By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Demand Lucha “A Very Merry Lucha Christmas 2023”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
December 14, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario at Parkdale Hall
I tweeted at IWTV a few times, wondering when this show would be released. It finally was posted on Sunday, roughly four weeks after it occurred. However, with a lineup featuring Alex Shelley, Kevin Blackwood, Jack Cartwheel and Gringo Loco, I felt this was well worth checking out.
The lighting is decent and the crowd was 400-500. There is commentary.
1. Stallion Kid defeated Ethan Dux in a “sink or swim showcase match” at 7:19. Stallion Kid wore a generic black mask and blue pants. Dux is a bit heavyset with curly brown hair (think Jimmy Lloyd), and he’s the heel. Dux is much bigger and dominated the offense. Stallion Kid hit a dive through the ropes to the floor at 4:30, then a snap suplex on the floor. In the ring, Kid hit a top-rope flying headbutt for the pin. He seems so polished I have to wonder if that was an experienced wrestler under the mask, walking Dux through his first match.
2. Nurse Nova Kane (w/Medico) defeated Space Monkey and FredDIE in a three-way to win the Openweight Championship at 8:04. This is essentially two-on-one against Space Monkey, who was the champion entering the match. In her tiny black outfit, Nova Kane always makes me in WWF vampire character Ariel. FredDIE is much taller than Space Monkey. The heels beat down SM at the bell. Nova Kane hit a snap suplex and went for a pin, but FredDIE pulled her off him and they argued. SM hit a Monkey Flip, sending one opponent onto the other at 3:30.
SM hit a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall, but Nova Kane made the save. The heels argued some more. FredDIE hit a top-rope moonsault on Space Monkey. Medico ordered FredDIE to lie down and get pinned by Nova Kane. He laid down but he kicked out. Space Monkey hit a top-rope summersault on FredDIE. Nova Kane hit a Jay Driller (showing some impressive strength!) on Space Monkey for the pin! New champion! Highly watchable.
3. Alex Shelley defeated Vaughn Vertigo at 13:42. I’ve seen Vaughn a few times in Canada’s C*4 Wrestling and he’s pretty good; he has shoulder length brown hair and is of average size. Shelley jawed at the crowd, making clear he’s a heel here. He carried his TNA World Title belt. Standing switches and a feeling-out process to open, and Shelley playfully slapped him in the back of the head as he had Vaughn tied up on the mat. Vertigo hit a series of kicks, then a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 2:30. They brawled on the floor, where Shelley hit some loud chops. Shelley accidentally chopped the ring post at 5:00, and Vaughn was able to hit his own series of chops.
In the ring, Vaughn hit an Arabian Press. Nice! Shelley hit a dropkick on Vaughn’s left knee, and Vertigo was immediately hobbled. Shelley applied an inverted Figure Four. Vaughn hit a dropkick, then a plancha at 9:30. Back in the ring, Shelley applied a regular Figure Four, but Vaughn reached the ropes at 11:30. Shelley argued with the referee. Vaughn got a rollup for a nearfall; Shelley popped to his feet and hit a superkick. Vertigo hit a stunner, dropping Shelley’s face on a title belt! Vaughn hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb on Shelley’s back. Shelley nailed Vertigo in the face with the title belt while the ref was out of position for the tainted victory. A very good match.
4. Angel Divino defeated Ultimo Maidido at 11:48. I don’t know these luchadors; Divino is in white and Maidido is in red. Divino removed his mask at the bell. Maidido is a bit heavyset and wore a loose red shirt. Quick reversals at the bell and a standoff; they clearly are familiar with each other. Divino nailed a flip dive to the floor at 2:00. In the ring, he went for a springboard move but Maidido caught him and hit a powerbomb. Maidido hit a Poison Rana for a nearfall. Divino hit a huracanrana. He nailed a Canadian Destroyer at 6:30.
Divino went for a top-rope moonsault,, but Maidido got his feet up to block it, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Maidido applied a Rings of Saturn and he grounded Divino. Divino hit a satellite DDT, then a Code Red, and this crowd was going nuts. Maidido hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along his back at 9:00. They traded superkicks and both collapsed to the mat. Divino hit an impressive top-rope moonsault to the floor on Maidido, earning a “holy shit!” chant at 11:00. In the ring, Divino hit a top-rope Frankensteiner, then a 450 Splash for the pin. That was tremendous, and the crowd was fully into it. “These two left it all in the ring!” a commentator said. They hugged afterward.
5. Kevin Blackwood defeated Jody Threat in an intergender match at 15:00 even. Blackwood has some lime green hair today. The crowd is fully behind Jody. She dropped him with a shoulder tackle. She is roughly the same height. She dove to the floor, but Blackwood caught her and powerbombed her onto the ring apron at 3:30. He took control after that move and he jawed with the fans. He hit a stiff kick to her spine at 5:30, then a high back suplex for a nearfall. They took turns blocking each other’s Death Valley Driver attempts. They each gave an airplane spin, then their heads collided and they were both down at 8:00. She hit a kick to the side of his head and a German Suplex for a nearfall. Jody went for an F5 but he avoided it.
Kevin hit a clothesline and a German Suplex at 10:30, then some dropkicks into the corner for a nearfall. He missed a top-rope moonsault. Jody nailed a stunner. Kevin hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 12:30. Jody flipped Kevin off the top rope to the floor. She hit a summersault flip from the ring apron to the floor. In the ring, she hit a spear, then the F5 Slam for a believable nearfall, but Haley Dylan appeared at ringside and pulled the ref to stop the count. Blackwood hit a running Mafia Kick, then a top-rope doublestomp for the pin. That was really entertaining and the crowd was fully into it.
6. Los Medicos (w/Doc Zok) defeated “La Rebelion” Mecha Wolf and Bestia 666 to retain the Demand Lucha Tag Team Titles at 12:22. Outside of their routine appearances in NWA, I don’t think I’ve seen La Rebelion on the indy scene. The Medicos are interchangeable in their plain white masks and medical scrubs. Mecha Wolf opened and he hit a fisherman’s suplex. La Rebellion hit front-and-back kneestrikes, and the Medicos bailed to the floor at 2:00. The Medicos began working over the smaller Bestia 666. A Medico hit a swinging Uranage at 6:30.
Meha Wolf got the hot tag and he hit some dropkicks. La Rebelion hit stereo dives to the floor at 8:30. Mecha Wolf hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. The Medicos hit a team neckbreaker. Bestia 666 and a Medico traded mid-ring forearm strikes. Mecha Wolf hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall at 11:30. However, one of teh Medicos got a rollup out of nowhere to pin Mecha Wolf. Good match.
* I hadn’t pointed it out yet, but there were two 20-foot tall poles on opposite corners of the ring the entire show. We have a quick scene of a referee climbing a ladder and hanging the Demand Lucha title on a rope connected on each pole.
7. Jack Cartwheel defeated Gringo Loco in a ladder match to win the Premier Championship at 23:30. A huge pop for Jack. He hit a shotgun dropkick at the bell and a top-rope Shooting Star Press, just seconds in. He got a ladder from under the ring. (The belt is bouncing up and down above the ring; I recall when an ‘X’ fell in a TNA Ultimate X match and it feels like it could here.) Loco powerbombed Jack onto the ladder in the corner at 1:30. Loco hit a snap suplex onto the ladder, which was flat on the mat. Loco hit a moonsault. Jack hit a standing neckbreaker, then his slingshot senton at 4:00. Loco nailed a fallaway slam onto a ladder in the corner, earning a “holy shit!” chant, as the ladder had completely buckled and broke.
They fought on the floor with Loco in charge. He hit a chairshot across the back at 6:30. In the ring, Jack went for a dropkck but Loco caught his legs and hit a powerbomb. Jack hit a top-rope huracanrana, then he dove through the ropes and hit another huracanrana on the floor at 9:30. Jack tried climbing a ladder but Loco cut him off. Jack leapt toward Loco, but Loco moved, and Jack’s elbow crashed onto a ladder. Loco hit a stunner at 12:00. Loco went for a top-rope moonsault but Jack moved, and Loco crashed through a door bridge at 14:00. Jack nailed a Sasuke Special cartwheel to the floor, onto Loco who was lying on a door bridge. The crowd went nuts for the move.
In the ring, Jack leapt off the corner but got nowhere close to the belt. Loco hit a top-rope inverted Spanish Fly, where they both landed stomach-first at 17:00. Loco climbed a ladder, but Jack cut him off. Loco nailed the Base Bomb/swinging powerbomb off the ladder to the mat at 19:00, and they were both down. They got up; Jack went to do a cartwheel but Loco caught him with a kick to the face. Jack hit an awkward-looking Poison Rana; the ref checked on them but they were okay. Jack nailed a top-rope Phoenix Splash onto Loco, who was lying on a board bridge, at 22:00. Jack grabbed some board shards and slammed it across Loco’s back. Jack trapped Loco under the ladder, climbed it, and pulled down the title. New champion! The crowd celebrated the title change.
* Jack got on the mic and said “that was a war.” He put over Gringo Loco, saying “he brings out the best of everyone.” Loco got on the mic and thanked Toronto, and he said on this night, Jack was the better man.
Final Thoughts: An absolutely incredible ladder match. Jack Cartwheel is so talented and a great acrobat. Gringo Loco looks so good in every spot he hits. It is no surprise these two get booked every weekend and have both made in-roads in AEW on Ring of Honor. Easily match of the night. The Divino-Maidido match topped all expectations, as I hadn’t heard of them before, but they had a great back-and-forth match. I’m sure they’ve had a similar match elsewhere, but it was new to me and this crowd. Shelley is always quite good, and his match against Vertigo takes third place. I totally understand if a viewer wants to skip the first two matches, but the last five were all really entertaining.
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