Lucha Underground
Date: June 29, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s the last regular show before the first week of Ultima Lucha, which will run for the next three shows. You can probably figure out most of the card from here but only a few matches have actually been announced. It should be interesting to see what Lucha Underground comes up with to get us there as they have some rather unique ways of setting up matches. Let’s get to it.

The recap looks at Mil Muertes’ latest death and feud with King Cuerno, plus Prince Puma challenging Rey Mysterio for Ultima Lucha Dos.

The Trios Titles will be on the line at Ultima Lucha with Fenix/Drago/Aerostar challenging PJ Black/Johnny Mundo/Jack Evans. The show now has its own graphics to really make it look important.

King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes

That’s quite the opener. Cuerno gets Muertes to chase him around to start but Muertes just spears him down back inside, which Striker says is like the reaper’s trident. He’s kind of a weird guy. Muertes fires off some chops, which Striker say are designed to disorientate your opponent. I thought they were designed to hurt your opponent’s chest but that’s just me. A chokeslam gets two for Mil but Cuerno comes back with a running knee and dropkick to set up the big dive through the ropes.

The referee gets taken out as well so Cuerno grabs a chair. Of note here, Striker talks about some soldiers being in the crowd and then calls the bumped referee a casualty of war. Bad choice of words there. Muertes no sells a chair to the head and blasts Cuerno with a clothesline. The chair to Cuerno’s back makes it even worse but Mil misses a charge and goes head first into the chair in the corner, allowing Cuerno to grab a rollup (and the ropes) for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: C+. Striker driving me up the wall aside, this was a good enough brawl to set up the pretty obvious gimmick rematch at Ultima Lucha. Cuerno has always been one of my favorites around here so it’s cool to see him getting a push and the biggest win he’s ever had in the promotion, though I’m sure he’ll get destroyed in the rematch.

Taya and Ivelisse come in to see Dario and get catty with each other from the start. Dario makes a match between them for Ultima Lucha to see who the baddest woman is. As they’re leaving, Catrina comes in and calls Ivelisse a little girl. Apparently Muertes wants a rematch with Cuerno at Ultima Lucha but Dario lists off everything Catrina and Muertes have done to him. Catrina doesn’t care and asks for it to be a death match. Dario actually agrees and Catrina disappears. Dario: “Women.”

Prince Puma vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.

This should be good. Rey Mysterio is out with Azteca. They start fast (of course) by running the ropes with Puma missing a kick to the head and a standing moonsault before they trade armdrags. Striker begs Vampiro to help him with this play by play but he gets a break as the guys shake hands off a standoff. Dragon slaps him in the face and they run the ropes again with both guys sliding to the floor. Azteca runs back in for a suicide dive but gets caught on Puma’s shoulders (surprising power display) and sent back first into the post.

Back in and Dragon’s middle rope hurricanrana sends Puma flying and a springboard hurricanrana takes him off the middle rope. A running forearm to the jaw staggers Puma again, allowing Dragon to hit his pop up DDT (the DDTJ) for two. Back up and Puma pulls Dragon off the middle rope into a Blue Thunder Bomb followed by some rolling suplexes for two. The 630 is broken up as Puma gets crotched and a super victory roll gets two for Dragon. Puma kicks him in the back of the head and a Michinoku Driver gets two more. A dropkick sets up the 630 to finally put Dragon away at 8:44.

Rating: B+. Really awesome stuff here and that’s all it was going to be. Azteca has hit the ground running in Lucha Underground and this does a good job of setting up Puma vs. Mysterio. Unfortunately it doesn’t do much to set up Azteca vs. Lotus, which isn’t the strongest feud in the first place. Still though, great match.

Post match Puma says that’s Mysterio at Ultima Lucha.

Here are Son of Havoc, the Mack, Cage and Texano in the ring for a chat with Dario. The boss has plans for the four of them for Ultima Lucha: the Unique Opportunity Tournament. The winner will receive the most unique opportunity that he’s ever offered so give it everything you have. The tournament starts next week but he thinks they should get a start right now so the brawl is on.

We run down the Ultima Lucha card. Those graphics really do add something.

Johnny Mundo vs. Fenix

Mundo flips off the crowd to make it clear that he is in fact the villain. Thanks for pointing that one out for us chum. Fenix starts with an early rollup attempt before a standing moonsault gets two. Mundo takes him into the corner for some choking, only to get chopped over and over and over. A quick C4 gets two for Mundo and we hit a double arm crank with a chinlock. Mundo spinebuster him for two and Taya gets involved with some choking.

Fenix superkicks him off the ropes though and dives out onto Johnny and Taya at the same time. We get a Super Calo reference before Striker says this is the fight of Fenix’s life. I’d think the Muertes match where he won the title was a bit bigger but who am I to argue with Striker. Fenix gets two more off a sunset bomb but Taya grabs his foot so Johnny can kick him in the head. The End of the World misses as Taya puts the Trios Title belt on the apron. Fenix is right back up and chopping Johnny on the top, setting up a super C4 for no count as Taya has the referee. A belt shot puts Fenix away at 7:53.

Rating: B-. I’m not wild on the WWE style finish but at least it fits Johnny’s character to perfection and helps set up the Trios Titles match at Ultima Lucha. Johnny and Taya are perfect together and you could see them being a thing in real life which always helps. Fenix has very quietly become one of the best performers in this company and it’s always fun to see him in the ring.

Post match the other four members of the trios come out for the big brawl with Ivelisse following them to go after Taya. A huge brawl ends the show with the good guys (and Ivelisse) cleaning house.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling and a VERY strong build towards Ultima Lucha makes this an awesome show. I love the fact that it’s a three week show, basically guaranteeing that the matches don’t have to be as rushed as they were last year. I’m looking forward to the show more than ever now and that’s exactly how I should feel with a week to go. Really well done here as I’ve come to expect from this promotion.

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

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: June 8, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

We’re coming off a big show last week where Prince Puma came close to turning heel without actually doing it and Cage came very close to defeating Matanza for the Lucha Underground Title. With Cage’s shot out of the way, it’s time to crown a new Gift of the Gods Champion in a process that may begin tonight. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Jack Evans vs. dragons, Cortez Castro and Joey Ryan as undercover cops and the fall and rise of Pentagon Jr.

Black Lotus comes in to see Dario Cueto and tells him that Dragon Azteca. Jr. knows where Matanza is kept. She stopped him from killing Matanza but if Dario is lying about what happened to her family, she’ll have to deal with everyone. Dario brings up Ultima Lucha Dos and says she’ll be facing Dragon Azteca Jr. so her parents can finally rest in peace.

Matt Striker and Vampiro welcome us to the show and tell us that Ultima Lucha is in four weeks.

Tonight there will be a six on six tag match and the winners will face each other in a six way match next week, perhaps for the Gift of the Gods Title?

Marty Martinez vs. Killshot

Before the match, Marty taunts Killshot with the stolen dog tags and earns himself a quick beating. It actually only lasts a few seconds until Marty comes back and pounds Killshot’s head into the barricade before laughing like a crazy man. The referee stops the count for no apparent reason but a whip into the announcers’ table is enough to end this at 1:14 in a double countout.

Killshot, still with his gear on, kicks Marty’s legs out from underneath him and gets the dog tags back. Apparently he’s not that bright though as Marty sneaks up on him and takes the tags away again.

Castro and Ryan go in to interrogate Cisco with Ryan as the bad cop. The lieutenant comes in to say Cisco should just confess now. When that’s refused, the lieutenant also offers to wear a wire. Apparently Cueto is accused of drug trafficking, money smuggling and murder. On top of that though, she thinks he’s the lynchpin to the end of days. Well that escalated quickly.

Jack Evans/PJ Black vs. Aerostar/Drago

This is a nunchuck match, meaning there are a bunch of them hanging around the Temple for use though you win by pinfall or submission. Evans insists on being introduced as the Dragon Slayer. Striker says we can add these four names to a list including Daredevil, Moon Knight and Michelangelo. Aerostar and Black fight to the floor but Aerostar quickly comes back in to be catapulted into a sunset flip, only to launch Evans into a clothesline.

A double slam gets two on Jack but PJ gets in a brainbuster on Drago for no cover. Evans springboards into a double stomp on Aerostar’s back and it’s time to go after the weapons, only to have the good guys coming in for the quick save. Evans holds the ropes open so Black can dive on both of them, followed by a moonsault to take them out again.

Jack gets the first set of nunchucks from above the entrance and it’s Aerostar taking the first beating. Drago kicks Evans in the head though and grabs another set of nunchucks to take over, followed by a running flip dive to drop the villains. They wind up on top of Dario’s office (that must drive him crazy) but Jack would rather dive off onto Black to avoid taking a beating from Aerostar…..who dives down to take them out anyway. Well that works too. Back in and Drago just beats the fire out of Jack with the nunchucks and blows mist into his eyes, setting up the Dragon’s Tail for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C+. This depends on your taste as it was mainly about the weapons, which really didn’t do a lot for me. They certainly looked and sounded cool but I could have gone with more wrestling instead of just the violence. At least that Aerostar dive looked awesome. It wasn’t a bad match and certainly wasn’t boring but it really didn’t do anything for me for the most part.

Prince Puma/The Mack/Texano/Sexy Star/Son of Havoc/Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Fenix/King Cuerno/Ivelisse/Taya/Johnny Mundo/Chavo Guerrero

The winning team will face off next week with the winner of that getting the Lucha Underground Title shot at Ultima Lucha Dos. Actually hang on a second as here’s Pentagon Jr. in a wheelchair to say that Chavo was the only one who helped him but now it’s time to destroy Chavo. Pentagon gets up and throws him into the apron and superkicks him down before breaking his arm.

Back from a break before the bell but we’re still not ready as Dario and Black Lotus come out. Dario asks if the fans want Pentagon to take Chavo’s place and is of course told yes. That’s fine with Dario but he warns Pentagon of the long term consequences. Pentagon has no fear so ring the bell.

Prince Puma/The Mack/Texano/Sexy Star/Son of Havoc/Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Fenix/King Cuerno/Ivelisse/Taya/Johnny Mundo/Pentagon Jr.

One fall to a finish. Star sneaks up on Taya with a quick rollup for two and spins out of a hair drag with a cartwheel. Taya is sent outside for a tag off to Ivelisse, who gets to face Son of Havoc. A few kicks and a small package get two on Havoc and it’s time for a staredown. Pentagon tags himself in and the fans are far more interested in a hurry. Mack comes in and misses a charge, allowing Pentagon to kick him in the ribs.

A Backstabber out of the corner drops Mack again for no cover as Pentagon would rather hit a LOUD chop up against the ropes. Fenix comes in with a missile dropkick for two on Mack but he just runs Fenix over with a Pounce. It’s off to Mysterio but his head is kicked into the third row by Cuerno. Somehow this match hasn’t been as insane as I was expecting. Rey comes back with a bulldog for two but Mundo (still in his sunglasses) makes a quick save.

Texano throws Rey into a hurricanrana before getting two on Cuerno off a middle rope leg lariat. An armdrag allows the tag off to Mundo (who Vampiro mistakes for Taya) and it’s Taya coming in to save him from a superplex. That’s fine with Texano as he sends her face first between Mundo’s legs to put them both down. Puma comes in but Johnny throws him into his partners as things start breaking down.

Cuerno hits his suicide dive to take out Texano, leaving Taya to miss a charge at Ivelisse and go into the post. Star dives over the top and onto a big pile, followed by Ivelisse doing the same. Pentagon and Mack chop it out inside until Mack exploder suplexes him outside. Now it’s Mack diving over the top to take Pentagon out followed by Puma flip diving onto too many people to name.

Fenix dives onto all of them as well but Rey’s attempt is broken up by Mundo. Puma starts firing off some kicks to Johnny, setting up Rey’s 619, only to have Mundo send Rey into Puma in the corner. A super Spanish Fly plants Puma for the three count at 12:55, sending his team to the #1 contenders match next week.

Rating: C+. They actually kept this from getting too insane and the match was easy to follow as a result. You knew Pentagon’s team was getting the win here as it’s clear he’s going to get a big match at Ultima Lucha, perhaps even the title match itself. The match was good enough though and it set up something interesting for next week, which is all this needed to do.

Catrina is in King Cuerno’s office and uses the stone to bring King Cuerno back to life again.

Overall Rating: B. Hitting the build towards Ultima Lucha Dos is the best thing they could have done as the shows were just kind of going week to week with no real goal in sight. Now things are starting to wrap up this season and it has the potential to be one heck of an ending, especially with Mil Muertes coming back to be all evil and unstoppable again. Good episode this week and a good way to set things up as the series comes to a close.

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

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aztec Medallion: Drago vs. Aerostar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucha Underground Title: Matanza vs. Mil Muertes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: February 24, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’ve actually got a big match set up for this week as we have Johnny Mundo vs. Cage in a match that could go a long way towards crowning a new #1 contender for the title. Other than that the interesting thing could be seeing what kind of new backstory we get for this place, which have been some of the more interesting things int his season. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Mundo and Cage challenging Mil Muertes before fighting each other, along with Texano coming back to go after Chavo Guerrero and the Crew.

Pentagon Jr. kneels before his master, who talks about the split between Vampiro and Ian. We see a recap video of Vampiro becoming Pentagon’s master and their match from Ultima Lucha. They’re still together now and no one can stand in Pentagon’s way, not even her, whoever that is.

Jack Evans vs. PJ Black

Evans does his own intro and further ticks off the fans, including speaking in rhyme while promising to take out Drago if he comes anywhere near this match. Jack’s office of a handshake is of course a ploy and he gets sent into the corner but PJ misses a charge. Something like a lifting German suplex gets two for Black and a nice vertical suplex gets the same.

The fans keep telling the referee that the near falls were three’s because they want to see Jack lose so badly. Striker: “As Jack gets Kerouac’ed it’s PJ Black on the attack.” Vampiro threatens to steal Striker’s notes as Jack does a corkscrew kick to the head, drawing Drago to look down from the balcony. Evans tells Drago to come get him but the distraction lets Black throw him into the air for something like a one man 3D. Somehow it only gets two so here’s Drago to accidentally mist Black, setting up the rollover backslide to give Jack the pin at 3:53.

Rating: C-. Evans is such a natural heel and he’s really starting to grow on me. Black continues to be a guy who isn’t doing much for me, which has been the case since he left the Nexus all those years ago. The Drago stuff could be interesting and this likely sets up Drago vs. Black, possibly with the winner facing Evans in a rematch. The wrestling here wasn’t great but it was good storytelling and that’s more important.

Johnny Mundo workout video.

Famous B. video with the theme of a used car salesman. “I’ll turn you from a jobber to a robber.”

King Cuerno vs. Killshot

Non-title which makes Striker curious about why Cuerno won’t defend the belt. Killshot quickly sends him out to the floor for a dive, followed by a big running kick up against the apron. Killshot has to bail out of another dive so Cuerno hits one of the loudest superkicks I’ve ever heard. There’s the Arrow to drop Killshot but he’s still able to win a battle of kicks to the head.

They head to the apron with Killshot bringing Cuerno down with what looked like a semi-botched cutter. Back in and they trade more loud kicks to the face (Vampiro: “I haven’t seen something like that since Puerto Rico.”) until Killshot reverses a Tombstone into a wheelbarrow gutbuster. Cuerno avoids a top rope corkscrew moonsault though and the Thrill of the Hunt puts Killshot away at 5:30.

Rating: C. I’m still not getting much out of Killshot but it was good to see Cuerno continue to look dominant. This is one of those things that Lucha Underground does so well despite having a limited roster. Instead of having people interact before a big match, the contact between Fenix and Cuerno in this case has been minimal. You know the rematch is coming but they haven’t been fighting or even talking to each other. In other words, save it for the ring.

Cuerno stays on him after the match but Fenix runs out for the save, sending Cuerno running away as fast as he can.

Mil Muertes is Luchador of the Week.

Texano vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr./The Crew

Gauntlet match with Cisco starting things off, which includes a superkick for the pin in about 20 seconds. That was barely enough time for Striker to get in a Lieutenant Loco reference. Cortez is in next and has some more success with a few running shots in the corner. A clothesline gets two on Texano but he comes back with a pop up sitout powerbomb to get rid of Cortez.

Chavo comes straight in with a rollup for two and Texano is suddenly in trouble. The fans think they’ve seen this stuff before until Texano comes back with a superkick to the ribs. Castro gets back up though and trips Texano with his bullrope to give Chavo the pin at 5:45 total. The Rude/Warrior ending always works.

Rating: D+. Texano really needs a better opponent than Chavo. I mean, Chavo will be fine in the ring but this whole “Mexico is mad at you” thing isn’t really working all that well. Granted some of it probably has to do with the fact that it’s Chavo Guerrero who is as by standard (yet talented) as they come.

We go back to Black Lotus and Dario Cueto, still 375 miles from Boyle Heights as they make sure Matanza is ready to fight. Cueto talks about Matanza saving his life from their evil mother. One day Dario stood up to her but he wasn’t strong enough to back up his words. Matanza saved him by beating her to death with a bull statue, which Cueto has with him. That’s a happy memory for Cueto because it taught him just how much he loved violence.

Catrina is walking through the back when Pentagon shouts to her from a spare ring. He wants Prince Puma, so Catrina teleports to the ring and says he gets nothing after injuring Mil Muertes. Pentagon loads up her arm for a break but more teleporting saves Catrina. She says Pentagon can have the match next week but putting his hands on her was the worst decision he ever made.

Cage vs. Johnny Mundo

Mundo slaps him in the face to start so Cage drives Johnny into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. The fans call him JOHNNY ZERO as Mundo flips away from Cage, only to get hiptossed into a backbreaker. Johnny has to kick Cage in the head to escape a superplex attempt and sends him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and Johnny rides him on the mat for a bit, only to get caught in a sitout Alabama Slam for two. This heel speed vs. face power is working for the most part even though it’s not something you see that often.

A sitout faceplant gets two more on Mundo, who grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes for a near fall of his own. The Lucha Destroyer (cool name for the F5) gets two more for Cage but Johnny pops up with a Flying Chuck. A discus lariat drops Johnny again but here’s the debuting Taya Valkyrie to distract the referee, allowing Mundo to sneak in a pipe and knock Cage out for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C. The story worked well enough here and the debut at the end is at least an improvement over Melina showing up in the Alberto match at Ultima Lucha (Did we ever get an explanation for where she went?). Cage is basically Ryback with a bigger moveset, which means I’m not really surprised that he lost here.

Post match Taya gives Cage two running knees to the chest in the corner and hugs Mundo.

After the credits, Cuerno (again looking ridiculous as a cowboy) comes in to see Catrina and says he wants his title match next week. Catrina says not so fast because he has a title defense against Fenix in a ladder match.

Overall Rating: D+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as the wrestling was mostly dull but they did a really good job of setting up stuff for next week. Cage vs. Mundo was fine and the rest of the show was watchable enough but there was nothing on here that really jumped off the page at me. It’s cool to see Dario back but I’d like to see some of these things actually coming together. It does help though that we’re getting a big match next week and there’s enough stuff they didn’t cover here to make me wonder what we’ll get next week.

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 10, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re getting a good start to this new season and it’s interesting to see where some of these stories could go. Last week however saw the debut of Rey Mysterio, who still has to actually appear inside the temple. That could act as a game changer for the promotion as all of a sudden they have a major name who could bring in some outside audiences. The question though is what does Rey do once he gets in the ring. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of King Cuerno winning the Gift of the Gods Title from Fenix in the season premiere, along with his apparent deal with Katrina.

Vampiro is VERY fired up about the show tonight. Like, moreso than usual.

Kobra Moon vs. Bengala

Bengala was a late addition to the roster last year and looks to have gained about fifty pounds. Moon is a woman in a blue mask who looks like a cross between a snake and a peacock. She slithers around a lot and draws a MAMACITA chant. An early headscissors sends Bengala out to the floor and a slingshot hurricanrana drops him again.

Some kicks and a knee strike stagger Bengala but he comes back with a horrible looking spinwheel kick. A low superkick to Moon’s hands gets two but she gets her knees up to stop a big fat moonsault. Moon grabs a dragon sleeper for the tap at 2:47. Bengala looked horrible out there and it screwed up a lot of what Moon could do.

Fenix demands that Katrina give him Cuerno tonight. She warns him that even a thousand lives will run out eventually but the match is granted.

With nothing else going on, let’s head a thousand years into the past. A man is standing by a fire and talking about how the seven tribes are at war. It will take the gods to reunite them, but they won’t return for a thousand years. Therefore, the man speaking (revealed to be Aerostar in what looks like a superhero costume), will be heading off to find them. Aerostar flies off (of course he does) and disappears, presumably off to the future to bring the gods back.

THIS is the reason Lucha Underground works. They don’t just make up some dumb idea and then stop it halfway through. Instead, they took a guy who looks like a superhero and turned him into a flying time traveler from a thousand years ago (in theory) who is here to bring back the Aztec gods for the sake of saving the seven tribes. I have no idea what any of that means or how it works but DANG it sounds cool. Of course it’s no “Dolph Ziggler is a showoff who steals the show!” but it’s not bad.

Cuerno is working out when Katrina comes in to say he failed. The King says he did his job and wounded Fenix, but Katrina says that even the best hunter would fall to Mil Muertes. Katrina tells him to kill the Fenix once and for all tonight in a last luchador standing match. Non-title of course.

Jack Evans vs. Drago

Striker is freaking out over the match before the bell rings. They fight over a lockup to start and Jack misses a running kick to the face as well as a standing corkscrew moonsault. Back up and Jack slugs away with some shots to the head. Striker: “Right in the ear! If Dragons have ears!” A spinebuster drops Evans but he bites Drago’s hand to get a breather. That draws some rare booing from the crowd but at least we’ve got a clear heel. Drago charges into a boot in the corner and Evans cartwheels into an elbow to the face before just raking the eyes.

Jack tries to go up but gets superkicked right back down for two. They head outside so Dragon can hit a huge plancha off the top as Muertes is watching from the top. That’s such an eerie idea and they’re being smart by only showing it a few times. Back in and we hit a quick pinfall reversal sequence before Dragon hits a nice running Blockbuster. The Dragon’s Lair is broken up though and Evans puts on a twisting backslide with his feet on the ropes for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild on this one but they went with a flying spectacle instead of your regular match, which is the right idea in something like this. I’m still not wild on Evans but at least he’s a clear heel instead of just another guy flying around. Like Drago for instance. Not bad here but they didn’t go anywhere special.

Post match Evans declares himself the Dragonslayer.

Video on Texano, who I like more every time I see him. He started off as a cowboy but is now just a tough guy in general. Naturally the guys he fought in a bar wore lucha masks. I love how they’re just in their own world on this show and embrace it. That makes things so much easier to watch.

Katrina comes in to see Prince Puma and asks him who he prays to. She remembers hearing the life draining out of Konnan in that casket. He was asking for forgiveness, but was it for himself or for failing Puma so badly? Konnan would love to see what Puma was going to do to Pentagon Jr. next week, as it might be Puma offering a sacrifice to his master.

King Cuerno vs. Fenix

Non-title and last man standing. Muertes is clearly showing more interest in this one. Fenix starts firing off some kicks to start and a handspring elbow puts the King down. There’s no point in counting that early though so Fenix crotches him on the top for a kick to the head. A very nice springboard into a hurricanrana brings Cuerno back down for a five count. Back up and Cuerno scores with a knee to the head, only to be sent to the floor. He’s still good enough to sidestep a dive though and Fenix is down for a four count.

Cuerno throws him into the crowd but Fenix is up again. A clothesline drops Fenix again and Cuerno fires off some kicks before taking it back inside. Fenix starts speeding things up and knocks Cuerno right back to the floor for a big corkscrew dive. That’s only good for a seven count so Fenix hits an even bigger dive (with a springboard and more spins) for nine. Cuerno knocks him around a bit more though and the Arrow puts both guys down on the floor.

Fenix gets up to Cuerno’s shock and awe, meaning it’s time for a ladder. With Fenix down on the floor, Cuerno starts going up but drops to the floor to stop the count. A low blow keeps Fenix in trouble and it’s table time. Some German suplexes through the table are broken up and Fenix climbs the ladder. He has to kick Cuerno down though, sending him through the table in a big crash. Fenix stands on top of the wall and counts along as Cuerno is down for ten at 11:25.

Rating: B-. Much like the second match, this was fun but nothing we hadn’t seen before. Fenix is someone who could rise to the top of this company really easily in an underdog role while Cuerno is one of my favorites. He has such a simple character but they keep adding things to him that makes it better. Good stuff here and a solid way to set up their next match, which could involve a ladder based on that finish.

A woman goes into her office for a meeting with someone who looks like a cop. The cop (Officer Reyes, better known as Cortez of the Crew. Apparently he was an undercover agent trying to get in on whatever crime was taking place in the Temple. Again, that’s the kind of thing you don’t see in a wrestling company but it works here) tells the woman (Captain Vasquez) about his findings in season one. He was getting close to Blue Demon Jr. but Demon got back to Miami before anything could happen.

Vasquez doesn’t want to hear about anyone other than Dario Cueto, but no one has seen him for months. Reyes thinks they should have brought Cueto in when he had his brother murder Bael. Gee, YOU THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GOOD TIME? Anyway, the entire idea is to take down Cueto and Cortez is getting a new partner: the unnamed Officer Joey Ryan. Vasquez tells them to keep up their cover and pretend that they hate each other and make sure no one knows they’re a team.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is the best around right now at making you want to see what they’re going to do next. Right now there are a ton of loose strings going on and it’s going to be very interesting to see how they’re going to start tying them together. The key thing here is similar to what makes NXT work: there are a bunch of stories going on and one major story, but whenever something is going on, that is the top story and the only thing being talked about. Another good show here but they’re still setting things up for later, which is what keeps things interesting around here.

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: July 8, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re less than a month away from Ultima Lucha and that means most of the card has already been set up. The main questions remaining are who will get the last of the medallions and what does it mean for the people who win them. My guess is a midcard title of some sort but it’s hard to guess around this place. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on some of the big matches coming up at Ultima Lucha with Mundo vs. Alberto getting more time than anything else. Nothing really gets a ton of time though.

Pentagon Jr. bows to his master (and we see a shadow this time) and says Ian Hodgkinson (Vampiro’s real name) won’t face him at Ultima Lucha. He will be sacrificed though. Konnan is going to be the master isn’t he?

Cage vs. The Mack

I believe this is fallout from Cage taking Mack’s spot in the Trios Title match a few weeks back. They trade kicks to the head to start until Cage throws him down and plants him with a delayed vertical suplex. Mack shrugs them off and hits an exploder suplex into the corner (think Sami, but bigger, stronger and without as much charisma) for no cover. A discus lariat puts Mack down again but he kicks Cage in the head and slides between Cage’s legs into a rollup for the big upset.

Rating: C+. What the heck was that? The Mack really hasn’t shown me much in Lucha Underground so far but this was quite the power brawl with two big guys beating the tar out of each other for about four minutes before a quick rollup pin. How Cage didn’t thrive as a monster in NXT is beyond me because he’s great in the role here.

Catrina comes up to Son of Havoc in the back and says death is coming. Ivelisse comes after her but Catrina disappears, leaving Ivelisse on top of Havoc. Angelico: “Don’t tell me you two are getting back together again.”

Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes and Johnny Mundo vs. Alberto El Patron are set for Ultima Lucha.

Vampiro’s sitdown interview is with Pentagon Jr. and Vampiro gets right to the point: he isn’t fighting at Ultima Lucha. Now we get to the important stuff: who is the master? Pentagon says nothing so Vampiro brings up the hurting people. Pentagon says Vampiro used to be a monster like him but is now a coward, which is all Vampiro needs to make him snap. The masked man rants a lot about how Vampiro is a coward and walks out.

Mil Muertes vs. Son of Havoc

Muertes is in the ring to start the match, which you should NEVER do for a monster. Mil charges into a kick to the face, followed by a back elbow for two. They’re quickly on the floor with Muertes throwing Havoc into a pile of chairs and slamming him onto the announcers’ table. Havoc fights back inside and hits a quick double stomp into a standing moonsault for two. Vampiro: “You’re going to need more than that to stamp out death.”

Back up and Havoc flips out of a chokeslam, only to have Muertes punch him in the face to take over again. Havoc shoves him off the top but misses the Shooting Star, leading to the Disciples of Death appearing to wipe out Angelico. A rock to Ivelisse’s face puts her down, only to have Havoc dive on everyone. It takes too much time though and Havoc eats a spear and the Downward Spiral for the pin.

Rating: C. Again not bad with Muertes looking like a monster but Havoc not getting squashed as a champion. They did a very solid job of keeping both guys looking strong while making Muertes the better man, which is a lot better than WWE does half the time these days. Good stuff.

Here’s Texano to say he may not have always been a good guy but he’s always been Mexicano. Yeah he’s a cheater but he’d never turn on his people or his race. Chavo Guerrero and Blue Demon Jr. may be saying they’re Mexico, but Texano is through and through. Texano wants Chavo out here right now but they get the Crew instead, which draws out Blue Demon to chase them off with just a stare. The Crew throws Demon a chair though and he knocks Texano silly to bust him open. Blue Demon says he’s Mexico and doesn’t need Texano to fight his battles. They’ll fight at Ultima Lucha.

Team Alberto vs. Team Johnny

Alberto El Patron, Sexy Star, Drago, Aerostar

Johnny Mundo, Jack Evans, Super Fly, Hernandez

This is an Atomicos match, which apparently means one fall to a finish. Thanks for that rule change. Alberto and Johnny start things off but Mundo immediately tags out to Evans like a good heel. The good guys take over and stomp away on Evans in the corner with Star stomping Jack from the top rope. It’s off to Fly who eats a quick headscissors, allowing for the tag off to Drago.

Hernandez comes in as well but everything breaks down with the rudos destroying Alberto on the floor. This is insanely fast paced stuff and I can barely keep up with it. Star does a HUGE backwards dive to take out Evans and Fly, setting up the big parade of dives. Johnny breaks up Alberto’s dive and gets chased up the steps though, thankfully leaving us with just six guys. Fly works over Star until it’s off to Hernandez for a sitout Alpha Bomb for two. Mundo’s running knee to the face gets the same and Evans breaks up a sunset flip with a knee to the back.

Things have finally settled down a bit here and I can suddenly breathe again. Star comes in off a tag and we get some heel miscommunication, only to have Hernandez pull Star off Fly as everything breaks down again. Alberto and Mundo are back with El Patron slapping Jack into the armbreaker but Mundo makes the save with the End of the World. Star goes up but dives into a rollup (with a handful of trunks) for the pin.

Rating: B. Fun tag match here and exactly the way they should have set up something for Ultima Lucha. The show is starting to feel huge and Alberto vs. Mundo is probably going to be the second biggest match on the card. Really fun main event here that felt like the lucha libre showcase they’ve been shooting for.

The announcers preview next week when Pentagon Jr. kicks Vampiro in the head and beats him with a chair. He vows to destroy this shell of a man and pulls out a can of gasoline. After dousing Vampiro, he promises to destroy him at Ultima Lucha. Pentagon pulls out a lighter and tells Vampiro he has one week to make a decision.

Overall Rating: B+. This was the return to form that Lucha Underground has been looking for. All of the matches delivered and it felt like a show that made me want to see the big show later on. When this show is on, there’s very little like it and this worked wonders all around. Really good stuff here and a fun show.

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: July 1, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

The big story coming out of last week was Mil Muertes becoming #1 contender, meaning I’d advise you to send Prince Puma our final goodbyes before his inevitable destruction. Other than that we have the Disciples of Death coming after the Trios Titles, which should be another academic ending. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Chavo attacking Black Lotus and trying to feed her to Cueto’s brother. Next up is Daivari vs. Texano which really isn’t doing anything for me. Finally we have Drago losing the #1 contendership to Mil Muertes, because Muertes is evil and therefore unstoppable.

Chavo comes in to Cueto’s office and gets a No DQ title shot in exchange for delivering Black Lotus. As a bonus, Cueto says if Konnan gets involved then the title changes hands.

Delavar Daivari vs. Texano

Daivari has Big Ryck. Texano slugs him away to start and a backdrop sends Daivari bailing to the floor. A slingshot hilo gets two but a Ryck distraction lets Daivari go after the knee. This feud hasn’t been great so far (I still don’t really know why they’re fighting) and this match isn’t likely to help things out. Daivari stays on the knee and Vampiro calls Texano a hero. Wait when did Texano turn face?

Daivari puts on a figure four but Texano quickly makes the ropes and chops away. A leg lariat gets two as this match isn’t exactly thrilling so far. Texano makes things serious by shouting in Spanish but Daivari is all like NO COMPRENDE and gets two off an X Factor. Ryck gets superkicked off the apron and a Batista Bomb ends Daivari.

Rating: D+. Texano is a good choice for a face (assuming he gets rid of the bullrope) but Daivari as a generic rich dude wasn’t doing anything for anyone. The match wasn’t any good and it showed how weak Daivari really is out there. Thankfully the fans are into Texano and a feud with someone else could do good things for him.

Konnan and Puma are getting ready when Catrina and Muertes come in to say the title is his. Then they disappear, which Konnan calls mind games.

After a break, Konnan tells someone we can’t see that it’s time to settle a debt by dealing with Chavo tonight.

Hernandez vs. Drago

Striker: “Hernandez is arguably one of the biggest luchadors on the roster.” Actually it’s not arguable Striker. Hernandez shoves him down to start but Drago flips back up to his feet. For some reason this stuns Hernandez because someone actually got back to their feet. We hit the chinlock as we hear about Drago being a karate champion. Back up and Drago’s cross body completely fails as Hernandez casually counters it into something like a Big Ending.

A kick to the head staggers Hernandez on the top and sets up a hurricanrana for two. Not a bad power vs. speed match so far. Another kick to the face (well the heel but you get the idea) sets up an Asai corkscrew dive, only to have Hernandez Border Toss Drago onto the apron. A “fan” loses his belt and Drago gets whipped and choked for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t bad but Hernandez is little more than power moves at this point. He never has been the most polished guy in the world but it’s getting even worse in recent years. Drago is still good but he didn’t get to do much here, making him feel far more average than anything else.

Hernandez tells the stupid fans that dragons aren’t real and Drago is just a man.

Catrina tells Chavo that he’ll die if he wins tonight. Chavo says he’ll see Catrina and Muertes at Ultima Lucha.

Marty Martinez vs. Alberto El Patron

Alberto punches him down in the corner and kicks at the ribs, setting up a Codebreaker on the arm and the cross armbreaker for the win in less than a minute.

Post match Alberto tells Johnny Mundo that he has opened a new side of Alberto. He’ll rip Johnny’s face off at Ultima Lucha.

Lucha Underground Title: Chavo Guerrero vs. Prince Puma

Puma is defending, No DQ and if Konnan interferes then Puma loses the title. Chavo has the remaining Crew in his corner to protect him from Mexico, whatever or whoever that may be. Owen’s Hart’s spinout counters Puma’s wristlock but he crucifixes Chavo for two. The champ flips over Chavo and Guerrero’s knee gives out, drawing in the Crew to beat Puma down. Puma tries to fight both guys off as Chavo has barely moved. A DDT/top rope double stomp plants Puma again but Texano comes in to fight off the Crew. Puma goes up and hits a 630 on Chavo to retain the title.

Rating: C-. I have to believe that was a real injury (or at least a storyline “real” injury) because there’s no reason to have the match go that way if Chavo was healthy. Even from Chavo’s perspective it doesn’t make sense because why wouldn’t he help in a beatdown in a No DQ match? I’ll give them a big break here because it seems like a real injury and it’s not fair to criticize them in that case.

Texano says Mexico isn’t coming for Chavo because it’s right here.

Chavo is in the back when Blue Demon Jr. comes in. Demon chuckles at what he saw but Chavo says that Texano must be Mexico now while Demon is just some has been who lives in Miami. Demon slams him into a locker and leaves as Chavo smiles. I’ve asked this before and I’ll ask it again: why am I supposed to care about Blue Demon Jr.? He’s been around since the first episode, wrestled two or three times, and is apparently really important (yes I know his lineage), but I have no reason to care about him.

Overall Rating: D+. I didn’t care about this one very much, but Ultima Lucha is really starting to take shape. They’ve got about a month to go before the major show and it should be interesting to see how good of a show they can put on when they have the time and the stories built up. Not a great show here, but it accomplished a few of its goals.

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: June 24, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

This is a different kind of show as there is almost nothing set up due to last week’s episode being nothing but one match. We do however have Mil Muertes vs. Drago for the #1 contendership, meaning it’s time to see Drago die again. Well assuming you think he died when he initially left a few months back. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Aztec medallions with Fenix and Jack Evans winning the first two. The second recap shows Dragon winning the title shot but having to face Muertes for the shot again.

The announcers give us a recap of Mundo vs. El Patron, who will face off at Ultima Lucha.

Super Fly vs. Sexy Star

Star saves Fly from an attack but she also beat him in a mask vs. mask match, causing Fly to attack her a few weeks back. Before the match we get a quick sitdown interview with Super Fly, who isn’t pleased with Vampiro saving Sexy Star from Pentagon Jr. Fly slaps him in the face to start but gets rolled up for a quick two.

Back up and a very weak looking elbow to the jaw puts Star down again and a slightly less weak dropkick does the same. A boot choke in the corner has Star in even more trouble but as usual, it’s clear that Fly (or any opponent for that matter) isn’t going full strength on her. Fly slaps her in the face to get the people really booing so Star grabs a quick majistral cradle for two.

Something like an AA with no snap and a backsplash put Star down for two more so she backdrops him 360 degrees over the top with Star landing on his feet before crashing. Star mostly misses a dive to the floor, only to shrug off Star’s offense back inside and hit a double powerbomb for the pin.

Rating: D. This was a good example of the problem of man vs. woman matches. Star can definitely work just fine, but there are men clearly not comfortable with going full speed against them and it really makes the matches awkward. They need to figure out a way around this, because this match was really lame due to Fly not wrestling a match like he usually would. Or maybe Fly just isn’t very good.

Post match Fly beats on her even more and goes for the mask before Sexy rolls away.

Video of Drago training.

Aerostar vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Cage vs. The Mack vs. Marty Martinez

The winner gets an Aztec Medallion. Before the match, Pentagon says he wants more than a medallion because he wants revenge on the man who destroyed his greatest sacrifice: Vampiro. They shove each other a bit and Vampiro unbuttons his shirt but Pentagon walks off. Back from a break and we’re having a four way instead.

Aerostar vs. Cage vs. The Mack vs. Marty Martinez

Vampiro is very stoic when we get back and doesn’t say anything before the bell. Star and Martinez pair off, leaving Cage to kick Mack in the face. That goes nowhere as Mack shows FIGHTING SPIRIT (Striker’s words) to run Cage over. The power guys fight to the floor as Vampiro thinks Martinez might be a stalker. The stalker comes back with a dive to take Star out but Star pops back up and dives on a few people, leaving Cage the only one in the ring.

Back in and Star dives right into a fall away slam back to the floor to give Cage even more of an advantage. He’s smart enough to pull Martinez back in for two but Mack breaks it up and throws Cage down, only to have Star springboard in with a missile dropkick. A springboard backsplash gets two on Mack, but he Samoan drops Star for two more. Star and Cage go outside, leaving Martinez to give a creepy wave to Mack before springing into an armdrag for another near fall on Mack.

That’s fine with Mack who hits something like Swiss Death on Marty, only to eat a discus lariat from Cage. Martinez and Star dropkick Cage into the ropes….which earns them a wicked double clothesline. Cage is in full control, only to walk into an exploder suplex onto the apron, followed by a top rope backsplash from Mack. Martinez takes way too long on top, allowing Star to do his stupid rope walk into a hurricanrana, followed by a springboard splash for the pin and the medallion.

Rating: C+. Fun match here as you would expect from a big mess like this. Lucha Underground is great at throwing a bunch of people out there to do spots for a few minutes before getting to the finish once they get tired. It’s nothing revolutionary or mind blowing, but it’s all you need for something like this.

The Trios Champions are practicing and get in yet another argument. Cue Catrina who says the Disciples of Death are coming for the titles. The Disciples appear and lay out the champions before disappearing and being replaced by Muertes. Well that was odd.

Mil Muertes vs. Drago

Anything goes and the winner gets the title shot at Ultima Lucha. Before the match, Hernandez appears and beats Drago with a belt before throwing in some choking for good measure. Well Hernandez knows about choking so it fits well. Also, since Hernandez was live on Impact, does this make him the modern Rick Rude? Muertes does his big entrance but the fans chant MAMACITA at Catrina to kill the mood.

Mil grabs him by the waist to start but Drago climbs the ropes for a Sliced Bread #2, only to have Muertes do the Undertaker sit up. So he’s Undertaker, the stone is the urn and Catrina is Bearer? Muertes fires off some hard clotheslines in the corner and a Goldberg style spear puts Drago down again. Fans: “GET THE COFFIN!” For some reason Mil opts for chops instead of more power stuff and Drago is able to send him to the floor for a big dive.

That’s fine with Mil though as he posts Drago and throws him through some chairs. The fans want tables because SCREW OFF ECW. My goodness that must be the most annoying chant in wrestling history. Muertes doesn’t help things by powerbombing Drago onto the announcers’ table, earning himself a face chant. So much for faces and heels in wrestling. Drago busts out a tornado DDT back inside but the rollup is easily broken up, followed by the Flatliner to give Muertes the title shot.

Rating: C. Total squash here with Drago getting in nothing more than token offense. That’s exactly what this needed to be though as Muertes vs. Puma is going to be a great title match, though they’re crazy if they don’t put the belt on Muertes. He’s the best heel this company has ever had and having him lose the big showdown would be a waste, especially with very few left for Puma to fight.

Muertes kisses Catrina and here are Konnan and Puma for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s cool to finally see the build up to a major show instead of just a big TV show for a change. The wrestling here was good enough but that wasn’t the point. Tonight was about setting up the title match for Ultima Lucha, which is only six weeks away. Good enough show here, especially with all the other stuff they have to cover before the big night.

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: June 10, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

The big story coming out of last week was Vampiro running in to save Sexy Star from Pentagon Jr. being all evil and trying to break her arm. This led to Vampiro going a bit nuts and headbutting a mirror because he’s kind of out there at times. Hopefully some of the bigger names come back this week to break up some of the monotony that we saw last week. Let’s get to it.

The opening video recaps Chavo/the Cuetos/Black Lotus with Chavo selling out Lotus for the sake of protection from Mexico. Not any group of people from Mexico mind you, but all of Mexico in general. We also see Drago turning into smoke or whatever.

Speaking of Drago, he’s on top of the temple, now with wings (Drago, not the temple) and dives off in a rare sunny moment.

Vampiro apologizes for getting in the ring last week because he’s just a broadcaster.

Dario is in the ring and says there will be a major show in eight weeks called Ultima Lucha (Final Fight). This will be a yearly event with the biggest fights and most amazing matches, but tonight we’ll start the process to determine the #1 contender for the Lucha Underground Title match. Dario has invited all of the former #1 contenders here tonight, including Hernandez, King Cuerno, Cage and Fenix….who is gone right now so it’s just a three way.

However, before we get to that, it’s time for the return of a legend: Blue Demon Jr. Cueto knows that Demon likes big events with big paydays like Ultima Lucha, but first he has to prove that he still has it, against this man who is also making his return to the temple here tonight.

Blue Demon Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Chavo has the Crew as his protection and Demon is in street clothes. Oh and anything goes. Chavo knocks him into the ropes to start but Demon backdrops him out to the floor. The Crew takes some forearms of their own but they beat him down, allowing Chavo to hit a LOUD chop to the exposed chest. All four get inside now and it’s kendo stick time. A bunch of kendo stick shots to the back and a DDT with a double stomp from the top set up the frog splash to give Chavo the easy win.

Rating: N/A. This was barely long enough to rate and was an angle instead of a match so I’m not even going to bother rating it. Demon is one of those names that makes this show big in Mexico but really doesn’t do much here in America. I get that his dad is very famous and that he’s had a good career of his own, but he’s still old and slow and in this spot for no reason other than his name. Also, Chavo is really happy with the two members of the Crew who didn’t get killed as his security? Were the Desperadoes unavailable because they were still looking for Stan Hansen?

Drago is inside the temple.

Black Lotus is in the cage when Chavo comes in. Mexico (again, the entire country) will come after him for his betrayal. Chavo leaves, telling her to enjoy the view of Matanza in the next cage.

Drago grabs Cueto and wants to be in the #1 contenders match tonight. Apparently Drago has found a loophole and can be in the match tonight, but Cueto says it’s either win or lose his mask. The deal is on.

Bengala/Mascarita Sagrada/Pimpinela Escarlata vs. Disciples of Death

These would be the three guys that back up Muertes, because he needs heavies of course. Catrina is here with the monsters. Pimpinela starts things off and chops the one with a shirt in the chest. They head outside with Pimpinela being sent into the crowd because this is a comedy match so far. Off to Bengala for some cat jokes but the two shirtless Disciples pound him down with ease. Sagrada trips them up though because he’s small enough to sneak around like that. Not that it’s smart to have a mini take out two guys called the DISCIPLES OF DEATH but at least they’re trying.

Bengala takes out the shirted one with a big corkscrew dive to the floor and Sagrada comes in legally. Thankfully he’s quickly stomped down as Escarlata gets beaten down on the floor. A triple kick puts Mascarita down again and this time it’s Bengala taking the beating. Mascarita gets two off a victory roll as everything breaks down. The Hardys’ old Spin Cycle move connects with the third man adding a springboard missile dropkick to put Bengala down even harder. Escarlta gets kicked in the face and Catrina adds a lick to the face (Vampiro: “That was like, weird.”), setting up a triple Dominator for the pin.

Rating: D-. Oh man did they miss the point here. The team is obviously supposed to be something big and bad, but they’re having issues with two comedy characters and a low level act like Bengala? This would be Heath Slater making Roman Reigns sweat and that’s not the idea in a team’s first TV match.

Johnny Mundo wants to know why he isn’t in the #1 contenders match tonight. Cueto chuckles and says he wants Mundo to be champion at Ultima Lucha. They’re supposed to have a fresh start and Cueto isn’t holding a grudge. “You gave me a black eye. So what? I look great in sunglasses.” And that is why Cueto is the best heel in probably fifteen years. It was the attack on Alberto that showed Cueto who the real Johnny was, so he wants to see Mundo destroy the Prince Puma next week in a show long Iron Man match. Johnny thinks Cueto might be the best boss he’s ever had.

Drago vs. King Cuerno vs. Cage vs. Hernandez

If Drago doesn’t win, he’s banished and must unmask. This is considered shocking even though it was mentioned earlier in the night. Hernandez and Cage knock the other two outside in a few seconds and the brawl is on. That lasts another ten seconds so it’s off to Cuerno vs. Drago. Cuerno gets kneed in the face and Hernandez adds a slingshot shoulder, followed by a Warrior gorilla press drop.

Cage breaks up the Border Toss and plays D-Von in a 3D, only to end in a knee to the face instead of a cutter. Cuerno and Cage kick Drago outside before squaring off in one of the few combinations left. That goes nowhere as a double suplex drops Hernandez but Drago comes in for the save.

Drago’s double clothesline to Cuerno and Cage sends him down to the mat instead, so Drago goes up top. That doesn’t work either as Cage just catches him in mid air and throws him down. Hernandez runs Cuerno over and we’re down to Hernandez vs. Drago. A huge top rope splash gets two on Hernandez and Killshot is shown watching from the balcony. They switch off again for Cuerno vs. Cage but Drago gets involved and takes another beating. Cage throws in a standing moonsault (that’s impressive) and one ups that with a moonsault press to take Hernandez down again.

Cuerno goes to the floor so Drago can hit a big corkscrew dive but Hernandez dives on both of them. Cage hits his third moonsault of the match to take out Drago and Hernandez. Cuerno points the arrow at Killshot and dives at Drago and Cage, with the latter coming up holding his knee. Back in and Drago blows mist in Cuerno’s eyes and does his freaky rollup for the surprise pin and the title shot.

Rating: B-. It was fun but it was another match that was going so fast that it was almost impossible to keep track of it all. Cage’s moonsaults looked good, but when you do the same move (in different variations) three times in three minutes, they start to lose some of their effect. Still though, not bad.

Puma comes in for the staredown.

Cueto is watching when someone taps him on the shoulder. There’s no one there at first but then it’s Catrina. She says Muertes should have been in that match and chokes Cueto with his key. Cueto gives Muertes a match against Drago in two weeks for the title shot, which appeases Catrina. She goes to leave, but warns Cueto that even Matanza isn’t a match for Muertes.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a rare moving day episode of Lucha Underground as they set forward towards their first major show and set up a bunch of stuff going forward. Above all else, the idea of Muertes getting into the title hunt means Puma’s days are numbered. There is zero reason to not have Muertes as champion so someone can take the belt off him next season, so now the question is how do we get there. Not a great show on its own, but it has me wanting to see where things go and that was the point here.

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