By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
Demand Lucha “Extreme Block Party”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
May 23, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario at Parkdale Hall
This show was finally released on Monday, so yes, more than a month after it took place. The crowd is maybe 300.
* The show opened with the masked El Reverso introducing his tag team partner tonight, Beaa Moss. We went to another backstage promo, where Jack Cartwheel showed off his title, which he vowed to retain. Alex Shelley then cut a promo, saying he isn’t taking Cartwheel seriously.
1. T.I.M. defeated Mr. Grim, Ashton Day, and Wild Stallion Kid in a four-way at 10:13. Mr. Grim is a tall, heavyset Black man in a gray outfit that looks like a TMNT costume, and it’s his Demand Lucha debut; he is comparable to Keith Lee. Day is white with a good physique and a short bushy beard. I’ve seen T.I.M. before; he is a Blackman with dreadlocks and comparable to Rich Swann. Stallion Kid has impressed; he wears a generic black lucha mask and has a good physique. T.I.M. and Grim traded forearm strikes. T.I.M. hit a monkey-flip but Grim landed on his feet and that popped the crowd. Grim powerbombed Ashton onto T.I.M. in a corner at 3:30.
Stallion Kid hit a dive to the floor at 6:00. Ashton hit a dive through the ropes. T.I.M. hit a corner moonsault to the floor on everyone. The big Grim hit a flip dive to the floor onto all three at 7:30, and that POPPED the crowd. In the ring, Grim nailed a Pounce on T.I.M.; he is making a memorable first impression with me and this crowd. Stallion hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Grim. T.I.M. hit a pump-handle slam on Ashton, then a top-rope moonsault double stomp to the chest for the pin. That was a heckuva opener.
* T.I.M. gave a backstage promo, saying he’s worked hard to get here and he vowed to return.
2. FredDIE and Nurse NovaKane defeated El Reverso and Beaa Moss at 11:43. FredDIE wore his basic black singlet. NovaKane carried a belt on her shoulder. Beaa is tall and athletic; I’ve seen her here before. Reverso has a basic blue mask that reminds me a bit of the Blue Blazer. It appeared the women were going to start but the men got in quickly, and FredDIE has a significant height and weight advantage. NovaKane yanked Reverso to the floor and attacked him; the heels kept Reverso in their corner. FredDIE applied an ankle lock; Reverso reached the ropes at 5:00. NovaKane hit a guillotine leg drop.
The heels then began brawling with Beaa. NovaKane hit a standing powerbomb on Reverso for a nearfall at 7:30. Reverso hit a moonsault on FredDIE for a nearfall. Beaa finally got a hot tag at 9:00 and she hit a powerslam on NovaKane and an axe kick on FredDIE, then a tornado DDT on FredDIE. She hit a spin kick to NovaKane’s face, then an Unprettier faceplant for a visual pin, but FredDIE pulled the ref to the floor. NovaKane hit Beaa in the face with her title belt! She hit an Angel’s Wings faceplant for the cheap pin. Good action.
* Beaa got on the mic and wanted a match against Nurse NovaKane. Dok Zoknov got on the mic and vowed Beaa would never get a match against her, and she in fact is DONE with Demand Lucha.
3. Jody Threat defeated Joe Demaro in an intergender match at 13:30. Demaro is dressed like Ryan Gosling as the driver in the movie “Drive,” even with the identical jacket. A huge pop for Jody. Standing switches early on. He hit a backbreaker over his knee at 3:30 and was in charge. He hit a snap suplex. They brawled to the floor with Demaro still in charge. He charged; she moved, and he crashed into rows of empty chairs at 8:00. She hit a rolling summersault off the apron onto Demaro on the floor. In the ring, she hit a German Suplex at 10:00 and was fired up.
She went to put him on her shoulders but her lower back gave out and she sold the pain. She hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. He begged off and she paused. He nailed a spinebuster with a jackknife cover for a nearfall, and he applied an STF at 12:00. They traded rollups and she hit a spear, then an F5 for the pin. Good action.
4. Rhino defeated Seraphis in a “Gore vs. Door” match at 10:00 even. Huge pop for Rhino. The masked Seraphis is rotund and a bit heavier than Rhino. An intense lockup and standing switches to open. They brawled to the floor at 3:30 and fought through the crowd. Rhino hit a chairshot across the back. Rhino slammed Seraphis back-first on the ring apron at 6:00. They got back into the ring, and Rhino hit a Gore for a nearfall at 8:30. Rhino then hit a Gore through a door set up in the corner for the pin. Exactly what you’d expect here; I don’t think Rhino took a bump.
5. Super Crazy and Tommy Dreamer defeated Los Medicos (w/Nurse NovaKane, Doc Koknov) at 15:23. Again, Los Medicos wear white masks and medical scrubs and are interchangeable; they really could be anyone in those outfits. Dreamer had a kendo stick and we got an “ECW!” chant before the bell. Super Crazy opened. The ECW duo worked over the Medicos. A Medico hit a guillotine leg drop on Super Crazy at 7:00 and kept him grounded. Dreamer entered and hit a DDT for a nearfall.
They brawled out of the ring. Super Crazy beat up one Medico on the stage, while Dreamer hit the other Medico with a title belt at ringside. In the ring, Dreamer hit a stunner. He got his kendo stick. Nurse NovaKane got in the ring and flirted with him, and she removed her jacket. (He is probably 30 years older than her.) He wound up grabbing her by the hair but Doc Koknov then attacked Dreamer. Tommy hit a Death Valley Driver on Doc Zoknov. Dreamer hit a low blow mule kick on a Medico, then a piledriver on NovaKane. Super Crazy hit a moonsault for the pin. Probably a bit long, but the crowd enjoyed this.
* Dreamer got on the mic and told them how much it means to him and Crazy to hear those “ECW chants.” He noted he got into the business when he was 18 and he’s now 53; he added Super Crazy is now 50. He thanked the fans. “Everyday with professional wrestling is a good day. Today we celebrate professional wrestling.” The man sure knows how to cut a babyface promo.
6. Gringo Loco defeated Lince Dorado at 19:50. Lince came out in his Hugh Hefner-style robe. The bell rang and they took turns playing to the crowd and they finally touched in a knucklelock at 1:30. Dorado hit a head-scissors takedown but Loco rotated and landed on his feet; Dorado did the same thing, and we had a standoff. Dorado hit a baseball slide dropkick to send Loco to the floor at 4:30, then he hit a flip dive to the floor, where he hit a huracanrana! Perfectly done move. Loco accidentally chopped the ring post.
Dorado hit a top-rope huracanrana in the ring for a nearfall at 6:30, and he switched to tie up Loco’s legs and put him in a Bow-and-Arrow. Loco hit a Guerrilla Press and a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Loco hit a reverse Angle Slam, dropping Dorado stomach-first to the mat for a nearfall at 8:30. Gringo hit some LOUD chops and was in charge. Dorado hit a top-rope crossbody block, and he locked in a crossarm breaker at 12:30. Loco hit a top-rope reverse Spanish Fly, where they both landed stomach-first on the mat, for a nearfall, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Loco missed a top-rope moonsault.
Dorado hit some Kawada Kicks and a Tiger Driver for a nearfall at 16:00. Lince hit a top-rope super-Frankensteiner for a nearfall, then a top-rope Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 17:30. They hit simultaneous roundhouse kicks and were staggered. They traded punches and Dorado hit a stunner. Loco hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly. Dorado nailed a Poison Rana. They traded rollups, and Loco got a pinfall on a rollup. Tremendous lucha action; these two were on the same page throughout that matchup.
7. Jack Cartwheel defeated Alex Shelley to retain the Lucha Premier Title at 16:12. They traded basic reversals and Shelley gave him the middle finger at 2:00, making clear he’s the heel here. Cartwheel hit a dropkick that sent Shelley to the floor. He faked a dive to the floor and instead did some cartwheels. Alex hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip in the ropes at 3:30 and Jack immediately sold the pain in his knee. Alex pulled a Fit Finlay by tying Jack up in the ring curtain and repeatedly punched him, and they brawled on the floor. Shelley was whipped shoulder-first into the ring post at 6:00. Shelley slammed Jack knee-first on an open chair on the floor.
In the ring, Shelley hit another Dragonscrew Legwhip and he kept Cartwheel grounded and was booed. He hit another Dragonscrew and immediately applied a Figure Four at 9:30. Jack fired up and hit some forearm strikes and clotheslines, then a neckbreaker at 11:00 and the crowd came alive. Shelley hit a chop block to the back of the knee. Shelley hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. He grabbed the title belt; the ref took it and they argued. Jack nearly collided with the ref, and Alex got a rollup and a nearfall.
Jack nailed the Sasuke Special to the floor at 15:00. In the ring, Jack missed a frog splash. Shelley pushed Jack into the ref and those two were both down. Alex swung the belt but Jack cartwheeled to avoid it. Jack hit a Flatliner onto the title belt for a believable nearfall! Jack put Alex on his shoulders and hit a cartwheel, slamming Alex to the mat. Jack then hit a top-rope cartwheel splash onto Alex for the pin. That was really good. The commentators said Shelley was busted wide open on that move and he marched immediately to the back for medical attention.
* Backstage, Cartwheel was excited about retaining his title belt, and he feels like he could cartwheel all the way back to Sacramento. He is ready for whoever will be his next challenger in July!
Final Thoughts: A stellar top two matches. I will take Loco-Dorado for best match, as they were on the same page and everything clicked. The main event was really good and it was great to see Cartwheel win that cleanly with his finisher. Shelley is such a great heel and he always delivers in the ring. That four-way opener takes third; I have only seen T.I.M. and Stallion Kid a few times each and the other two I really didn’t know, but they put together a fun, non-stop opener that got the crowd going. The ECW legends were fine; you know what you’re getting going in, and the crowd was happy to see them. This show gets a big thumbs up.
Be the first to comment