Indie wrestling game Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling will be disassociating with the Chikara brand following the announcement that Chikara Pro will be discontinued.
Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling, which released on Steam in October 2019, made the announcement via twitter on Thursday.
An update on our game… pic.twitter.com/mqjQrPaxaU
— Action Arcade Wrestling (@AAWGame) June 25, 2020
“With the sudden announcement of Chikara Pro being discontinued,” Action Arcade Wrestling’s statement reads, “our game will no longer be associated with the Chikara brand.” As the title suggests, the arcade-style wrestling game heavily features the iconography and roster of the Chikara wrestling promotion. On Tuesday night, Chikara co-founder and promoter Michael Spillane announced he would be ending the independent wrestling promotion. Spillane, known by his ring name Mike Quackenbush, is also stepping down as head trainer of the Wrestle Factory.
Spillane’s announcement seems sudden. In truth, allegations about Spillane and the Chikara promotion have been mounting for weeks. A few weeks ago, the hashtag “#SpeakingOut” became popular on Twitter. Women are using this hashtag to share stories of abuse, harassment, and assault suffered during their careers in wrestling. Among them was podcast host Wiggy Wigowski, who shared her own story about Anthony Wilson to corroborate other stories documenting his physical and mental abuse. Chikara released Wilson, who wrestled as Kobald, from the company later that day. Wigowski also shared the stories of two anonymous associates, one of which accused Spillane of making “numerous misogynistic, racist, and homophobic remarks,” and fostering toxic behavior among wrestlers at Chikara.
A friend reached out to me after I posted my experience. They would like to remain anonymous for the time being so I'm posting on their behalf. #SpeakingOut pic.twitter.com/5doIHv9tWV
— ❄ Wiggy ❄ (@Wiggygator) June 24, 2020
Top talent was already speaking out about leaving the promotion; ten Chikara wrestlers had already resigned by the time Spillane announced Chikara’s closure.
Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling does have an impressive character creation app, the Chikara: AAW Wrestle Factory. However, there are over 30 official Chikara wrestlers on the roster. Currently, there are no announcements on specific changes CAAW plans to make. According to CAAW’s statement on twitter, the team is “evaluating the next development steps,” and will update fans as soon as possible.