By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Demand Lucha “Lucha Block Party 2023”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
June 29, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario at Parkdale Hall
This show was finally released on IWTV on Sunday. What is notable is this is a short, five-match show, coming in at just 96 minutes. Hutch Henries and Veda Scott provided commentary. This is a good crowd of perhaps 400-500.
* The show opened with a backstage interview with Mike Bailey, who said he “is laser focused and ready to go.”
* The ring announcer is Jenny Santana, who is Tito Santana’s daughter. She brought Sam Adonis to the ring. She asked Adonis where is Brian Cage, as those two have been feuding here of late. He told her to “shut her mouth” and called her an idiot. He tore into the crowd, and said they are responsible for the biggest forest fire in world history, and it’s making his beautiful country smell bad. Adonis said he has made sure he only wrestles Mexican luchadors. So, his opponent is a complete surprise.
1. Sam Adonis defeated Toxin at 19:49. Toxin is a short, masked luchador who I’ve seen a lot in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and other West Coast promotions. Adonis is deceptively tall at 6’4″. The referee checked Adonis and confiscated brass knuckles, earning boos. They took turns playing to the crowd. They traded armdrags until Adonis bailed to the floor to regroup. Toxin hit a huracanrana, then a dive through the ropes onto Adonis at 3:30. Back in the ring, Adonis hit a series of chops and took control of the offense.
They brawled to the floor, where Adonis shoved Toxin into a chair, then slammed him head-first into the ringpost at 6:00. In the ring, Adonis hit a hard back elbow at 9:30; he set up a door bridge on the floor while Toxin was down. Toxin hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a nearfall at 13:00, then a twisting plancha to the floor, then an Asai Moonsault. In the ring, Toxin hit a powerslam for a nearfall at 16:30. Adonis hit a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. The crowd began chanting “Mexico!”
Toxin hit another flip dive to the floor onto Adonis; they landed on the table bridge but it didn’t break. Adonis grabbed his brass knuckles. As Toxin picked him up, Adonis struck him in the head with the brass knuckes to score the cheap pin. Very good match. I’ve never seen Toxin work babyface before and he really impressed with some high-flying moves.
* A commercial aired that announced Demand Lucha is joining Defy and several other indy promotions in placing content on www.wremix.tv, which is free and ad-supported. (I have already reviewed two recent Defy shows on the website and its streaming quality is quite good.)
2. Jody Threat defeated FredDIE (w/Mega Medico) in an intergender match at 9:35. FredDIE is a masked luchador in a singlet and he’s a bit heavyset. Jody charged into the ring; she’s a bundle of energy. She got a sunset flip for a nearfall at 1:30. She hit a top-rope summersault press for a nearfall. FredDIE shoved the ref into the ropes, causing Jody to get crotched in the corner, and he seized control of the offense. She went for a flying crossbody block, but he caught her and slammed her to the mat at 4:30.
On the floor, Mega Medico slammed Jody into the ring post and was loudly booed. In the ring, she hit a snap suplex at 6:30 and fired up. She hit a Geman Suplex for a nearfall, then a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. FredDIE hit a second-rope DDT for a nearfall at 9:00, but he missed a moonsault. Jody immediately hit a spear, then an F5 faceplant for the pin. Great crowd response here.
* Jody Threat was interviewed backstage. She said FredDIE tried to kill her, so she had to kill him first. She pounded a beer during the interview.
3. Mega Medico (w/Nurse Nova Kane) defeated The Green Phantom at 8:13. Kane wore her medical vest and a short skirt; I’ve compared her look to Stacy Keibler’s “Miss Hancock” run in WCW. Green Phantom is masked but you can see a green beard. Mega attacked before the bell, and he hit a delayed vertical suplex. They brawled to the floor, where Medico slammed him onto the ring apron at 2:30. Phantom is taller with a good physique, and he slammed chairshots across Medico’s back. In the ring, Nova Kane hopped on the ring apron in an attempt to distract Phantom; however, Medico slammed into Nova Kane.
Phantom hit a Lance Archer-style Blackout for a believable nearfall. The ref got bumped! Phantom hit a flipping powerbomb for a visual pin but we had no referee. Medico hit a rolling cannonball into the corner at 6:30, then he got a board from under the ring, and he threw it at Phantom. Phantom hit a DDT. Medico hit a rolling Death Valley Driver through the board set up in the corner for the pin. Decent action.
* Phantom was interviewed backstage. He challenged FredDIE to a match next show, and he was angry at Nurse Nova Kane for interfering.
4. Seraphis II defeated James Runyan at 3:11. Runyan is white with short blond hair, slicked back; think Jordan Clearwater or Tyler Breeze. Seraphis wears a mask and appears larger, and he hit a chokeslam at 1:30 for a nearfall, but he picked up Runyan’s shoulder! Seraphis then slammed Runyan through a door bridge in the ring for the pin. Short and to the point.
5. Jack Cartwheel defeated El Hijo Del Vikingo and Mike Bailey in a three-way at 15:35. Needless to say, this match is the entire reason I tuned in. They each hit a huracanrana and had a triple standoff, drawing a nice pop from the crowd. They took turns doing cartwheels, but Bailey suddenly attacked Cartwheel, then Vikingo, at 2:00, drawing boos. Cartwheel hit his slingshot elbow drop on Vikingo for a nearfall, then a dive through the ropes on him. On the floor, Bailey hit a flying kick on Cartwheel. In the ring, Bailey hit a twisting suplex on Jack, and somehow turned and put a leg lock on Vikingo at 4:30. Cool spot.
Bailey hit a Helluva Kick on Jack, then a Vader Bomb-style kneedrop for a nearfall. Bailey hit his Speedball kicks to Vikingo’s ribs. Jack hit his rolling Death Valley Driver on Bailey, then a sit-out powerbomb on Vikingo, and everyone was down at 7:00, with the crowd chanting, “Lucha!” Cartwheel set up for a Sasake Special, but Bailey cut him off. Bailey hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Vikingo hit a twisting uranage on Bailey, then a Meteora running double knees on Jack. Vikingo hit a running Shooting Star Press off the ring apron onto Jack on the floor at 9:00, drawing a “holy shit!” chant. Vikingo then hit his second-rope corkscrew splash onto Bailey in the ring for a nearfall.
Vikingo hit a flip dive to the floor on Bailey. In the ring, he leapt off the top rope and hit a missile dropkick across the ring on Jack. (He landed this one perfectly; it’s a spot he doesn’t have a high success rate on.) Jack hit his Crucifix Takedown Driver on Vikingo for a believable nearfall at 11:00, but Bailey made the save. Bailey hit his Triangle Moonsault to the floor on Vikingo. In the ring, Bailey hit a missile dropkick on Jack, then his moonsaullt kneedrop for a nearfall. Bailey hit a series of kicks on Vikingo for a nearfall. This has been breathtaking.
Jack did a cartwheel from the top rope onto both opponents on the floor. In the ring, Vikingo hit a Shotgun Dropkick on Jack, then his huracanrana from the corner, then his springboard corkscrew press to the floor at 14:00. Wow. In the ring, Vikingo hit his 630 Splash onto Jack for a believable nearfall, but Bailey made the save. Bailey hit the Ultima Weapon for a nearfall. Cartwheel hit his Sasake Special to the floor, then a top-rope Phoenix Splash on Bailey for the pin. WOW.
Final Thoughts: A tremendous main event with a surprise winner, along with a very good opening match. The middle of the show was fine, but nothing to go out of your way to see. If you have a half-hour, check out the bookends of the show. Adonis is vastly underrated in the United States but has become a mainstay in Mexico. I did go to wremix.tv, and I see they have several older Demand Lucha shows, up to the last show before this one. So, for now, check out this show at IWTV.
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