IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Never Say Never
Date: December 12, 2017
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 250
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

I’m still at it with these one off shows that MLW ran before they got a full time TV show. This is their second such show after a pretty good first edition. A few months have passed and there isn’t much to preview here as there wasn’t much set up to build towards a second show. If most of the cast is back though, this should be fun. Let’s get to it.

The opening video has a Christmas theme with places at a table set for various wrestlers. Jimmy Havoc is there with a glass of wine to say Happy Christmas. That was creepy in a way.

Opening sequence.

Tom Lawlor vs. Matt Riddle

Well this could be good. It’s almost weird seeing Lawlor with clean looking hair. Feeling out process to start as they trade some light punches with neither going anywhere. Some grappling goes the same way with Lawlor holding him up against the ropes. Riddle takes him down into a rear naked choke but Lawlor makes the rope in short order. Some heavy forearms in the corner keep Lawlor in trouble so his unnamed corner men take him to the floor for a much needed breather.

Back in and Riddle tries the hold again as the audio keeps going up and down. Lawlor drops back for the break but makes the eternal mistake of stopping to point at his head, allowing Riddle to grab it for the third time. Riddle is sent throat first into the top rope for the break and a good looking overhead belly to belly gives Lawlor…no cover actually as Riddle chops him from the mat. A chinlock goes on with Riddle immediately fighting up and kicking him in the knee.

Lawlor is right back with a triangle choke but Riddle gets out again so it’s a release German suplex, with Riddle bouncing back to his feet first. That’s fine with Lawlor as he throws Riddle with another German suplex, this time for two. Riddle pops up again and hits a jumping knee to the face, setting up the Bro To Sleep (that’s so corny that it’s awesome) into a bridging German suplex for two more.

A backsplash gives Riddle another two but Lawlor t-bones him down. Lawlor’s piledriver is countered into a backdrop driver with Riddle holding him on his back and dropping down (cool) but Lawlor is right back with a Tombstone for one. Riddle starts striking away and picks him up for a Tombstone of his own, only to slam Lawlor down onto his back instead. Lawlor slaps on a Fujiwara armbar and rolls into a double arm crank. That goes nowhere so he tries a cross armbreaker, with Riddle rolling out and elbowing him in the face. The rear naked choke goes on and Lawlor flips the fans off before passing out at 14:56.

Rating: B. They played to their strengths here but it’s so strange to see Lawlor take a clean fall. He would go on to become one of the top stars in the promotion and having Riddle just beat him like this is very strange. Riddle wouldn’t be around long though as he was all but destined to be in WWE. Given his look and skill level so soon into his career, it really was just a matter of time.

Post match Lawlor’s corner men interrupt Riddle’s interview so he beats them up too. Riddle says if Lawlor wants to bring in his bros, Riddle can bring in his buddy Jeff Cobb for a tag match next month. Lawlor doesn’t say anything.

MVP is ready for his match tonight when Stokely Hathaway comes in to make an offer. That’s not cool with MVP, which doesn’t work for Hathaway. MVP basically tells him not to do anything stupid and to be wise.

Saieve Al Sabah vs. Mike Parrow

Fallout from last time when Parrow powerbombed him. Saieve jumps him before the bell but gets shoved away with ease. Some snap jabs work a bit better, though for all of three seconds as Parrow suplexes him down. One heck of a clothesline knocks Saieve out of his show (dang) and a big toss sends him outside for a great looking bump. Parrow powerbombs him into the post, followed by a fall away slam into the corner for two more. Saieve gets in a shot to the knee and pulls out some brass knuckles. The powerbomb is broken up with right hands to Parrow’s head to give Saieve the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D+. Saieve’s bumping looked great but the booking didn’t work very well. Parrow dominated him but then loses in the last few seconds after Saieve gets in two or three shots? I’ve never been a fan of that kind of booking and the knuckles finish didn’t felt way out of place. Parrow looks awesome though and that’s going to keep him around for a good while.

Dirty Blonds vs. Seth Petruzelli/Rhett Giddins

The Blonds are a southern team with some size to him while Petruzelli is the striking coach at the WWE Performance Center. Another pre-bell attack (with Tony pointing out how common they’ve been tonight) doesn’t work for the Blonds as stereo superkicks put them on the floor. Giddins starts with Leo Brien (partner of Michael Patrick) with both guys taking their time early on. Brien shoulders the heck out of him but Giddins pops back up for a slam.

That means a breather on the floor, where they take Petruzelli off the apron. Giddins gets choked down and Petruzelli gets knocked off the apron again. The Blonds take turns beating on Giddins as Tony is having a great time listing off the old southern wrestlers that have inspired them. A chinlock doesn’t last very long so Patrick knees Giddins back down. The diving tag attempt is broken up again with Petruzelli being pulled down for the third time.

We hit the nerve hold for a bit but Giddins fights up and kicks him in the face. A discus punch and rolling out of the way of an elbow are enough for the tag to Petruzelli, who receives almost no reaction whatsoever. Petruzelli barely gets to do anything before a low blow cuts him down. Giddins comes back in off a blind tag and a hard clothesline finishes Brien out of nowhere at 8:28.

Rating: D. I wasn’t feeling this one, even though I like the Blonds quite a bit. Giddins looked good but it felt like they were limiting Petruzelli’s in-ring time. That made for a weird match and the ending felt really sudden. This was easily the weakest thing that they’ve done so far but maybe it was just a one off.

Barrington Hughes, a 400lb+ monster, warms up with a huge meal of pizza, burgers and fries. He’d like his privacy though and tells the cameras to leave.

Barrington Hughes vs. Andrew Merlin

Trash talk, elbow to the head, seated senton to crush Merlin at 22 seconds. Bocchini: “Maybe nine seconds?” I didn’t know King Kong Bundy was now wrestling as Barrington Hughes.

Chelsea Green, who is scheduled to face Santana Garrett, has been attacked by a woman we can’t see.

Vandal Ortagun vs. Jimmy Yuta

Ortagun used to be in NXT on the Florida circuit. They trade chops to start as we hear about Yuta currently being a student. You don’t hear that every day. Ortagun gets dropped onto his face for a running kick as the announcers talk about Ortagun’s time in NXT. It’s so weird hearing Tony talk about modern wrestling. A chop block cuts Yuta down and it’s time for the Ric Flair knee work package.

The leg gets wrapped around the middle rope and there’s a dragon screw leg whip for two. Yuta fights up and hits a backdrop, followed by a rollup into a superkick. Thankfully Tony explains that the knee injury prevented it from being at full strength because he knows how to do his job. Ortagun takes him down by the knee again and the half crab goes on. Yuta grabs the rope and is right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb. The top rope elbow is enough to finish Ortagun at 6:21.

Rating: C. Yuta has grown on me a lot over the last few months and there’s potential in there to be a perfectly good high flier. He’s got a good look and can wrestle a pretty good match. That’s not bad for someone so young. Ortagun is a good choice for a spot like this as he’s got the experience to make anyone look good, which is what you want for someone young like Yuta. Nice match here.

Jimmy Havoc and Darby Allin are ready to hurt Shane Strickland and John Hennigan in the main event. A lot of blood is promised.

Santana Garrett vs. Leva Bates

Bates is better known as Blue Pants and she dances to the ring. She’s also not the person who attacked Chelsea as the hair color doesn’t match. Santana takes her to the mat to start and holds onto a headlock. Back up and Bates shoves her away, only to get rolled up for two. Bates has no choice but to shake her hand as Garrett is toying with her so far. Something like the Black Widow is broken up and Bates kicks her in the back.

That earns Bates a high five but she’s mean enough to grab a rollup for two of her own. Santana gets in something close to a Last Chancery for a few seconds but Bates slips out and puts on a Crossface. That’s broken up as well and Garrett is back with a front facelock. Tony starts talking about Larry Zbyszko teaching Garrett psychology, which isn’t the kind of thing you expect most commentators to bring up.

Bates trips Garrett down and poses before hitting a slingshot rolling spear for two. Garrett loses her headband so Bates stomps on it, which just ticks her off again. They start shoving and shouting at each other until Bates charges into a raised boot in the corner. A Russian legsweep gets two and Garrett goes after her in the corner, only to get caught in the Tree of Woe. Bates hits the top rope double stomp but goes back up and gets hurricanranaed back down. Garrett hits a handspring moonsault (cool) for the pin at 14:38.

Rating: C+. Garrett really is a solid worker and I’m a little bit surprised she hasn’t been signed up by a bigger name company. They told a nice little story here and while Bates was in over her head, she fought her way through it and they had a nice match as a result. Not too bad here, which is better than having a women’s match for the sake of a women’s match.

Post match Garrett poses and the same woman who attacked Green runs in for a kick to the knee.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has a promo in the back but there’s no audio.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Joey Ryan

These two are joined at the hip. Friedman brags about being awesome and undefeated, both of which will still be the case after the match. The bell rings but Joey has to give away a lollipop and oil up. With that out of the way, Joey offers him a chance to touch it. He tries to force Friedman’s hand down there so Friedman escapes and demands that the fans stop encouraging it.

Friedman tries an atomic drop and that’s probably a sprained MCL at least. Joey tries to make him touch it again and now it’s time for the lollipop from the trunks. That’s finally enough for Friedman, who kicks him in the ribs and sends Joey shoulder first into the post. An armbar goes on for a bit until Joey sends him to the apron but Friedman comes back with a springboard Codebreaker to the arm. Ryan gets in a spinebuster for two but Friedman bails to the floor before the superkick.

Of course that means a suicide dive to take Friedman down again but he’s right back with a powerbomb inside. Friedman goes for the lollipop, only to have his arm chopped to put it into his own mouth. That means the superkick so Ryan can drop to his back as Friedman does the comical fall onto the crotch. The staggered Friedman takes a Canadian Destroyer but Ryan goes for the crotch again, allowing Friedman to poke him in the eye. Another armbar makes Ryan tap at 8:22.

Rating: C-. I don’t know if it’s listening to Ryan’s very good out of character interviews or just how dedicated he is to the gimmick, but the guy is growing on me. Friedman going over makes sense as he’s the kind of guy who is going to be around here more frequently. Ryan is a bigger name too and a win over him means a little more. Perfectly fine comedy match here.

Post match Joey offers a handshake but gets flipped off. I think you can guess where that hand goes, setting up the special suplex.

Plug for the MLW podcasts. Some of those aren’t half bad either.

MVP has nothing to say about his discussions with Stokely Hathaway.

MVP vs. Brody King

King is a very big guy with a ton of tattoos. They stare each other down to start but MVP stops to yell something at the crowd that I can’t make out. The battle over the lockup goes nowhere so King kicks him in the face to take over. A backsplash (with some height) gets one and a running splash in the corner hits MVP again. MVP misses a boot in the corner and gets kicked out to the floor for his failed efforts. King throws him over a pile of chairs onto the concrete for a crash.

You don’t put a wrestler near chairs as MVP uses one to crack him a few times but he can’t suplex him onto the open chair. A slugout goes to MVP but Hathaway pops up for a distraction, allowing King to shove MVP onto the chairs again. They finally get back in so King can hit a tilt-a-whirl slam for two. King misses a dropkick but, as usual, the Ballin Elbow takes FOREVER to set up, allowing King to clothesline him back down.

A gutwrench sitout powerbomb gets two more but another powerbomb is countered with a hurricanrana. MVP gets in a t-bone suplex and they’re both down with MVP holding his back. His back is so messed up that the Playmaker takes too long, allowing King to hit a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. King misses a spinning high crossbody though and a running kick to the head finishes him off at 11:53.

Rating: C. Nice power brawl here but MVP still doesn’t do much for me. He’s a guy who used to be someone but there’s very little about him that stands out in any of his modern matches. King is good in a Luke Harper type big man enforcer role and that’s a job you could have for a very long time going forward.

They shake hands post match.

The announcers talk about an upcoming World Title tournament. So this place has a bit more of a future.

Sammy Guevara vs. Jason Cade

Sammy has Salina de la Renta with him. We have to stall for a few seconds so Sammy can take off his shirt and that means a dueling chant of MILK FIRST vs. CEREAL FIRST. This is what the two of them have been talking about on Twitter as of late, because that’s what wrestling has become. Just picture Race and Brisco having that discussion. Sammy takes over to start by sending him to the floor but Cade slides back inside for a dropkick. Cade’s dive is blocked by a jumping knee to the floor and now Sammy gets in a dive.

Cade is right back in for a dive of his own but this time he spends too much time bragging and gets hit with a dive as well. Since that’s not enough, Cade slides back in for another dive. Fans: “CEREAL FIRST!” Back in and the announcers debate types of cereal as Cade scores with some chops. A Russian legsweep puts Guevara on the apron but they think better about going to the top at the same time. Salina offers a distraction so Sammy can hit a top rope double stomp (kind of) onto the apron.

Sammy stays on the ribs by running the ropes before stopping for a chinlock. He’s no Kevin Owens but Sami Zayn is no Salina. Cade fights up and hits a Russian legsweep into the corner, followed by a springboard crossbody for no cover. A handspring Codebreaker gets two with Salina screaming or a kickout. Sammy is fine enough for a Spanish Fly and a low superkick but a shooting star misses.

They trade strikes to the face, miss strikes to the face, and then hit strikes to the face at the same time for a double knockdown. It’s Cade up first with a running knee to the face and a Code Red for two. Sammy kicks him off the top for a crash and now the shooting star press connects for a near fall of his own.

We pause a bit for Guevara to be frustrated…and then he climbs onto a speaker outside of the ring. A running start only sees him dive into a superkick to the ribs but Cade can’t follow up. Guevara gets caught up top and Cade snaps off a reverse hurricanrana for two with Salina putting Sammy’s foot on the ropes. It seems to do the trick as Sammy grabs a rollup for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: C. This felt like the required indy match and while that’s fine, it was a little long for this late in the card. I like Cade, but he’s not someone who gets big wins most of the time. That’s not the worst place to be on the card as he’s going to put in watchable matches, but I’m not sure on Sammy. He has the pieces, but hasn’t put them together just yet. More time would help, which is the case for so many of these younger guys.

Hathaway swears vengeance on MVP.

Shane Strickland talks about being proud of beating Ricochet last time but Darby Allin and Jimmy Havoc attacked Shane to ruin his moment. They want to give Shane what he wants so Shane is ready to fight with John Hennigan at his side.

Shane Strickland/John Hennigan vs. Darby Allin/Jimmy Havoc

No DQ and the thumbtacks are poured out before the good guys come out. Hennigan makes the mistake of charging in before Shane shows up. He fights out of a double suplex so Shane can even things out (coming through the crowd for some reason) and the fight is on with Allin dropkicking Hennigan almost into the tacks. Shane throws Allin into them instead and Hennigan powerbombs Havoc onto Allin onto the tacks for a good visual. Havoc’s chop hits post (though he pulled up) and it’s already time for a table.

With chops not working, Havoc pokes Shane in the eye to cut him off. Hennigan and Allin get back inside and fight on the corner but head to the floor instead. Havoc busts out a staple gun and you can hear the groan in Tony’s voice. That means a piece of paper gets stapled to Shane’s face (Tony: “WHAT AM I WATCHING???”) and another to his back. Shane is right back with a staple into Havoc’s head as the announcers are losing it. Tony: “Ok. We have lost our minds.”

They trade off with Allin armdragging (that feels out of place at the moment) Shane but being left alone in the ring. Havoc isn’t done with the staples and here’s Allin to flip dive onto the two of them. It’s time for a bunch of chairs in the ring (Tony: “After a staple gun, a chair is kind of a disappointment for me.”) with one of them being wedged in the corner. Havoc gets extra evil by cutting Hennigan’s fingers with the edge of the paper (a kind of brilliant way to go in a hardcore match) and Bocchini says that’s worse than the staples. I mean….maybe?

Havoc has a seat in a chair but Hennigan gets back up and backdrops him onto two unfolded chairs. That actually gets two as the announcers are surprised that you can get pins here. Fair enough given the level of carnage here. Shane comes back in with a 450 on Allin and it’s time for a cookie sheet. Allin flips out of a German suplex and hits Shane in the knee with Hennigan having to come back in for a save.

Allin’s Coffin Drop is countered into an armbar and Shane snaps the arm back for a snap that actually made my mouth come open and the rest of me cringe. Havoc comes back in for some forearms but gets catapulted into a cookie sheet to the head. Strickland kicks him in the head but Havoc knocks Hennigan down and takes Shane to the apron. One heck of an enziguri staggers Havoc and an AA off the apron sends him through a table. Back in and Starship Pain only gets two on Havoc but the crowd reaction isn’t that strong as they’re going too long here.

Havoc tries to beg and then gets caught going for the double low blow. As Hennigan and Strickland look to deal with him, Allin dives off the balcony with a chair to take them both out and they’ve got the crowd right back. Allin sets up another table but takes too long, allowing Hennigan and Strickland to put him on it instead. They both go up top but here’s the woman who attacked Garrett to shove Hennigan to the floor. A double superplex puts Shane through a table for two and the woman throws in a chain. Havoc wraps it around his arm and clotheslines the heck out of Shane for the pin at 18:49.

Rating: B. They knew what they were going for here and then executed it. Havoc and Allin are good hardcore guys and it’s impressive to have them beat some big names like Hennigan and Strickland. On top of that, it was a heck of a violent match with the announcers actually adding a lot in that “this is insane” style. There’s also something great about Tony watching this violent stuff and it made things that much better.

Hathaway has a press conference to talk about MVP where he talks about MVP being in prison earlier in the 2000s. Someone negotiated a deal with WWE and then another with New Japan. That someone is of course Hathaway, who is now in charge of Black Friday Management (the heel stable started by Gary Hart in the original MLW). Therefore, Hathaway controls MVP so he’ll be facing Low Ki next month.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a good time here and that’s what matters most on the second show in a promotion’s lifespan. They offered a nice balance of stuff from start to finish and the show never started to drag. I want to see where things go from here and that’s the most important thing they can do. It’s pretty impressive to see how well they’ve hit the ground running and if they can keep that up, they might have a hit on their hands.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #23
Date: September 21, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re still down in Florida and that’s not the worst thing in the world. The arena looked rather good last week for WarGames and had a very close knit vibe to it, making the show feel more intimate than most. Well as intimate as two teams inside a double cage is going to get. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Konnan with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. for an opening chat. Konnan is fired up to be back home and the CERO MIEDO chants start up. He wants to talk about Salina de la Renta and while he doesn’t have a problem with ambition, he has an issue with her methods. Those contracts for Pentagon and Fenix were so one sided and a good example of why wrestling contracts get bad names.

Cue Salina with Ricky Martinez, the latter of whom is carrying a contract. Salina makes it clear that Pentagon and Fenix were granted early release and didn’t walk away. She offers them new contracts, which were negotiated with “Hunter”, who is offering them English classes and a little rebranding. Ricky holds out a pen and the fans are already starting the NO chants. If they sign, they can get out of having to face LA Park and Low Ki. That’s a big no though, as Spanish is shouted and the contracts are ripped up. MLW has these two signed up for a long time and teasing the WWE signing is an interesting idea.

Opening sequence.

Stud Stable vs. Hart Foundation

Dirty Blonds/Parrow for the Stable here and this is under hurricane (tornado) rules. Pillman wearing a smoking jacket to the ring is a perfect touch and he’s looking more like his dad every day. Smith starts the beating early as Pillman slips to the floor to trip Parrow. The Foundation cleans house but Pillman charges into a boot in the corner. That’s not cool with Smith, who fires off kicks to Parrow’s chest.

Hart hits the big moonsault to the floor and the fans are way into him all over again. Back in and Smith suplexes Brien, leaving Hart to hit a slow motion sunset bomb out of the corner. Pillman takes forever coming off the top with a high crossbody but Parrow is right there to throw him into the corner. The Blonds are back up and beat Hart down, much to the fans’ annoyance. Not that it matters as Pillman knocks Brien to the floor, leaving Parrow to take the running powerslam for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I don’t disagree with the idea of the Harts winning here, as they are almost destined to be a major force around here. However, the Stable hasn’t won anything of note in what feels like months and you can’t do that much longer without the wins not meaning anything anymore. Pillman was clearly being protected in one of his first matches back from injury and there’s nothing wrong with that. Good win for the Harts.

Post match the Harts leave as Colonel Parker yells at Parrow. The Blonds beat Parrow down to kick him out of the Stable.

Video on WarGames, including Sami Callihan blaming Jimmy Havoc for the loss.

Havoc isn’t pleased with what Sami did and thinks the anger is misdirected. One of Sami’s kids tapped out but that’s not the point. They’re going to fight and Havoc likes that Sami is angry.

Aria Blake and Maxwell Jacob Friedman are in the back with MJF not getting the women’s wrestling thing. Or women’s voting for that matter, but that’s a different story. Blake wants to snatch Taya Valkyrie bald but Friedman would rather talk about his abs.

Aria Blake/Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Taya Valkyrie/Joey Ryan

This is Taya’s debut. Hang on though as Ryan needs a lollipop and some oil. The bell rings and Friedman WILL NOT touch Ryan’s….yeah. Ryan: “If you’re not going to touch it, maybe SHE’LL touch it!” Bocchini on what we’re seeing: “I don’t know how to explain this on national television. Google it.” That’s as good as you can do in that situation. Blake rips at Ryan’s chest hair instead and actually gets a near fall as it’s back to MJF for a failed atomic drop attempt.

Taya comes in for a drop toehold onto Joey’s crotch, which MJF sells like death for two. Back up and MJF refuses to hit a woman so Taya slaps him instead. A shake of the chest and a shot to the face gets two before it’s back to Ryan. Blake offers a cheap shot from the apron and it’s MJF taking over by ripping at Ryan’s face. With Ryan in trouble, Blake comes back in for some spanks and a spinning neckbreaker for two.

It’s back to MJF for a chinlock until Ryan suplexes his way to freedom. That’s enough for a double tag to the women with Taya easily getting the better of it, including some running knees in the corner. A surfboard stomp gives Taya two and she seems….mildly annoyed at best. Aria gets in a kick to the head though and it’s back to the men. Ryan slugs away and puts the lollipop in MJF’s mouth, freaking him out as you might have expected. The superkick hits Taya by mistake though, allowing Aria to hit Ryan low. As she tends to her likely broken arm, MJF gets a rollup with trunks to pin Ryan at 8:37.

Rating: D+. That really needs to be it for this feud as MJF has beaten Ryan every time. There’s enough of a roster around to allow Friedman to have multiple opponents and it’s time to switch things up a bit. Ryan wasn’t as over the top here outside of signature stuff and mostly wrestled the match straight, which is the right call in something like this.

Post match Aria has her elbow out of socket ala Alexa Bliss for a great touch. MJF brags about getting rid of Ryan and Joey Janela, so here’s Janela to jump him from behind. A low blow gets MJF out of trouble.

Fury Road Control Center. Announced for the show: Tom Lawlor vs. Shane Strickland. I’m good with that.

Callihan accepts Havoc’s challenge and blames the WarGames loss on his former friend.

Brody King vs. PCO

King wastes no time in stomping PCO down in the corner and dropping a backsplash for an early two. PCO is fine enough to knock King to the floor and hit a suicide dive, which is rather impressive given how huge he is. They slug it out with PCO’s shouting adding a lot to the impacts.

A pop up powerbomb drops King back inside and PCO gets annoyed at the referee for not counting fast enough. King gets two of his own off a running clothesline and a suplex is good for the same. PCO is right back with a DDT but King backdrops him into the corner for a scary looking crash. We get the required slugout until they go for each others eyes. The referee gets shoved down and it’s a double DQ at 5:19.

Rating: C. There is something so much fun about having two big guys hit each other really hard for a few minutes. The ending here is fine as they can have a street fight or something to really get violent and that’s where the story needs to go anyway. PCO has grown a lot on me in a short while and I’m getting into the idea of the character.

Post match King piledrives PCO and hammers away at his unconscious body. Referees get Brody out and PCO MOONSAULTS ONTO EVERYONE (Freaking sweet!) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a show where the matches don’t add up to the overall total. They’re packing in a lot of good stuff onto the show and I’m liking the characters and motivations more every week. Above all else though, they’re giving you a reason to tune in next week and that’s not something that even WWE knows how to do a lot of the time. It’s a good sign for the future and something a lot of companies take years to understand.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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 8, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

So who dies this week? This has been the most murder heavy show I’ve ever seen in wrestling and that makes for some interesting television. It’s a great way to get rid of some people who aren’t exactly important, though having them be destroyed is a great way to build up their killers. That’s not something I ever thought I would write. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Matanza’s rampage and El Dragon Azteca Jr. becoming Gift of the Gods champion.

Antonio Cueto is on the phone in his office and promises another sacrifice tonight. Mariposa (looking much, ahem, bigger) comes in and says she wants the Gift of the Gods Title. A little cash and some flirting gets her a title shot tonight.

The Rabbit Tribe is here for a match but Antonio cuts them off, saying only one of them will be fighting tonight. Paul London picks Mala Suerte for failing last week.

Matanza vs. Mala Suerte

Headbutt, Wrath of the Gods in 50 seconds.

Joey Ryan/Jack Evans vs. XO Lishus/Ivelisse

Ivelisse and Jack start things off with Jack trying a handstand and getting said hand stomped. It’s off to Joey, who doesn’t seem to mind being in there with Ivelisse. Therefore let’s switch it off to Lishus, who pulls Ryan’s face into the back of his tights. Some hip swiveling ensues and Joey likes it because of course he does. Lishus misses a dive out of the corner so it’s back to Evans. A handspring into a slap to the face has him in trouble and everything breaks down.

Evans kicks Ivelisse in the head for a delayed two and Ryan rubs her face into the mat. Back up and Ivelisse scores with a sitout DDT (think Rey Mysterio’s bulldog), allowing the hot tag to Lishus. Some kicks and a legsweep take Evans down and Vampiro sounds like a Lishus fan. A dancing moonsault kneedrop has Evans in trouble but he pulls Lishus into something like a triangle choke for the knockout at 6:50.

Rating: D+. I’m not a fan of characters like Lishus but he’s done well so far and having him not tap here was a smart move. The company needs some fresh talent to replace all of the people who left and Lishus is as good of an idea as anyone else. Evans getting away from the Worldwide Underground is fine as well, though I’m not sure how high of a ceiling he has.

Post match Evans won’t let go so Ivelisse makes a save.

Gift of the Gods Title: El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Mariposa

Azteca is defending and Mariposa kicks him low before the bell. Back up and they trade kicks for two each with Azteca getting the better of it. A 450 gives him two but Mariposa hits a Vertebreaker of all things for the same. She loads up a second but Azteca reverses into a cradle for the pin to retain at 3:19.

Rating: C. Well it was certainly energetic. They packed some big stuff into this one but there was no way around the fact that it was smoke and mirrors to get around the intergender part. Azteca having trouble in his first defense is one way to go and it’s not like Mariposa is some horrible worker. It was fun while it lasted, but it was over so fast that it was hard to get invested.

Worldwide Underground vs. Reptile Tribe

Johnny Mundo/Taya/PJ Black/Ricky Mundo

Kobra Moon/Daga/Drago/Jeremiah Snake

If the Underground wins, Moon has to grant Johnny one wish but if the Tribe wins, Johnny has to join them. Snake is being renamed Jeremiah Crane, who was brought back to life after losing in the Three Way To The Grave match. It makes sense as there isn’t anyone in the Tribe on Johnny’s level. Oh and the announcers don’t know where Vibora is because he’s, you know, dead. Also hang on a second as Ricky is out with Aerostar replacing him due to reasons of Ricky not being very good. Aerostar even has a Worldwide Underground bandanna to complete the look.

It’s a brawl to start with Mundo and Snake in the ring for the early brawl. They head to the floor though and there’s the big springboard dive from Aerostar onto the pile below. Taya dives onto them as well, leaving Johnny to get on the apron. Snake is after him though and lifts Moon up for a bulldog back onto the pile. The Underground is sat on some chairs and, upon Moon’s orders, Snake gets a running start around the ring and takes all of them out. Back in and we settle down to Crane biting Taya’s finger, earning himself a big boot to the face.

Black comes in a few seconds later to clean house and a kick to the head gets two. It’s Drago making the save and getting kicked down as well, followed by a Flying Chuck to Daga. Snake makes the save with a shot to the head and Moon crossbodies Johnny. That’s caught, so Snake and Drago kick him down for two. Drago’s tornado DDT plants Johnny again with Taya having to make a save. Everything breaks down again (It hadn’t already?) and Aerostar busts out a springboard corkscrew plancha. Back inside, the Dragon’s Whip is countered into a Shining Wizard, followed by the End of the World for the pin on Dragon at 8:44.

Rating: C+. That was the kind of fun main event that this show thrives on with everyone flying all over the place and hitting big spot after big spot. Johnny continues to be one of the aces of the show and I still wonder how he hasn’t been signed back to WWE at some point, unless he just doesn’t want to go. The match was fun though and I’m glad they went the way they did.

Post match Johnny says hang on a second because he wants his wish right now. As a thank you to Aerostar, Johnny wishes Drago freed from the Reptile Tribe. Drago’s chains are removed and leaves with Aerostar but Taya is FURIOUS. She yells at Johnny for doing this for nothing and wasting the wish. Johnny says there was nothing Kobra could do for him because Taya makes his wishes come true.

Black pulls out a ring box and Johnny proposes (in a Macho Man voice because Johnny Mundo and wrestling are both awesome). The fans chant SI and Taya agrees, giving us an OH YEAH. Pomp and Circumstance plays (again: wrestling is awesome) and they kiss, followed by Johnny putting her on his shoulder in a familiar pose. My oh my a Lucha Underground wedding could be……I need a minute.

In the back, Ricky talks to his doll and wishes death on Johnny and Taya. Makes sense, in that Lucha Underground way.

Overall Rating: B-. I had a great time with this show as it still feels like a comic book come to life. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: this is an actual alternative to WWE rather than all of the independent companies that try to be an alternative while often copying a lot of what WWE does. Going this far over the top is a good way to go and I hope more people start watching, just to see some fun wrestling and more fun TV. Very entertaining show this week and the first time I’ve really felt the old vibe back again.

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:

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Lucha Underground
Date: September 6, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re less than a month away from Ultima Lucha Tres and that means it’s time to start filling out the card. The big story this week is a street fight between Cortez Castro and Joey Ryan, who have been feuding for months now, partially due to the whole….I’m going to stop there because this company’s storylines are really complicated. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the tournament finals before moving on to the Worldwide Underground and the collection of the seven medallions. Above that though, Matanza is coming for Rey Mysterio, which can only end badly.

Aztec Medallion: Drago vs. The Mack

Drago wastes no time with a running dropkick and a tornado DDT, only to have Mack shove him away without much effort. Mack does a headstand in the corner, earning himself an enziguri. La majistral gets two and Mack is in some trouble. He’s fine enough to elbow Drago in the mask but Kobra Moon gets on the apron for a distraction. A quick Dragon’s Lair gives Drago the pin and the medallion at 3:46.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as it didn’t have much time and the whole Drago/Moon thing has killed off a lot of interest I’ve had in both of them. Mack hasn’t done much since losing to Johnny Mundo and this is a pretty big loss for him. He doesn’t have anything as we head towards Ultima Lucha and hopefully he’s not stuck with these people.

Post match Mack Stuns Drago and gets beaten down by the rest of the Tribe.

Back from a break with Dario Cueto in the ring. Next week will be the 100^th episode so we’ll be having some big matches. First up, we’ll have the Worldwide Underground vs. Prince Puma and a team to be announced later tonight. In the main event though, Rey Mysterio will face Matanza. Dario brings Rey out and tells him to leave the building before Matanza’s match tonight. If he doesn’t, Dario will fire Dragon Azteca Jr. That’s cool with Rey, who promises to destroy the Cueto legacy next week with Dario coming next.

Aztec Medallion: Cortez Castro vs. Joey Ryan

5-0 street fight, meaning there’s a bunch of police themed stuff around the arena. Dario runs to start so Castro follows him outside for some chops. A tornado DDT on the floor has Joey in trouble, because dropping someone head first onto concrete doesn’t knock them cold like it used to.

Back in and Joey gets in a slam and sets up a riot shield in the corner. Joey hammers on him with some handcuffs to bust open Castro’s head. Now it’s some nightstick shots to the back so Striker can make Big Boss Man jokes. With nothing else to do, Joey puts on a plastic glove and lubes up his hand to….yeah you can figure that one out for yourselves. That’s enough to fire Castro up (not the most shocking thing in the world) and he knocks Joey outside, sending him through some of the cops. Fans: “WE WANT DONUTS!”

Joey goes face first into the police cruiser but Castro misses a swing with a ball bat. Instead Joey grabs a sledgehammer (HHH jokes abound), only to hit the windshield by mistake. Castro gets dropped onto the hood of the car anyway but it’s time to go to the snack table.

That means hot coffee down Joey’s trunks and Castro tases him there for a bonus. Naturally Joey is right back with a superkick to drive a box of donuts into Castro’s face as Striker talks about an Aztec medallion. The balance from the commentary to the match isn’t exactly working. Back in and Castro maces him, followed by a running Samoan Driver onto the riot shields for the pin at 13:02.

Rating: C. I wanted to like this match and they were getting somewhere in the beginning with the blood and violence, but then they went flying off a cliff. I really don’t need to see Joey lubing up his hand, having hot coffee poured down his trunks and superkicking a box of donuts. Yeah it’s a police themed match, but you can either go with the theme or go with the story. Trying to do both turns it into a mess, which is what happened here.

Rabbit Tribe vs. Matanza

Matanza is offered a hat to start but dancing doesn’t work so well. Vampiro explains various drug cults as Matanza is sent outside for a dive from Saltador and a plancha from Mala Suerte. Back in and a series of dropkicks has Matanza reeling but they stop for some more dancing. Matanza actually dropkicks the trio down but Easter eggs to the head are good for a distraction. A pair of superkicks sets up London’s shooting star for two and that’s enough for Matanza. House is cleaned in a hurry and the Wrath of the Gods ends Saltador at 4:46.

Rating: D. Now this one missed a lot more than the previous match. I really like the Rabbit Tribe as they actually feel like chaos instead of what usually passes for such in a wrestling promotion. However, this was a lot of running around being goofy yet still having success against a monster like Matanza. The ending was the right call but dang I didn’t like how they got there.

Here’s Prince Puma to announce his team for next week. Before he can get to the announcement though, here’s Mundo to say he’s going to take Mundo to Slam Town at Ultima Lucha, just like he did on the first episode. Puma brings up beating him to become the first champion, which Mundo takes as confidence. If Puma is so confident, let’s make it title vs. mask. The deal is made but here’s Dario to interrupt. Since we already have a mask vs. mask match at Ultima Lucha (We do?), let’s make it title vs. career. Puma decks Mundo and holds up the title because it’s on.

Overall Rating: C. They’re firmly into the stretch to build up Ultima Lucha Tres though I’m not sure if they have enough time to set up four hours worth of matches in just two more shows. It’s cool to get to a milestone like the 100^th episode but this season, which is now at A YEAR long really needs to wrap up. I’m still liking the show but it’s nothing I’m really looking forward to anymore, which is quite the shame given how much fun it used to be.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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Lucha Underground
Date: August 30, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re into the final stretch of the season now (after what feels like 183 years) and that means we’re on the way to Ultima Lucha Tres. With the main event set, there shouldn’t be too many more weeks to go before we get to the big show. That being said, this is Lucha Underground so we’ll likely have three tournaments and ten new characters before we get there. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Marty Martinez being creepy, Cortez Castro being unmasked, Son of Havoc vs. Son of Madness and Johnny Mundo retaining last week.

Dario Cueto comes in to see Matanza, whose protection he now requires. In two weeks, Matanza gets to face Mysterio one on one.

Ultima Lucha Tres starts in four weeks and will be four weeks long this year.

Son of Madness vs. Mascarita Sagrada

Sagrada comes out in the biker vest given to him by Son of Havoc. Madness kicks him in the back to start and stomps him down in the corner as this is looking squashish. Sagrada gets in a kick of his own but a suplex puts him away at 2:13.

Son of Havoc comes in for the save as Dario makes Havoc vs. Madness in a Boyle Heights Biker Brawl for an Aztec Medallion later tonight. As he’s making the announcement, Paul London comes out to carry Sagrada away.

Marty Martinez vs. Argenis

Marty drives him into the corner for some rapid fire shots to the face and chest but misses a charge. A springboard….something is broken up with a faceplant and it’s time for Marty to start after the mask. Marty gets sent outside for a big dive and a hurricanrana off the steps. Since it’s just a hurricanrana, Marty sends him into the post to draw some blood. With his blood on Marty’s shoulder, Argenis comes back with a neckbreaker as Striker talks about platelets falling. Marty loads him up for a Dominator and flips it into a Codebreaker (cool) for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C-. The blood was a nice touch and the finisher was cool as Marty looks like a killer all over again. That’s the kind of thing you get around here that’s missing from other promotions and it helps a lot. You can pretty much guarantee Fenix vs. Marty at Ultima Lucha and I’m actually looking forward to that one a bit, especially with Fenix’s great in-ring performances more often than not.

Post match Marty beats on him even more and steals the bloody mask. Marty gets in Melissa’s face, saying he wants Fenix’s mask. He’ll get it at Ultima Lucha Tres. Fenix comes out for some kicks and issues a challenge for mask vs. hair.

Joey Ryan vs. Sexy Star

Watch your arm Joey. Star hammers away in the corner as Striker babbles about smart women loving smart men. A tornado DDT gives Star two and a victory roll gets the same. Joey pulls her down by the hair and here’s Taya with a sign to mock Sexy and her fans. I’m not sure how many fans she has but then again Lucha Underground has blown her importance WAY out of the water for a long time now. Star biels him around by the chest hair, followed by Three Amigas for two. She dives onto Taya instead of following up though and it’s a superkick to give Joey the pin at 4:57.

Rating: D+. Just a match here but Star’s recent actions have somehow made me care about her even less. She’s already one of the most overpushed wrestlers I’ve seen in a long time and now there’s only one thing you can think about when she’s out there. Joey getting the win is a nice surprise, though we’re just waiting on Castro to come out for the brawl.

Post match Joey tries to put the lollipop in Star’s mouth so Castro comes in for the save with a kendo stick.

Back from a break with Castro coming into Dario’s office. He should arrest Dario right now but Dario gives him a street fight with Joey for an Aztec Medallion next week.

Aztec Medallion: Son of Havoc vs. Son of Madness

Street fight. Havoc knees Madness (thankfully in a vest so we can tell them apart) in the face to start as the vest is already off. A trashcan shot drops Havoc and they fight into the crowd as Striker makes Repo Man jokes. They take turns being sent into various objects with some fans catching Havoc as he’s thrown into the crowd again.

Madness gets thrown back to ringside for a dive out of the crowd, only to have Havoc knee the barricade by mistake. A backdrop sends Madness into the same barricade though as Striker talks about how you would do some of this stuff in a bar fight. Back in and Madness clotheslines him down (I think. Having these two looking identical is really annoying.) as Striker keeps making jokes about the beards, completely missing the point of something that is supposed to be so serious.

Havoc sends him outside again and into the steps, setting up a handspring elbow in the corner. A cutter gives Havoc two but Madness drops him again and goes to find a toolbox. Instead he picks up a garbage can for a Death Valley Driver. Now it’s time for a hammer but Havoc charges into a beer bottle to the head. The shooting star gives Havoc the pin at 13:03.

Rating: B-. Good brawl here with both guys beating each other up, though it was rather difficult to keep track of which was which most of the time. Havoc winning is the right move as Madness seems like a one off character. The match was fun enough and felt like a fight, save for Striker being more annoying than he’s been in months with all of his unfunny jokes and talking about how you wouldn’t do this stuff in a biker brawl. But Striker isn’t going to change and the match was still good so it’s hard to complain about all that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The fact that this season finally has an end date in sight helps a lot but sweet goodness does it really matter at this point? Next week will be a year since this “season” started and it’s still got the better part of two months to go after. At least they’re starting to set up some more stories for Ultima Lucha Tres than just the main event, which is really needing the build up with so little time to go. Good show this week though and that’s important right now.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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Lucha Underground
Date: June 28, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Another week, another four first round Cueto Cup matches. In other words, we might be getting one competitive match this week as the tournament hasn’t exactly been thrilling so far. The good thing though is it has been going by quickly, which is more than you can say for a lot of these things. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a very quick tournament recap, plus looks at Killshot, Dante Fox and Jeremiah Crane.

Catrina tells Mil Muertes to destroy everyone, which he promises to do for her. They kiss and she demands the Cueto Cup. Jeremiah Crane watches from the shadows. You would think the supernatural powers would let them know he’s there.

Cueto Cup First Round: Mil Muertes vs. Veneno

That would be Cortez Castro under a mask as he’s still under cover (literally in this case). Muertes spears him down at the bell and it’s a heck of a stomping early on. The chokeslam and Flatliner send Muertes on at 1:10. Well that worked.

Catrina licks Veneno’s face (er, mask) after the match.

Cueto Cup First Round: Paul London vs. Vibora

London knocks him outside for some palm strikes to the chest but Vibora just stares him down. With that not working, London, I kid you not, holds Kobra Moon hostage with the carrot from his hat. Fans: “SAVE THE CARROT!” They get in for the first time with Vibora throwing London around but getting kicked in the face a few times. Vibora gets sent to the floor for a springboard trust fall but he does the Undertaker situp, only to have the rest of the Rabbit Tribe grab his feet for a countout at 3:54.

Rating: D+. There was a story here with the much younger monster being caught by the pesky and more experienced Rabbit Tribe. The carrot thing was entertaining enough (I have a soft spot for rabbits) and this keeps Vibora looking strong, which could be a good idea going forward.

Cueto Cup First Round: Taya vs. Joey Ryan

Joey does his lollipop schtick and gets kneed in the face for his efforts. Taya throws him back inside by the chest hair but gets superkicked off the apron. Back in and Joey takes too much time going up (with Striker saying this isn’t going to work) and gets slammed right back down. Taya misses a charge in the corner so Joey can give her a bit of a spank. That doesn’t go well as Joey gets suplexed and double stomped to give Taya the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D. Joey is rapidly losing the limited charm he had for me so far as the whole cop thing seems to have been forgotten at the moment. I’m sure they’ll get back to the point later on but for now, he’s just Joey Ryan doing the same stuff he does most of the time, just without the Ironman Heavymetalweight Title.

Jeremiah Crane beats up the suit clad Mil Muertes and seems to Pillmanize his neck because “she’s his”.

Wrestlers give their thoughts on John Morrison vs. Rey Mysterio. These videos have been VERY good ideas and it’s made the match feel like the biggest match the promotion has ever had.

Cueto Cup First Round: Jeremiah Crane vs. Killshot

Crane charges into a kick to the head to send him outside for a tumbling flip dive as they’re certainly starting fast. Killshot stays with it and hits a flip dive off the low balcony before hitting Crane in the face. That’s fine with Crane who whips him into the metal wall and grabs an exploder suplex on the floor.

A run around the ring builds up enough momentum for a cannonball through Killshot through some chairs in a sick sounding crash. They change pace by going inside where Killshot kicks him in the face for two. Killshot flips up into a cutter for two but gets caught in a brainbuster for the same. They trade the very loud strikes until both guys are knocked silly on the mat.

For some reason Crane spits in his face, earning himself a DDT out of the corner. With nothing else working, Killshot hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron, immediately followed by the top rope double stomp…for two? Cue Dante Fox for a distraction though, allowing Crane to hit Cranial Contusion (a Jay Driller) for the pin at 13:04.

Rating: B. That’s the match of the tournament so far and the match the tournament needed. So far most of them have been either squash matches or rather boring but these two were beating the heck out of each other and putting in the effort. In other words, it was something very entertaining and that’s a good sign.

Post match Catrina comes out to look at Crane, who blows her a kiss.

Dario Cueto is in his office and freaking out over the brackets so far. There’s a match spot to face Son of Havoc but luckily Dario has someone here to take the match. That would be….Son of Madness, who looks EXACTLY like Son of Havoc and says he’s from the open road. Dario is cool with this because he’s kind of an out there guy.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped this one a lot as Lucha Underground has gone a few weeks without an especially good match. Thankfully the first round of the tournament wraps up next week and we have something curious to end this week’s show. It’s not a great show by any means but it’s better than what we’ve been seeing lately.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Lucha Underground
Date: January 11, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re in a weird place at the moment in Lucha Underground as things are taking forever to get anywhere, though at the same time CAGE HAS FREAKING SUPERPOWERS. It’s hard to say where these shows are going to go from week to week but that can make things that much more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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.

Councilman Delgado is in Dario Cueto’s office to talk about Cage with the gauntlet. Dragon Azteca comes in and wants a death match with Matanza, which is granted for tonight.

Vampiro says he’s coming for Mil Muertes at some point in the future.

Texano vs. Joey Ryan

Joey puts the lollipop in his trunks and Texano isn’t sure what to think. To be fair neither am I. A shoulder and slingshot hilo get two on Joey and it’s time to head outside because almost every match is a brawl around here. The lollipop comes back out and ignore the small, curly hair stuck on it. Back in and a kick to the ribs sets up a chinlock on Texano as this is less one sided than you would expect.

Cue Famous B. and Brenda in cowboy gear to recruit Texano. A middle rope leg lariat gets two on Joey but he grabs a t-bone suplex. Joey’s superkick gets two and Texano looks shocked (and rightfully so). With Famous B. distracting Joey, Brenda slips Texano a horseshoe to knock Joey out for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: D+. Seriously? Texano now needs Famous B. to beat Joey Ryan? The guy who rubs oil on his chest is now a match for someone as good as Texano? I’m hoping Texano doesn’t turn heel and become another Famous B. lackey as he’s hardly the most interesting heel in the world.

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

Here’s Mundo for a chat but the fans shout him down in Spanish. You can call him whatever you want because you also have to call him champion. He came here when this place was an upstart and beat everyone put in front of him. The Worldwide Underground believed in him though and that brings him to Mack. After some standard big guy jokes, Johnny says Mack can’t last all night long. Cue Mack for the fight and he actually beats up the entire team to stand tall. Mack says the title will be his.

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.

Prince Puma is hearing Vampiro’s voices in his head when Catrina comes in to say it’s not the same after you die. All Puma can see is blood and pain but it’s Mil’s. Catrina sees the same, but it’s Puma’s.

Matanza vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.

Death match. Dragon fires off kicks to start as Vampiro goes on about bloody baseball bats. Matanza slugs him down though and throws in the first chair, which is of course pelted at Matanza’s head. The monster is knocked to the floor for a dive but he throws Dragon into the wall to take right back over. Dragon is carried up to the balcony but he grabs part of the ceiling and flips onto Matanza. In one heck of a scary looking spot, Dragon hurricanranas him down the steps (like TWO of them) but a chokeslam OFF THE BALCONY AND THROUGH A BIG BUNCH OF WOOD is good for an immediate stoppage at 6:34.

Rating: C+. That seems like a way to write Dragon off and while I’m not sure why they needed to do that, at least the match was fun while it lasted. You need to have Matanza be a monster for a bit and this is as good a way as anything else. Massacring jobbers is only going to get you so far and Matanza is WAY past that point already.

Rey Mysteiro comes back to go after Matanza and knocks him through Dario’s roof. Dario tells everyone to get out.

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.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an interesting enough show though as is often the case, it seems to be a way to set up for things later on instead of doing things that actually matter at the moment. It’s not a bad show but this forty week season is going on WAY too long and is really dragging the show down in the process.

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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Lucha Underground
Date: December 7, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re in a weird place here as this season is so long that it can take a long time to get anywhere. At the same time though, almost nothing interesting is really going on. We might be able to get somewhere with Matanza going after Rey Mysterio and Vampiro being Prince Puma’s new mentor but it’s hard to say what we might be getting here. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Johnny Mundo’s rise to the Lucha Underground Title, the Best of Five series between Texano and Cage and Sexy Star losing the title.

Angelico comes in to see Dario Cueto and demands a match with Mundo tonight. The title doesn’t have to be on the line but Dario talks about Johnny’s lawyer. Lawsuits are threatened and Angelico suggests putting Dario through a table. Dario brings up a tournament for the #1 contendership. That’s enough for Angelico.

The tournament will be called the Battle of the Bulls with four fatal fourways (one fall to a finish). The winners will advance to a fourway elimination match for the title shot.

Battle of the Bulls First Round: Cage vs. Texano vs. Joey Ryan vs. Dr. Wagner Jr.

Cage jumps Famous B. before he can get done with Wagner’s entrances. So much for him getting fame. It’s quickly down to Cage vs. Texano with the latter scoring off a leg lariat and grabbing his bullrope. A big flip dive takes out Wagner and Ryan but Cage moonsaults down onto all of them for a huge crash. Wagner gets superplexed back in as it’s all Cage early on. For some reason Ryan tries a Blockbuster, only to get caught in a Jackhammer. That’s just awesome.

Wagner starts in on Texano’s knee before snapping off a middle rope cutter. Joey gets two on Cage off a middle rope neckbreaker but Cage is right back up with the Tower of Doom to put everyone else down. Back up with Ryan superkicking Cage into a German suplex from Texano, who sitout powerbombs Joey for two. Cage comes right back in with the bullrope to knock Texano out for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: B-. The Battle of the Bulls name could work really well as this was all about hitting each other really hard. That being said, I really could go for them finishing up one competition before starting up something else in the middle. Cage vs. Texano needs to wrap up so they can be the vessel or whatever it’s going to be so we can get somewhere.

Dario gives Sexy Star a match with PJ Black. If she wins, she gets her title rematch inside a cage. If she loses though, no more title shots ever.

Captain Vazquez sends Cortez Castro back into the Temple despite Dario knowing he’s a cop. She gives him a mask, because all police officers keep those in their desk.

Sexy Star vs. PJ Black

Of note here, Striker explains the stipulations which are sent to his headset. Again: they don’t see the backstage segments and I’ve always liked that. Star starts fast with a hurricanrana but Black doesn’t seem all that worried. A quick throw sends Star down so PJ can pose a bit before blasting her with a shot to the face. The top rope Lionsault gets two but Star avoids a second and grabs a DDT for two. Cue Jack Evans for a failed distraction though, allowing Star to grab a rollup for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: D+. Oh my goodness I am sick of Sexy Star. In case it hasn’t been BEATEN INTO YOUR HEAD enough by now, Sexy Star is a woman and male heels don’t take her seriously. Also there’s something about her fighting back from adversity from years ago which again you almost never hear about because we’re too busy hearing about how amazing Star is. You don’t have to

Kobra Moon tells her tribe that they must bring back the man who deserted them over a thousand years ago. She orders them to bring her the man who used to be a dragon.

Matanza still wants Rey Mysterio but Dario says Rey is injured. Matanza isn’t pleased so Dario tries to calm him down, only to have the monster attack. Now that’s a change.

Battle of the Bulls First Round: Marty Martinez vs. Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. The Mack vs. Mil Muertes

Everyone goes after Muertes to start and are easily shrugged off. A second attempt works a bit better and Muertes is dumped out to the floor. Dragon spins way into the air for a DDT on Mack, only to get speared in half by Muertes. Marty gets right in Mil’s face so Muertes fires off ten clotheslines in the corner. Mack actually drops Mil but gets into it with Dragon instead of following up. What a schnook.

A big flip dive takes Mack down but Dragon can’t follow up. Instead Mil spears Marty through the ropes to take the other two down in a big heap. Back in and Mil punches Dragon so hard that he hurts his own arm. Everyone decides to go after Muertes again but for the second time in the match, no one is smart enough to stay on him. The swinging chokeslam plants Dragon but he gets in a hurricanrana to send Muertes into the corner. A 450 crushes Mil and Dragon doesn’t cover with even Vampiro saying that was a bad idea.

Cue Matanza to powerbomb Dragon onto Mil and plant him with Wrath of the Gods. Dario comes out with the key to draw Matanza to the back, leaving Mack to Stun Marty for the pin at 8:26. Striker: “On this night, the Mack was indeed the better man!” Not really. He was the only one who wasn’t an idiot and one of the guys who wasn’t laid out by Matanza.

Rating: C+. The interference was a bit much and Striker got on my nerves more and more every time he talked with the big ending line making it even worse. Still though, good match here as this tournament is entertaining so far. Mack winning is interesting and I’m glad they didn’t go with the obvious choice in Muertes.

Overall Rating: C+. I really can’t get over how much I can’t stand Sexy Star. If there’s ever been a more two note character…..well there probably are several of them but none that really get on my nerves like she does. The tournament matches helped but it still feels like they’re adding in more and more stuff instead of really getting anywhere with the things they’ve already started. The action carries it though and that’s what matters most.

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Lucha Underground
Date: September 14, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

Tonight is about focusing on a midcard story for a change with a main event of Killshot vs. Marty the Moth Martinez in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match. It’s quite different to see a match at that level getting such attention but things don’t always work like normal here in Lucha Underground. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on Dario Cueto returning to the Temple, Famous B. vs. Mascarita Sagrada and Martinez vs. Killshot.

We look back at the cops trying to arrest Cueto and realizing that he’s more than just a regular street thug. Captain Vazquez (Castro’s boss) tells him to see the bigger picture because there’s a war coming.

Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Mascarita Sagrada

Famous B., now with his phone number on his tie, handles Wagner’s introduction. Sagrada tries a waistlock but gets hit with a Doctor Driver for the pin at 53 seconds. I’m very glad that Wagner wasn’t just a one off appearance at Ultima Lucha II.

We go back millenia in time (somehow that works around here) and see a dying father giving a young girl an amulet which only works on females. Once she puts it on, she will never die. All that matters is fighting the coming war and then the father dies.

In present day, Captain Vazquez is seen looking at half of the amulet when Cortez comes in to see her. She suspends him and says to stop worrying about Cueto because there are more important things to worry about.

Argenis vs. Mil Muertes

Argenis tries some right hands to start and is quickly powerbombed. A chop and moonsault actually give Argenis a one count but the Flatliner gives Muertes the pin at 1:34.

Catrina gives Argenis the Lick of Death but here’s Prince Puma to springboard in and take out Muertes with some dropkicks. So Puma is listening to Vampiro, as he probably should.

Joey Ryan comes in to see Dario and admits that he’s an undercover cop who knows Dario killed Cisco. He gets right to the chase: Joey wants to be on the right side of the war, unlike Castro, who Joey outs as a fellow cop. Dario gives him some money to pay child support.

Castro tells Vazquez he wants to be on her side in the war. He leaves and she looks at the amulet.

Marty Martinez vs. Killshot

Weapons of Mass Destruction match with Killshot attacking in the aisle. They head to the balcony which is covered in sandbags as the arena has a military theme. Marty is thrown over the announcers’ table to draw a THIS IS AWESOME chant. The bloody Martinez throws Melissa Santos at Killshot for a breather before hammering him into the crowd. Killshot fights back so Marty bails to the floor, only to have Killshot dive off the balcony to take him down.

Marty stops to set up some tables but opts to suplex Killshot onto the apron. This has been the kind of violent brawl it should have been so far. We get a ladder bridged between the ring and the barricade but Killshot throws a blanket over Marty and kicks him down. Another ladder is dragged inside as Striker makes military analogies. A spinebuster puts Killshot down onto a big crate and a superplex onto the same crate makes things even worse.

Somehow Killshot pops and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the ladder, followed by a top rope double stomp for our first near fall. It adds so much when they don’t do those every thirty seconds. Marty is fine enough to powerbomb Killshot over the top and through two tables at ringside for a really sick looking crash. That’s only good for two though and Killshot grabs a quick Killdriver for two. Marty laughs because he’s not all there.

Since two ladders aren’t enough, here’s a mega ladder to make it even worse. The ladder is set in the middle of the ring and there’s a table at either side. Both guys head up the ladder but here’s Mariposa to go after Killshot, only to have him knock her down through a table. With no one left to make a save, Killshot grabs Marty low and steals the dog tags back. A HUGE double stomp drives Marty through the other table and gives Killshot the pin at 22:33.

Rating: B+. Sometimes you just need to crank up the violence and let two guys beat the heck out of each other for a long time. This is the biggest win of Killshot’s career and he’s ready to move on to something more important. The blood on Marty’s face was a great visual and both guys looked awesome throughout. It’s a perfect way to blow off a feud like this and Marty can keep being creepy with someone else.

Muertes is beating up a helpless locker when Catrina comes in. Mil wants Puma, and I know this because he shouts I WANT PUMA. Catrina says patience is a virtue and she’s been waiting hundreds of years for something. She holds up the other half of the amulet to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show did a lot of good about moving the stories forward. You can see the major story being set up and tonight was about moving a bunch of pieces around a chess board. Lucha Underground is a rare company where the stories are so different than what you see in the ring as there’s a whole other world outside of the arena. It’s hard to say where this is going but there’s potential to have a lot of fun.

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

It’s week two of Ultima Lucha Dos and now we should be moving on to the bigger matches instead of last week’s unannounced mini tournament and that means we’re likely getting a title match this time around. This should be a lot of fun as Lucha Underground knows how to do the big shows. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Gift of the Gods Title and King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes in a death match.

Gift of the Gods Title: Siniestro de la Muerte vs. Daga vs. Mariposa vs. Marty Martinez vs. Sexy Star vs. Killshot vs. Night Claw

Elimination match, the title is vacant coming in and this is Claw’s debut. Killshot goes after Marty to start and there are no tags here. Speaking of tags, Marty puts the stolen dog tags down his trunks. Star kicks Mariposa in the mask to knock her outside but Daga kicks Star outside as well.

The other three start slugging it out in the middle with some quick rollup attempts for two each. Claw gives Daga a 619 but Muerte takes Claw down with a lifting reverse DDT. Daga drops Claw with a clothesline but gets kneed in the head, followed by a standing C4 to eliminate Muerte at 2:55.

We take a break and come back with Star knocking Mariposa off the top for a crash onto Daga, followed by a parade of dives. Back in and Daga grabs a guillotine choke on Marty, only to have Claw break it up with a guillotine legdrop. Well to be fair no one ever cared about logic around here. Claw makes up for it a bit with a super hurricanrana and Phoenix Splash to get rid of Daga at 11:10.

Everyone heads outside and Claw moonsaults off Dario’s office for your biggest spot of the season. As is so often the case in Lucha Underground though, there’s almost no time to let it soak in though as Killshot is up with a Death Valley Driver to send Mariposa into the apron. Claw comes back in to superkick Killshot for two but the Phoenix Splash misses, allowing Killshot to hit something like a One Winged Angel to put Claw away at 13:50.

We’re down to Mariposa, Marty, Star and Killshot and all four head to their own corner. They pair off as you would expect with the good ones taking over with some double teaming. Star dives over the top to take out Marty, leaving Mariposa to grab a sunset bomb for a quick two on Killshot. Marty curb stomps Killshot though and Mariposa adds the Butterfly Effect (Vertebreaker) for the elimination at 16:01.

Back from another break with Star getting a Fujiwara Armbar on Marty until Mariposa makes the save. The family starts double teaming but Marty punches his sister by mistake, allowing Star to grab a quick pin at 22:29. Star tells Marty to come back in and we get a KILL THE MOTH chant. A Black Widow has Marty in trouble but he pretty easily powers out and punches Star in the jaw for two. Star isn’t done though and grabs a cross armbreaker out of nowhere for the submission at 25:51.

Rating: B. That was the best possible winner as they’ve built Star up so well this season that you have to go somewhere with her at some point. Having her beat Mariposa and Marty back to back is a great way to cap off their feud as well. Night Claw was looking great at first and then was just out in the middle, which is one of the issues with these massive elimination matches. No one else really stood out here but the only thing that really mattered here was the winner anyway.

Joey Ryan and Cortez Castro tell Mr. Cisco that he’s cleared of all charges if his wire gets information on Dario Cueto.

Preview for next week’s two hour finale.

King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes

Death match, which I believe means hardcore. It’s a brawl to start with Mil throwing him to the mat but Cuerno gets in a few shots in the corner to take over. Mil is sent outside for the running Arrow but comes right back with a TKO to plant Cuerno. Some chair shots don’t seem to do much good as Cuerno kicks him away and dives off the balcony with a big cross body.

They both stagger to their feet and go up to the musical guest area with Mil hitting him in the head with a mic. Cuerno is kicked off the stage for a crash and it’s time for a ladder and a table. Mil takes too much time setting up said ladder and Cuerno kicks him in the head back inside, followed by a running clothesline to put him on the floor. Vampiro keeps calling this all violent and insane but it’s not exactly that much.

They head outside again and go up the steps with Mil going head first through a glass window. There’s no effect of course so Cuerno goes through it as well, leaving him to fall back down the steps. He won’t stay down again though and it’s a tornado DDT off the wall. Cuerno finds another table, prompting Matt to wonder how many can possibly be underneath a ring. The table isn’t used quite yet though as Mil wins a slugout and moves the steps around instead.

Cuerno backdrops him onto the ladder though and pulls out ANOTHER table, giving us four around the ring. As so many have before, Cuerno makes the mistake of going after Catrina and gets speared through a table. Back to back powerbombs put him through two more tables and Cuerno is basically done. A crowbar shot to the head destroys Cuerno even further and a Tombstone puts him out of his misery at 13:49.

Rating: B+. The ending really made this one as Cuerno set the monster off by going after Catrina, which has long since caused Muertes to lose his mind like this. Cuerno getting closer and closer but just not being enough to stop Muertes was a good story as well and the violence helped move things along. It’s not quite as good as some of the other brawls like this but Muertes is in his element here and it showed.

We look at Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr. from last year to set up Matanza vs. Pentagon Jr. next week.

Vampiro pours out his medication and says it’s time for him to go get his student ready.

We go to Dario’s office where he meets with the wired Mr. Cisco. Apparently Cisco is just here to check in but Dario doesn’t need anything. Cisco insists that he’s a loyal soldier but he sounds a bit too nervous. Dario won’t let him leave and asks if Cisco is wearing a wire. The wire is found so Dario grabs the mic and tells the cops to come get him. Dario picks up a bull statue and BEATS CISCO TO DEATH. He picks up the red phone and anxiously tells someone that it’s time to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Now that’s more like it. Last week’s show was a lot of fun but this felt like they were actually going for something important. Star winning was a good idea and the main event was one heck of a brawl. The interesting thing about Ultima Lucha though is that it the first two weeks really are just setting the table for the big showdowns next week, which really do a great job of making you want to see the finale. Well done here and the show was awesome like I was expecting coming into this season.

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