As silence bogs down on the eve of Halloween in the parking lot of South Pasadena’s Republic of Lucha, the ringing of the Metro Gold Line train blared in the distance.
Elevated on a wrestling ring behind the 4,000-square-foot specialty store and draped in a glossy red outfit, professional luchador Penta El Zero Miedo devilishly stares down his opponent Sami Callihan as aluminum trash cans and lids, and white, foldable party chairs litter the ground around them.
Penta El Zero Miedo bellowed out a boisterous growl while the train completes its passage through. His tag-team partner, Japanese sensation Konosuke Takeshita, has his hands tied with Shun Skywalker as they duel it out among a sold-out crowd.
Callihan responds to the luchador with an array of insulting hand gestures, and the two go back and forth with roaring insults.
The tag-team bout was the main card of the Republic of Lucha’s final wrestling event of the year, appropriately named “ROL VI VI VI: La Noche de Walpurgis,” and not one member of the audience could bear to sit down.
The crowd started to chant “Esta lucha!” — the chorus building as the two pugilists exchanged blows, spilling over the ring and bringing their match down to the fans.
Complete and utter pandemonium, but for the audience, an unforgettable experience.
“I definitely need some time to think about what I saw,” said Claremont native Peter Vale about his first-ever wrestling event.
Republic of Lucha is the brainchild of Penta El Zero Miedo and brother and wrestling partner Rey Felix.
The two are known as the Lucha Brothers and are among the many stars of professional wrestling organization All Elite Wrestling, or AEW. The Republic of Lucha event featured other AEW wrestlers, such as Taya Valkyrie and Thunder Rosa. Even AEW referee Rick Knox officiated a pair of matches at the event.
The store opened in 2021 and has been under the supervision of store manager Javier Robles since its opening. He was the ring announcer for the night’s event, dressed as “Jigsaw” from the “Saw” movie franchise.
“This is how amazing Lucha Libre is,” Robles said prior to the main event. “We have a store in South Pasadena!”
Anthony Valadez, co-host of KCRW’s flagship program “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” is a longtime wrestling fan and has previously curated music at an event at Republic of Lucha. He said the Oct. 30 event was “top-notch” largely because it featured many of the stars from AEW.
“What makes this wrestling league different than the others is that it’s more community-based,” Valadez said. “It’s educational in a sense that they teach the history and tonight was very international with the Japanese and the Latino wrestlers.
“This is more of a community wrestling event that is important and needed. This is the heart and soul of wrestling in South Pasadena, and it’s housed in South Pasadena.”
Lois Rosson is a new South Pasadena resident and she joined Vale at the show. It was also her introduction to the offerings of Republic of Lucha. When Rosson found out about the event through social media, she immediately bought a pair of tickets.
“It absolutely blew my expectations out of the water,” Rosson said. “It was outrageous.”
But the matches weren’t the only thing that impressed Rosson.
“The audience vibes were completely off the charts,” she added. “It was such a good crowd. It was the best possible inauguration to Lucha ever.”
In attendance was “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “How I Met Your Mother” actor Jason Segel, who became part of the main event when Sami Callihan tossed Penta El Zero Miedo onto the Hollywood star and stomped his opponent.
Sami Callihan proceeded to drag Penta El Zero Miedo back into the ring and pulled out a sign from AEW referee Aubrey Edwards that said, in all capital letters, “Jason Segel Sucks,” which garnered a flurry of boos from the crowd.
“This one was definitely a lot more in-your-face with a lot more crowd work where the wrestlers were coming out to the crowd,” Valadez said.
At the climax of the main event, Penta El Zero Miedo grabbed a stunned Shun Skywalker with Sami Callihan dazed outside of the ring. The luchador climbed on top of six party chairs lined up inside the ring and positioned his opponent face down to the ground.
“Zero! Miedo!” he screamed as the audience echoed his chant.
The luchador slammed his opponent into the props and pinned him shortly after, and the crowd roared at the signal of the bell.
The main event was the conclusion of a six-match card.
A three-way match between Aramis, Zokre and Sonico kicked off the night, and Thunder Rosa, dressed as the late Selena Quintanilla, serenaded the audience upon introducing Black Swan and Billie Starkz in the second event of the night.
Taya Valkyrie and Johnny “Cobblepot” TV took to the ring as “Batman” villains Catwoman and the Penguin and faced Lince Dorado and Simone Williams in a tag-team ahead of the night’s intermission.
Another tag-team match followed the break. It featured Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf, a pair of wrestlers based out of Mexico and known as “La Rebelion,” facing off against Darius Martin and Action Andretti of AEW fame. Rey Horus and Bad Dude Tito, a singles mismatch of size and stature, proceeded the main event.
“ROL VI VI VI: La Noche de Walpurgis” was part of a series of Halloween events held at the Republic of Lucha. The store hosted several Lucha-themed horror film screenings, and on the previous night, Thunder Rosa serenaded attendees with a short concert.
A meet-and-greet was held prior to the match with a line of wrestling fans stretching around the storefront.
Jay and Jason Paneiro of Chino were part of the lengthy queue. They have been following the Lucha Brothers for more than a decade, but it was their first time at the Republic of Lucha. They were excited to see Konosuke Takeshita in the main event.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” Jason Paneiro said. “You got the best from Mexico, and the best from Japan. Takeshita is still in his prime. He’s a monster.”
Crenshaw residents Oscar Moreno and his brother Luis Moreno were at their fifth Republic of Lucha event. Oscar Moreno brought several signs, and Luis Moreno said they were both looking forward to a lively crowd.
“Last time one of the wrestlers grabbed one of the signs and smashed it on one of his opponent’s head,” Luis Moreno said. “People get into it.”
Tony Adamo drove in from San Diego the day before for the night’s event. He brought his daughters, 7-year-old Lily and 9-year-old Olivia, to the meet-and-greet. They’ve been to every show since the store opened.
“If they have a show, we know we’re going to be here,” Adamo said.
Sean Cox also made a lengthy drive for the event. The Indio resident and record store owner said the Coachella Valley needs more businesses like Republic of Lucha in its rapidly changing neighborhoods.
“This is worth it to make the drive,” he said.
Josephine and Kevin McCormick also made a trek from their Palmdale home. The two first stumbled upon the store during a visit to the Michael Myers “Halloween” house in South Pasadena.
“We love Lucha, and we’re so glad this is our home away from home,” Josephine McCormick said. “Now we have this whole new world over here that we visit.”
First published in the November 3 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
