There was loud music, screaming fans and painted faces. But it was not a Kiss concert. The event was Richmond Lucha Libre’s “The Day the Earth Tapped Out.”
Inside the squared circle at Alley Katz in Shockoe Bottom Friday were five wrestling matches and outside the ring was the thunderous music of Valkyrie.
“We do this for the mayhem,” RLL staple Horrorshow said.
And there was plenty of mayhem inside the ring and at times the action poured out of it.
The featured match was for the RLL tag team championship of the universe between El Sucio and The Kamikaze Kid against Horrorshow and That Guy Dave.
Actually it was supposed to be Horrorshow and The Kamikaze Kid, but the Kid backstabbed Show and joined El Sucio.
Confused?
With so much action taking place it was easy to miss something, but the endless entertainment had the crowd in pandemonium.
As El Sucio and The Kamikaze Kid pummeled Horrorshow, That Guy Dave ran out to protect Show and the match was on.
More than one participant was hit with a chair, another was suplexed onto a table and then the ladders came out.
To win the match, one wrestler had to climb a ladder and reach up for the tag team belts that were hoisted above the ring.
The match appeared to be over when Horrorshow climbed the ladder to try to capture the belts only to be stopped by The Kamikaze Kid, who tipped the ladder over and the two wrestlers spilled into the raucous crowd.
“We just try to give the fans the best show in town,” Horrorshow said.
Eventually Double K was able to ascend the ladder in the middle of the ring and grab the title belts.
Forever in character Horrorshow added, “we will win the title from El Sucio and The Kamikaze Kid.”
The event also featured wrestlers such as Fighty McIrish, Devil Kimura, AKA, Chatch, Jive Nice and more in a variety of costumes.
“I was just trying to provide the people with excitement,” Jive Nice said. “When the crowd is pumped it gets you more pumped.”
AKA wrestles for another reason.
“I do it for the women,” he said. “It’s all about the women.”
Chatch wrestles for food, and Fighty McIrish does it for the Guinness, his brew of choice.
There was not a dull moment either. In between body slams and pile drivers, Valkyrie blasted sounds from the second floor to keep the audience energized.
But the numerous eye-watering thumps to the head and jumps from the top rope give the wrestlers their fair share of bumps and bruises.
“I know plenty of guys who have had broken bones,” Horrorshow said.
So why do they keep wrestling despite persistent chance of bodily harm?
“I do this because I love it,” El Sucio said. “There is nothing I would rather be doing. I will do this until my body won’t let me.”