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

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

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

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

Aztec Medallion: Marty Martinez vs. The Mack

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

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

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

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

Aztec Medallion: Sinestro de la Muerte vs. King Cuerno

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

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

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

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

Aztec Medallion: Mascarita Sagrada vs. Cage

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

Chavo steals the medallion post match.

Aztec Medallion: Mariposa vs. Sexy Star

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vampiro approves of Pentagon’s actions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mariposa vs. Sexy Star

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

Post match Mack gets beaten down.

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

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Jr. vs. Matanza

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marty Martinez vs. The Mack

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

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

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

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

Johnny Mundo workout video.

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

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

Cage vs. Johnny Mundo

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

Cage vs. Taya

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

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

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

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

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

Aztec Warfare is in two weeks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: March 2, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re onto the sixth show of the season, putting us at the end of the first quarter. That’s something close to a milestone around here and we’ll be celebrating it with a ladder match for the Gift of the Gods Title as King Cuerno defends against Fenix. On top of that we might get some more developments on Dario Cueto’s whereabouts as he gets closer to the Temple. Or maybe some more sci-fi stuff that this show seems to feature at times. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on Marty the Moth’s sister stalking Sexy Star and Catrina making a pair of matches for tonight, including the ladder match and Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr.

Mil Muertes is in the back when Catrina comes in. Muertes actually talks and doesn’t like the idea of Cuerno vs. Fenix for the title shot because he should have destroyed them long ago. Catrina says she’s known him since he was a boy named Pasqual Mendoza. If it wasn’t for her, he never would have gotten out of the tomb. Muertes grabs her by the throat and demands to bury Pentagon and Puma instead. That’s a big negative though and Catrina disappears, leaving Muertes annoyed. Well as annoyed as an undead monster can be. Muertes really shouldn’t be talking as he has a strange voice that isn’t the best for TV.

In the arena, Muertes isn’t on his throne.

Sexy Star vs. Kobra Moon

Feeling out process to start and here’s the Mack (who Star asked to help her with the Moth) to ringside. Moon chops away and grabs an armbar as Mack leads cheers on the floor. Star gets in a very loud chop of her own so Moon grabs a hammerlock into a spinebuster for two. Advantage: Kobra. Moon tries to roll around on the mat but gets caught in a rocking surfboard. Cue the Moth for a distraction though, allowing Moon to grab the dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors for the submission at 2:58. Better match from Moon here but she’s still nothing noteworthy. Any chances she’s the sister?

Famous B. does another commercial, complete with masked luchadores. His offer this week is to many anyone famous if we just call him up. I have no idea where this is going, nor do I know if it’s awesome or stupid.

Rey Mysterio tells Dragon Azteca that he’s preparing him for destiny.

King Cuerno is at his house and narrates a highlight video talking about the importance of the hunt. He’ll win tonight too, though hopefully not in that cowboy outfit.

Fenix is Luchador of the Week.

Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr.

Pentagon wins an early slugout but Puma flips over his back to speed things up. A few Sling Blades drop Puma so he springboards right back in with a clothesline. Vampiro: “That’s a photo for our poster.” Completely agree as that looked great. Back in and a slingshot hilo gets two for Puma as the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for. Pentagon kicks him square in the ribs and hits one of those VERY loud chops against the ropes.

Puma hits a Superman Punch (makes sense as he’s the superhero of the show) and Vampiro is in the full Heenan Mode here, insulting almost everything Puma does and coaching Pentagon. The 630 is canceled and here’s Mil Muertes coming down the steps. Pentagon gets two off a middle rope Canadian Destroyer and both guys are down. Muertes rips the sling off his arm and comes in to chokeslam Pentagon for the DQ at 5:04.

Rating: C. That’s a very WWE ending and I’m not sure I like that in this promotion. That being said, it makes sense from a storyline perspective as Puma probably has a rematch coming to him and Pentagon is clearly the top challenger. The hero and the antihero against the villain in a three way feud for the title works just fine, though Pentagon seems to have lost a bit of his momentum, especially compared to the first episode.

Muertes lays out both guys post match.

Post break Catrina says all Muertes needed was a little motivation. Muertes says next week he’s defending against both of them to prove that this is his temple.

Big announcement: in three weeks, AZTEC WARFARE II, this time for the #1 contendership.

Gift of the Gods Title: Fenix vs. King Cuerno

Ladder match with Cuerno defending and Muertes returning to his throne to watch. Cuerno tries to throw him out to the floor to start but Fenix does something like a half 619 to come back in and drops Cuerno with a few quick shots. A running flip dive puts Cuerno down outside and it’s already time for the first ladder. Thankfully it’s an old rusty ladder because having the polished ones really wouldn’t suit this place.

Cuerno comes in for the save and powerbombs Fenix onto the ladder. For some reason, a reason that Vampiro doesn’t see either, Cuerno sets up two ladders against the apron instead of climbing. Cuerno throws Fenix outside next to the ladders (again he doesn’t come off as all that bright) before dropping Fenix face first (albeit from a shorter distance) onto a ladder.

Again Cuerno takes forever to do anything, eventually dropping Fenix with a kick to the ribs. They head up a ladder on the floor with Fenix sending Cuerno into the ladder and down to the floor, leaving himself up on the balcony for a BIG flip dive down to the floor. Even Vampiro gets up to give that a round of applause but the fighting into the crowd isn’t as well received. Cuerno takes over again and throws Fenix down onto the ladder for a scary looking crash. They’re going very slowly here but at least the spots are big.

Fenix pops up way too fast and sends Cuerno into the ladder before ripping his chest off with another chop. They fight over another ladder and Cuerno gets smart by throwing a ladder into Fenix’s face. Fenix is able to springboard back in with a dropkick to stop Cuerno and it’s time for a slow double climb.

They grab the belt and lose the ladder for some serious gasping from the crowd before both of them fall in a crash. That was a simple spot on paper but you can feel the emotion from the crowd and that’s far more important. The Thrill of the Hunt puts Fenix down again but Cuerno, being a heel, feels the need for a table. Fenix breaks out of a super Thrill of the Hunt and hurricanranas (kind of) Cuerno through the table. A fast climb gives Fenix the title back at 16:43.

Rating: B. The stuff at the end was better but the first half of this featured a lot of walking around and wasting time instead of any real action. The idea was supposed to be that Cuerno was toying with his prey but that takes away so much of the logic of a ladder match by having Cuerno never go for the title which he seemed to enjoy having. Fenix fighting back made sense though and it’s a good match overall, even with a rather weak first half.

Overall Rating: B-. That goes for the whole show actually as the first part was nothing special but the main event was strong. The idea of the three way feud for the title and the Gift of the Gods Title looming over Muertes make for some good stories and the return of Aztec Warfare makes things even better. You know some big surprises are coming with that one and it’s going to be a big deal when it gets here. Good show this week that focused on developing some of the stories they’ve put together, which has been missing lately.

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:

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: July 15, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

It hasn’t occurred to me yet but we’re three weeks from Ultima Lucha. The majority of the card is put together and I’m actually looking forward to seeing the show, which is a great sign given how the build has been going. The big story coming out of last week is Vampiro vs. Pentagon, which isn’t likely to be the focus tonight given how things change around here. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Aztec medallions, Sexy Star vs. Super Fly and Pentagon vs. Vampiro.

Dario Cueto is in his office with the four remaining medallions. Pentagon Jr. is sitting across from him and Cueto offers him a medallion just for causing so much havoc. Pentagon doesn’t care about the medallions because if he did, Cueto would have a broken arm and Pentagon would have all of them. All he cares about is pleasing his master by facing Vampiro at Ultima Lucha. The master will be revealed when Pentagon has proven himself, which is pretty much guaranteed to mean at Ultima Lucha.

Quick commentator intro.

Aztec Medallion: Delavar Daivari vs. Bengala

Vampiro hates Daivari because he’s a face announcer this week. Bengala starts fast and sends Daivari outside for a quick suicide dive but Big Ryck shoves Bengala off the top to change control. At least he’s earning his pay. Back up and Bengala ducks a really weak looking clothesline, followed by a Tajiri handspring elbow to put both guys down.

A DDT and superkick get two each for Bengala as this is still a very spot heavy match. Ever the nitwit, Bengala goes after Ryck, allowing Daivari to grab a superplex for two. At least he has a good superplex. Daivari makes the mistake of relying on Ryck too much though, allowing Bengala to ram them together and German suplex Daivari for the pin and the medallion.

Rating: D+. Is there anyone less interesting in this company than Daivari? He’s a guy that has bounced around from promotion to promotion and there just isn’t that much interesting about him. Now he’s a rich guy and still not interesting, but at least the fans aren’t really even giving him the time of day anymore. Bengala isn’t anything of note as there are a half dozen guys doing basically the same thing but better.

The announcers chat for a bit but Vampiro goes to the ring. Post break, Vampiro talks about being in this business for over 30 years. He’s bled on every continent and knows what it takes to succeed, but last week Pentagon Jr. came out here and wanted Vampiro to have one more match. Vampiro isn’t interested because he has no ego, but he likes Pentagon because he sees a lot of himself in the kid. Cue Pentagon….to make fun of Vampiro for being named Ian Hodgkinson. Vampiro says that Ian won’t be fighting at Ultima Lucha, but someone named Vampiro will be. A chokeslam plants Pentagon and the match is official.

We go inside Sexy Star’s mind to see how upset she is over her feud with Super Fly.

Aztec Medallion: King Cuerno vs. Killshot

Cuerno chops away to start and tells the fans to be quiet so he can chop even harder. A dropkick sends Killshot to the floor but he kicks Cuerno in the head to stop a dive. I’m assuming the bow and arrow motion tipped Cuerno off. Or that everyone who does that move does it the same way. Another kick stops another dive from the apron so Cuerno just powerslams him onto the apron to put Killshot down. Cuerno hits a kind of reverse hurricanrana, followed by the Arrow but the Thrill of the Hunt is countered. That’s fine says Cuerno as he busts out a surfboard with a dragon sleeper for the win.

Rating: C. Not bad here with Cuerno being a full on face this time instead of the heel that he nailed so well. This doesn’t feel like a show that is about the wrestling, but at least this one got some time instead of flying through it like the first match did. Killshot is another guy who is just kind of there, which is totally acceptable.

Aztec Medallion: Super Fly vs. Sexy Star

Super Fly dropkicks her, Star kicks him low and a La Mistica armbar makes Fly tap in thirty seconds.

Cue Marty Martinez who wants to face Star for the medallion right now, because the medallion has a moth on it.

Aztec Medallion: Sexy Star vs. Marty Martinez

Star flips him around to start and armdrags him into the corner as Martinez is all messed up. The announcers jabber about Facebook as Martinez takes her down and puts on a figure four but Star quickly reverses. Another La Mistica makes Marty tap in short order. I have no idea why this needed to take place but at least Star wins.

We run down the Ultima Lucha card. I’m sold.

It’s time for the big showdown between Puma and Muertes. Cueto, moderating, says that he doesn’t want it to turn into a brawl. Therefore, the brawl is quickly on with Puma getting the better of it, only to have the Disciples of Death come in for help. Cue Konnan with his stick but Muertes nails him, allowing the Disciples to put Konnan in a casket as Puma takes the Flatliner to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This felt like Raw and that’s not a good thing. By that I meant that it was a bunch of matches that you didn’t need to see because four matches barely took ten minutes combined. Instead of the interesting matches for the previous medallions, this felt like (and probably was) a rushed way to fill out whatever match they’re having for them at Ultima Lucha. I’ve seen worse episodes, but the important thing here is I want to see Ultima Lucha. It’s a well built show and that’s all it needs to be.

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:

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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:

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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:

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

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

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

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

Argenis vs. Jack Evans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pentagon Jr. vs. Sexy Star

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: May 27, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

The big story this week is the return of Mil Muertes, who is looking like a demonic Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately Fenix is going to be the first victim on the path of rage, which is going to be made even worse as Fenix is the one that too Muertes out in the first place. Other than that we have Prince Puma defending the title against Hernandez. Let’s get to it.

We open with Catrina raising Muertes out of the casket in what looks like a trailer for a horror movie. Puma vs. Hernandez gets a bit of time as well but it’s definitely the secondary story tonight. The last clip is Mundo turning heel on El Patron.

Black Lotus arrives at the temple (in a rare daylight sequence) but Chavo stops him. His grandfather was there when Dario’s brother killed Lotus’ parents so the Guerreros hate the Cuetos too. This story is still over the top and ridiculous and I’m starting to love it.

Aerostar vs. Johnny Mundo

Star is sent down ten seconds in and Johnny goes for a chinlock with Star’s arm pinned back for some elbows to the chest. Mundo kicks him to the floor as this is a far more aggressive Johnny to start. Back up and Star spins around Johnny into a nice looking headscissors before a kick to the face and slingshot splash get two. A dropkick to the leg sends Mundo outside, setting up a big flip dive to the floor.

Mundo goes right back to slugging the masked man in the head and putting on an Anaconda Vice. After ropes are reached, Mundo kicks him in the face again for two more but Mundo plants him with a backbreaker. The End of the World is broken up so Johnny just suplexes him into the corner, setting up the End of the World for the pin.

Rating: C. This worked well enough with Mundo’s new heel persona working. However, Star got in way too much offense for Johnny’s first opponent after a heel turn. Thankfully it was just token offense with Mundo never in any real danger, but this should have been a squash instead as even as it was.

Vampiro’s sitdown interview this week is with Sexy Star, who isn’t worried about her upcoming submission match with Pentagon Jr. because she already beat him once. Super Fly is still healing and she’s ending Pentagon Jr. for him.

Lucha Underground Title: Hernandez vs. Prince Puma

Puma is defending. Hernandez easily blocks an early hurricanrana attempt and throws Puma down but he comes back by kicking Hernandez in the head. The big guy bails to the floor and Puma teases a dive to tick him off even more. Back in and Hernandez slingshots into a Codebreaker for a nice counter. It’s almost all Puma so far and a springboard cross body gets two.

Hernandez gets tired of being on defense and just nails Puma with a clothesline. It’s simple but Hernandez using such basic offense compared to Puma’s high flying is a nice touch. A running splash gets two but Hernandez poses a bit too much and gets kicked in the head. That just annoys him though and a choke suplex sends him flying. Puma’s cross body is countered into an Alpha Bomb (slam into a sitout powerbomb) and the kickout surprises the big man.

A big shove sends Puma to the floor (nice and simple again) so Konnan comes up on the apron for a distraction, allowing Puma to grab a chair to knock Hernandez out of the air. That goes nowhere so Hernandez plants him with a powerbomb onto the apron, which should completely destroy him. Instead Puma is countering a Border Toss into the barricade and landing on the rail for a big corkscrew dive to take Hernandez down.

Another slingshot splash gets another two but the 630 misses and Hernandez plants him with a powerslam. Hernandez’s splash hits knees and for once that actually hurts someone’s knee. It doesn’t hurt enough to stop him from kicking Hernandez in the head a few times for two. Even more kicks to the head set up the 630 to retain the title.

Rating: B-. I liked it but I didn’t love it. As usual, the selling here didn’t last more than about ten seconds at a time, which makes for some very quick turnarounds. That being said, the sped up matches are the norm here and almost no one selling that long makes it a lot easier to sit through. Good match and a good win for Puma, though nothing all that remarkable.

Fenix vs. Mil Muertes

Death match, which means pin or submission only and the fall has to take place in the ring, which means it was nice knowing you Fenix. Muertes, now all in black, stares a hole through Fenix and has three men in skull masks to take off his cape. Fenix tries a dive over the top during the entrances but he literally just bounces off of Muertes. Oh this is going to hurt. Muertes throws him inside and powerslams Fenix down for some right hands. He’s moving around like a zombie with superpowers, which is one heck of a B movie concept.

Fenix’s kicks are swatted away and a swinging chokeslam plants him down. He finally manages to crotch Mil on top and run down the ropes to kick Muertes to the floor. A big multiple jump moonsault drops Mil again but he pops up and nails a hard clothesline. To make things even worse for Fenix, Mil grabs a chair and caves his head in. Fenix of course shrugs it off and nails a superkick, setting up a huge double stomp off the barricade to crush Muertes’ chest.

Back in and Fenix scores with some kicks, only to get hiptossed out to the floor. More chair shots have Fenix in big trouble so Muertes throws him onto his shoulders and sprints up the steps. Fenix’s kicks have no effect and Muertes powerbombs him THROUGH THE ROOF OF THE STORAGE ROOM. We actually take a break (for I think only the third time in this series) and come back with the skull guys carrying Fenix (with the required Jesus pose) to the ring for the Flatliner and the pin.

Rating: C+. Oh yeah this worked. The wrestling obviously wasn’t the point here as Muertes is suddenly the top evil in this company. The powerbomb destroyed Fenix and made the debut of the new character work so well. Really good debut here with Muertes looking exactly like the monster he should. Muertes killing Puma and taking the title needs to be academic at this point.

Catrina, Muertes and the skull guys pose as the credits roll.

We’re not done yet as Lucha Underground channels its inner Marvel with a pose credits sequence. Cueto meets with the Crew and says El Jefe (the boss) will not be embarrassed. Someone has to pay for this and the other two throw Bael into Cueto’s brother’s cage. Blood splatters everywhere and Cueto rubs some onto his face. Did we just see a death sequence to end the show?

Overall Rating: B. This was a solid effort as they’re clearly building up a lot of stuff for the end of the season. It’s so strange to be building towards a season finale instead of a big pay per view but this is actually working for me. Muertes is awesome as a monster, Cueto is awesome as an evil boss and the heroes are all solid as well to top it off. Cool show here as they’re setting the stage for the big stuff to wrap things up, including Black Lotus as a wildcard. Good stuff.

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Lucha Underground
Date: May 13, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

Another week, another awesome show from Lucha Underground. The big story here is Alberto vs. Hernandez with the winner getting an eventually title shot at Prince Puma. There’s also the impending return of Mil Muertes, who is probably going to want to kill a few dozen people to make himself feel better. In other words, this show should be great. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Patron beating Mundo last week for the right to face Hernandez tonight for the #1 contendership.

Cueto talks to his unseen brother about spending a fortune to find some medallions that will make a warrior stronger than a god. Tonight, the battles for the medallions begin.

The announcers mention a new superstar debuting tonight.

Aerostar vs. Jack Evans

Here’s the debut and someone I’m really not a fan of. Evans is one of the cockiest wrestlers of all time and the king of the unnecessary flips. The fans are behind Aerostar as he dropkicks Evan in the back to start. He puts Evans on the middle rope for his completely unnecessary (common word in this match) run across the ropes into a hurricanrana. Evans backflips from the middle rope to the apron but gets knocked to the floor for a flip dive from Aerostar, who comes up holding his knee.

Back in and Evans flips some more before kicking Star in the neck. Off to an STF of all things, which is surprising as you almost never see a submission in this company outside of Pentagon Jr. A standing corkscrew moonsault (Striker: “Ode to Blitzkrieg!” Makes sense as Blitzkrieg gave Evans the gimmick) gets two for Evans and he drops Star on his head with a German suplex.

A big hiptoss sends Evans to the floor and Star throws him into the barricade for good measure. Jack pops back up for a 450 off the same barricade to pop the crowd. Back in and Evans misses another springboard splash but catches Star on top. Evans: “EL MEJOR LUCHADOR!” (the best luchador). Star will have none of this and channels his inner Canadian with a super Canadian Destroyer for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was fun but I can never ignore all the flips for the sake of flips. Evans is a really solid heel but it was the right call to have him lose here. They’re getting somewhere with Aerostar and that’s a very important key to a company like this. Good little match here, but the flips made my eyes roll. The knee was forgotten as soon as it was introduced too.

The Mack is impressed by all the money Big Ryck has but Ryck is annoyed at their failure to win the Trios Titles. Ryck says this business is all about making money and for the right price, he’ll beat up anyone.

Fenix vs. Sexy Star vs. The Mack vs. Killshot vs. Cage vs. King Cuerno vs. Pentagon Jr.

I’m assuming this is one fall to a finish. Cueto says the winner of this gets one of the seven Aztec medallions. It’s a huge brawl to start until Fenix and Pentagon are the only to standing. Fenix takes over by bouncing to the top for a missile dropkick as everyone else fights on the floor. Pentagon comes back with a running tornado DDT before the two of them go outside as well.

Cuerno and Killshot head inside to replace them with Killshot taking him to the mat. That lasts as long as you would expect until Killshot dropkicks him down, only to eat a hard kick to the head of his own. Star comes in with a shot from behind on Cuerno and is quickly replaced by Killshot, who gets his head taken off by Cage. The Mack comes back in and kicks Cage to the floor, only to have him run right back in to help Cuerno with a double suplex on Mack and Killshot.

Almost everyone gets back in but Star’s shots have no effect on Cage. Instead it’s Fenix kicking Cage down until Mack takes Cage out to the floor. Pentagon gets back in for a few seconds before it’s he and Fenix hitting top rope double stomps on Killshot and Mack before clotheslining each other to give Cage and Cuerno two each with Cage and Star making the saves. Got all that? Cuerno kicks Cage instead of Star, who then dives onto Pentagon on the floor.

Cage slams Mack down but gets nailed by Killshot. Star grabs a rollup on Fenix but Killshot blasts the girl to put everyone down. Mack gets two on Cage off a standing moonsault (that looked cool) before it’s back to Fenix diving over the top to take Pentagon down again. Cage catches Fenix’s suicide dive in a suplex but Killshot dives onto both of them to put everyone not named Cuerno down.

Cuerno’s Arrow nails Killshot as Pentagon and Star get back in. Fenix runs in to save Star but Pentagon manages a modified Widow’s Peak to Star and a package piledriver on Fenix AT THE SAME TIME. That looked awesome but Star stops him from breaking Fenix’s arm. Fenix pops back up with a quick hurricanrana and most of a standing moonsault for the pin on Pentagon.

Rating: B. Fun match but that’s the highest a match like this can go. It wasn’t much from a quality standpoint but that’s the fun part about Lucha Underground: they don’t try to be anything more than a very fun show without the quality being all that strong. Fun stuff here and Fenix continues to look like something awesome out there.

Cueto says that the Crew is getting a shot at the Trios Titles for winning a regular tag match last week. Son of Havoc says that’s not fair as Ivelisse has a broken leg but Cueto makes it a ladder match for fun.

Katrina (looking GOOD here) comes in to Fenix’s locker room and says Muertes is even stronger than ever. He’s coming for Fenix, and that makes Fenix a pawn of death. Catrina leaves and Fenix sees men in skull masks staring at him.

Hernandez vs. Alberto El Patron

#1 contenders match and you have to win by pinfall or submission, basically making this a street fight. Feeling out process to start with Patron accepting a test of strength for no logical reason. Hernandez drives him into the corner and knocks him out to the floor for some rams into the apron. They get inside again and Patron gets two off a quick Backstabber but Hernandez runs him over to block the low superkick.

Something like a DDT and the low superkick are good for two on Hernandez but here’s Johnny Mundo to pull Alberto to the floor for a DDT before throwing him through a window and right into Cueto’s office. The smile on Cueto’s face is another great example of why he’s awesome. Fans: “WHY JOHNNY WHY???” Hernandez pins the bloody Patron with ease.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to get anywhere and it was all about the angle anyway. Mundo has the potential to be a really strong heel as there hasn’t been a big bad (wrestler at least) in Lucha Underground for a while now. Hernandez vs. Puma should be fun, as should Patron coming back to get revenge on Mundo.

Mundo says this is his world as Patron is taken out on a stretcher.

Overall Rating: B+. As usual, Lucha Underground is some of the most fun wrestling you’ll see anywhere right now. They know exactly what they’re going for here and that’s one of the most important things you can have in a wrestling company. Really fun episode this week and they’re going to be ready to knock it out of the park soon with their big shows.

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