A night out exploring the world of Mexican Luchadore fighting in Toronto

By Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng

The reigning champion of the night, Gringo Loco. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

This past November, I headed down to Lee’s Palace to check out Demand Lucha’s “Masked by Midnight” event; almost two full hours of Luchadore wrestling matches.

Demand Lucha says they’re the only place in Toronto where one can get authentic Mexican wrestling. They “fuse Mexico’s action packed, high flying, lucha libre style with a grungy, hardrock, Toronto style,” according to their website.

As a faction of Toronto’s punk scene I was previously unfamiliar with, I went in open to the idea of seeing something new. I felt people spilt beer on my shoes when they stood to cheer. My life’s dreams were realized when I met that night’s champion, the Gringo Loco.

Check out more about my head dive into the hardcore world of Toronto Lucha wrestling in the photo essay below