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.

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 16, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s a big night here as two titles are on the line. First up we have a rematch for the Trios Titles with Son of Havoc/Angelico/Ivelisse trying to put their eternal problems aside to get the belts back from the Disciples of Death. Other than that we have Fenix cashing in his Gift of the Gods Title for a shot at Mil Muertes’ Lucha Underground Title. Their first match was a classic so hopefully they can live up to it here. Let’s get to it.

This episode is dedicated to the late Hayabusa. That’s a nice touch.

Fenix is in the back when Catrina comes in. She’s tried everything to destroy him and take his powers because they could give her life again. Fenix takes her hand as she talks about ruling the temple with him. They kiss (Didn’t they do that last season?) but apparently that’s never happening again because Fenix is going to die and Muertes is going to bring her back from the dead. When did Catrina die? That sounds like a plot point I should have known.

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

The Disciples, with Catrina, are defending after taking the titles from the challengers back in season one. Since then thought he Disciples have basically disappeared so this isn’t the most interesting match in the world. To spice it up a bit (and possibly give away the ending), the challengers’ careers are on the line. It’s a big brawl to start of course with the Disciples (whose names are only used half the time) being sent out to the floor in a hurry.

Havoc’s shooting star is quickly broken up though, followed by a springboard missile dropkick to Ivelisse’s back. The champs start in on Ivelisse’s legs because of her history of LBI’s. What are LBI’s you ask? That would be Striker’s way of describing lower body injuries because Matt Striker is a pest. As you might expect, that means it’s time for a dragon sleeper until Ivelisse knees one of the Disciples in the head.

The hot tag brings in Havoc to clean house but Angelico tags himself in to keep control. A nice Pele kick drops one of the champs, setting up a triple dive to take down all three Disciples. Catrina break up something from Havoc and the Disciples switch places. That goes nowhere as Angelico kicks out of the small package and hits the Fall of the Angels (running Razor’s Edge into the corner), followed by Havoc’s shooting star (without a clean landing) for the pin and the titles at 4:53.

Rating: C-. Nothing much to see here and the champs never felt like they were in control whatsoever. Like I said though, it was made very clear that there was no chance they were keeping the titles after they more or less vanished. To be fair though, the dysfunctional team works better anyway so this was smart.

Johnny Mundo workout video.

Prince Puma is working out when Mundo comes in. Mundo brings up last year’s Aztec Warfare and promises to take him out this year. Johnny sounds more nervous than confident before leaving. Puma punches through the bag he’s working on.

Dragon Azteca comes in to see Rey Mysterio and drink some tequila. Rey says Dragon’s training is complete and hands him an invitation to Aztec Warfare. Dragon asks if Rey will come with him so Rey pulls out his own invitation and says may the best man win.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Texano

Bullrope match, thankfully with no time wasted on entrances. Chavo has the Crew in his corner and they’re on the apron right after the bell….before dropping down to leave Chavo on his own. It’s a tug of war to start with Texano getting the better of it and choking away. They head outside with Chavo avoiding a big bell shot against the post.

Texano gets sent into the chairs though and it’s time for Chavo to choke. Back in for more choking until Texano drops him with an electric chair. Chavo gets crotched with the rope and a clothesline gets two. Texano pulls him off the top and a good looking Batista Bomb is enough to put Guerrero away at 6:03.

Rating: D+. I’m really not sure what this story is even about anymore but I don’t care to see it again. Texano is someone I like more every time I see him but Chavo is one of those guys with a very low ceiling. We know who he is and we know what he can do and that’s the extent of what we’re getting from him. It’s not good for an opponent either as you can only get so far by feuding with Guerrero. Hopefully this wraps it up, though the match was far from bad.

We recap the end of last week show with Fenix cashing in the Gift of the Gods Title.

Mil Muertes beats down the Disciples of Death for losing the titles until Catrina breaks it up.

We go back to the other temple 375 miles away where Dario Cueto and Black Lotus listen to Matanza maul people. Dario thinks his brother is ready to take back the temple. He uses the key to open the door….and there’s Matanza, who looks like Jason Vorhees with blood running down his coveralls. That’s quite the reveal, though they should have waited for next week.

The announcers preview Aztec Warfare.

Lucha Underground Title: Fenix vs. Mil Muertes

Muertes is defending and goes after Fenix to start, only to get dropped with a springboard dive. A Lethal Injection puts the champ down again but he sends Fenix to the apron for a spear through the ropes. Back in and Fenix’s springboard is caught in a cutter to even things up. Mil goes full heel (because it’s such a stretch for him) by ripping at the mask, only to have Fenix climb the corner and dropkick Muertes out to the floor.

That’s fine with the champ who blasts Fenix in the head with a chair to bust him open. Mil starts biting at the cut and Vampiro is all “YAY FOR CANNIBALISM!” Seriously. A trip through the crowd goes nowhere until Fenix gets shoved off the barricade and into a pile of chairs. Fenix pops up (appropriate) and walks the barricade again for a big dive to drop Muertes.

Catrina holds up the stone though and Muertes powerbombs Fenix onto the announcers’ table. That’s still not enough to keep him down though as Fenix comes back with a top rope double stomp to the back as Muertes gets inside. Fenix starts ripping Muertes’ mask off for a real insult and now it’s time for the beatdown from the champion. You can see Fenix’s blood splattered all over the mat.

Muertes throws in another chair but Fenix pulls it up to block Muertes’ punch, followed by some shots to the head. The champ can barely get to his feet and a big superkick sets up the 450 for a VERY close two. I bought that as the finish. Muertes pops back up for two off a swinging chokeslam. A great looking spinning kick to the face drops Muertes again and Fenix powers him over with a German suplex.

Fenix goes up again but Muertes runs up for what I think was supposed to be a super Flatliner but wound up as a neckbreaker/DDT. Still looked good enough. Back up and Mil tries the Flatliner, only to have Fenix counter into a victory roll with a bridge to trap the legs (sweet move) for the pin and the title to blow the roof off the place at 13:40.

Rating: A. Oh man that was awesome. This was all about the drama of someone finally being able to stand toe to toe with Muertes and the great backstory and history made it even better. I had a great time with this and totally got into the match halfway through. Really good stuff here and one of the best matches this promotion has ever put on. I’m not sure if it was as good as Grave Consequences but it was still one of the best things they’ve ever done. Outstanding match.

Fenix celebrates in the crowd until Catrina changes the rules of next week’s Aztec Warfare, which is now for the Lucha Underground Title. To make it even more sporting, Fenix is now #1 and Mil Muertes is #20. And yes, this was taped before the Royal Rumble. Striker hypes up next week’s show WAY too strong (of course) to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Now this is the show that I’ve been waiting for this season. After all the stuff that they’ve set up for the last few weeks, this is where things started to come together and pay off. Muertes losing the title could have closed the season on a high note but it makes me wonder what else is going to be happening now that they’ve gotten it out of the way. Still though, excellent show and a great way to reignite the fire this show used to have.

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 9, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

It’s a big night as Mil Muertes is defending his title tonight against Prince Puma and Pentagon Jr. at the same time. Whoever comes out of tonight’s main event with the title is likely going to face the winner of Aztec Warfare II which is only two weeks away. Things are starting to pick up around here and it’s getting more and more awesome every week. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on recent incidents, including: Marty the Moth and his sister torturing Sexy Star, who recruited the Mack for help, Taya Valkyrie’s debut and the World Title match.

Sexy Star is in the back when the Mack comes in to ask her to be in his corner tonight against the Moth. Star looks terrified so Mack gives her a pep talk. This is such a strange looking pairing but I’m kind of digging it.

Marty Martinez vs. The Mack

Mack goes right after Moth to start and fires off a quick backdrop as Striker talks about a garden of gratitude growing between Mack and Star. They’re friends Matt. Just say they’re friends. It’s worked for thousands of years and I assure you it’s going to work here. Moth sends him out to the floor and dances a bit as he takes his shirt off. A big dive takes Mack down again and Moth elbows him in the face for good measure.

Moth misses a top rope splash though and it’s time for a bunch of suplexes. Mack loads up something off the top but the lights go out and music starts playing. A woman in a moth costume comes out and scares Star while also distracting the Mack. Marty drops him again and hits a middle rope curb stomp for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: D+. As is so often the case, this was much more about the storyline development than the action itself. Marty is definitely more of a showman than an in ring performer and that worked well here, but the action was only as good as it could have been between two not great workers in three and a half minutes.

Post match Marty introduces his sister as Mariposa, who kicks Star in the face.

Johnny Mundo workout video.

Video on Fenix, who grew up poor in Mexico but continued to rise from the ashes until he made it here to Lucha Underground. He’s here to rise again and prove everyone wrong because myths become legends.

Dragon jumps Jack Evans but here’s PJ Black with nunchucks for a three way fight. Eventually they beat Drago down but Aerostar time travels in and helps Drago. Good to see them reference last season a bit more.

Cage vs. Johnny Mundo

No DQ. Actually never mind as Taya comes out instead, saying it’s her turn because Mundo already beat her.

Cage vs. Taya

Taya slaps him in the face to start so Cage takes her head off with a clothesline. Cage uses her for some curls before dropping her down in a heap. A rack neckbreaker gets two so Taya hits him low for a breather. Some running knees in the corner crush Cage as the announcers argue over how good Lance Storm (Taya’s trainer) was. Cage powerbombs her against the post and swears at the crowd a bit before dropping her with two more powerbombs.

It’s table time and Cage superplexes her from the corner in the ring over the top and off the apron for a great looking crash. Cue Mundo (it’s about time) to lay out Cage before pulling out a bunch of stuff, including a cinder block. As is so often the case though, this takes way too long and Cage gets up. Some beer bottles to the head have no effect so it’s Weapon X to put Taya away at 7:02.

Rating: C+. Now this was more like it as they stopped the whole “well we have to treat her nicely because she’s a woman.” Save for shots to the face, Taya took harder bumps here than most of the men take with that superplex being a high spot. Mundo vs. Cage is a good feud which I’m sure will be played off in Aztec Warfare.

Another Famous B. ad with him referring to himself as a recently retired underground fighter. We hear a testimonial from someone B. has made famous, which seems to translate from a loser to a good looking woman.

Ivelisse has gotten herself, Son of Havoc and Angelico a Trios Titles match next week but if they lose, they’re out of the company. An argument breaks out as I’m sure you expected.

Aztec Warfare is in two weeks.

Lucha Underground Title: Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Mil Muertes

Muertes is defending and gets double teamed to start to more effect than I was expecting. The fans aren’t sure which challenger to get behind so Muertes powerbombs Puma to make their minds up for them. For some reason this means it’s time for a Philadelphia Flyers reference from Vampiro as Muertes sends Pentagon out to the floor. Ever the one to fight the odds, Puma dives into a tornado DDT to take Pentagon down again.

Muertes actually dives down onto Puma for his biggest spot to date before all three head into the crowd. Puma gets in a good looking hurricanrana but Muertes hits a running punch to the face to drop him again. A powerbomb drops Pentagon in the ring for two but he comes back with a Sling Blade to put the champ down on the floor, setting up a big dive over the top.

Puma isn’t going to be one upped so he dives onto both guys for a big crash. Pentagon runs back in to dive on Muertes, followed by Puma diving on him as well. The challengers go to fight in the crowd with Pentagon slamming Puma onto a platform, only to dive onto Muertes again. The champ gets all fired up so it’s Puma diving onto both guys with a shooting star out of the crowd. They actually head back to the ring so Puma can kick Pentagon in the head to set up the 630. Muertes comes in for a very last second (and possibly edited to fit) save.

A Randy Orton style powerslam gets two on Puma but Pentagon is right there to break up the Flatliner. Muertes gets dropped with a double superkick but Pentagon comes out of the corner with a Backstabber for two on Puma. Striker: “The shrapnel of flesh litters the battlefield!” Uh, right. Pentagon goes for Puma’s arm but Muertes spears him down for no logical reason. Another spear drops Puma and it’s a double Flatliner for a double pin at 12:10.

Rating: A-. This was straight out of the Royal Rumble 2015 with Cena vs. Rollins vs. Lesnar but with masks and a lot of dives. They did a great job here of making Muertes out to be someone special as it took two of the top singles stars to even slow him down. The ending made it even better with Muertes beating both of them at once, which should write both of these two off as challengers for now.

Catrina gives them a double lick of death but here’s Fenix to say he’s cashing in the Gift of the Gods Title next week for a shot at Muertes.

Overall Rating: B+. I got into this one more than most of the season so far and a lot of that is due to Muertes being in action. He’s one of the strongest stars on the show and you really feel like something special is happening when he’s out there. Above all else though they set up two big matches for next week before Aztec Warfare the next week. In other words, instead of all the potential they keep setting up, we’re actually seeing these matches and stories paying off. That’s the big change that this promotion needed and it’s much better as a result.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AXP08DK

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: February 17, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

The show is starting to pick up as the big stories are starting to show signs of potential. Last week we found out that the cops are after Dario and have already infiltrated the Temple, which could set up something huge by the end of the season. Somehow we’re going to be a sixth of the way done with the season after tonight, but to be fair it took a long time for last season to come together too. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at the issues between Ivelisse/Son of Havoc/Angelico, which lead into Pentagon Jr. breaking Mil Muertes’ arm.

Ivelisse comes in to see Catrina and wants another shot at the Disciples of Death and the Trios Titles. Catrina says there’s no such thing as an automatic rematch around here (SWEET) so if they want another shot, they have to beat another trios team tonight. Ivelisse is fine with that and can’t wait to get her hands on Catrina. That could be quite the brawl if Catrina can go even slightly in the ring.

Vampiro promises that Pentagon Jr. will beat Prince Puma later. I’m getting a bit of a Bobby Heenan vibe from him as he clearly wants to manage but has to hold it back. There’s even that medication to match Heenan’s booze.

Angelico/Ivelisse/Son of Havoc vs. Chavo Guerrero/Cortez Castro/Cisco

Muertes is watching as always and remember that Cortez is the undercover cop (which isn’t known by the commentators). The fans chant what sound like Spanish slurs at Chavo and the Crew as Cisco (thankfully in different gear this season) gets armdragged down by Angelico to start. It’s off to Ivelisse and Cortez with the non-undercover cop firing off knees to the chest. Cortez blasts her in the face and brings in Chavo (with his out of place white shorts) as the heels take over with cheating in the corner.

Ivelisse kicks away at the leg and then the face, allowing for the tag off to Havoc. The standing moonsault gets two on Cisco but Chavo trips Havoc in the corner, allowing for some triple teaming. Havoc fights off the goons and makes the tag to Angelico, who easily beats up all three of them. An enziguri from the mat (always cool) drops Cisco and Angelico hits the big dive, followed by a top rope double stomp for the pin on Cortez at 5:57.

Rating: C. It’s kind of hard to care about the Trios Titles when they’re not so much a division as much as they are a prop in this one particular story. Still though, Angelico and company have really turned into an interesting group that I want to see get the belts back. They’re getting the story right and that’s the best thing you can do in something as simple as this.

Post match Chavo yells at the Crew until Texano makes his return and goes after Chavo, who bails like a real coward.

Video on Johnny Mundo, who says he hasn’t been treated like the star he really is. Like seriously, putting him in the opening match at Ultima Lucha? Not that it matters as he stole the show anyway. This was a nice little profile on Mundo and summed up his character perfectly for outsiders.

Joey Ryan comes up to Cortez and brags about being a better cop because he’s better at convincing people he’s a better luchador, which he’ll prove next.

Prince Puma is the luchador of the week, which I believe he’s been every single week.

Cage vs. Joey Ryan

Ryan comes out to the music that Big Dick Johnson used to strip to in WWE. This is the standard Joey Ryan entrance as he rubs oil all over himself and Striker saying he looks like Joey’s evil twin brother. The fans are starting to get WAY into Cage which is a really good sign for his future. Joey uses his lollipop for a cheap shot (it works) but Cage just DROPS HIM with a clothesline.

Cage misses a charge into the post though and Joey nails a nice dropkick. A northern lights suplex keeps Cage’s arm in trouble but the hammerlock slam just isn’t going to work. Instead Cage powerslams him down and goes up for a moonsault…which only hits mat. Joey actually hits a spinebuster and three superkicks for two. Cage is tired of this defense nonsense though so he powerbombs Joey into a backbreaker and loads up a STEINER SCREWDRIVER (Cage: “KICK OUT OF THIS!”) to knock Joey out cold (Striker: “Joey Ryan is DEAD!”) for the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C. Not a great match or anything but anytime you have a Steiner Screwdriver (which means a few Steiner matches in the early 90s), it’s just a better day. If you somehow haven’t seen that before, go look it up because words simply do not do it justice. Ryan looked good here but Cage is doing Ryback better than Ryback.

Post match Johnny Mundo runs in for a spear (nice nod to Muertes) and a beatdown but Cage pops up and lays him out with Weapon X.

Rey Mysterio is training with the new Dragon Azteca. We get some backstory on the original Dragon and his connection to Cueto’s family. Apparently Cueto’s father came to Mexico to try and find the descendants of the seven tribes to let them fight again. Cueto’s father became obsessed with the bad side though and sacrificed his son to be a vessel for the gods, which lead to Matanza. Rey advises Dragon to not seek revenge but then tells him to reunite the seven tribes, which apparently Rey knows how to do.

Mundo vs. Cage is next week’s main event, as it should be.

Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr.

Puma tries a quick headscissors but Pentagon lands on his feet as Vampiro is in full on coaching mode. A second headscissors works a bit better for Puma but he has to bail out of a dive. Back in and Pentagon hits one of the loudest chops I’ve ever heard before dropping Puma with a backbreaker. A running cutter drops Pentagon though and the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for. That’s a good sign as Puma should still be a big star even though Pentagon has risen up the card in a hurry.

Puma hits a great looking corkscrew dive to take Pentagon down again but he jumps over Puma in the corner and pulls him down into the Backstabber for a SWEET counter. Vampiro is ticked that there was no leg hook on the cover though and talks about Pentagon going back to his old ways.

Puma’s comeback is stopped by a dropkick and both guys are down again. Back up and they chop it out but the Package Piledriver is broken up. Puma kicks the heck out of his head but the springboard 450 hits knees. Now the Package Piledriver connects but Pentagon loads up a surfboard instead of covering but Puma bends backwards for a cover and pops his shoulders up at two for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and the ending was a nice touch as Pentagon looks to be missing a few steps without Vampiro guiding him. You can see Vampiro wanting to mentor him but at the same time wanting to retain his new found sanity. It’s pretty obvious that he’s going to snap at some point and when that happens, Pentagon is going to rocket up the card.

Post match Pentagon lays out the referee but gets kicked in the head again. Puma teases breaking Pentagon’s arm, even drawing Muertes off his throne. Instead though Puma says something to Pentagon and lets him go.

Sexy Star is stumbling through the hallways in a scene that feels like it’s out of a slasher movie. She runs into the Mack, who asks who did this to her. Star says Moth, but means Moth’s sister, who is apparently right behind her.

Overall Rating: B. Good wrestling, good storytelling and good storyline advancement. What more can you possibly ask for from about forty five minutes of wrestling TV? Well you could ask for less of the Crew but they fill in spots well enough. There’s a ton of potential for things around here though and that’s the cool thing about Lucha Underground: you don’t know how awesome some of the stuff they have could be and you want to keep watching to see what they have.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AXP08DK

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

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

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

It’s FINALLY back. This is one of the most interesting wrestling shows you’ll ever see with some long form storytelling that can only be rivaled by companies like Chikara which are just as out there as this one. The first season ended with Mil Muertes and Catrina dominating everyone else and Dario Cueto running away from the temple, meaning we’re likely to start with some fallout. Let’s get to it.

We open in a psychiatric ward with Vampiro (called Ian here) having violent flashbacks to his match with Pentagon Jr. from Ultima Lucha, though denying that he has them anymore. The doctor gives him anti-psychotic pills which he promises that he’ll take. He’s also told to avoid the people and places that trigger these episodes, prompting him to fantasize about beating up the medical staff. That’s enough to warrant a release….into the desert, where Matt Striker picks him up in a vintage convertible (under a sheet for some reason). There’s an invitation for them to return to the Temple, but it’s a much darker place.

This is an AWESOME way to start the new season as it felt like a teaser scene instead of just another opening sequence. The production values feel like something out of a studio TV show instead of the run of the mill wrestling style that has been the same for going on twenty years now. I don’t know if it’s the Robert Rodriguez influence or what but as Randy Savage said about all the robes he bought: if you look like something important, people will think you’re something important.

We go to Cueto’s former office which has been taken over by Catrina. Fenix comes in with the Gift of the Gods Title, which he plans to cash in tonight. Catrina says wait until next week (which was the rule) because tonight, he defends it against King Cuerno. “Run along now little birdie.”

Mil Muertes now sits on a throne above the temple (where the band used to be, which is a welcome subtraction) in an awesome visual.

Gift of the Gods Title: King Cuerno vs. Fenix

Fenix is defending. They trade some armdrags to start with Fenix snapping off a standing moonsault for no cover. Striker: “THIS IS LUCHA UNDERGROUND!” Oh man it’s going to be a long season. Cuerno bails to the floor but catches a baseball slide for a hanging DDT. Well that accelerated quickly. The big suicide dive sends Fenix into the barricade for two but the champ comes right back with a springboard dropkick.

Another springboard into an armdrag sets up a Lethal Injection (still hate that move) and Cuerno heads outside again, only to get taken down by a huge corkscrew plancha. Back in and a Helluva Kick staggers Cuerno, only to have him come back with a running forearm to the jaw. A second Lethal Injection into a dragon sleeper (top that Jay) has Cuerno in trouble but he escapes into a surfboard.

That’s not it either though as he pulls Fenix down into a dragon sleeper of his own before kicking Fenix face first into the middle buckle. Back up and Fenix loads up a superplex, only to get behind Cuerno for a top rope double stomp to the back of the head. Cuerno’s Thrill of the Hunt gets two and he stomps a mudhole in the corner. Fenix pops up again and misses a springboard 450, allowing Cuerno to debut a package tombstone piledriver for the pin and the title.

Rating: B. Oh yeah they’re back. I know the style (and the severe lack of selling) can be an issue if you’re not used to it but these matches are some of the most fun you’ll have watching wrestling. The piledriver is a great finisher for Cuerno, though I’m not sure he can use it on everyone, including Muertes. Really good start to the season though.

Son of Havoc, Angelico and Ivelisse arrive on their motorcycles, presumably fresh from White Castle.

We get a quick look at Johnny Mundo’s workout. I love little segments like that as they make the show feel bigger.

Catrina tells Ivelisse/Havoc/Angelico that Muertes wants to see them fight…..each other. Havoc isn’t happy but it’s for a shot at Muertes’ title. Ivelisse accepts for the team because she wants to beat up Catrina after she wins.

Catrina comes to the ring and whispers something in Melissa Santos’ ear.

Cuerno (looking ridiculous in a cowboy shirt and hat) is leaving when Catrina comes in and says to remember their deal. The new champion says she and Catrina have nothing to worry about.

Prince Puma is the luchador of the week (complete with a sponsor). Again, nice touch that makes the place look more professional and important. We get a quick profile and some highlights.

Ivelisse vs. Son of Havoc vs. Angelico

The winner gets the title shot. It seems that Catrina came out to tell Melissa the match because the announcers didn’t know what they were about to see. Sweet goodness THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE! They trade rollups to start and it’s a three way standoff to some nice applause. Ivelisse starts striking and knocks both guys into different corners, only to have Angelico blast her with a running knee.

Now it’s Havoc getting hit in the face over and over for two but Ivelisse comes back with a high cross body for two on Angelico. Ivelisse sends both guys together but Havoc drops her again. Angelico and Ivelisse are both sent outside for back to back suicide dives (a VERY popular move around here) before Havoc’s standing moonsault gets two on Angelico back inside. Ivelisse crotches Havoc on top though and grabs a quick rollup on Angelico for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. Another fun match here as Ivelisse gets to show off a bit without having a broken ankle. It’s also quite the surprise as you really wouldn’t have expected her to get the win and actually set up a man vs. woman title shot, especially in Muertes’ first title defense. This was more fun than good, but that’s Lucha Underground in a nutshell.

Three guys are 375 miles from Boyle Heights when they run into Black Lotus. They’re looking for the Temple (of course) and she tells them to follow her.

Lucha Underground Title: Mil Muertes vs. Ivelisse

Muertes is defending of course. Before the match, cue the Disciples of Death to carry off Angelico and Son of Havoc to keep this one on one. Muertes shoves her down to start as Striker tries to explain how Ivelisse can win. A backbreaker has Ivelisse in trouble and a kick to the chest drops her again.

Back up and Ivelisse tries a guillotine for as much success as you would expect before being thrown down. She stays at it with an armbreaker over the ropes and Muertes actually holds his wrist for a second. A tornado DDT gets two and sends Striker through the roof. Catrina gets in with the rock but gets speared by mistake, giving Ivelisse a VERY hot two count. Not that it matters as the Flatliner retains the title a few seconds later.

Rating: C+. For a less than five minute match, this was as fun and close to making you believe something was going to happen as it was going to be. There was no way they were changing the title on the first show but at least we had a great near fall and Muertes showing the slightest bit of vulnerability. That helps set things up going forward and keeps Ivelisse, who was weakened coming in, looking strong. Well done.

Post match Catrina teases the Lick of Death but opts for more punishment from Muertes instead. Cue Prince Puma for the big staredown but he saves Ivelisse instead of fighting like a true hero. Puma bails so here’s Pentagon Jr. (sending Vampiro into a near trance), now clearly a cult hero and BIG face, to drop Muertes with a Backstabber and break his arm. You knew this was coming but it was actually more awesome than I was expecting.

Post credits, Lotus and the three guys arrive. Before they get inside, they run into Dario Cueto. The guys don’t believe the hype so Lotus beats one of them up without looking at him. They have to pay $20 each to get in and Cueto unlocks the door. He lets them in and you can hear Matanza slaughtering all three of them to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: A-. Oh yeah it’s back. One of the biggest worries I had about this season was a big letdown coming off the awesome first season. However, this was full speed ahead and felt like they really did just pick up six months later. Everything is bigger and better this season and I’m really curious to see where they’re going. You have to assume that Pentagon vs. Muertes is the first title program but I can’t imagine they stretch that all the way out to Ultima Lucha. Throw in all the Muertes/Catrina stuff and Cuerno possibly being on the evil side and I’m really looking forward to where this stuff goes.

It’s a true alternative to WWE, unlike so many companies which claim to be and are really just another wrestling show like so many others you can find. Now that they have a bigger budget (in theory) and A TON of hype coming into this season, it should be interesting to see how far they can go. It’s an excellent start to the second season and this should be excellent going forward.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AXP08DK

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: July 29, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

We have arrived. Tonight is a rare idea in wrestling as we’re at a season finale, in this case called Ultima Lucha. This is the first of two shows as there was too much to contain in one show. One of the major matches tonight is going to be for the Trios Titles with Angelico/Son of Havoc/Ivelisse defending against the Disciples of Death, who I don’t remember having an actual match yet. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on Cage vs. The Mack, Drago vs. Hernandez and the Trios Title match so I’m guessing that’s what we get tonight.

Black Lotus is working out in her cage when Dario Cueto comes in wearing a tuxedo and sipping champagne. Dario talks about pitbulls becoming monsters because their masters make them hurt people. That’s what happened to Dario’s brother, but he didn’t kill Lotus’ parents. It was El Drago Azteca, Lotus’ master, who killed them and blamed Cueto’s brother. Dario leaves Lotus to think about that because he has a show to run. Lotus is so angry that she starts pounding the wall, which seems to start giving way.

The announcers run down tonight’s card, with the three matches from the opening recap.

The Mack vs. Cage

Falls count anywhere. Mack beat Cage twice in a row and then brawled around the arena with him to set this up. Cage jumps Mack during his entrance and they’re fighting early. A slam onto the roof of Cueto’s office has Mack in trouble as this is one sided so far. As I type that of course, Mack suplexes him onto the bleachers for two.

Cage is whipped through the door to a storage closet but he finds a fire extinguisher and a stop sign. Why a stop sign is in a storage room of a wrestling arena isn’t clear but Cage’s DDT onto the sign is good for two. Mack comes back with a cooler of beer and blasts Cage in the head before opening the cooler, popping some beers and hitting a Stunner for two on the floor! Striker: “THAT COOLER HAD A FAMILY!” I usually can’t stand Striker but he has just won the entire night. The beers into a Stunner were awesome too.

Cage tries to head towards the ring (they haven’t actually been inside yet) but gets powerbombed off the top and through a table at the floor for two. That was quite the crash and quite the kickout too. They head into the balcony and Mack spinebusts Cage through it for a near fall. Vampiro: “I NEED TO TAKE A SHOWER OR SOMETHING!”

Cage superplexes Mack from one side of the balcony to the other for two, which gets a bigger reaction than it probably should have, which is the sign of a white hot (or well paid) crowd. There are some cinder blocks on the balcony for no logically explained reason and Cage, just because he’s all violent, curb stomps Mack’s face through one for the pin in quite a violent finish.

Rating: B. Oh yeah this is going to be fun. The Stunner spot had me loving this and the violence was a great choice to open the show and fire up an already hot crowd. Cage continues to be one of the bright spots here and I saw some of the potential in Mack that I haven’t quite seen before. Really, really fun opener that didn’t actually get inside the ring, which makes perfect sense here: if they can fight anywhere and want to hurt each other, why would you go inside a ring?

We run down next week’s two hour card. I’m really glad about that as I was wondering how they could fit that many big matches in just an hour.

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

The Disciples (Barrio Negro, El Siniestro de la Muerte, Terce) are challenging and have Catrina in their corner. This is under tornado rules so no tagging. Ivelisse still has a broken leg and comes in on crutches to make this even more of an uphill climb for the champions who can’t get along. At least the Disciples have different color masks so it’s not another Crew situation.

The champs get jumped to start as this is already looking one sided due to Ivelisse’s injuries. Havoc and Angelico fight back and hit a dive each and the standing shooting start gets two on Barrio. Ivelisse gets dragged in though and the champs are in trouble again as she gets caught in a Brock Lock. Havoc finally makes a save as the Disciples were staring at her and laughing in a creepy moment.

Siniestro and Angelico go up towards the balcony and this can’t end well. A backdrop puts Angelico down on the bleachers, leaving Havoc to fight off two guys at once. Angelico is up though and goes even bigger this time, diving onto the two Disciples at ringside instead of in the ring for a VERY scary landing.

With everyone down at ringside, Catrina gets in the ring and holds up the stone to wake up the Disciples. Ivelisse gets in on her crutches but throws them away and takes Catrina down for a beating. The stone goes flying and the Disciples are in trouble, only to have Catrina get the stone back and blast Ivelisse in the face to give Negro the pin and the titles. That’s the first title change in company history.

Rating: C. Total insanity which loses a bit of its strength after the previous brawl but at least this was fun. Catrina having all the gold is an interesting idea and I kind of like the fact that we still only kind of know what her deal is. They told a good story here too as Ivelisse was too weak of a link this time and even the big dive from Angelico wasn’t enough to survive yet again. It makes sense that they lose and you could easily do a rematch once Ivelisse is healthy.

The announcers drink a “so refreshing, so good” beer in a totally spontaneous and not at all compensated moment.

Drago vs. Hernandez

This is Believer’s Backlash, meaning the fans at ringside have straps. Drago came back and took the #1 contendership, causing Hernandez to beat him with a strap. Then things got serious when Hernandez said dragons weren’t real. Hernandez jumps Drago to start, then easily jumps to the top rope to dropkick Drago to the floor. We get the obvious reaction as the fans don’t attack Drago but beat the tar out of Hernandez as soon as he goes to the floor.

Back in and Drago kicks Hernandez in the face to take over as Hernandez realizes he can’t go outside. Drago is fine with knocking Hernandez outside for a whipping with a good sized guy getting in a big shot. Hernandez finally figures out that he needs to stay inside and keep Drago down so he scores with an Alpha Bomb but the top rope splash hits knees. Drago tries a slam for some reason but opts for the Dragon’s tail (or whatever that rollup is called) instead.

Hernandez is all ticked off and strong and such so he Border Tosses Drago onto the fans for a huge crash. When all else fails, throw people at other people. Hernandez loads up a dive but we’ve got mist to knock him out of the air. The big blind guy crawls under the ring, leaving Drago to pull out a table. Cue Hernandez from under the ring but the fans are waiting on him with a beating. Hernandez finally has enough and takes a strap from one of the fans……so Drago pulls out nunchucks to beat the tar out of him instead. A frog splash puts Hernandez through the table and another splash in the ring gives Drago the pin.

Rating: C+. Fun main event here with Drago (who is somehow 40) getting a definitive win over Hernandez, who is one of the bigger heels in the promotion. There’s a future for Dragon as a top name in a second season but this was more about the fans than anything else. This worked, but the Trios Titles probably should have wrapped things up.

El Dragon Azteca (I think) is walking in front of the temple when someone in a white hoodie comes out. They spar for a bit before Dragon says he has to save her. The hoodie guy (apparently the one that Dragon saved at the beginning of the season) says that Puma can help and Dragon doesn’t have to go in and save Lotus because of a prophecy that says Dragon dies if he enters the temple. Dragon goes in anyway to end the show. I really have no idea what is going on with this Dragon Azteca/Black Lotus story but DANG if it’s not awesome.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah Lucha Underground is awesome. They’ve set up this show all year and this was really just a glorified pre-show before we get to the major matches. The Black Lotus stuff has me really intrigued and I’m wondering how big of a story it’s going to become as it seems perfect for a cliffhanger to end the season. The wrestling here worked more than well enough and I was getting way into it after about two minutes, which is how a major show should feel. I’m hoping this doesn’t end because it’s such an entertaining show and it had a great start to Ultima Lucha.

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

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011T13PV4

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: June 3, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

The big story this week is the resurrection of Mil Muertes, who returned after being sent to the grave by Fenix. The rematch saw Muertes flanked by an army of skull men, meaning the demonic force is about to take over the entire company. Oh and Bael was murdered by Cueto’s monster brother. Let’s get to it.

We open with a trip to Recapville, population 2,294.

Chavo Guerrero is in Dario Cueto’s office and tells him of Black Lotus’ plan to kill Cueto’s brother. Apparently Chavo was supposed to take care of her but Dragon Azteca got to her first. Azteca must know someone inside the temple to have gotten inside Lotus’ head. The trainer has volunteered to erase Chavo’s debt in Mexico if Lotus is protected, but Chavo is willing to be hired away. Cueto pulls out money but he wants protection from Mexico instead.

Argenis vs. Jack Evans

Argenis has been out due to Pentagon Jr. breaking his arm. Before we get going, here’s Cueto to say no one cares about Argenis and Evans has never won a match here. Therefore, whoever wins here gets one of the seven Aztec medallions. Argenis throws him down to start but Jack charges at him with a clothesline to take over.

Evans’ hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb followed by a low blow, which the referee doesn’t seem to mind. Evans: “MY TESTICLES!” It doesn’t seem to be the worst injury in the world as Jack kicks him down and hits a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Something like a Kimura has Argenis in trouble but it also has him in the ropes. Back up and Argenis grabs a German suplex to send Jack outside, followed by a huge flip dive to wake the crowd up.

Jack tries to moonsault off the apron into a hurricanrana but Argenis slams him into the barricade to take over again. Back in and Argenis slams him out of the corner for two as the announcers say this is also a way to get closer to the Lucha Underground Title. Neither guy is getting there anytime soon but it’s nice to get the lip service. Evans grabs a quick backslide and bridges forward for a cool looking pin.

Rating: C+. Nice fun match here though Argenis isn’t the most polished of the faces on the roster. Evans knows how to pull off that Shelton Benjamin style where he can do all the athletic stuff but still look like a jerk at the same time. That’s difficult to pull off as so much of the high flying stuff will get you cheered.

Daivari tells Big Ryck that Cueto has given them a Trios Title shot tonight if they can find a partner. Ryck suggests The Mack but Cage comes up and beats Mack up to take the spot instead. It’s pretty surreal to see someone get beaten up with wrestling moves in a realistic locker room.

Chavo comes up to Black Lotus and says Cueto has allowed her to compete in the temple. On top of that, Chavo is going to get the key to free Matanza (Cueto’s brother) so she can kill him in front of the world. Lotus is skeptical and beats the tar out of Chavo with her martial arts. The Crew comes in to go after her as well (why? Matanza killed Bael and Lotus wants to kill Matanza so shouldn’t they be on the same page?) and Chavo nails her with a pipe and handcuffs her.

Trios Titles: Big Ryck/Delavar Daivari/Cage vs. Son of Havoc/Ivelisse/Angelico

Ryck/Daivari/Cage are challenging and Ivelisse still has a bad leg. Angelico ducks some clotheslines from Cage to start but gets hiptossed into a backbreaker for a nice counter. That’s fine with Angelico who comes back with a kick to the head and the jumping knee to the face but Son of Havoc (the BIG crowd favorite here. Must be the beard) tags himself in. Cue the argument, allowing Daivari to sneak in and get in a cheap shot. Havoc comes back with a handspring elbow in the corner and a leg trip for two. He tries to speed things up but Angelico tags himself in this time, allowing Cage to get a tag of his own.

Angelico makes the mistake of going after the guys on the apron and gets gorilla pressed into a powerslam. Off to Ryck for a big elbow as Ivelisse takes a seat in the front row. So much for the apron looking good. Daivari comes in and pulls Angelico off the apron as Ivelisse rants about never getting tagged in. Cage does the delayed vertical suplex with squats but Angelico nails the knee strikes to get a breather.

Not that it matters as a powerbomb plants him down again for two. A big knee finally puts Cage down but Ryck knocks Havoc down to break up the hot tag. Cue Texano to distract Daivari though, allowing Angelico to hit another running knee. Havoc tags himself in for the shooting star and the pin as Angelico dives on Ryck and Cage.

Rating: C. Ok, I get it: they don’t work well together and they’re constantly bickering. Is there ANY other story you can tell about this team? You can only go so far with their challengers looking inept or having someone come out for a distraction before it gets ridiculous. Nothing to see here other than Ivelisse, at least when she’s not screaming.

Chavo and the Crew bring Lotus to Cueto. Since he’s pure evil, he threatens to put her in a cage with Matanza.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Sexy Star

Submission match. Star jumps him from behind during Pentagon’s dedication to his master. Pentagon kicks her down to start and hits a big chop in the ropes, which Vampiro takes exception to. Back up and Pentagon goes for the arm but Star counters into some knees to the face. A front facelock has Pentagon in some trouble but he rolls out and drops an elbow to take over.

Star is able to send him to the floor for a dive and Pentagon comes up holding his elbow. Thankfully Star is smart enough to go after it and sends Pentagon face first into the post. This is more violent than you would expect from her. Back in and a superkick sets up a leg lock on Pentagon as the elbow is forgotten. For a very unique submission, Pentagon loads up a tombstone but ties up her legs while she’s still in the air. Star rolls into a horrible looking Fujiwara armbar attempt (even the announcers call her out on it), allowing Pentagon to escape and nail a kick to the head.

Pentagon puts on a leg lock of his own (kind of a cross between an ankle lock and a Sharpshooter) but Star makes the ropes. Not that it matters as Pentagon kicks her to the floor again, only to have Star climb the barricade for a high cross body. Back in and Star slaps on a half crab but here’s Super Fly (injured by Pentagon) to attack Star for taking his mask a few weeks back. That earns Star a package piledriver and a surfboard makes her quit.

Rating: C-. Here’s the thing: as the announcers pointed out more than once, Star really isn’t good with submissions. What kind of psychology is that? Having the face fight the heel in the heel’s specialty? That’s not exactly the best idea. Either way, not a very good match here but Star was doing what she could.

Post match Pentagon goes for the arm but Vampiro makes the save. No blows are reached though as Vampiro leaves (Striker: “Before he makes a sacrifice to the black church of the poisoned mind.”).

We cut to the back where Vampiro hears voices in his head about going to dark places. He headbutts a mirror to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t their best show, though it had some stuff I liked. The problem here is they were either redoing stuff they’ve already covered or something that isn’t very interesting. Basically they need to get the bigger names back on the show, as this stuff really isn’t working very well. The Vampiro stuff is interesting though, especially if the master is Konnan, as those two have always hated each other.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOUNBEA

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: May 20, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s a big night here as the Trios Titles are on the line with Angelico/Ivelisse/Son of Havoc defending against the Crew in a ladder match. This would sound like an interesting match, but it’s even bigger as Ivelisse still has a broken leg. Other than that, we should get some fallout from Johnny Mundo’s big heel turn last week. Let’s get to it.

Standard recap of last week’s show gets things going.

Cueto’s window is still busted from last week. I love bits of continuity like that.

Marty Martinez vs. Prince Puma

Non-title. Martinez is the Moth guy from a few weeks back and is better known (work with me here) as Martin from Tough Enough like five years ago. Konnan wants Puma to treat the Moth like a joke. They put their arms around each other for a photo op until the Moth chops him down with a huge shot to the chest. Puma eats a forearm in the corner but he comes back with a springboard spinning kick to the face. They trade more kicks with Moth hitting something like a Brogue Kick for two before missing a moonsault. There’s a Blue Thunder Bomb for no cover before the 630 is good for the pin for Puma.

Rating: C. Puma is always fun to watch and it’s cool to see him get an easy win like this. I don’t remember the last time we saw Puma win a glorified squash but it was a nice change of pace. Moth looked decent and continues to show that bigger guys can work well in this company. Nice little match here.

Hernandez comes to the entrance but doesn’t come down. Konnan says Hernandez makes lambs look tough so if Hernandez wants to fight, come down here right now. Hernandez gets close to the ring but says not now like a good heel.

We get a sitdown interview between Vampiro and Johnny Mundo. Johnny says he’s here to be the best in the world and he threw Alberto through the wall to make a statement. That gets Vampiro’s attention and he puts down his notes. Vampiro thinks Johnny is jealous of Patron’s success but Johnny goes into a rant about how he was here on day one and Alberto thinks Johnny is some guy he can slap around at catering. Mundo is this promotion’s top star and this is his world, but you already knew that. Best mic work Mundo has ever done here and he looks like the biggest heel this company has ever seen. Really good stuff here.

Cueto tells the Crew to make a sacrifice of Angelico/Son of Havoc/Ivelisse or someone will make a sacrifice of them. I love the fact that Cueto is a jerk to everyone. It makes him feel so much more realistic.

Delavar Daivari vs. Texano

The chase is on before the bell as the Daivari story changes a bit. Last week he wrestled and then became rich but now it’s he’s been rich his entire life. Daivari sends him shoulder first into the post and nails a DDT on the arm into something like a Kimura. Texano pops back up by nailing Daivari on the top and hitting a superplex for a face pop. Was there a double turn that I missed? A leg lariat gets two for Texano but Daivari (who Striker calls the Golden Warrior for the third time in about two and a half minutes) rolls some Germans. Texano grabs a quick Codebreaker for two but Big Ryck comes in to jump Texano for the DQ.

Rating: C. Nice while it lasted but Striker was getting too cute with the name dropping here and it got annoying quick. So Daivari is now a heel despite being introduced like a face and wrestling a heel in his only match so far? I get that he’s a heel character but why introduce him as a face so far?

Ryck beats Texano down so Daivari can cover him for a pin, while not spilling a drop of his drink of course.

Cueto is nervous in his office when Katrina comes in. Muertes can deliver the sacrifice Cueto wants, so he makes Fenix vs. Muertes next week in a death match at Katrina’s request. The match is on and Katrina disappears like a creepy person does.

Black Lotus is walking but doesn’t know where she is. She appreciates what her master has done for her but she’s ready to kill Cueto’s brother. Chavo Guerrero comes to see the master and says Lotus will need her help if she doesn’t want to die. Chavo offers to protect Lotus in exchange for protection from Mexico, which seems to mean Blue Demon Jr. Apparently the Guerreros and the Cuetos don’t like each other. This is so over the top but it really, really works in this promotion.

Trios Titles: Crew vs. Angelico/Son of Havoc/Ivelisse

This is a ladder match with the Crew challenging and Ivelisse has a broken leg. The Crew jumps the champs in the entrance as Vampiro says he’s turned on by the idea of someone getting hurt. Bael punches Ivelisse in the jaw at ringside as Cisco pulls out a big ladder. Angelico dives onto a rusty ladder (which I like instead of the polished WWE ladders) to take out Castro and Bael but he bangs up his own knee in the process.

It’s not bad enough to prevent him from setting up a ladder but Cisco makes a fast save. Angelico knees a turnbuckle by mistake and Cisco shoves the ladder over for the sake of punishing the champs more first. A ladder to Angelico’s groin has him in even more trouble but of course it’s table time because ECW had to make that a thing for all time and eternity. Havoc is stomped down in the corner but drop toeholds Castro into a ladder, setting up a standing moonsault.

The other two Crew members get going with a double stomp to the back/DDT combination to put Havoc down but Angelico makes a last second save. They head outside and break open the window to Cueto’s office (who is shown on the phone because he just likes making carnage instead of actually watching it) but Angelico pops back up and throws I think Bael into the office. Angelico puts Castro on a table and climbs to the balcony for a huge dive but Cisco makes a save.

Havoc escapes a powerbomb on the floor but Bale dives out of the office to take him down. All three Crew members are in the ring by themselves but wait for Havoc to get back in instead of climbing. Naturally he gets in and beats them all down but has to stop Castro from going for the belts. A chair is brought in and Havoc knocks Bael silly, only to have Cisco break up the shooting star through a table.

That lasts all of ten seconds before the shooting star puts Bael through the table, leaving Castro to climb the ladder. All hope is lost so here’s Angelico diving out of the balcony AGAIN with a spot on dropkick to knock Castro off the ladder. Cueto leans out the window in shock at the crash and with good reason. Ivelisse remembers that she’s a wrestler so a single right hand shouldn’t knock her out for fifteen minutes so she climbs up, kicks Cisco down, and gets the titles to retain.

Rating: B-. This was good but the big drama didn’t work as well as it did in the initial title win as this was basically a repeat of the first match but with a ladder attached. Ivelisse was nothing here and these title defenses have basically become a bunch of insane matches instead of a regular title defense. The dive looked very cool but it didn’t have the same impact as the first.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show but again it was to set up stuff down the line. The Trios Champions are still entertaining but there needs to be a big set of challengers to take the titles from them soon. The turns tonight weren’t bad, though as I said, a lot of it feels like we’re just setting up for later. Muertes returning should be awesome though.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOUNBEA

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: May 6, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

We’re getting closer to the season finale and a lot of these stories are starting to reach their peaks. The big story from last week was the elimination of Drago after he lost his Lucha Underground Title shot. Other than that we have Dario Cueto being all evil with the threat of his brother, whoever or whatever that may be. Let’s get to it.

The standard recap (I like these things as I haven’t watched the show in a few weeks) shows us Albert vs. Johnny Mundo being set up and Hernandez becoming #1 contender.

Johnny and Alberto pitch themselves as #1 contender but Cueto isn’t sure. Mundo thinks they’re both more worthy than Fernandez, even though he won the triple threat. Cueto sets up Alberto vs. Mundo with the winner facing Hernandez for the #1 contendership next week. Hernandez better be ticked over this.

The Crew vs. Son of Havoc/Angelico

Neither gets an entrance. Bael is the odd man out here, as if that matters. Havoc starts with I think Cisco (seriously people, get them a nametag or something) and takes him down before Angelico tags himself in for the rolling kicks to the head. Castro comes in (thankfully in a shirt so I can tell these two apart) and jumps over a legsweep, only to eat another kick. Ivelisse, with her bad leg, is sitting in the front row and barking orders as her partners.

The Crew tries to make some tags but Angelico comes back in and cleans house with those fast strikes of his. Castro (wait now he doesn’t have a shirt. Either they’re changing clothes or Striker is making up the names as he goes) gets rolled up for two and heads outside, only to have both champions “hit” big flip dives to take them out. Back in and Angelico gets a quick two on Castro but the fans want Havoc. That’s exactly what they get as he tags himself in after Angelico flips out of a double belly to back suplex. Everything breaks down and the Crew hits the flapjack into the Codebreaker to pin Havoc.

Rating: C-. This was decent enough but my goodness I’m sick of the Crew being the same guy with three different names. The champions that can’t get along idea has been covered, but this match continues to show the bigger issue: there aren’t enough trios to validate having a whole division with titles. Decent match but I really don’t care for the Crew.

Daivari tells Cueto he likes to inflict violence, so Dario gives him Texano next. Apparently Daivari’s family owns a bunch of real estate in the area so he’s a wealthy man. That’s one of the things I love about Lucha Underground: they just make up characters and backstories, like you would see in the old days before everything had to be the truth. You don’t have a story for someone? Just make one up. Why is that so complicated?

Konnan doesn’t want Hernandez coming after Puma’s title because of their friendship but Hernandez want to beat Puma for the belt. The chuckling Cueto comes in and tells Hernandez about the ruling he made earlier about Alberto and Mundo, which thankfully ticks him off. As for tonight, it’s Puma/Hernandez vs. Cage/Cuerno. Simple, effective, and it took about a minute. If this were WWE, it would be five minutes, boring, and predictable.

Delavar Daivari vs. Texano

Daivari has a drink during the entrances. Texano charges in and beats Daivari down, only to be called for the DQ maybe 15 seconds in.

Cage/King Cuerno vs. Hernandez/Prince Puma

Still no entrances. Cage and Hernandez get things going and trade shoulders with Cage getting the better of it until Hernandez hits a slingshot shoulder to take over. Off to the champ but he’s quickly caught in a powerslam, only to break it up with a headscissors. Cuerno comes in but gets taken down just as quickly. The King kicks the Prince in the chest and nails a TKO (love that move), setting up a 619 of all things from Cage. That was really cool to see actually.

The squats into a Jackhammer gets two for Cage but Puma pops up (selling? What’s that?) and hits a series of kicks to the face and a Blue Thunder Bomb on Cuerno. Back to Hernandez who cleans house and throws Cuerno over the top and onto Cage. The big SuperMex dive takes both guys down again and of course the fans are way into it. Puma loads up one of his own but Hernandez gets back on the apron to “accidentally” break it up.

Back in and Puma and Hernandez clean house on Cuerno but Cage takes Hernandez’s head off with a clothesline. Hernandez runs Cuerno over but eats another clothesline from Cage. They head outside, where Hernandez pulls Puma right in the way of the suicide dive from Cuerno. Hernandez has had enough of this teaming up thing and powerbombs Puma on the apron, setting up Weapon X to give Cage the pin over the champ.

Rating: C. Storyline loss for Puma here and there’s nothing wrong with that. Hernandez is a good choice for a big power guy who can put over someone like Puma in the future as he looks more and more like a giant killer every time he fights off someone like Hernandez or Cage. Good enough stuff here and that Arrow from Cuerno looked great.

Black Lotus’ master says if she can beat him, she can go for her revenge. She tries to strike him and is easily blocked. The master tells him that she requires more training so she agrees to stay.

Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Mundo

The winner faces Hernandez next week for a future title shot. They trade headlocks to start until Alberto sends him into the corner and hits a dropkick to the back of the head for two. Johnny gets all ticked off and hits those hard right hands of his to knock Alberto to the floor, only to get tied up in the ring apron. An enziguri knocks Mundo’s block off and we hit the chinlock.

Patron misses a moonsault and Johnny starts slugging away, followed by the Flying Chuck for two. Mundo slaps on something like the cousin of a cobra clutch but Patron pops up for a backdrop over the top, sending Mundo onto the steps. A big suicide dive takes Mundo down again but Alberto can’t follow up. Back in and they slug it out with Alberto taking over with clotheslines followed by the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. That goes nowhere as Johnny knocks him outside for a big corkscrew plancha.

Back in again and Alberto nails a reverse superplex for two before finally taking his shirt off. Alberto starts going for the arm but eats a running knee to the head, setting up the End of the World for two. The armbreaker sends Mundo rolling to the ropes for a quick break. Patron misses a charge into the post and takes a top rope double stomp to the back for two more. Back up and a quick Codebreaker to the arm sets up the low superkick to give Patron the pin.

Rating: B+. I don’t know if it was the dream match that the announcers were building it up to be but this was a very fun wrestling match, which is all it needed to be. Mundo can still more than go in the ring and Patron’s style is so much better suited for a company like Lucha Underground than WWE. Good stuff here.

Catrina, with the magic rock, opens the casket to release Mil Muertes.

Overall Rating: B. Really fun show here and it set up the stories for the future. Alberto and Mundo are the kind of guys you need for the main event scene to give Puma some serious competition as well as credibility. On top of that you have the continuing story of Black Lotus but I’m not sure where that’s going and I’m not sure if I care. That being said, it’s different enough to make me want to see where it goes and that’s the point of a wrestling story. Good show here and I had fun watching it, as always.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1998 Pay Per View reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UYAMB8U

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: April 29, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We now have four champions in this promotion after Angelico/Son of Havok/Ivelisse became the inaugural Trios Champions last week despite having to wrestle twice in one night. However, we’re coming up on the season finale of this show and a lot of big things are about to happen. First up tonight we have Drago putting his career on the line against Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap shows us the new champs winning their belts last week, including Angelico’s incredible dive. Tonight’s title match gets a little time as well.

Cueto yells at the Crew for botching the layup he handed them last week. He wants to give them some real motivation and takes them into a room where they meet Cueto’s brother. We can’t see him but he appears to be huge.

Fenix vs. Killshot

They actually shake hands to start before Killshot spins out of a wristlock, only to have Fenix counter right back into one of his own. The wrist stuff gets old so Killshot dropkicks him out to the floor and nails a nice dive to take him down one more time. Killshot runs right back in for a dive of his own to take over before avoiding a running kick to the face back inside. Fenix slaps him in the face but let’s look at the announcers instead of where it goes.

Killshot counters a springboard tornado DDT into a slam, followed by rolling into a cutter for two. A quick belly to back into a Backstabber gets two on Fenix as Killshot is getting in a lot of offense here. Fenix comes right back with some running kicks in the corner, only to charge into a spinning kick to the Face. Er the mask. Fenix pops back up and puts him in the reverse Tree of Woe for a knee to the back, followed by an over the shoulder sitout piledriver for the pin.

Rating: C. This wasn’t great but Killshot got in some offense and looked good with the kicks to the face. So many people use the body kicks but Killshot was looking more like a martial artist instead of your standard striker, which worked a lot better than the same stuff you see so often around here. The other stuff isn’t bad but this looked more precise.

Cueto comes in and asks Drago for a thank you for tonight’s opportunity. He’s SO good at this smarmy jerk.

Puma is getting ready when Cueto comes in to see him too. Doesn’t he ever just sit in his office with conveniently places posters while having obviously scripted promos which only start when the cameras are in place? Anyway Hernandez comes in and rants about being put in a three way tonight. Cueto calms him down by making it a #1 contenders match.

Ricky Mandel vs. Argenis vs. Vin Massaro vs. Famous B.

These are all guys who have been injured by Pentagon Jr. It’s kind of a jobber class reunion. Not that it matters as Texano comes in for the no contest after maybe ten seconds.

The beatings go on for about ten times the length of the “match” and Texano calls out Daivari to meet him in the ring.

A fan named Marty “the Moth” Martinez comes up to Cueto to ask for a shot in the temple but gets turned down for fear of being squashed like…..a moth.

Hernandez vs. King Cuerno vs. Cage

I don’t see this going well. Hernandez gets beaten down to start and again we cut away to the commentators for reasons I don’t quite understand. A double suplex puts Hernandez down and Cuerno hits a top rope splash for two, setting off the early eruption between he and Cage. Hernandez takes a breather on the floor before getting knocked back down in the corner.

Cage suplexes Cuerno in half but Hernandez does his always awesome pull up onto the top rope for a top rope shoulder. He spends a bit too much time posing over Cuerno and gets kicked in the face by Cage, who powerbombs Cuerno onto Hernandez for two. They argue again, which seems to surprise the announcers because it hasn’t happened in the last three seconds. Hernandez hits a kind of reverse Samoan drop on Cuerno but the Moth comes in and gets beaten up with ease. Hernandez dropkicks Cage to the floor, setting up a sitout Dominator for the pin on Cuerno.

Rating: D. Yeah this didn’t work too well. It was a messy fight with the Moth thing not really fitting, but at least they kept it quick. Puma vs. Hernandez (come on, Drago isn’t winning that title) is going to be entertaining enough, but I don’t see him as being the big boss fight for the championship.

Vampiro sits down with the Trios Champions and asks about last week. They’re all thrilled, but Ivelisse doesn’t think the cross body was all that special. The interview breaks down into another argument.

The announcers preview the title match, which is treated as the big deal that a title match should be.

Lucha Underground Title: Prince Puma vs. Drago

Title vs. career and Konnan is here with Puma. They shake hands to start before we get the “YOU CAN’T HIT ME” sequence. Drago jumps into an electric chair but headscissors the champ to the floor for a big flip dive. Back in and Drago goes after the legs to try and take away the 630 but Puma shrugs it off and hits a springboard missile dropkick, followed by a huge dive of his own.

A slingshot hilo and the Dragon’s Tail get two on Drago (I’m still not a fan of move stealing but at least it’s not done that often here). Puma charges into a boot in the corner and Drago hits a big corkscrew dive for two more. Off to an arm crank with a headscissors but Konnan’s coaching helps Puma get to the ropes. Something like a fisherman’s belly to back suplex (that’s a new one) gets two for the champ but Drago comes back with a hurricanrana for the same.

Drago seems scared to go for the big move here and the fans are calling him out on it. A big blue thunder bomb gets two for Puma and he starts pounding Drago in the face. There goes the referee though, just as Drago hits a Canadian Destroyer for no count. Cue Hernandez to spear Drago but it wasn’t clear who he was aiming for. Puma doesn’t like it but hits something like a sitout Emerald Flosion for the pin to retain.

Rating: B-. This had a good story going on with Drago being worried about going insane like he usually does but not being able to reach his normal level as a result. Puma looking worried about getting rid of someone he respected made sense and we even got some bonus stuff for the future thrown in. Good stuff.

Drago gets the big hero’s sendoff. We see him leaving with Cueto waiting on him. They’ll meet again apparently and an explosion goes off as Drago disappears. Ummm……deep?

Overall Rating: C+. Good but not great show this week but they were clearly setting up some stuff for down the road. Puma is a good champion and it’s going to be a big deal when someone knocks him off. I’m curious to see where this Cueto’s brother thing goes, but hopefully it’s not towards some power struggle.  Then again, I’ve said things like that before and Lucha Underground has surprised me so maybe it can work.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1998 Pay Per View reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UYAMB8U

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:

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