Lucha Underground
Date: May 18, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

As is usually the case, it’s hard to say what to expect on these shows. The three title pictures continue to be a story but the bigger deal seems to be everything going on behind the scenes with Councilman Delgado trying to take down Dario for his master, whatever that may entail. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Gift of the Gods Title and Matanza destroying Pentagon Jr.

Dario Cueto is putting cash in a bag when Cage comes in, demanding to get his hands on Chavo after having his Gift of the Golds medallion stolen. Dario says join him in the ring.

It’s time for the Gift of the Gods presentation with Cage following Dario out. Dario explains the concept and says there will be a seven way match tonight. The winners of the medallions are called out so here are Texano, Joey Ryan (Theory that unfortunately I can’t take credit for: Castro let Joey pin him because they’re secretly working together as undercover cops. I’ve heard far worse ideas.), Sinestro de la Muerte (with Dario not being able to remember which Disciple he is), Aerostar, the Mack, Sexy Star and Chavo Guerrero Jr., who didn’t actually win but that doesn’t seem to matter.

Everyone else clears out so Cage can stomp Chavo down in the corner and take the medallion back. Well in theory at least because it’s just a big washer, allowing Chavo to blast Cage with a chair. Chavo puts the real medallion in the belt and that somehow count in Dario’s eyes. Cage gives Chavo Weapon X to blow off some steam.

Daga vs. Argenis vs. Mascarita Sagrada vs. Kobra Moon

One fall to a finish. Famous B. takes over for Sagrada’s introduction. It’s a big brawl to start with Sagrada headscissoring Daga down to start. Moon forearms Sagrada down though and gets two off a Michinoku Driver. Argenis and Daga come back in with Argenis superkicking the unmasked one down. That goes nowhere as Argenis is sent to the floor for a dive from Daga. Back inside and Sagrada rolls up Moon for two, followed by a cross armbreaker on Argenis. That’s quite the odd visual.

Daga dives in to break up a powerbomb on Sagrada before setting up the overly contrived spot of the match with a Gory Special on Moon and a reverse Boston crab on Argenis at the same time. Sagrada comes in for the save but Argenis slaps Sagrada in the mask to break up a sunset flip on Moon. Back up and Moon runs Sagrada over, followed by a White Noise into a piledriver for no cover. Instead she stands back, allowing Daga to get the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. Uh….ok then. I still don’t buy into Kobra and Daga is only so much of a star. I’m really not sure what the point of this match was but an alliance between Moon and Daga isn’t going to be anything interesting either. This is a really weird match and I wasn’t feeling it at all really.

Killshot is putting his gear on when Marty the Moth comes up to see him and offers a salute. They’ll be facing off tonight so Marty puts a finger guns to Killshot’s head. This earns him a quick flip over to the floor where Marty laughs like a crazy man.

Marty Martinez vs. Killshot

Marty makes sure to perv on Melissa Santos during the entrances. They stare each other down and Marty does the finger gun again, prompting a Major Gunns reference of all things. Marty sends him into the corner and then over the top, only to have Killshot land on his feet. Back in and Killshot sends him to the floor for a change but a flip dive is caught on Marty’s shoulder, which really isn’t the kind of power you would expect from him. Marty slowly beats Killshot down inside and does the finger gun again, only to tick Killshot off this time. Well again, but this time Killshot smacks him in the face to take over.

Killshot BLASTS him in the head again for two, followed by a third shot to the head. Marty pops up and knocks Killshot off the top though, only to have Killshot block a German suplex off the apron. Instead it’s Marty eating a Death Valley Driver on the apron to put both guys on the floor because that’s how wrestling moves work. Both guys beat the count at nine so Marty takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Marty’s dive in the corner gets caught though and it’s a forward driver (think Kenny Omega’s One Winged Angel but out of a waistlock instead of an electric chair) to give Killshot the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This was better than the first match but it’s still only so good. Killshot is starting to get somewhere with the military character but it would be nice to have something other than “Yeah he was in the military.” Marty is PERFECT as the creepy guy though and it’s mainly due to all the little parts that he adds to everything. It’s better than the first match but still really nothing I’m going to remember in five minutes.

Marty destroys him post match and steals the dog tags.

Gift of the Gods Title: Sinestro de la Muerte vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Joey Ryan vs. Sexy Star vs. The Mack vs. Texano vs. Aerostar

One fall to a finish and the title is vacant coming in. Chavo bails to the floor to start and it’s time for everyone to hit one spot and then run to the floor. The match settles down to Joey vs. Star with the former not that upset with having to wrestle a scantily clad woman. Chavo tries to steal a rollup on Star but Mack comes in to clean house, leaving him in a staredown with his friend Sexy.

Texano pulls Star out to the floor before taking her place against Mack. A powerbomb plants Mack but it’s Aerostar diving in for the save. A springboard tornado DDT gives Aerostar two on Texano, only to have Sinestro come in for his quick section. It’s time for the big dives with Star pulling Joey off the top and taking everyone out at the same time. Back in and a Backstabber gives Sinestro two on Ryan before Mack throws Muerte outside.

Mack and Star take turns chopping Ryan before a double legdrop crushes Joey again. Chavo runs back in and frog splashes Ryan for two with Mack diving in for the save. That’s not cool though and everyone goes after Chavo for a parade of finishers (save for Ryan but including Sinestro, who shouldn’t be up for this kind of thing). However, cue Cage to destroy everyone not named Chavo before putting Guerrero on top of Joey for the pin and the title at 8:33.

Rating: C. This was a lot of waiting around until we got to the big Cage deal at the end, which makes sense and keeps Cage looking strong before his eventual match with Chavo for the title, which he certainly has a claim to. Other than that though there was almost nothing going on here but that’s what you have to expect with a six minute match with seven people in there at once.

Post match Cage goes with the obvious reveal: he gets a title shot at Chavo next week.

Vampiro tells Pentagon that he must be broken again, just like the monster broke him already. Pentagon is suspended in some weird S&M style looking harness while Vampiro beats on him with a stick. Vampiro talks about all the evil inside of him and how the pills can’t hold him back. This is nothing compared to what Matanza did to Pentagon and it’s nothing compared to what he’s about to do to Pentagon either. It’s time for a barbed wire baseball bat to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This one really missed for me as there wasn’t much for anything to be seen here. The opening match went nowhere, the second match was fine and could set something up, but the third match was all there to set up something else later on. Now all that being said, the stuff at the end was interesting with Pentagon looking like he’s coming back as the ultimate Matanza slayer full of Vampiro’s evil. This show was a bunch of standing around waiting but that’s not really enough to carry this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Middle Kingdom Wrestling
Date: May 11, 2016
Location: CWE Gym, Dongguan, China
Commentators: Eddie Strong, Cam Ferguson

This promotion is in a kind of weird place as they haven’t had much storyline stuff this season but the standalone shows have been more fun and definitely better presented than a lot of the stuff from last season. I still like what I’m seeing and the shows are still short enough to make these easy sits. Let’s get to it.

Standard opening sequence.

Len Bai says something to someone named Tony Trivaldo but I could barely make any of it out. I’m not sure if I was supposed to understand this but if I was, they REALLY need to work on their audio.

Trivaldo, a French wrestling champion, is here to go after Bai for hurting Dalton Bragg’s arm.

In something you don’t see every day, we cut back and forth between the two as they respond to each other. Bai isn’t scared and Trivaldo promises to make Bai regret this. Then Bai bites into something that looked like a piece of chicken.

Len Bai vs. Tony Trivaldo

Trivaldo is definitely the face here and does a decent enough job of playing to the crowd early on. Some armdrags take Bai down to start but he blocks the third as Strong talks about how this has been brewing for some time but thankfully Ferguson points out how weak of a line that is. A dropkick puts Bai on the floor but he comes back with a snapmare and basement dropkick for two as the announcers keep bickering.

Off to a reverse cross armbreaker but Trivaldo powers him up into a sitout powerbomb before nipping up and completely failing to get the crowd to clap with him. Well at least he’s trying. Bai counters a backdrop into a DDT and fires off strikes to cut off a comeback (During which Trivaldo tried the clapping thing again and got NOTHING. This time he even looked at the crowd as if to say “come on work with me here.” Again, the fact that he’s trying is what matters.). A running basement dropkick in the corner before we hit the Figure Four Neck Lock on Trivaldo.

Back up and Tony uppercuts him before trying to get a chant going, only to have a few fans tell him he sucks. Bai grabs a guillotine choke so Tony throws him with a northern lights suplex. Back up and a German suplex sends Bai flying and he pulls off the turnbuckle pad for a cool visual. Apparently Eddie kicks the turnbuckle pad away, thereby screwing up the audio in the process. Well he can’t do everything around here. Bai sends him head first into the exposed buckle setting up a spinning fisherman’s brainbuster (minus most of the busting) to give Bai the pin.

Rating: C. I was liking the match and there’s something cool about seeing people who you’ll never likely see otherwise getting a chance to show off in something like this. It also helps to have two people who clearly have some ring experience as it can be kind of tiresome watching people who aren’t entirely sure what they’re doing. The turnbuckle thing was fine for an ending, though I really hope they don’t get rid of Ferguson like they were suggesting in the annotations on Youtube, as he’s pretty regularly the most entertaining thing about the show.

We recap the events that set up the six man that has been shown in the opening sequence on every episode of this season. Ash is still mad at Da Li Sam for costing him his tournament match last season by sending him into the post. Then Black Mamba cost Ash a match against Jason…..and then it gets a bit confusing. There’s something about a mystery partner and Andrew Tag, a champion from another promotion. One of Ash’s partners seems to think he’s a superhero. I think Sam and Mamba are teaming with the other champion and Ash’s partner (along with the superhero) is still a mystery.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah I know there was only one match on the show but the key thing here was the addition of the storylines. The match had a story and there was a story setting up the match next time (as confusing as it was). I know they’re not the most interesting stories in the world but it’s better than “here’s a tournament match”. I still don’t know the characters well enough but even the simplest stories are a step up.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: May 11, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Tonight is all about violence as we have Mil Muertes vs. Matanza II in a Graver Consequences match with four caskets instead of one. The other thing to remember is that we’re getting closer to the season finale with less than half of the season left to go. Things are going to start rounding into form and that means a lot more big storyline developments. Let’s get to it.

We look at the finals of the trios tournament, the Councilman Delgado story where he says there’s someone more powerful than Dario Cueto and the setup for Grave Consequences.

Cueto goes to meet Councilman Delgado for a payoff to Delgado’s boss. Dario goes to leave but is stopped and told to have a drink. Apparently the cops are looking into Dario’s activities in the Temple and there’s probably already someone inside (there is and it’s Cortez Castro, which is still unknown to everyone else). Delgado’s boss is interested in the Temple and will be coming to see it soon. This freaks Dario out and it’s made even worse when Delgado asks if Dario thought Matanza was going to have all the fun. Now that has a lot of potential.

Aztec Medallion: Joey Ryan vs. Cortez Castro vs. Mr. Cisco

The fans seem to be beyond Ryan but Vampiro picks Cisco. Joey goes after Cisco to start but gets sent to the floor, leaving Castro to suplex Cisco for two. Both of them have their backs turned though, allowing Joey to run in and knee Castro in the back (setting up a big edit as the camera pulls away) for a rollup and the pin (with tights of course) at 1:18.

Mil Muertes is the Luchador of the Week.

Catrina says she’s been a prisoner of darkness for 197 years. Muertes spent days in a cave made of rock and then weeks in the underworld (after Grave Consequences) but now Catrina has made him stronger than ever. Tonight Pascual Mendoza’s new life begins when he puts Matanza in the casket. They leave and King Cuerno comes out from behind the throne, having heard everything.

Trios Title: Ivelisse/Son of Havoc/Johnny Mundo vs. Rey Mysterio Jr./Dragon Azteca Jr./Prince Puma

Ivelisse’s team is challenging and Mundo is a surprise partner with Taya in his corner. Dragon and Ivelisse get things going with Azteca easily slamming her down early on. A legsweep has Ivelisse down which Striker calls an LBI (Lower Body Injury, which he’s nice enough to translate after using the acronym). It’s off to Rey vs. Havoc and the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for.

Rey’s hurricanrana doesn’t work so they both try kicks which are both caught in the air. They stare each other down and it’s off to Mundo vs. Puma with the Prince being kicked to the floor. Taya and Ivelisse start shouting at each other because that’s how all women in wrestling act. Back in and Mundo flips Ivelisse off but eats an enziguri, allowing the tag off to Azteca, who might be the most exciting guy in the promotion right now.

Havoc bicycle kicks him and gets two off a Lethal Injection. Mundo wants in but Havoc won’t tag him because he’d rather go up top for a double stomp to the back. It’s back to Rey for two off a victory roll but Ivelisse breaks up the 619. Mundo kicks Ivelisse in the face by mistake and is sent to the floor for a hurricanrana into the barricade from Azteca. Now the 619 nails Havoc before it’s off to Puma for the 630 and the pin at 7:14. Striker tried to push that as a passing of the torch but it really was nothing out of the ordinary.

Rating: B-. The champs are an awesome team and it’s a shame that Angelico got hurt to prevent what could be a low level dream match. Mundo being added didn’t do much and you would expect him to have a bigger feud than just being thrown into a trios match for a one off title challenge.

Ivelisse gets blamed for the loss for whatever reason. Taya beats her down

Lucha Underground Title: Matanza vs. Mil Muertes

Matanza is defending and this is a Casket match with four caskets to choose from. A bunch of people with skeleton face paint (I believe it’s something associated with the Day of the Dead) bring out the caskets ala the Lucha Underground equivalent of Undertaker’s druids. They slug it out to start with Muertes being thrown over the top to dent one of the caskets. Matanza puts two caskets (called death boxes here) next to each other before telling fans to get out of the way.

Catrina tries to make a save and gets choked, only to have Muertes spear the champ into the empty chairs. As you might expect, Matanza is up for a powerbomb onto a casket. Muertes comes right back with a Flatliner off the apron onto a casket, which is then carried into the ring. Dario copies Catrina by interfering for a distraction which allows Matanza to roll some gutwrench suplexes. Striker thinks Matanza might be a skilled wrestler under the mask. Gee thanks for that Matt.

Mil spears him again and unhooks the bottom rope (no one ever uses that anyway) to get the metal hook off the buckle. Matanza easily takes it away and hits Mil in the head before going for the mask. That just earns him a chokeslam onto the casket before Mil goes outside and finds a lead glove in a toolbox. You know, instead of hitting him WITH THE TOOLBOX.

A few shots to the champ’s head only have so much effect before he hits Mil low. They head outside again with Matanza opening a fresh casket and getting most of the lid closed, only to have Muertes punch through the lid to grab him by the throat. Well that works. Catrina blasts Cueto for no apparent reason, only to get DESTROYED by Matanza.

The champ steals the stone and buries it along with Catrina in the same casket. This just ticks Mil off even more so he hammers on Matanza but can’t close the lid. Instead it’s a right hand to the throat to get Matanza out of trouble, followed by a powerbomb onto the casket. Wrath of the Gods into the casket is enough to finish Muertes at 14:55, drawing INSANE booing from the fans.

Rating: B. You could tell they were going for the same style that worked so well with Fenix vs. Mil Muertes but that match worked because the Fenix match was all about hope spots while this was a combination of a casket match and two monsters hitting each other really hard. Those two styles only work together so well and it hit a wall here.

Catrina has disappeared but the Day of the Dead people come out to take Mil away. One of them pulls his hood back to reveal King Cuerno.

A limo rolls up to Councilman Delgado so he can pay his boss Dario’s money. Apparently Dario thinks Matanza is the most powerful person in the world but that’s not true because the boss is. The boss lights up a cigar to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling took a backseat to all the storyline stuff and to be fair, that was the far more interesting part of this show. The idea that someone could be more powerful than the Cuetos offers a lot of potential and now the question becomes if the boss is someone we’ve seen before or someone new. It’s going to be interesting to see where things go and the wrestling will be more than fine at the same time. Another good show because that’s what Lucha Underground does.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: May 4, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re kind of at a new beginning around here as the trios tournament ended and a bunch of the Aztec medallions have been won. We’re probably coming up on Ultima Lucha soon enough and at this point it’s pretty hard to guess what the biggest matches on the card might be. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Aztec medallions and Mariposa vs. Sexy Star.

Dario Cueto is looking at the hole in his roof when Catrina comes in. They argue over who nearly killed who when Matanza fought Mil Muertes and Catrina wants a rematch. Dario is willing to give Mil the rematch and since he’s feeling generous, let’s make it Grave Consequences. Oh and this is going to be a special one with four caskets, making it Graver Consequences.

Aztec Medallion: Marty Martinez vs. The Mack

Mack goes right after him without even taking off the jacket. A northern lights suplex gets two and a German suplex sends Marty flying but he pops up with a dropkick to take over. You know, because a dropkick cancels out a string of suplexes. Marty sends him into the corner with an exploder suplex for two of his own. That’s about it for his offense though as a Norman Smiley swinging slam of all things sets up a legdrop (and a Hogan impression) for two on Marty. A Stunner and a TKO Stunner are enough to put Martinez away at 3:26.

Rating: C. Mack is clearly someone Lucha Underground thinks something of so it makes sense to give him a big win here and put him into the Gift of the Gods title picture. Marty is much more of a creepy character instead of someone who can do anything special in the ring so it’s a good idea to have him lose so quickly here.

Catrina tells King Cuerno she’s going to have Sinestro de la Muerte (the only Disciple left) take care of the Gift of the Gods Title instead of him this time. That’s not cool with Cuerno so the hunt is on.

Sexy Star comes in to see Dario, who talks about seeing a lot of his mother in her. The only way he and Matanza could stop their mother from torturing them was to stand up to her. That’s what Sexy needs to do to Mariposa and tonight she gets the chance for revenge and for a medallion. It’s going to be a no mas match which means I Quit. His advice to Sexy: after she makes Mariposa quit, don’t quit.

Aztec Medallion: Sinestro de la Muerte vs. King Cuerno

Catrina is with Sinestro. Cuerno dropkicks him into the corner two seconds into the match as the announcers don’t seem to know about Sinestro absorbing the hearts of his fellow Disciples. I get the idea that they can’t see the stuff backstage but do either of them watch the show? Like, shouldn’t they be doing that? Or do they just think it’s the weekly Parcheesi tournament going on back there? Sinestro chops Cuerno down but Catrina breaks up the Arrow with a rock to the back of the head, setting up a springboard Fameasser to give Sinestro the pin at 1:52. It was a glorified squash until then.

Catrina does the Lick post match and then hits him in the head with the rock again.

Mascarita Sagrada is doing curls (seriously) when Famous B. comes in with Sagrada’s first match, which is for an Aztec medallion.

Chavo Guerrero wants to know why he’s not fighting for a medallion. Dario doesn’t think he’s worthy of one because of all the times he’s failed before. Chavo likes the idea of seizing the opportunity.

Aztec Medallion: Mascarita Sagrada vs. Cage

Cage is defending and Famous B. does a big introduction with a dancing girl for Sagrada. The fans chant PLEASE DON’T KILL HIM but Cage pretty much does with a big release F5 for the pin in less than at 58 seconds. One thing: the announcers spent the whole match talking about how Sagrada is a legend in Mexico but for some reason he needs help being famous?

Chavo steals the medallion post match.

Aztec Medallion: Mariposa vs. Sexy Star

I Quit rules, which Vampiro says is the one match in his career that he wouldn’t go for. Mariposa takes over early with a slam and elbow drop before choking with a boot in the corner. That’s a no (as in keep the match going, not no mas) so Star sends her into the corner for a slingshot Bronco Buster.

Three Amigos set up a half crab on Mariposa but Star is no Lance Storm so the hold is quickly countered and reversed into a freaky leglock. Star makes the ropes which shouldn’t matter but Mariposa lets the hold go anywhere. They quickly head outside with Star no selling the knee and ripping off some chops. Mariposa one ups her with some LOUD chair shots, including throwing one at her for a very modified Conchairto.

Still no from Star though and she sends Mariposa into the barricade before driving a chair between Mariposa’s legs (Striker: “STEELY DAN!!!”) but again that doesn’t seem to have much effect. Instead Mariposa drags her up the steps by the hair and starts ripping at the mask. They climb up into the catwalks and the scaffolding as the fans lose their minds. Vampiro leaves commentary as we pan out to see how high up they really are.

Star almost falls as we see the blood coming down her face. Thankfully they come back down as Marty is out here to be creepy around Sexy. Marty rubs her bleeding face against the barricade so here’s the Mack to beat him up like a good….what exactly is her to Star? Friend? Star steals someone’s purse to beat on Mariposa but gets beaten down again and starts spitting up blood. That’s it for Mariposa’s offense though as Star BLASTS her with a trashcan.

They actually get back inside with Mariposa punching her in the throat and putting on something like a Sharpshooter with her arms, earning an F*** YOU MARIPOSA (uncensored on the mic) from Star. Sexy jumps on her back and chokes Mariposa until Marty comes in again for the save. Mack comes in with a Stunner for the save and a cross armbreaker makes Mariposa give up at 15:30.

Rating: A-. Now THAT is how you give someone a rocket push up the card in one night. This was everything that Sexy Star has needed since she started getting treated like a huge deal on the roster and now it feels warranted for a change. Outstanding brawl here with these two beating the heck out of each other. The expletives actually felt like a big deal and made my eyebrows go up because you just don’t hear that on a wrestling show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was all about getting stuff done in a hurry and they capped it off with an awesome match for fun. The Aztec medallions are either entirely done or very close to it and that suggests to me that we’re getting closer to wrapping this season up, which is a shame given how much fun it’s been. Another really strong show here as this thing just keeps rolling along like it doesn’t know how to do anything else. Check out that main event if you have the time as it’s worth seeing for some good, brutal fun.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: April 27, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

This is another one of those really big episodes as we have the finale of the Trios tournament which just happens to be for the Trios Titles with the champions defending. Other than that we have Cage vs. Johnny Mundo inside a cage for one of the Aztec Medallions. That should be enough for one show so let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the two matches tonight, which might be the entire card.

Apparently both Matanza and Mil Muertes will be fine but they’ll be out for a bit.

Aztec Medallion: Cage vs. Johnny Mundo

Inside a cage. They start fast with Cage throwing him into the corner and handing Johnny a beating. Mundo can’t get over the top so Cage dropkicks him down for some posing. Cage sends him into the steel a few times before a torture rack neckbreaker (always a cool move) gets two. In a very unique move, Cage puts him face first on the middle rope before climbing to the top for an elevated Boston crab.

Johnny crotches him for a breather but Cage throws him around and climbs again. This time it’s Taya with some belt shots to the hands to slow him down, allowing Johnny to grab a top rope C4 for two. There’s something awesome about that move and this was no exception. Mundo laughs a lot but charges into something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner. Cage goes up top but takes too long, allowing Mundo to hit a super Moonlight Drive for two.

We haven’t heard from Taya in long enough now so here’s a kendo stick from under the ring. It doesn’t seem to matter though as Cage snaps off a wheelbarrow suplex and a buckle bomb, followed by a throwing powerbomb into the cage. Well that looked awesome. Cage goes up again but it’s Taya hitting him in the back with the stick, allowing Johnny to get in some shots of his own.

They’re only good for two though as Cage gets the stick away and just mauls Johnny for two. A discus lariat gets another near fall but here’s Taya climbing the cage (Striker: “Like Peter Parker trapped by the Fantastic Four.”) with a chair to knock Cage silly for two more. Even Johnny looks stunned by that near fall. With Cage down, Mundo climbs the side of the cage but misses the End of the World for a big crash.

Now it’s Taya hitting a high cross body to start a double team on Cage with a Magic Killer getting two. Taya pulls out some handcuffs but Cage is fast enough to cuff Taya to the ropes. Johnny chairs her by mistake and it’s all crashing down. A spinebuster drops Mundo and an over the shoulder piledriver onto the chair puts Johnny away at 13:38.

Rating: B+. I was digging the heck out of this with both guys looking awesome and Cage getting easily the biggest win of his career. This was basically a handicap match with Mundo looking awesome in defeat. I could easily see Cage becoming a top star around here, even though his character is kind of limited.

We’re about ready to start the Trios Titles match but here’s Dario Cueto to say that Angelico has been mysteriously injured, so Son of Havoc and Ivelisse will defend the titles for their team.

Trios Titles: Fenix/Jack Evans/PJ Black vs. Cortez Castro/Mr. Cisco/Joey Ryan vs. Prince Puma/Dragon Azteca Jr./Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Son of Havoc/Ivelisse

Elimination rules and Son of Havoc/Ivelisse are defending. Fenix, Cisco, Ivelisse and Rey start things off and this is going to be a mess to keep track of. No one can hit anything to start and it’s an early standoff. Ivelisse puts Rey down but gets kicked in the face by Ivelisse, only to walk into a powerslam from Cisco, earning himself a chant. It’s off to Black, Puma, Havoc and Castro for some more well choreographed stuff until Havoc gets two on Castro off a standing shooting star. There’s WAY too much stuff to call here.

Things settle down with Cortez giving Havoc a backbreaker so Cisco can come in with a slingshot legdrop for two. Dragon comes in and kicks Cisco in the head but Cortez gives Dragon the same thing. Havoc elbows Castro and Cisco down so it’s off to Joey vs. Ivelisse with Ryan actually getting the better of it by taking her outside. Now it’s time for the dives with Azteca hitting an insane set of twists, followed by Black taking out the pile.

Rey comes off the top onto everyone with Puma and Son of Havoc following with the same. Most of the dives didn’t come close to hitting but they looked awesome. Joey rubs his chest to break up Ivelisse’s dive so she slaps him in the face, followed by a release German suplex. Castro gets in a brainbuster on Ivelisse but won’t tag Joey in, allowing Ivelisse to roll Cortez up for the pin and an elimination to clear the ring out a bit.

We take a break and come back with Puma vs. Havoc vs. Evans in a threeway wristlock. Jack gets dropkicked down and Havoc adds a top rope double stomp to Puma’s back for two. It’s off to Ivelisse who charges into Evans’ boot but comes back with a loud chop. A quick Code Red gets two on Evans but Black comes in and turns the cover over to pin Ivelisse, guaranteeing new champions.

Back from another break with Dragon and Fenix staring each other down. Fenix blocks a roll through with a hard double stomp to the back, only to get flipped into the air for a tornado DDT in a VERY fast counter. Puma comes back in and hits something like a GTS to drop Black, setting up the 630. Evans kicked Puma low for the save but kicks his partners by mistake, allowing the hot tag to Rey for the real comeback. Well as much of a comeback as you’re going to get in lucha. The 619 sets up another tornado DDT to plant Evans, leaving Rey to add a moonsault for the pin and the titles at 23:15.

Rating: A-. This got WAY better after things settled down and was definitely entertaining though it would have been better with just three teams instead of four. Having Mysterio and company win the titles is definitely the best possible outcome as a win over them is going to feel like a huge deal. Azteca continues look awesome and the other two are more than proven so this whole thing worked very well with some awesome action and the great spots you would have expected coming in.

Vampiro, in full master mode, yells at Pentagon for being in a wheelchair. Pentagon can’t get up so Vampiro pours hot candle wax onto his back. He still can’t get up so Vampiro calls him weak to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. When else do you get two awesome matches with such minimal talking other than to announce Angelico missing? This was exactly the kind of high flying wrestling that you want to see when you watch Lucha Underground and we can get back to the main event stuff in the near future. Again though, this is the same formula that makes NXT work: have a few batches of stories people want to see that can rotate week to week so nothing gets stale. It works everywhere it’s tried and Lucha Underground is no exception.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4D3EGQ

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Lucha Underground
Date: April 20, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

We’ve reached one of the biggest matches (or at least fights) in the history of Lucha Underground as Matanza will defend his Lucha Underground Title against Mil Muertes, the only one who could potentially hurt the monster champion. We’ll also see some more in the trios tournament. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap talks about the tournament and tonight’s title match.

Dario has Fenix, Drago and Aerostar in his office and makes them a team in the trios tournament because that’s the kind of guy he is. Actually not so fast though as they were in last year’s tournament and lost, so this year Fenix will team with PJ Black and Jack Evans to face the Disciples of Death. Drago and Aerostar can fight over an Aztec medallion.

Aztec Medallion: Drago vs. Aerostar

They start fast (duh) with Drago’s half crab being reversed into some near falls. That turns into a fight over a wristlock with Aerostar knocking the arms away a little bit more intensely than he should to a buddy. Aerostar backflips off the ropes but gets caught with a kick to the chest, followed by a springboard wristdrag as the fans are behind Drago. Well for now at least as the Lucha Underground fans change directions faster than a fish swimming towards a funhouse mirror.

Aerostar tries a dive but crashes to the floor, allowing Drago to send him into the barricade to make things even worse. Back in and Aerostar (now being cheered) sends him outside for a big dive, only to further bang up his already injured knee. Drago throws him over the top and down onto his feet, followed by a big flip dive. Aerostar’s knee is still banged up as an Orton hanging DDT gets two for Drago.

That’s no sold (because lucha) and it’s Aerostar popping up with a springboard dropkick, followed by the walking across the middle rope. Amazingly enough that extra time lets Drago get up and shove him away. Drago wins a quick slugout but Aerostar springboards into a Codebreaker, followed by a springboard splash (with a salute) for the pin on Drago at 6:08.

Rating: C+. This is Lucha Underground 101 with limited selling, basically no psychology and pure fun with both guys doing fun stuff and high spots to win a prize. Not everything needs to be the big epic showdown as sometimes you just need to have a fun, fast paced match that means very little for the moment.

Johnny Mundo is working out when Taya comes in to tell him he looks good. She’s told Dario to give him an Aztec Medallion so Cueto has given him a match……against Cage. That should be a lot of fun. Johnny isn’t worried because Taya will be there. Actually not so fast again because it’s a cage match. Johnny panics but insists he’s not worried.

Trios Tournament First Round: Disciples of Death vs. Jack Evans/Fenix/PJ Black

This is the final first round match so maybe we’ll get some brackets, even though only two other teams have won. Black and Trece (these guys are harder to keep straight than the Crew) start things off with PJ grabbing a wristlock. He won’t tag Fenix and Jack thinks PJ is doing just fine on his own though so he superkicks Trece to stay in control. Fenix springboards in to take out Trece but Sinestro does the same to drop Fenix as well.

That’s fine with Fenix who dives over the ropes to take out Sinestro again before it’s off to Evans for a kick to Trece’s ribs. Well it should be at least but Sinestro crotches Jack against the post. Black gets beaten down in the corner until Sinestro lets him roll away for the hot tag off to Fenix. A sweet looking springboard dropkick sends Sinestro into the corner for a baseball slide but Catrina holds up the rock.

That sets up a big superkick for two, followed by a PerfectPlex for the same. Since these Disciples are a bunch of goons though, Fenix drops all of them with some strikes, allowing Evans to tag himself in and start with the springboard flippy kicks. Evans, ever the braggadocios one, spends too much time celebrating and gets triple kicked in the chest.

A kind of flapjack gets two for Barrio but it’s off to Black for a springboard 450 and a near fall. Fenix and Black get into it for no apparent reason though, only to have Evans tag himself in and promise to show Fenix how it’s done. That means a big flip dive, leaving Fenix to hit a 450 of his own for the pin on Barrio at 9:11.

Rating: B-. Better than the first match but nothing close to the awesome stuff in last week’s tournament match. Evans and company are a fun trio and the Disciples are a bunch of worthless goons who can lose something like this and go nowhere as a result. Another fun match here and a good place to wrap up the first round.

Ivelisse, Son of Havoc and Angelico are in Dario’s office and are informed that they’re in the tournament…..which is for the Trios Titles. They’re already in the finals though, meaning they get to defend in a fourway title match next week.

The Disciples of Death teleport into Catrina’s office where she yells at them for failing again. She wants one good reason to not destroy all of them. Now stay with me here: Sinestro REACHES INTO THE OTHERS’ CHESTS AND RIPS OUT THEIR BEATING HEARTS! Barrio and Trece disintegrate and Sinestro gets some gauntlets. I’ll be back in a minute as my jaw finds its way back off the floor.

Lucha Underground Title: Matanza vs. Mil Muertes

Matanza is defending and this is going to be a war. The fans are behind Muertes because it’s either that or being behind a glorified serial murderer. They slug it out to start with Muertes pounding him down to the mat for the first time ever and a HUGE reaction as a result. Dario tells the champ to do it for the family so Matanza sends him into the buckle and hits a hard clothesline to drop Mil. A snap powerslam puts Matanza down again but he grabs Muertes by the throat.

Back up and Muertes fires off a string of clotheslines in the corner but Matanza stops him with a raised boot. Rolling gutwrench suplexes put Muertes down until he flips out of the third and flips Matanza over the top. A suicide dive puts Matanza down again and he’s holding his knee. Dario goes after Muertes and gets choked in the air until a limping Matanza makes the save.

Catrina hits Matanza in the head with the stone and now it’s Muertes making the save with a chair to the back. Some metal can shots to the back have Matanza in trouble until he takes it away and hits Mil in the head. They fight up the steps and on top of Dario’s office and tease throwing each other off to no avail. Instead Mil loads up the Flatliner…..AND THEY GO THROUGH THE ROOF to end this in a no contest at around 7:15.

Rating: B. Oh yeah that worked. I was totally into the fighting and battle of titans here with both guys beating the tar out of each other. I’m assuming this was cut short due to a combination of the knee injury (may or may not be legit of course) and wanting to save the required rematch for a bigger stage. The ending made my eyes bug out though and it was a lot of fun throughout. Good stuff here, as expected.

We go back to the police station where we see a DECEASED poster for Bael and MISSING posters for Alberto Del Rio, Hernandez, Big Ryck and Blue Demon. Now that’s a nice touch. The captain is looking around when Councilman Delgado (as portrayed by Hollywood actor Lorenzo Lamas) comes in to tell her to stay out of his territory. He’s from Boyle Heights and his employer (apparently someone much more powerful than the mayor) wants her to drop the case against Dario.

Overall Rating: A. This show was a blast and everything I love about Lucha Underground. Here’s the biggest thing about it though: those posters at the end. How many times do you see someone leave a wrestling company and then never get mentioned again? Lucha Underground just flat out said “yeah these people are gone” and then tie it into the big overarching story. That’s the kind of thing that makes this promotion so much fun and it’s always worth watching.

The key word for this whole place is fun. Whether it’s a match like the opener or a fight like the main event, there’s almost always something going on around here that is going to entertain you. I’ve yet to be bored by an episode of Lucha Underground and this was one of the most entertaining episodes they’ve ever done. I had a blast with this and I’m really interested in seeing where things are going in the rest of the season.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: April 13, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Things are quickly picking up around here with the big showdown of Mil Muertes vs. Matanza coming up a lot faster than expected. The match should be one heck of a brawl between the two hardest hitters in the promotion, though I could have seen it being built up a lot longer. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Dario Cueto introducing the Aztec Medallions which joined together to form the Gift of the Gods Title.

Another recap shows us the trios tournament being set up.

Cage, Johnny Mundo and Taya are in Dario’s office and Johnny quickly figures out that they’re going to be a team. Cage wants to fight Johnny instead but gets shot down. Dario seems to try to hit on Taya but is shot down even faster. We almost get Cage saying he wants the Lucha Underground Title but Dario has heard the catchphrase too many times already and cuts him off in a funny bit.

Argenis vs. Killshot

This is the new Killshot, now in camouflage and wearing dog tags. Argenis misses an early charge and gets dropkicked in the corner. Some LOUD chops have Argenis in even more trouble as Vampiro brings up Jumbo Tsuruta. What might have been a low blow stops Killshot’s run but he easily throws Argenis to the floor for a running flip dive. Now that’s how you get the Temple behind you.

Back in and Argenis gets in a chop of his own to set up a top rope armdrag for two. Striker keeps using military lingo as Killshot easily counters a top rope hurricanrana into a brainbuster. That’s enough for Striker to assume Killshot is suffering from PTSD, which probably isn’t something that should be brought up in a storyline. With Striker talking about IED’s, Killshot loads up an electric chair before flipping Argenis down into a piledriver for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Borderline inappropriate comments from Striker aside, this was a great introduction to the new Killshot which can pretty easily be called a success. Until now he was really just a guy without much of a gimmick but not he’s playing the character to near perfection. Well as much perfection as you can see in a long squash.

Dragon Azteca Jr. asks Black Lotus how she can work for Dario. She says it’s because Matanza killed Azteca Sr. (it was really her) and seems upset that she had to lie.

Daga is in Dario’s office and gets to compete for one of the Aztec Medallions (now broken up since the Gift of the Gods was cashed in). Tonight he gets Texano, who Dario describes as one of the toughest men he’s ever met, not named Cueto of course. Daga: “That’s because you haven’t met me.”

Aztec Medallion: Daga vs. Texano

They start very fast with some quick near falls until Texano grabs a headlock to slow things down. A loud chop has Daga’s dander up before a hard kick puts him right back down for two. More chops and a clothesline seem to have Daga favoring his arm and Texano sends him outside for a good looking dive. Daga is fine enough to fire off a kick and take over, including a cringe inducing running dropkick in the corner.

They forearm it out until Texano kicks his head off to put both guys down. A middle rope Rough Ryder gets two on Daga but a hurricanrana gets the same on Texano. I’d have had that be the finish. Daga grabs an ankle lock (not something you often see around here) but Texano gets the ropes and plants him with a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: B. This was a pretty awesome back and forth match with both guys beating the heck out of each other until a questionable finish. What was the point of bringing Daga in and even give him Dario time before having him lose in his debut match? Either way it was entertaining stuff and Texano continues to be one of my favorites.

Catrina tells Mil Muertes that the Disciples are in the trios tournament but he’s really not pleased. She insures him that they won’t screw up before talking about how devastating Matanza can be. He might even be more powerful than the earthquake that created Muertes.

Trios Tournament First Round: Johnny Mundo/Cage/Taya vs. Dragon Azteca Jr./Prince Puma/Rey Mysterio Jr.

This should rock and Rey is looking like the Flash. Cage starts with Dragon and easily drags him around with a headlock. Azteca gets in a kick to the back of the head but is easily thrown across the ring to stop any comeback. It’s off to Puma as Striker brings up their feud from last year. Now that’s something Striker could be good for instead of taking his head off half the time.

Cage throws Puma down as well and it’s off to Johnny for a corkscrew moonsault and two. It’s off to Taya and the announcers immediately start the oogling. Some forearms to Puma’s mask get two before he rolls her up for the same. Striker brings up Jem and the Holograms before it’s back to Cage to lift Puma up for a sitout powerbomb. A standing moonsault gets two for Cage (yes for Cage) but he won’t accept a chair from Mundo.

Cage slaps Johnny in the face for the tag and it’s time for some double teaming, only to have Johnny pull Rey off the apron to break up a hot tag attempt. Not that it matters as Puma tags Dragon in (so much for Johnny figuring that one out) for a quick two off a hurricanrana. The really hot tag brings in Rey for a top rope seated senton on Johnny before sending both Mundo and Taya into the ropes.

They roll away from the 619 attempt but Puma and Dragon hit consecutive dives to take them out again. Cage remembers that he’s in the match though and drops Puma and Azteca, leaving Rey to moonsault Johnny for two. Taya gets back in for a Magic Killer of all things on Dragon, only to have Rey send her outside again. The three masked men are ready to dive but Cage comes back in to clean house.

Some kicks send him to the floor and Puma gets two on Johnny with a 450. A standing C4 drops Puma but Azteca kicks Johnny in the face. Cage splashes Taya by mistake but quickly lifts Puma up in a fireman’s carry. Dragon tries to make a save with a high cross body…..and Cage catches him while still carrying Puma on his shoulders. Yeah they’re smaller guys but GOOD NIGHT THAT’S TERRIFYING.

Both of the masked men get dropped but Puma escapes Weapon X. Mundo’s Flying Chuck hits Cage by mistake so Rey gives Johnny a 619 before taking Taya down with a seated senton off the apron. Puma’s 630 (which is much more of a legdrop here) FINALLY puts Mundo away at 12:54.

Rating: A-. Oh yeah this was awesome. There comes a point in lucha where you just have to throw everything out the window and let things go nuts. Cage is such an athletic freak it’s scarey but this was much more about the dives and flips from the masked men. This was a blast with everyone nailing it all match long and a really fun match throughout. Great stuff indeed and one of the better matches the company has ever had.

Post credits, Dario warns Matanza of his match with Muertes next week through the cage bars. Matanza has to stay in the cage so no one can steal him from Dario because he’s the most important thing in Dario’s world. “So next week, make me proud and bring death to the dead.” Matanza shakes the cage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another show where Lucha Underground shows how awesome it really can be. The stories are all over the top but the key is Lucha Underground setting up a world in which they make sense. Maybe not perfect sense but at least sense. I had a great time tonight with main event being one of the most entertaining tag matches the promotion has ever put on. This was an awesome show and a ton of fun, as it was supposed to be.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Middle Kingdom Wrestling
Date: April 7, 2016
Location: CWE Gym, Dongguan, China
Commentators: Eddie Strong, Pressley King

Season two started well last week but you never can tell what these shows are going to bring. In this case it’s going to be a tag match with MKW Champion Dalton Bragg teaming up with the Slam, possibly to set the stage for a title match between the two down the line. Slam has been one of the best in the promotion so far so this should be fun. Let’s get to it.

We get the 8 bit intro, which is still cool but could get old if there are more episodes than last season.

The opening video talks about the big tag match between Ho Ho Lun/Claude Roca, a 70 year old French wrestler and Bragg/Slam. Yeah 70 years old and still in the ring. I’m still not sure how I feel about that.

Dalton Bragg/The Slam vs. Ho Ho Lun/Claude Roca

Bragg, who now has better looking tights, starts with Roca and gets snapmared down for his trouble. King is already getting on my nerves on commentary as he’s doing a horrible Elvis impression and isn’t funny. We get an awkward sequence in the corner with Bragg trying a headscissors but Roca isn’t ready to take it, leaving Dalton to just kind of crash. Bragg superkicks the 70 year old man before it’s off to Slam vs. Lun, the latter of whom will be in WWE’s cruiserweight series in a few months.

Slam tells Lun to bring it on and kicks him down, which Pressley refers to as mashing that tater. Lun avoids another kick in the corner and it’s time to hide for a bit. It’s back to Roca who gets kicked down again, complete with instant replay which has too many sound effects and looks like the camera is glitching more than anything else.

Roca gets two off a sunset flip (a flip pin according to Strong) before Slam kicks him down again. Everything breaks down and Slam cleans house even more before it’s off to Bragg, who Roca trips to the mat before cranking on the legs. Strong doesn’t think Bragg has ever fought anyone with Roca’s experience. You know, of all those people with fifty years’ experience. Roca actually gets in a surfboard while Lun is walking around with a kendo stick for no apparent reason.

The hold doesn’t last long so Bragg kicks him in the head, meaning it’s time for a tag off to Lun. Slam comes back in for a side slam as Bragg drops a top rope legdrop. Naturally Pressley is talking about A Million Little Pieces as Roca hits his partner by mistake, allowing Slam to send Bragg into both of them in the corner. A double DDT gets two on Roca/Lun, followed by a top rope forearm to drop Lun again. The fans aren’t exactly thrilled by this.

Lun gets two off a dropkick as Pressley continues to babble incoherently without being funny. Slam gets double teamed and Roca hammers away, only to have Slam get away for the tag. Bragg starts hammering away but we get another awkward moment. That’s fine with Claude who uses his experience to hit Dalton in the face over and over. Cue the overly large King Michael to blast Bragg in the head with a kendo stick, allowing Roca to throw Bragg in an airplane spin, which also knocks Slam out to the floor. Roca actually goes up top for a high cross body and the pin on Bragg for a big upset.

Rating: C+. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting with Roca being limited but still more than capable of doing things in the ring. The ending wasn’t the best idea in the world but there really isn’t anyone you want to see lose in there. It’s an entertaining match and helped set up Bragg’s first challenger so it’s decent wrestling and well booked, save for maybe the person taking the fall. At least it wasn’t clean though.

Post match Slam is ticked and throws the MKW belt at Bragg. Dalton says he wants to fight King Michael for the title tonight. Well next week but you get the idea. Bragg isn’t the best talker but it got the point across.

Overall Rating: C. Pressley is the biggest reason to downgrade this as he was driving me crazy with his unfunny comedy stuff and adding nothing whatsoever. I can get behind these shows being one match long and the storyline stuff at the end helps a lot. That’s the thing I’m not wild about here: everything is a one off match without much being built up for the future. At least with this you get a title match set up for the future and even the long term feud with Bragg vs. the Slam. Well done here but please get Ferguson back.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: April 6, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s time to get the focus back on the Trios as we’re starting a tournament to crown new #1 contenders. This could be interesting as I’m not sure if I can even name two trios, let alone enough to fill in a full set of brackets. Odds are we’ll get more Dario goodness as well, which is more than enough to carry the show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the stories tonight, including Cortez Castro and Joey Ryan being undercover cops, Sexy Star being stalked and Matanza destroying Pentagon last week.

Vampiro looks at his anti-psychotic medication when Dario comes in and calls him Ian Hodgkison. Dario knows there’s a part of Vampiro that wants to bash his brains in and then go fight Matanza but Vampiro isn’t crazy enough to do that. He’s valuable to Dario as the voice of Lucha Underground so tonight Vampiro needs to be on commentary. Vampiro takes his pills.

Castro and Ryan report their findings to their boss, who wants them to take out Dario. Apparently they’re in the Trios tournament together, which seems to please the captain. I’m really interested in where this goes and it’s nice to finally get back to the story after several weeks away.

Ivelisse vs. Kobra Moon

Feeling out process to start with Moon working on the arm but getting taken down into an armbar. A headscissors has Ivelisse in trouble but it turns into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. Moon does her slithering into a choke over the ropes for two, followed by something like a Tarantula/Anaconda Vice combo. A butterfly suplex into a double underhook choke keeps Ivelisse in trouble but she grabs a Russian legsweep to put both of them down. Ivelisse wins a slugout and kicks Kobra down with Striker admitting that this is an ugly match. Back up and Ivelisse grabs a running sunset flip bomb for the pin at 6:35.

Rating: D. Striker was right when he called this ugly. Kobra is just not working and it’s getting worse with each week. At the same time it’s nice to see Ivelisse getting some solo time instead of being on the wacky team. She’s still awesome in the ring and you can hear TNA cry a bit more every time she has a match.

Video on Killshot, who was a sniper in the military. He and his unit were captured for thirteen months but he escaped and made it back home. Of course this is accompanied by some well choreographed video showing Killshot in combat. Really cool stuff here of course.

Famous B. comes in to see Mascarita Sagrada and offers a business card.

Sexy Star is working out when the Mack comes in. Apparently he’s on a team with Marty the Moth and Mariposa and would like Star out there for moral support. She screams a lot and I guess that’s a no.

Trios Tournament First Round: Cortez Castro/Mr. Cisco/Joey Ryan vs. Mariposa/Marty Martinez/The Mack

The fans are WAY into Joey here. The announcers point out that the prize for the winners isn’t clear, though I’d assume it’s a title shot. Cisco and Mack start things off after Vampiro thinks Cortez and Castro are two different people. Mack gets two off a hard shoulder but gets dropped by a springboard armdrag. The fans actually start cheering Cisco after a hurricanrana but Mack flips up to his feet and we get a respectful fist bump.

Joey tags himself in and wants Mariposa, who he facepalms down like a jerk. That’s fine with Mariposa who destroys Ryan with armdrags and kicks to the back, sending Joey over for a tag to Castro. Marty is knocked down in the corner and kicked in the face, only to come back with a dropkick. The fans tell him that he still sucks though and it’s back to Mariposa to dropkick Cisco. Things settle down with a cravate on Cisco, only to have him grab a neckbreaker on Marty for the breather.

Castro comes back in with a tornado DDT, only to have Joey and Mack tag themselves in. Mack Samoan drops him and gets two off a standing moonsault as everything breaks down. Mariposa blocks Mack’s dive so he kicks her onto the pile and dives anyway. You don’t block the Mack. Back in and Marty tags himself in, causing a slap off with Mack. That earns Marty a Stunner, followed by a 3D into a Codebreaker to give Joey the pin on Marty at 8:35.

Rating: B. This was way better than I was expecting and Mack had a star making performance here. Castro and Cisco seem to be on the verge of a face turn but that might be due to having Joey Ryan on their team. I’m not wild on the Mariposa/Marty/Mack thing but it could turn around if Mack keeps performing like he did here.

Mariposa goes after Mack but Sexy Star comes in for the save and finally fights back against Mariposa after weeks of cowering away.

Dragon Azteca is on the roof when Rey Mysterio comes in. Apparently Dragon wants to kill Matanza but Rey points out what happened in Aztec Warfare. They’re in the trios tournament next week though and here’s Prince Puma as their partner. Puma actually speaks for the first time, agreeing that they fight next week.

Lucha Underground Title: Fenix vs. Matanza

Fenix is challenging. Matanza shrugs off a kick to start and shoves Fenix away with ease before choking in the corner. Fenix tries some more kicks which just seem to annoy Matanza, setting up a release German suplex to send Fenix into the buckle. Dario calls for blood but Fenix escapes the Wrath of the Gods. A big German suplex sends Fenix flying again as this is getting into massacre territory.

Matanza charges into a superkick and a springboard missile dropkick staggers him. Dario tells him to remember mom so Matanza catches a dive and plants him with a World’s Strongest Slam on the floor. Matanza just unloads on him with right hands, setting up the Wrath of the Gods to retain the title at 4:50.

Rating: D. It’s rare that a squash is the way to go but that’s what we’re getting here. This is approaching the Brock Lesnar style monster push with no one being able to touch Matanza until we get someone really special out there. I mean, I know Muertes is going to be lurking eventually but you can only run through so many people before it gets goofy. We’re not there yet, but I’m not sure who else they can throw at Matanza for now.

Matanza destroys him even more post match until Catrina shows up to say stop. Mil Muertes runs in and knocks Matanza out to the floor. You knew this was coming and there’s no way it’s going to be anything other than awesome.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event doesn’t really hold the show down as it was much more about setting something up than the match itself. Matanza vs. Muertes is going to be sweet and given that this is Lucha Underground, they’re going to give it the time to build things up. That’s one of the best things around here: they know how to set things up instead of just going through everything at once, like the Trios tournament and then the big showdown. It’s another good show and gives you more to look forward to in the future.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4D3EGQ

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Lucha Underground
Date: March 30, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s the start of part two of the season as Aztec Warfare is out of the way and we have a new star in Dario Cueto’s brother Matanza, who won the Lucha Underground Title last week. That means it’s time to start the long build towards Ultima Lucha, which could be one of the best shows of the year if they do it right. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week, along with the debut of Mariposa a few weeks back and the Disciples of Death losing the Trios Titles.

We have a house band back and Dario is walking around ringside. He’s glad to be back in charge in his temple and promises a new trios tournament starting next week. As for this week though, it’s time to find a new #1 contender to the Lucha Underground Title. This brings out Pentagon Jr. to say the only reason Matanza won was because he wasn’t in the match. Dario says Pentagon isn’t championship material so Dario gets choked and has his arm loaded up. That’s enough to earn Pentagon a title shot tonight, which is WAY sooner than it should be taking place.

Vampiro approves of Pentagon’s actions.

Taya/Johnny Mundo vs. Mr. Cisco/Cortez Castro

Castro and Taya get things going as this is a rare heel vs. heel match. A running boot to the face takes Taya down and a double bulldog gets two. Taya finally gets in a shot of her own and drags Cisco to the corner, where Johnny tags himself in. For some reason that annoys her, even though it seemed like she was going over for a tag in the first place. Johnny takes way too long to set up the End of the World and gets rolled up for two, followed by a neckbreaker from Cisco.

That’s enough for Johnny as he immediately tags Taya back in, only to have Cisco get in a DDT as everything breaks down. Cue Cage after that whole cinder block over the head last week. You know, because you can recover from that in a week. Cage is so mad that he just stands at ringside, leaving Taya to take the Psycho Realm (Shatter Machine, a 3D into a Codebreaker) for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C-. This was an acceptable enough match as Johnny and Taya are showing dissension and we also get advancement of Cage vs. Mundo at the same time. Cisco and Cortez aren’t an entertaining team or anything but at least they got a win here to give them some credibility going forward.

Marty the Moth is sitting in a chair and reading a book while talking about people envying the moth tribe. They had a secret weapon in Mariposa though, who we see murdering various masked men. The Mariposa mask was passed down for generations and now it’s the most dangerous Mariposa of them all. As usual, this was an awesome video which made something as stupid as the warrior of the moth tribe sound terrifying.

Catrina teleports into Dario’s office (Dario: “I didn’t see you come in, but that’s kind of your thing isn’t it?”) and promises the death is coming for Matanza. Dario seems a bit shaken but still confident.

Trios Titles: Son of Havoc/Ivelisse/Angelico vs. Disciples of Death

The Disciples are challenging and this is an elimination match. Barrio Negro (sweet they have names again) starts with Angelico and they flip around a bit until Angelico armdrags him into an armbar. Havoc comes in with a top rope double stomp to the back and it’s already off to Ivelisse vs. another unnamed member of the team. Catrina offers a distraction and a kick to the face eliminates Ivelisse. I’m not a fan of the champs losing the first fall like that as it would be a title change in a regular match.

Havoc comes in and flips over Trece before it’s off to Angelico for a jumping knee to the face. Barrio gets a knee as well and the Fall of the Angels puts Trece away to tie it up. They keep right on going with Angelico hitting a great suicide dive at the same time Havoc takes out the other Disciple with an Asai moonsault. Back in and Sinestro (thanks for that Matt) drives to knees into Angelico’s back for the elimination, leaving us with Havoc vs. Barrio Negro/Sinestro.

Havoc drops them both with a double back elbow. A double cross body does the same and a standing moonsault gets rid of Negro to tie it at one. Sinestro kicks Havoc down but misses a moonsault, only to have Catrina break up the shooting star. Cue Ivelisse again to take care of Catrina so Havoc can dive onto Sinestro. Now the shooting star can connect to retain the titles at 9:20.

Rating: C+. Now that’s more like it. This was the kind of high flying match that it needed to be with all six flying all over the place and just doing cool stuff. Hopefully that’s it for this feud though as there’s no reason for them to keep going after the Disciples have lost twice in a row. Good match though and that’s what it needed to be.

Rey Mysterio is in Dario’s office and says he’s here because of Dragon Azteca. Dario liked seeing him in the ring last week but Rey is talking about Dragon Azteca Sr. He blames Matanza for Azteca’s death but Dario denies any involvement. They drink a toast to Azteca’s memory and that’s about it.

Mariposa vs. Sexy Star

Star bails to the floor to start but Marty throws her inside for some hard (ish) punches in the corner. Star’s Black Widow is easily broken up with a side slam, followed by a Vertebreaker of all things (the Butterfly Effect) for the pin on Star at 1:25. Nearly a total squash.

Post match Mack gets beaten down.

Dario Cueto holds the Lucha Underground Title and tells Matanza to break Pentagon’s back. The cage is opened and the champ is loose.

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Jr. vs. Matanza

Matanza is defending. Pentagon isn’t sure what to do with him to start so he goes with shots to the leg. A superkick only staggers the champ a bit and a backstabber has about the same effect. Matanza sends him outside and throws Pentagon into the crowd, followed by a whip into the barricade. Back in and a German suplex has Pentagon shaken and it’s the Wrath of the Gods (that reverse powerslam) to retain the title at 4:02.

Rating: D+. That’s exactly what this needed to be but I’m not sure on the idea of squashing Pentagon. My guess is that this leads to rebuilding him as a monster with Vampiro at his side, which could lead to a big rematch down the line. At least it was short, which really pushes Matanza as a monster to be dealt with.

Post match Vampiro gets in the ring to check on Pentagon but gets kicked in the head. Pentagon is powerbombed through the announcers’ table and taken out on a stretcher to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a step down from Aztec Warfare but there was almost no way that wasn’t going to be the case. They had to do something to follow up on the show and setting up the potential for Pentagon to rise back up the card after being knocked down is a good idea, assuming that’s what they do of course. It’s not a great show or anything but as usual with Lucha Underground, you can come and go with ease and have fun.

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