Like a folded chair to the face, sometimes things blindside us and knock us off our shoes when we least expect it. Many of us enjoy the thrill of a pleasant surprise, but in this day and age of the Internet where we can know everything everybody is doing every second of the day, spoil ourselves out of the plot twists of entertainment such as shows, movies, books and the like, there is now little room for the enthusiasm stored within warm and fuzzy feeling of discovery. Ever since I found out about this league, the LXN (Lucha Xtrema Nacional) I’ve been constantly gotten thrown for a loop in all of its spectaluarly entertaining glory. Sure, this is wrestling and you can think whatever you want about the “sport,” but it’s a whole different ballpark when you have the chance to see the scars and burn marks these wrestlers earn while they’re out there entertaining hundreds of people looking for a good dose of old-fashioned violence.

There’s not much information out there on the LXN, since their webpage is offline at the moment, but I browsed around the internet to see what I could find on the league, coupling it with my own personal experience. Not much is officially on paper about the origins of the LXN league, but homebrew wrestling is not something that’s new, by any means.

This goes back to the 60’s and 70’s, when there was a huge boom and guys like Sandokan were popular amongst the youth. Then the WWE (at the time WWF) came to panamanian TV sets and the panamanian wrestling leagues died a swift, unmerciful death. Around 2005 though, panamanian wrestling started to get more noticeable and, as it is with the LXN, it’s been a long, hard road up. Along with the RXW, the LXN seems to have earned each and every single fan they’ve managed to put on the seats purely by the entertainment factor of the show.

It happened to me, and it’s happened to every single person I’ve taken to an LXN show since then: shows (which usually start a 7:30 pm at the Yuyin Luzcando Gym of the Bethania district in Panama City) go off to a slow start, with my party wondering just how in the green earth where they manipulated into going to such a fiasco. Then, all of a sudden, the proverbial shit hits the proverbial fan.

Everyone comes out of there pumped, antsy and begging for more. And, since these LXN events happen once a month, the wait can become pretty long for some folks. I’ve counted anywhere between 8 - 12 wrestlers currently on the roster, and two championship belts: the cruiserweight and extreme. The most popular wrestlers are Ironboy, who is what you would call one of the “technical” fighters or good guys… I dig him because his intro song is 311’s “Come Original;” though not their best song, I appreciate the consideration. Then of course, there’s Karcamo, the Forger of Pain. He likes to spit fire, and lots of it. The Wolverine of this rat pack of mask-weilding gladiators, this guy is worth the price of admission alone.

There’s a constant change in the event rosters and, very much like the LXN league’s storyline, is full of plot twists and reveals. But of course, we’re not there to take the minutia out of the events’ proceedings… we go there to see people beat the living hell out of each other. The LXN takes place once a month at the Yuyin Luzcando Gym, located in Bethania. It is right next to the Jap Jap smoked chicken restaurant (a fan favorite since I had use of reason, or lack thereof) and admission goes as low as $3. There are refreshments and food there, as well as promotional material like shirts, photos, and pins. The shows have a very guerilla angle to them, and the wrestlers really get into it, mouthing off the crowd and, at times, bleeding out the head right on their feet… they’re tough, and have the scars and burn marks to prove it.

To find out when there’s an LXN show approaching, visit the Porto Diao portal for the latest and greatest of all things LXN. You’re guaranteed one hell of a show, each and every time.

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