for the championship with their new "KRS I" finisher, but only after illegally smashing Aries in his bruised ribs with Castagnoli's aluminum Zero Halliburton attache case.

On October 14, 2006, the Kings of Wrestling defeated three other teams in a one night tournament at the CZW show "Last Team Standing" to become 2 time CZW Tag Team Champions. They defeated Team Masturbation (Beef Wellington and Excalibur) in the first round, the BLKOUT (Ruckus and Human Tornado) in the second round, and the makeshift team of Justice Pain and Human Tornado (subbing for Pain's partner in the H8 Club, Nick Gage, who left the building before the match) in the third round. This has made the Kings of Wrestling the only Independent Triple Crown Tag Champions ever.

Around this time, it was announced that Claudio would be going to World Wrestling Entertainment. At "Night of Infamy 5", the Kings lost the CZW tag championship to Sabian and Robbie Mireno after Eddie Kingston eliminated Hero from the match and the Blackout outnumbered Claudio for the win. On November 17, they lost the Campeonado de Parejas to F.I.S.T.. Afterwards, Hero turned on Castagnoli and kicked him out of the stable. They lost the ROH Tag Team Championship to Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels on November 25. On December 22, 2006, Larry Sweeney debuted in ROH to help the Kings of Wrestling defeat the Briscoe Brothers. The following night at Final Battle 2006, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli lost a rematch to the Briscoes. After the match, Claudio announced that he would not be going to WWE, but Sweeney said he was only representing Chris Hero, and the two walked out on Castagnoli.

In February 2007, CHIKARA held the first ever "King of Trios" tournament. Originally, the Kings of Wrestling team was made up of Hero and F.I.S.T., but Hero was replaced with Chuck Taylor. They lost in the semifinals of the tournament. On April 22, Hero defeated Claudio in a match where if Hero won, then Claudio would have to rejoin the team. Internal problems within the Kings of Wrestling lead to a division of the stable into two teams: the team of Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, and Larry Sweeney, and the team of Icarus, Gran Akuma, and Chuck Taylor. The two teams faced off on May 26 at CHIKARA's "Aniversario!" event. Icarus, Akuma, and Taylor were victorious, and after the match, all six men joined forces. Also joining them were new members in Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer, & Shayne Hawke.

In wrestling

*Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli
**Finishing and signature moves
***"K.R.S. O.N.E. – Kings Reign Supreme Over Nearly Everyone" (Elevated flip into modified aided Michinoku Driver II)
***"K.R.S. T.W.O. – Kings Reign Supreme The World Over" (Opponent is pulled by the legs into a flip from a sitting position in corner and let go into a release powerbomb)
***"Hero's Welcome Kings of Wrestling Edition" (Aided rolling cutter)
***"Royal Bomb" (Double cross-arm sitout powerbomb)
***"Double Cravate Cutter" (Elevated front flip neckbreaker)
***Monkey flip into a splash or a spear
***Electric chair hold / Cravate submission combination
***Double elbow drop
***Aided senton splash
***Double big boot

**With Super Dragon
***"Super Curb Stomp" (Hero holds the opponent in a reverse Indian deathlock with Claudio holding the same opponent in a surfboard stretch while Dragon hits a diving double foot stomp to the locked in opponent)

**Theme music
***"We Are the Champions" by Queen.
***"Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top
***"Blue Monday by Orgy (FIST Contingent)

Championships and accomplishments

*CHIKARA
**Campeonatos de Parejas – Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli (1 time), Icarus & Gran Akuma (1 time)
**Tag World Grand Prix 2006 winners – Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli
**Chikara Young Lions Cup IV – Max Boyer
**Chikara Young Lions Cup V – Chuck Taylor

*Combat Zone Wrestling
**CZW World Heavyweight Championship – Chris Hero (1 time)
**CZW World Tag Team Championship – Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli (2 times)
**CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship – Chuck Taylor (1 time, current)

*Ring of Honor
**ROH World Tag Team Championship – Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli (1 time)

References

* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/k/kings-of-wrestling.html Kings of Wrestling at Online World of Wrestling]
* [http://www.hpwf.org/~chikara/results.shtml CHIKARA Results]
* [http://www.rohwrestling.com/pastresults/ ROH Results]