Lucha Underground
Date: April 22, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re coming up on the season finale of this series, which is scheduled to end with a big PPV style show that hasn’t been announced on TV as of yet. The big story tonight is the finals of the Trios Titles tournament with the three way final for the inaugural titles. We also have Sexy Star vs. Pentagon with Star finally standing up to his evil. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap sets up the tournament final and a bit about Pentagon vs. Star.

Black Lotus says she isn’t sure when she gets to fight but she knows she’s ready. Now she’s just waiting on her master. We see a montage of her beating people up in shadow. The master shows up and easily puts her down, saying Lotus isn’t ready.

The house band plays us in. They could easily drop this in season 2.

The Trios Titles are at the commentary desk.

Sexy Star vs. Pentagon Jr.

Ring announcer Melissa Santos limps away after seeing Pentagon coming in due to him injuring her last week. Star takes over to start and the camera makes sure to keep showing Santos at ringside with the tape around her ankle. Pentagon comes back with a hard chop as the fans are split on who to cheer for, which Striker says represents the evil spreading throughout the temple.

Star sends him face first into the middle buckle and chokes in the corner, followed by something like a slingshot bronco buster for two. A HARD kick to the ribs puts Star back down so Striker calls him a no limit soldier. Please, ANYTHING but that horrible stable again. Bring back the Beverly Brothers before you make me sit through that one more time. Star rolls away from the armbar attempt and gets to the floor, only to start a chase scene capped off by a tornado DDT for two on Pentagon.

A dropkick puts him on the floor, setting up a big dive from Star to put both of them down again. Back up and Pentagon gets two off something like Project Ciampa (powerbomb into a Backstabber) for two. The armbar is escaped again and Star spins around his shoulders into a Backstabber of her own for the pin (with the referee ignoring the arms flailing everywhere, including off the mat).

Rating: C+. Good enough match here that likely sets up Pentagon’s master going after him for punishment. Pentagon should have been a bit more dominant and, perhaps, GONE AFTER THE ARM, but the action was good enough and you get a quick feel good moment with Santos some revenge.

Johnny Mundo is working out when Alberto El Patron comes in to remind Johnny that he lost last week. Alberto came here because of Johnny’s match with Prince Puma, which made it an even bigger surprise when Puma beat him in Aztec Warfare. Mundo isn’t cool with this line of speaking and says he isn’t just some guy that Alberto can slap around. Alberto tells him to chill and leaves.

The announcers talk about Drago’s huge night next week: either win the title or leave forever.

Trios Titles: Texano/Cage/King Cuerno vs. Mack/Big Ryck/Killshot vs. Ivelisse/Angelico/Son of Havok

Elimination rules with three in the ring at once (old school WCW triple threat tag rules for a BIG plus). I don’t know if it was mentioned earlier but Ryck and Mack are cousins. Angelico and Killshot double team Cage to start but he clotheslines both of them down with ease. A double suplex doesn’t go over with as much ease but it looks more impressive. Off to Cuerno, Angelico and Texano with Angelico getting double teamed, including Texano lifting him into the air for a knee to the face.

Killshot, who I believe is still legal, gets back in to give Angelico a breather so Cuerno kicks him in the ribs. Angelico gets stomped as well as Cuerno and company are dominating so far. A kick to the head staggers Cuerno and Killshot hits a double running knee to Texano’s chest. The referee is fine with four people being in the ring at once. Well five if you count the referee but who does that.

Mack comes in for a swinging slam on Texano, leaving us with a showdown of Mack vs. Havok. That’s fine with Mack who quickly dives over the top to take out Texano all over again. Havok teases a dive of his own but has to bail out, allowing Cage to take him down with a big clothesline. We get the big showdown between Ryck and Cage with Cage easily slamming the eyepatched one down.

Cage isn’t done though as he moonsaults down onto a big group of people, only to have Ryck take his head off with a clothesline back inside. Angelico hits a running knee off the apron to drive Texano into the front row, only to draw a “fan” (Daivari I believe) out to beat him up. Killshot hits a top rope double stomp to Texano and we have our first elimination as we go to a break, I believe for only the second time ever in this company. Oh that’s a nice thing to be able to say.

We come back after missing nothing (again, that’s REALLY nice to say) and Ryck splashing Angelico in the corner. Ivelisse seems to be holding her leg on the apron and Havok is nowhere to be seen. Mack chops Angelico down and Killshot hits a sick looking jumping kick to the back of the head for two. Ivelisse and Havok are back in the corner (adjacent to their opponents’ corner for some reason) but Angelico is still being destroyed.

Mack drops a top rope elbow to the back but Angelico is able to dump everyone not named Killshot and make the tag to Havok. Killshot is waiting for him with what looked like a running C4 for two but Havok blocks the top rope reverse hurricanrana. The injured Ivelisse goes up top but dives into the arms of Mack and Ryck. Havok dives onto all of them, leaving Angelico to hit the Fall of the Angels on Killshot for the pin and the titles in a nice surprise.

Rating: B. Fun match here and the ending wasn’t quite what I saw coming at first. It was a bit more obvious once Cuerno’s team was eliminated, but they gave it some good drama to get there. Also, I liked Angelico getting the pin instead of going with the more conventional idea of giving Ivelisse the big feel good win. Angelico has earned the right to get the pin in a big match.

We’re not done though as Cueto says there’s one more team and for fun, let’s make it a No DQ match. I don’t remember anyone not named Vince being this evil as the boss and I LOVE it.

Trios Titles: Angelico/Son of Havok/Ivelisse vs. The Crew

Anything goes. The Crew goes right after the winners on the floor and my fun is instantly marred as I can’t remember which Crew member is which. Bael stays on Ivelisse and the bad leg as we’re still waiting on anyone to get inside. Cisco beats up a mostly defenseless Angelico as Bael throws Ivelisse inside. Castro holds her for a cane shot but Havok remembers that he’s in this match and comes in for a save. Bael and Angelico go up the stairs with Angelico getting backdropped onto a platform above the ring.

Castro chokes Ivelisse with the stick as Havok gets suplexed off the barricade. That’s fine with him as he pops back up for a moonsault off the same barricade……AND ANGELICO DIVES OFF THE PLATFORM TO TAKE OUT CASTRO AND BAEL!!! Good night that was awesome and thankfully they let the match stop for a second to breathe. Ivelisse gets the stick and hammers on both downed guys before ordering her partners to the top. A stereo shooting star from Havok and double stomp from Angelico are enough to finally give us new champions.

Rating: B. The match wasn’t great but that dive was something else. I really liked the ending too as it felt like something special instead of just another title change. I don’t see them holding the belts for long but that’s a great way to give us the first set of champions. Angelico is on a roll right now and I actually want to see more of him, which isn’t something I say often.

Overall Rating: B+. This was WAY better than I was expecting and it got me into things in just forty five minutes. Outside of NXT, almost nothing is capable of doing that and it was a really nice surprise. This show has hit a huge groove and knows exactly what it wants to do every week, which is one of the most important things a wrestling company can do. The fact that Lucha Underground has done it in about six months is all the more impressive. Check this show out if you want a fun hour of wrestling that flies by.

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

Tonight is a big double main event with the finals of the best of five series between Drago and Aero Star for whatever the mystery prize may be, plus Cuerno’s team meeting Puma’s team in the Trios Title tournament. Last week wasn’t the best episode the show has ever had so they could use an upgrade tonight, hopefully with more logic abounding. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Trios Title tournament, the Puma v. Cuerno title match and the Aero Star vs. Drago series.

Cueto and Aero Star appear to be on the roof with Cueto saying Star needs to win tonight. Just remember that everything has a price.

The house band plays us in.

Trios Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Cage/King Cuerno/Texano vs. Johnny Mundo/Prince Puma/Hernandez

Hernandez and Cuerno get things going in what could be a decent fight. Cuerno kicks him into the corner to start and nails a forearm, only to have Hernandez shrug it off and catch a charging Cuerno. An attempt at an Alpha Bomb is countered into a sunset flip but Hernandez just laughs at him. A gorilla press drop sends the King flying but he makes the tag to Texano.

Hernandez throws him onto the shoulder and takes Texano into the corner with Johnny tagging himself in for some kicks to the ribs. He gets to nine but opts for a breakdancing kick for number ten in a nice touch. Off to Puma vs. Cuerno in a battle of royalty. Johnny tries to come in without a tag, allowing Cuerno and Texano to take turns slapping Puma. Well they’ve got the jerk thing down. Puma comes back with kicks to the head, allowing for the hot tag to Johnny as everything breaks down.

Hernandez throws Johnny at Texano in the corner, followed by Johnny’s running knee strikes to the head. The melee allows Texano to get in a cheap shot to Johnny and slap on a half crab to the bad knee. It’s finally off to Cage, with Striker singing his entrance to the tune of Man Called Sting from WCW. Just….stop with the unfunny comedy. Leave that to me. Puma gets the hot tag and sends Texano into Cage, making him DDT his own partner. Two things in a row I can’t stand indeed.

Everything breaks down and Hernandez hits a big dive to take out Cage, allowing Mundo and Puma to break up the Arrow from Cuerno. They follow that up with stereo corkscrew dives to put everyone down. After a bit on the floor it’s Cage vs. Puma inside, but everyone comes back in for a series of train spots in the corner (like seven in a row with both teams getting in shots. The Godfather would be proud.), setting up a 450 for two on Cage. Nice false finish there.

Texano hits a Codebreaker on Hernandez but Mundo hits a top rope spear to drop him as well. Puma’s Blue Thunder Bomb drops Cuerno and everyone is down again. Texano pulls out the bullrope to nail Mundo and Puma in succession, setting up the Thrill of the Hunt to pin the champ and send Cuerno’s team to the finals.

Rating: C+. If they’re going for anarchy with the Trios Titles, they’re on the right track. I don’t mind it here as that’s the style they seem to be going for, but it’s still not something I can get into for the most part. Cuerno didn’t need to pin Puma though, unless that’s Puma’s next challenger. It also shows that there was no need for last week to be a title match.

Cueto is thrilled with the win but wants a preview of next week. Therefore it’s one member of each team in a three way match right now.

Cage vs. The Mack vs. Son of Havok

Havok and Mack try to double team Cage to start but they can’t quite get it together. Vampiro thinks we should give this to Havok because he’s a fan favorite, which is more proof that Vampiro is stupid. The Mack sends Havok to the floor but charges into Cage’s boot in the corner. That goes nowhere though and Mack puts cage down in the corner, only to have Havok come in and take him down for two off a standing moonsault.

Cage gets back up but walks into some suplexes from Mack, only to have Havok crotch him on the top. Havok hurricanranas Mack into a Swanton onto Cage for two but Mack makes the save and hits his own standing moonsault for two. The announcers talk about PCP (that would explain so much) and we get a Tower of Doom with Mack being superplexed down (Striker: “Who took the brunt of it though?” Striker…..just dang man.).

Mack rolls to the floor (BECAUSE HE GOT SUPERPLEXED AND POWEBOMBED AT THE SAME TIME YOU STUPID STUPID MAN) but Havok uses Cage as a stepping stone into a suicide dive to take Mack down. Cage heads outside so Havok can try another dive, only to get caught in a delayed vertical suplex. Ok that looked awesome. Back in and Mack breaks up Weapon X with a kick to the face but Havok drops Mack, only to miss the shooting star. A quick Weapon X (Cage really needs a better finisher for a move with that name) is enough to pin Havok.

Rating: C. Striker induced rage aside, this was a fun three way with everyone looking decent enough. Mack still stands out like a sore thumb but he’s athletic enough to get by. This was a nice preview for next week and the best thing they probably could have done. I like it better than a random brawl because wrestling is the focus here. Imagine that.

Cueto goes into a bathroom to talk to Drago, where he asks if Aero Star is going to slay the dragon. Cueto leaves and Drago…..spits up blue goo.

Pentagon is in the ring without a match scheduled. He dedicates his next sacrifice to his master and goes after the ring announcer, drawing Vampiro out of his seat but Sexy Star comes out for the real save.

Aero Star vs. Drago

Cueto is doing the ring announcing and goes insanely over the top with the facial expressions. The winner wins the series and a unique opportunities. Drago takes him down to start and puts on something like a chinlock as we see Cueto looking all sinister. Star heads to the apron and pulls Drago down by the head, setting up a slingshot backsplash for two. That’s fine with Drago who ties Star up in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick to the face. As usual, when all else fails, KICK HIM IN THE FACE.

Both guys get back up and growl, setting up a double clothesline to get a breather. Star is up first with a 619 to the ribs, followed by a dropkick to send Drago outside. Something like Stardust’s Falling Star puts Drago down but Star can’t follow up. Back in and Drago hits a quick backsplash for two but Star sends him into the corner for something like a seated senton to the back for two of his own.

The springboard splash gets two for Star but Drago kicks him back to the floor. It’s table time and Cueto smiles approvingly. Apparently this is no countout and no DQ, which is the first mention of this that I’ve heard but it makes the match a bit more interesting. Star fights back and puts Drago on the table, setting up a running springboard splash for the HUGE spot of the match.

Back in and a springboard backsplash gets two on Drago as frustration begins setting in. The fans are split here as Star gets two off a quick victory roll. Drago gets the same off a small package and they slowly slug it out as Striker compares the bottom of the ninth to overtime because he doesn’t get traditional sports either. A big kick sends Star into the ropes and he looks out on his feet, so the Dragon’s Lair is enough to give Drago the series.

Rating: B+. They saved the best for last as this was an amped up version of what they usually do. I could have gone with either guy winning here so Drago is fine with me. The good thing is either guy can go on to something else so everyone is still in good shape. Really fun stuff here as both guys looked good in matches that didn’t have to be great for you, but man alive they were entertaining.

Cueto congratulates Drago on the win and gives him his prize: a Lucha Underground Title shot. That’s a bit too tame though, so if Drago loses, he’s out of Lucha Underground forever. Now that’s how you heel it up: being evil BECAUSE YOU CAN.

Overall Rating: B. Yep they’re fine. This is the Lucha Underground I’ve come to know and love as everyone was all fired up tonight to set up the big title match next week. The cool thing about this company is they can throw enough curves to keep you surprised while also giving you exactly what you’re hoping to see out of a show like this. Good show this week and it’s nice to see them back on track.

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

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

The tournament continues tonight as we try to find the first Trios Tag Team Champions. I get the idea behind doing this instead of having a regular set of Tag Team Titles but it’s not really winning me over just yet. If nothing else, it doesn’t help that the matches usually break down into insanity too quickly, though that can be said about a lot of things on this show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s tournament match and Prince Puma successfully defending his title against Cage.

Konnan and Puma are in Cuerno’s office. The boss wants Puma in the tournament to make it mean more, so he needs to get some partners because next week he’s facing King Cuerno and two partners who will be ringside tonight for Cuerno’s title shot.

Trios Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round: Son of Havok/Ivelisse/Angelico vs. Aero Star/Fenix/Drago

Well that’s different. Fenix and Angelico slap hands to start but Fenix counters a monkey flip with a double stomp to the back to take over early. Off to Ivelisse who gets thrown into Angelico, only to have him flip her over to the apron and come in instead. Fenix kicks Angelico in the face and it’s off to Drago for a DDT as Vampiro goes into fanboy mode. Now we get to the problems as Fenix goes to the middle rope and Star climbs onto his shoulders for an elbow, but Drago wants the pin.

Off to Havok vs. Star with the fans behind the former as he gets two off a standing shooting star press. Ivelisse comes in off a slap but Angelico tags himself in and gets spun around by Star, allowing Drago to come in for a tornado DDT. Angelico is sent to the floor so Fenix can launch Drago onto him, but Fenix’s corkscrew dive hits his partner by mistake. Back in and Ivelisse hits a running DDT (Think Dolph Ziggler) to stun Fenix before Havok hits a flip dive on Drago.

Fenix dives on everyone so Ivelisse dives on everyone not named Fenix (he only got a rope kicked between his legs). Fenix walks the ropes to drop an elbow on Angelico, leaving Drago to kick Havok back inside. That’s fine with Havok as he springboards off the ropes into a double back elbow to Drago and Star. Ivelisse short arms Havok on a tag attempt and walks out, so Havok kicks Drago in the head and hits the shooting star to advance to the finals.

Rating: B-. This fits into the category of a match that isn’t really good from a quality standpoint but man alive was it fun. They were flying all over the place and hitting dive after dive, which is all you need for something like this. It doesn’t hurt that Ivelisse looks great and can back it up in the ring. Fun stuff here.

Konnan has found Puma a partner with Hernandez. Johnny Mundo pops up and says Puma already asked him to be his partner because he wants a piece of Cuerno. Konnan isn’t pleased.

Sexy Star vs. Super Fly

This is mask vs. mask, which really should be a bigger deal than it is here. Cueto set this up because Star saved Fly from having his arm broken and Cueto is kind of a jerk. Star works on a wristlock to start before they fight over a top wristlock. They hit the mat and come up in a standoff before Fly just pops her in the face to take over. Back up and Star kicks him in the ribs and nails an X-Factor (modified version of an old Konnan sequence) but Fly slaps her in the face again.

A middle rope hurricanrana drops Fly to the floor and Star hits a big dive for good measure. Striker is doing play by play a mile a minute here, which is FAR easier to sit through than his fanboy stuff. Back in and a Codebreaker gets two for Star but she grabs a running DDT for the same. Fly powerbombs her down and goes up for a moonsault but Star rolls away and grabs La Majistral for the pin.

Rating: D. Uh….what the heck was that? They set up a lucha de apuesta and blow it off in the span of eight minutes? That’s totally out of character for this promotion and I’m really surprised they did this. I know it’s because Super Fly recently lost his mask in Mexico and they had to get rid of it here too, but they could have built this up for weeks given their taping schedule. One good note here: Star looked like a wrestler who happened to be a woman. That’s a good sign.

Post break, Fly kneels so Star can unmask him in a pretty emotional moment. Pentagon Jr. comes in and snaps his arm.

Lucha Underground Title: Prince Puma vs. King Cuerno

So is Cuerno Puma’s father or are they from different countries? The champ has Hernandez, Konnan and Mundo in his corner but Cuerno’s partners are revealed to be Cage and Texano. Feeling out process to start with both guys grabbing wristlocks but Cuerno bails to the floor. Puma dives on the partners but they throw him to Cuerno for a neckbreaker. Mundo and Hernandez come over for a save but the sandpaper snake stops them.

We get a….oh you don’t know what Striker means when he mentions a sandpaper snake? It’s Texano’s bullrops. How did you not get that connection? Back in and Cuerno stomps away before kicking Puma hard in the ribs. Texano gets in some cheap shots on Puma’s leg as the referees around here continue to be kind of worthless. Puma comes back with a Superman Punch but eats an enziguri from the apron.

A big flip dive over the top takes Cuerno down (why he was on the floor isn’t shown as we were looking at the commentators) and Mundo follows with a flip pf his own. Striker: “Arguably the best athlete on the planet!” WHAT PLANET IS HE TALKING ABOUT???? Mundo is good but dude, come on. Back in and Puma gets two off something like a Blue Thunder Bomb but misses a springboard 450. Cuerno rolls some Germans for two but the partners get up on the apron for some cheap shots but Puma wants Hernandez to get down (Puma didn’t see Hernandez interfere). The 630 retains Puma’s title.

Rating: C. Uh…why was the title on the line here? Tell me, what does this add to this match? Cuerno lost his last match against Mundo in the cage but for some reason he gets a title match here? That’s the kind of bad logic that Lucha Underground usually avoids but this felt like throwing a title match on the show so they could say we have a title match tonight. The wrestling was your standard fare here but I never got into it with all the other moving parts at ringside.

Hernandez tries to raise Puma’s hand but the champ doesn’t want his praise. Everything breaks down into a big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. They’re entitled to a misfire every now and then. The problem with this show was the lack of patience and wanting to just hotshot everything at once. Instead of letting something build up over a few weeks, they announced a mask vs. mask match and a title match on one show. That’s the kind of low level mistake that you don’t expect from these guys and I hope it’s not something that continues in the future. Not much to this week but it’s hard to get too upset in 45 minutes.

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

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

We’re coming to the start of some new stuff here as last week wrapped up some stories. First and foremost, Prince Puma is still Lucha Underground Champion and has a much better looking belt. The victory might have set up a feud between Hernandez and either Puma or Cage. We also might see some fallout between Son of Havoc and Ivelisse. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap this week is a mix of a bunch of stories with the Crew, Ryck and Drago vs. Aerostar all getting time.

Ryck and two large men (the Mack and Kill Shot) come in to see Cueto. The word on the street is that Cueto ordered the hit on Ryck. Cueto panics and introduces the Trios Titles, offering the three of them a spot in the tournament in exchange for his safety. It’s a deal but they take Cueto’s money as a bonus.

There’s a new house band this week.

Johnny Mundo vs. Angelico

Angelico is getting a lot of ring time recently. Mundo takes him to the mat but Angelico is smart enough to get to the ropes without messing up his hair. A kick to the chest staggers Johnny but he kicks Angelico right back into the corner. Angelico speeds things way up as they start with some running kicks and punches. Mundo gets dropped but nips up into a standoff for a nice sequence.

Mundo sends him to the floor and misses a dive, only to land on his feet. He’s awesome like that you know. They head to the wall in front of the fans with Mundo jumping over it, stopping himself when Angelico moves and immediately jumping at Angelico with the Flying Chuck. Back inside and a running knee the to the face gets two on Angelico. Angelico rolls away from the End of the World before spinning around Johnny’s shoulders into a sunset flip for two. A nice pinfall reversal sequence gives us a series of near falls and Angelico hits a quick double stomp (Vampiro: “Shades of Perro Aguayo”) for two more.

Back up and they slug it out with Angelico taking over off a jumping knee to the face and the kick to the head from the mat. The Flying Chuck gets two for Mundo but Angelico hits a quick Fall of the Angels (running Razor’s Edge throw into the corner) for the same. Mundo goes to the corner and gets kicked in the head again, only to powerbomb his way out of a hurricanrana. The End of the World is good for the pin on Angelico. Why couldn’t Johnny make it that accurate back in WWE?

Rating: B-. I had a lot more fun with this one than I was expecting as Angelico is getting better and better every week. He’s still not what I would call good but he’s more polished out there. That kick from the mat is a sweet little spot and I’m liking him more and more every time I see him. Mundo is one of the best guys in the promotion still and seems a few steps ahead of them, but that’s to be expected.

The mystery chick (remember her?) talks about being kidnapped and wanting to kill the man who took her. The man was named El Dragon Azteca and he was there the night her parents were slaughtered. Now he’s teaching her to fight to gain her revenge. Did I stumble into a kung fu movie by mistake?

Alberto El Patron congratulates Johnny on his win and they shake hands. Johnny asks if Patron is here to face guys he knows he can beat or does he want a challenge. That gets a raised eyebrow but Johnny is just kidding. Alberto forgot about Johnny altogether because Johnny had almost quit on wrestling. Johnny says he’s the face of this company but Alberto just chuckles. Now there’s a big match in the making.

Sexy Star wants in the trios tournament but Cueto says she has no partners. He has an idea though: Super Fly and Pentagon Jr. They get Ryck and company in the main event tonight.

Aero Star vs. Drago

This is match number four in the best of five series with Aero Star holding a 2-1 lead. I think you know what that means for this one. Feeling out process doesn’t last long as Drago flips over Star’s back but gets rolled up for a fast two. A kick to the face gives Drago an advantage that isn’t likely to last long before he totally misses another kick in the corner, which Star thankfully doesn’t sell. Star scores with a dropkick and throws Drago to the floor as Vampiro says this is like the NHL playoffs.

After a quick dive, Star throws him back in for two off a springboard splash. Star misses a charge and falls to the floor but Drago doesn’t follow up for some reason. Instead he puts on a headscissors hold which lasts as long as you would expect a hold to last in a match like this. Drago dropkicks him to the floor but doesn’t follow up again, opting for a kind of powerbomb back inside. Something like a middle rope Whisper in the Wind sets up a rolling cradle to tie the series with a fast pin.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have the time to get really fun but these two are able to have entertaining matches against each other. The big finale should main event whatever show it’s on and I’m actually curious as to what the winner gets. Just a title shot would seem a bit too simple, but they’re running out of things to give them.

They shake hands but go head to head post match.

Cueto is disappointed with Angelico, Son of Havok and Ivelisse, so he puts them together in the trios tournament. I’m kind of curious as to who else is going to be in the tournament. You can pencil in the Crew, but who else can there be? Angelico and Ivelisse leave and Havok tells Cueto that he dumped her. Ok then.

Trios Titles Tournament First Round: Kill Shot/The Mack/Big Ryck vs. Super Fly/Pentagon Jr./Sexy Star

Mack (known elsewhere as Willie Mack. He was signed to WWE for like a day back in the fall of 2014) is your standard stereotypical black wrestler with an afro and a pick while Kill Shot is a masked man who looks like Kenny King. You might know him from the indies as Shane Strickland. Pentagon dedicates this to his master as usual. Mack cranks on Pentagon’s wrist to start as Vampiro explains the history of the trios matches, dating back to CMLL over a hundred years ago (the company turned 82 this year, which is the longest running wrestling promotion in the world).

The pretty good sized Mack flips over Pentagon and the fans are way into him. Striker goes old school with a Norvell Austin reference before Pentagon dropkicks Mack down and adjusts his wrist tape. A VERY loud chop stuns Mack in the corner and the fans are already cheering for Pentagon. That’s fine with Mack as he just plows over Pentagon for two but the masked dude comes back with a Backstabber (not a lung blower Matt. You’ve been better about that recently so don’t start again).

Off to Super Fly vs. Kill Shot, with the latter handstanding into a headscissors. Super Fly backflips over him and takes Kill down with a springboard wristdrag. Star comes in for the first time and goes right after Kill Shot but he chops her right back to take over. She gets two off a headscissors of her own but Ryck comes in for the save and starts hurting people. Sexy gets thrown over the top onto her partners, with Striker giving it ZERO notice as he reads his history lessons off a paper.

Kill and Mack hit their own dives to take everyone down though to finally get Striker’s attention. Ryck loads up a dive of his own but is nice enough to run right at the corner Star is on, setting up a high cross body for two. It’s off to Ryck vs. Pentagon with the big man hitting another loud chop, only to eat a superkick to put him down again. Pentagon vs. Kill Shot now with both guys failing at their kicks until Pentagon gets two off a fisherman’s driver.

Everything breaks down with Pentagon throwing Star up for a hurricanrana (ala Rey Mysterio) to Shot, setting up a Superfly Splash from Super Fly (how appropriate) but Ryck breaks it up at two. Ryck plants Fly with a spinebuster for two before Pentagon starts firing off the kicks. That’s fine with Ryck as he knocks Pentagon outside and swats Star away. Mack hits a brainbuster on Fly, setting up a top rope double stomp from Kill Shot for the pin to advance. In the first mention of this, there are three regular matches in the tournament with the winners going on to a three team final. That explains a bit.

Rating: C+. Not bad here but there were some flaws. I’m not a fan of this insane style, but to be fair that’s what they’re going for as it’s the lucha libre standard. These trios matches are more of a tradition than anything else, though I’m really not sure they warranted a title. Mack wasn’t bad, Kill Shot was just there, and I’m still not sure about having Ryck as a top guy. He’s definitely better as a wrecking machine though.

Pentagon goes after Fly’s arm but Star breaks it up and bails with Super Fly.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another good show from the company, as they continue to never let the show get boring. Even with something we’ve seen multiple times now in Aero Star vs. Drago, they kept it moving fast enough that it didn’t get dull. That’s a major problem for so many promotions but the one hour time slot makes it a lot easier to keep things moving. Totally watchable show this week, even though it was nothing that blew me away.

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: March 18, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

This company has been on a roll in the last few weeks and I’m looking forward to this show more every time. The big story coming out of last week was Johnny Mundo taking out King Cuerno in the cage and likely getting closer to a title shot. Other than that we have Big Ryck hunting the Crew for putting his eye out with a lit cigar. That just sounds cool. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Crew attacking Ryck and Ryck beating Sexy Star to earn a three on one match against the Crew. Another video us the Aero Star vs. Drago series and Mil Muertes vs. Fenix tonight in a casket match. I’m digging these quick recaps to bring viewers up to speed. Notice that Lucha Underground can do these in about a minute while WWE takes close to five sometimes.

Aero Star vs. Drago

This is match three in a best of five series with the score tied. Drago scores with a quick headscissors but Star armdrags him right back down for another standoff. We hit the mat for something resembling an STF from Drago, followed by a modified figure four. This is more psychology than I’ve seen in this company in months. Back up and Star gets two off a victory roll as his leg seems perfectly fine. So much for the psychology.

They head to the floor with Star diving under the bottom rope and catching Drago coming in with a right hand to the head. Both guys try cross bodies back inside and we get a breather. Star sends him outside for a big flip dive but Drago grabs an Orton DDT for two on the way back in. A spinning Rock Bottom gets the same on Star, so he changes the pace with a hard kick to the face.

Star misses the springboard splash though and both guys are down again. That sell job lasts all of five seconds before Drago sends him back to the floor for a big corkscrew plancha. A Liger Bomb plants Star again but he crotches Drago on top, setting up the completely unnecessary rope walk into a hurricanrana. Now the springboard splash is enough to give Star the pin.

Rating: C+. The other day I heard some people talk about the Fast and the Furious franchise. Those movies are never going to win Best Picture, they rarely make sense, and the stuff they do is purely for flash instead of substance. However, they are SO fun to watch and entertain a lot of people. That’s what these matches are: they’re not supposed to be anything great, but man alive are they fun to watch.

They shake hands post match.

Konnan revenge video, this time with a chess theme. According to Konnan, it’s all about protecting the king. The camera pans up to show that he’s playing with Puma. Gah I was hoping it meant Chessman was coming.

The Crew vs. Big Ryck

Elimination rules. Gah I can’t stand it when the three of them fight together as I can never remember which is which. Ryck slugs all three guys to start but they quickly get him down and pound away. Castro kicks Ryck in the head and nails a running forearm. A top rope double stomp into a DDT gets two and the slow beating continues.

Bael puts a chair in the corner but Ryck rams two of them (does it really matter which they are? They’re almost entirely interchangeable) and finds a kendo stick to break over Cisco’s back. A chokeslam/spinebuster is enough to eliminate Bael but the other two break up a double chokeslam attempt. Their double suplex is countered as well as Ryck suplexes both of them down instead. Striker on the counter: “If you’ve ever watched wrestling you know what’s about to happen.”

Oh screw off Striker. “HAHA I’M SO SMART I KNOW EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN!” It’s bad enough that I have to put up with the WWE guys but now the indy announcers have to be all smarky instead of calling the match and being impressed by what they’re seeing? Instead of marveling at Ryck’s display of strength, we get to hear Striker chuckle because it’s been done before. You never hear that when the smaller guys do the same flips and stupid spots week after week, but it’s an old school WWE style guy so it’s not worthy of being entertained by. Good grief.

Anyway Ryck clotheslines Castro with the broken stick for an elimination and it’s one on one. Cisco tries to walk out but Sexy Star throws him into the railing. Back in and a punch to the eye (or close to it at least) busts Cisco open. Ryck Rock Bottoms him through an open chair for the final pin.

Rating: D. Striker getting on my nerves aside, this was a pretty lame match. Ryck dominating is the right move but the Crew is pretty much done now. Come to think of it maybe this is the best possible outcome as there’s no reason to care about them for the most part. Like I said, they’re just three guys who have nothing that sets them apart from each other.

Next week Alberto El Patron defends the AAA World Title against Texano in a bullrope match and Prince Puma defends the Lucha Underground Title against Cage in a street fight. Cool.

Fenix vs. Mil Muertes

This is Grave Consequences, meaning a casket match. They tie it into the Day of the Dead, which is a Mexican holiday celebrating those that have passed on. A bunch of ghouls bring the casket to the ring to really crank up the weird. Muertes has that sacred rock of his but Fenix has Catrina.

The brawl is on in the aisle to start and Mil rips away at Fenix’s face. Fenix comes back by choking him on the middle rope but missing Roman Reigns’ apron kick. He does however hit a big flip dive to put Muertes down again though, which Vampiro says looks like a mummified body being thrown off a ship. Muertes rams him head first into the casket before throwing Fenix through a bunch of flowers.

Fenix comes back with a DDT onto the casket to dent the lid, which Muertes appropriately sells like death. Another big dive is loaded up but Muertes lifts the casket up and Fenix hits it like a wall. Now we get serious as Muertes unhooks the bottom rope and blasts Fenix in the head with the hook that holds the ropes together. The mask is ripped open and Fenix is busted open. Muertes bites at the cut as this gets very violent in a hurry. They head up the steps with Muertes in total control.

Muertes keeps trying to kill him by suplexing him off the balcony but Fenix escapes, only to get punched down the steps. A powerbomb puts Fenix onto the announcers’ table but he wants to keep going. Muertes pulls the casket into the ring and sets it up in the corner. Fenix staggers back in but charges into a belly to belly suplex onto the coffin. After Muertes bites his cut even more, Fenix nails a superkick for a breather but gets pulled off the top by a running Codebreaker. The blood is literally dripping from Fenix’s head.

Mil takes him into the crowd and pelts a chair at his head. Fenix somehow throws him over the short balcony and hits a BIG flip dive to put Muertes down again. Muertes comes back by sending him into the barricade but Fenix pops up and hits a moonsault press off the same barricade to drop Mil one more time. Back up and Mil’s spear hits Catrina by mistake but she gets up in time to open the coffin so Fenix can double stomp Muertes inside. Catrina licks the stone and throws it inside with him for the win.

Rating: A-. Excellent brawl here with the two guys beating the tar out of each other. That cut on Fenix’s head was sick and the blood dripping out of it was quite the image. Fenix is a made man for the foreseeable future and that’s the point of something like this. Muertes is the kind of character who can go away for a few weeks and then come back with a new feud and make people forget about this loss. Great stuff here.

Overall Rating: A. Outstanding show here as this company is nailing the idea of week to week booking. There are two title matches next week with the AAA Title feeling like the bigger deal. We also might get to see what Konnan’s revenge is all about, which makes the last two weeks and next week feel like an awesome three hour pay per view. Really good stuff this week and this company is on fire right now.

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: March 4, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Things are starting to get interesting around here again with the rises of Texano and Alberto to the main event scene, in addition to Cage fighting for the Lucha Underground Title. The big story tonight though is Big Ryck vs. Sexy Star for the right to face the Crew later. This should be interesting as they could either do something unexpected or go the logical path by having Ryck end her with ease. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on Alberto and Texano bringing their feud from AAA to Lucha Underground. We also see clips of Mil Katrina leaving Mil Muertes for Fenix and the Crew going after Ryck and Sexy Star. In other words, it’s a standard recap video for the main stories.

Alberto is in Cueto’s office and the boss (the boss, not El Patron) offers him Ricky Mandell tonight. That goes nowhere so Cueto offers Famous B. Alberto wants Texano but Cueto wants more time to promote it. Patron gets in his face and demands Texano with the boss finally giving in. He doesn’t have much of a backbone most of the time.

Mil Muertes vs. Fenix

Muertes goes to meet him in the aisle but Fenix dives into a hurricanrana to take over. A big superkick sends Mil into the ring and a top rope legdrop gets two. That’s enough selling for Muertes as he just erupts with right hands followed by a great looking TKO (always loved that move) for two.

We hit the chinlock for a few seconds before Catrina comes down the steps. Fenix comes back with a kick to the ribs and another to the leg, setting up a big corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Fenix slingshots through the ropes into a rolling cutter for two, only to go up top and get caught with a running Codebreaker of all things. The downward spiral is enough to pin Fenix.

Rating: C+. Fenix gets better every time I see him and Muertes is really good as a power guy. This is a pretty solid rivalry and it has the easy story of Catrina. Good stuff here and one of the better matches I’ve seen in a while on this show. That being said, I still want to impale Matt Striker on a thousand kendo sticks. His stupid nicknames for everything drive me insane.

Post match Catrina gets on the apron but won’t do the (hashtag according to that nitwit Striker) Lick of Death. Muertes grabs her by the throat so she drops the stone (some thing that means something to Muertes or whatever), only to have Fenix pick it up and lay Muertes out. Catrina gives Mil the Lick and kisses Fenix. Naturally the announcers act like they’re in 5^th grade and freak out.

We get a cool video on Konnan wanting revenge while standing in the ring. Nothing is said but the atmosphere is really cool. These videos are a highlight for the company as the production looks great.

Ivelisse tells Cueto that she should be #1 contender but Cueto says win it again, but with Son of Havoc as guest referee. That’s kind of an odd stipulation.

Alberto tells Muertes to focus on Cage and to listen to Konnan. Keep that title warm though because he’s coming for it.

Big Ryck vs. Sexy Star

Winner gets a three on one match with the Crew at some point in the future. Star goes after him and there’s no effect. Ryck misses a charge though and a high cross body gets two. Star slaps him in the face so Ryck loads up the Rock Bottom, but lays her down softly and just holds the shoulders for the pin.

The Crew runs in for the beatdown and Star gets attacked as well. They start going after Ryck’s eye but he explodes out of the corner and cleans house, sending the Crew running. Ryck as a face is interesting and could go somewhere if they just let him break people.

We get a really good video on Alberto, talking about his heritage in the business and how he’s trying to live up to his father’s success. He conquered America but their disrespect made him leave. That leave one dream: winning the AAA World Title, which he defeated Texano for back in December.

Alberto El Patron vs. Texano

Feeling out process to start with Texano nailing a shoulder and spitting on Alberto. El Patron knocks him out to the floor and Texano takes a breather. Back in and Alberto grabs a hurricanrana followed by the corner enziguri as the fans are way into him. I can’t blame them as he’s a really good face most of the time.

Alberto telegraphs a backdrop worse than anyone I’ve ever seen and gets kicked in the face, only to send Texano to the floor for a big suicide dive. That’s fine with Texano as he DDT’s Alberto on the floor. We hit the chinlock (bad one too) for a bit before Texano dropkicks him out of the air for two. Alberto catches him on top with a superplex and both guys are down. They slug it out with Alberto taking over (like any good face should) and nailing a Backstabber for two.

The low superkick misses and Texano grabs a spinebuster. Texano puts him in a reverse Tree of Woe for some kicks to the back of the head, only to tear off a buckle pad to distract the referee so Texano can get in some bullrope shots. Alberto fights out of a superplex attempt and ties Texano in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. The armbreaker is countered into a Batista Bomb for two but Texano eats the low superkick for two. Texano grabs the bullrope (Striker: “The sandpaper snake!” Oh shut up already.), only to have Alberto take it away and whip the fire out of Texano for the DQ.

Rating: B. Really solid main event style match here with both guys beating the tar out of each other. Alberto looks like a star and I like Texano more every time I see him in the ring. I like that they’re tying AAA into Lucha Underground as it helps this company and gives AAA a foot in the American door, which is nothing but good. Nice main event this week.

Cueto makes King Cuerno vs. Mundo in a cage for next week. Cool.

Overall Rating: B. This show is rapidly joining NXT as the best TV show in wrestling today. The wrestling is good, the stories make sense, everything seems to be going well and I want to see where things go. Good show this week and Alberto is the kind of big star this company needs to look more legit. That cage match sounds good too so there’s a reason to come back, which is the most important thing a show can do.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of Saturday Night’s Main Event at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: February 18, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

The company has changed in a hurry as the major story has gone from Puma and Mundo having individual feuds against Cage to Alberto vs. Texano, which has the potential to be something entertaining. Other than that we might be ready to find out who is Pentagon’s boss, which could be almost anyone. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick recap of last week’s show, including Ryck’s awesome threats to the Crew.

Mil Muertes vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

No Catrina. This is over the debt that Muertes claims Chavo owes him after saving Blue Demon Jr. a few months back. Mil is sent outside but he quickly catches Chavo diving off the apron and drives him back first into the post. A dive takes Mil down again before Chavo takes him back inside to work on the knee. When did Guerrero turn face? He’s certainly wrestling like one here after caving in Sexy Star’s head with a chair. Vampiro: “Yeah this is a good idea. Tick off DEATH.”

Striker continues to be a step behind as he says Chavo seems to be focusing on the left leg. Given that it’s all he’s doing, I wouldn’t think anything SEEMS to be true here. Back up and Muertes punches Chavo in the face, only to be sent right back to the floor. Catrina slowly walks towards the ring as Muertes plants Chavo with an electric chair.

They’re playing up the idea that Mil isn’t himself without Catrina but he’s just naturally strong enough to muscle Chavo around. A backdrop sends Guerrero outside but Mil stops to look at Catrina, who has a rock which distracts him even more. Chavo comes in with a chair to the back for the DQ but Muertes doesn’t even move.

Rating: C. This was better than I was expecting and Muertes continues to be one of the more interesting characters. They’re really doing a good job of making him more of a tweener and Catrina makes things interesting as well. Granted she also makes them better looking but that could be because we can actually see her face.

Muertes gives Chavo a flatliner on the chair but Catrina won’t give Chavo the lick. Striker: “Defiance from the leather laden licker!” Just…..go away Striker. Muertes grabs her by the hair and then the throat but Fenix comes in to make the save. Catrina kisses Fenix and leaves with him as Striker continues to make the commentary more complicated than it should be.

Cueto praises the Crew for their actions and puts them in the main event tonight. If they want to stay there though, they need to prove that they can be violent like they were to Big Ryck all the time. Their opponents tonight: Pimpinela Escarlata, Mascarita Sagrada and Sexy Star in an anything goes six person tag. Cueto wants all three of them gone.

Son of Havoc and Ivelisse are in the ring and Ivelisse yells at him for losing all the time, meaning she’ll be fighting Angelico instead of Havoc.

Ivelisse vs. Angelico

Angelico checks some kicks to start but the camera jumps to Son of Havoc. So you would rather see a mask than a good looking woman? Good to know. A forearm is easily blocked and Angelico pins down both of her arms. He dips her back, much to Havoc’s annoyance, before allowing Ivelisse to kick him in the chest. Ivelisse goes to the middle rope and kicks Angelico in the face, finally ticking him off. Angelico just throws her into the air for a crash, prompting some breast implant jokes from Striker. Havoc finally kicks Angelico in the head, allowing Ivelisse to roll him up for a fast pin.

Post match Angelico hits on Ivelisse and shoves Havoc to the floor.

We get a sitdown interview with Texano, where he (in Spanish), talks about dominating AAA for two years (thankfully complete with clips) and is here to dominate Alberto. Vampiro doesn’t get a handshake and Texano looks like a star.

Texano vs. Super Fly

Texano speeds around the ring and catches Super Fly in the corner for some chops. A Rough Ryder gets two for Texano and an AA into a backbreaker on the knee, straight into a neckbreaker for the pin. Total “I’m here and awesome” squash.

Cue Alberto for the brawl and this time it’s Texano getting whipped with the bullrope. Referees quickly break it up but Striker suggests that the AAA World Title could be defending in Lucha Underground. That would indeed be a coup.

Cage comes into Cueto’s office and demands to be named Lucha Underground Champion. Instead he gets Puma in a non-title match next week. He also wants a good looking title belt when he wins it. Chavo Guerrero comes in and quits, but is told the doors are always open. Cueto really doesn’t seem to care, but says the gods aren’t going to be pleased.

The mystery woman finds whatever she’s looking for and says as a child, she wanted to kill it with her bare hands. Ok then.

The Crew vs. Pimpinela Escarlata/Mascarita Sagrada/Sexy Star

Anything goes. It’s a brawl to start with the Crew of course dominating and Escarlata starting against Castro. Some kendo stick shots have Pimpinela in early trouble and STOP CALLING HIM PIMPY! That sounds so stupid every time and doesn’t make me hate this character any less. Cisco kicks Escarlata out to the floor and nails Sagrada with a boot to the face.

Sagrada comes back with a top rope hurricanrana to take over before hitting a big dive to the floor. That just earns him another kick to the face before Castro sends him into the apron. Off to Castro vs. Star with the blonde taking a kick to the back of the head. Apparently Escarlata has been taken to the back, leaving Sagrada to get triple teamed. A curb stomp (not the running kind) onto a chair knocks the mini out cold and he’s taken out as well.

Since this is wrestling, Star is easily able to fight all of them off, including a low blow to Cisco. A tornado DDT to the floor plants Bael but Castro finally catches her with a running boot to the face. Star does the same to him before mostly botching a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker. Cisco is back in and slams her down, only to get crotched on the top rope.

Her top rope hurricanrana eventually gets two but all three members of the Crew get back in for some destruction. Cue an eye patched Big Ryck though and things get serious in a hurry. Of course it’s just a distraction though, allowing Star to roll up Bael (with her feet under his shoulders) for the pin.

Rating: D. Blech. This was a big waste of time with the Crew getting beaten up WAY more than they should have and then losing on a fluke at the end. All three guys are still completely interchangeable and I was still having issues figuring out which one was which. Sexy Star deserves better than this and Escarlata still gets annoying in a hurry every time he’s out there.

Overall Rating: D+. They went with the B crew here and it really didn’t work for them. It was almost all about midcard stuff and that doesn’t make for a good show in this company. They have the kind of stars that can put on a good effort, but I need more Texano vs. Alberto and a lot less freakshow tag. This was a misstep for them, but the fact that it wasn’t their top lineup takes away a lot of the sting. We’ll call this one an aberration and move on.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of Saturday Night’s Main Event at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: January 7, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

After taking the holidays off, we’re back for the biggest match in Lucha Underground history: Aztec Warfare, which sounds like a battle royal/Royal Rumble style match with the winner becoming the first Lucha Underground Champion. A title is a good idea and they couldn’t go much longer without having a belt around here. Let’s get to it.

We open with shots of people walking through the hills to reach the Lucha Underground temple. This turns into Cueto recapping the previous show where Mil Muertes earned the last spot in Aztec Warfare by defeating Fenix, meaning Fenix enters first.

Aztec dancers and drummers bless the temple.

Cueto is in the ring to talk about how this will be a blessed year for Lucha Underground. The fans chant for AZTEC WARFARE as Cueto explains the rules: it’s basically a twenty man Royal Rumble with 90 second intervals but eliminations can only occur by pinfall or submission and anything goes. This could be a long one.

Lucha Underground Title: Aztec Warfare

Fenix is in at #1 and Johnny Mundo is in at #2. Cueto makes sure to emphasize that Mundo is number TWO. Johnny blocks an early kick and sweeps out the leg, only to miss a standing Shooting Star. Back up and a superkick sends Johnny to the floor but he runs back in to clothesline Fenix over the top as Cisco is in at #3 (the intervals aren’t quite ninety seconds but close enough). Cisco hammers on both guys because he’s a fairly basic lackey. Mundo gets kicked to the floor so Fenix picks Cisco up and hits a kind of running Death Valley Driver into the corner, setting up the End of the World to eliminate Cisco.

Back from a break with nothing changed and King Cuerno coming in at #4. Fenix goes right at Cuerno but superkicks Mundo by mistake, only to get monkey flipped back by the King. A huge suicide dive takes Mundo down again and the fans are way into this. Fenix enziguris Cuerno off the apron and hits a big flip dive as Son of Havoc is in at #5 in WAY less than 90 seconds. Mundo grabs him by the beard and pops Havoc in the jaw, only to have Son of send him to the floor for an even bigger flip dive.

Maybe 30 seconds after Havoc, Pimpinela Escarlata is in at #6. They’re not even trying on the times. Escarlata dropkicks Havoc down and does a flashy rope walk as Striker gets on a soapbox to talk about tolerance for people like Pimpinela. Yes we get it: he’s different. Let it go already. The referee gets acosted in the corner but Cuerno saves him from Escarlata. Prince Puma is in at #7 and goes right after Mundo with a Lionsault getting two. Fenix drops a top rope legdro as the mystery woman is shown watching from the entrance. Speaking of women in the entrance, Ivelisse is in at #8.

She plants Fenix with a tornado DDT but gets choked by Escarlata. Striker: “This is kind of hot too!” Ivelisse kicks Escarlata in the head and Havoc pins Pimpinela with a Shooting Star to clear the ring out a bit. Ivelisse kicks Cuerno down and Drago is in at #9. The ring is starting to get full but it’s really helping that they can go outside. Drago fires kicks at Fenix and DDTs him for two. The King is watching in the corner as Drago cleans house, only to sneak up on Drago with an enziguri to the back of the head. The Thrill of the Hunt eliminates Ivelisse and Bael is in at #10, giving us Fenix, Mundo, Cuerno, Puma, Drago and Bael.

Drago sends Fenix and Cuerno outside before taking them both out with a big dive. Puma Superman Punches Havoc down and a superkick is good enough to eliminate the biker. Things keep going as Puma dives over the top to take Mundo down and Cortez Castro is in at #11. He suplexes Puma down as the Crew starts taking over. This is going by so fast that it’s hard to do anything other than play by play. Cuerno dropkicks someone we can’t see on the floor (presumably Drago) and Ricky Mandel is in at #12. Puma kicks Bael in the head and something like a Jackhammer sets up a standing Shooting Star for the elimination.

Mundo leg lariats Cortez and a running knee to the head takes out another member of the Crew. Big Ryck is in at #13 and we take a break. Back with Ryck getting in and running over Puma and Mundo before a Rock Bottom eliminates Mandel. Drago comes in to try his luck but Ryck gorilla presses him into the Thrill of the Hunt from Cuerno for the elimination. Cool spot there. Cuerno poses too long though and gets crucifixed by Mundo for the pinfall.

Pentagon Jr. is in at #14 and unleashes the clotheslines before getting caught in Ryck’s full nelson. Mundo and Puma superkick Ryck though, only to have Pentagon powerbomb Puma onto his knee. A HUGE powerbomb plants Fenix for two but Ryck makes the save. Even the announcers aren’t sure why he did that and for once I can’t argue with them. Well I could but they’re right so why bother. Pentagon kicks at Ryck and Super Fly is in at #15. Mundo enziguris (WAY too common of a move in this match) Puma by mistake and Super Fly dives over the top rope to take Pentagon out.

Ryck clears the ring and blasts Mundo in the face, only to have Puma make the save. It’s Chavo Guerrero Jr. in at #16 with a chair in hand, which knocks Super Fly silly for an elimination. Pentagon gets the same treatment to clear the ring out a bit more. Mundo chases Chavo to the floor and gets nailed in the ribs with the chair for his efforts. Mascarita Sagrada is in at #17 and we take another break. I know they’re trying to get everyone in there but they really could have left out Sagrada and Escarlata. They’re comedy/fun characters and that’s not something I need to see in this match.

Back with Sagrada dropping Chavo with a pair of cross bodies until Fenix chops him against the ropes. A hurricanrana puts Fenix on the floor but he dropkicks Sagrada out of the air to block a dive from the apron. Sexy Star (unfortunately without the entrance) is in at #18 and kicks Chavo off the apron. We get Big Ryck and Sagrada in the ring because it’s funny or something. The masked man’s sunset flip attempt goes as well as you would expect it to and Ryck just crushes him for the elimination.

El Mariachi Loco is in at #19 and nails a nice springboard missile dropkick to stagger Ryck. Loco, Fenix and Mundo have a quick three way sequence with Loco climbing the ropes into a wristdrag on Mundo. Now Loco hammers on Puma but stops to dance, allowing Ryck to take Loco’s head off. Mil Muertes is in at #20, giving us a final grouping of Fenix, Mundo, Puma, Big Ryck, Chavo, Sexy Star, Mariachi Loco and Muertes. That’s not bad actually.

Muertes cleans house to start and the Flatliner drops Loco for the elimination to get us down to seven. We get the big showdown with Ryck vs. Muertes, allowing Striker to imitate Gorilla Monsoon talking about the immovable object. All seven get back in to break up the brawl though and Johnny hits a quick End of the World on Ryck but Chavo throws him to the floor. Puma adds a standing Shooting Star but Chavo throws Puma outside as well and covers, only to have Fenix hit a 450 onto Guerrero’s back, setting up a double pin on Ryck. Chavo pops up and blasts Fenix in the head with the chair with the pin.

With five left, Sexy Star gets in Chavo’s face and dropkicks him down, only to have Chavo slam her onto the chair. He puts the chair over her face and goes up but Blue Demon comes in for the save, allowing Star to chair Chavo in the head for the elimination. The final four are Sexy Star, Johnny Mundo, Mil Muertes and Prince Puma and we take a break.

Back with all four in the ring and Muertes going after Star but Mundo and Puma make a quick save. Star headscissors the heroes down but eats a spear for the elimination. Mundo charges at Mil in the corner, which Striker calls ironic because I don’t think Striker knows what ironic means. Puma takes Johnny down with a Zig Zag but Mundo hits a cross body to send Puma to the floor.

It’s Johnny taking it to Muertes in the corner but Puma comes in for a double superplex on the big man. Catrina trips Puma and gets pulled to the apron. Muertes intervenes and ducks the Flying Chuck, which knocks Catrina out cold. Mundo drops Muertes and the heroes hit back to back springboard 450 splashes for a double pin to get us down to one on one. This is one of the best possible options they could have.

Puma draws first blood with a dropkick. Vampiro says he can’t call the match because he’s too busy watching. Thanks for showing up Vamp. Mundo slides through the legs and grabs a half crab. Vampiro, ever the sage, says Puma’s experience will help him escape, not two minutes after calling Puma a rookie.

Johnny is sent to the apron and they both head to the top with Puma planting him with a C4 (top rope flip downward spiral) for two. If Puma wins, there’s no reason that shouldn’t be the finish. They head back up top with Mundo hitting a reverse hurricanrana (zero reaction from the announcers), followed by the End of the World for two. Mundo loads up his own C4 but gets crotched down, allowing Puma to hit the 630 for the pin and the title at 53:45.

Rating: B+. Well that rocked. I can’t emphasize enough how important it was for this to be pinfall or submission. Instead of having just a normal battle royal, it feels like Puma actually defeated everyone else and is the last man standing. The other thing I liked about this was how you really felt a lot of people could win. I could easily have seen Mundo, Puma, Ryck, Muertes or even Cuerno winning this, and that’s the most important thing you can have in a free for all like this.

Mundo and Puma shake hands as Konnan comes out to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I’m really, really digging this company as they’re going with a niche style show but knocking it (mostly) out of the park. The stories are there and the feuds can intertwine very well. It also helps that you have stories that all seem important rather than all of the stuff being there to fill time until we can get to the big stuff. They rolled the dice here and it really, really worked. Great match and a great show.

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Lucha Underground
Date: December 17, 2014
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

The main story coming out of last week is Johnny Mundo taking the $100,000 in the ladder match and then laying out Cueto. It’s hard to say where things go from here, but the main story seems to be the continuing feud with the boss because that’s how wrestling works anymore. Let’s get to it.

We open with a bunch of the roster in the ring and Dario Cueto coming out to address them. Everyone in the ring will be competing in a Lucha Underground ten way match, as well as another ten competing in a ten way match of their own. The winners will receive something much more valuable than money.

Drago vs. Big Ryck vs. Prince Puma vs. King Cuerno vs. Mascarita Sagrada vs. Fenix vs. Mariachi Loco vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Son of Havoc vs. Super Fly

One fall to a finish. It’s a big brawl to start with everyone going after Ryck but he shoves all of them away. Sagrada actually puts Ryck in a hammerlock and kicks his legs out, only to have…..something happen to him. I’m not sure what because the camera was on Vampiro and Striker. It doesn’t help that Striker is starting to lose his voice. Actually wait. That’s a REALLY good thing.

Everyone goes after Ryck again before Pentagon backdrops Drago onto Fenix. Sagrada misses a kick to Pentagon’s head before both guys head out to the apron. The little guy monkey flips Fenix down on the floor before Super Fly hits a huge moonsault from the top to take out Pentagon again. It’s Son of Havoc vs. Puma in the ring with both guys flipping around a lot until Havoc headscissors him down onto the bad ribs.

Puma sends him right back to the floor and hits a big flip dive before high fiving Danny Trejo. Ryck comes back in to wreck some people, including throwing Drago onto Super Fly and Pentagon. Everyone else gets their heads taken off with clotheslines. Puma and Fenix dropkick Ryck out to the floor before they trade running kicks to the jaw. Cuerno comes in to make a Tower of Doom to take down Fenix and Puma, only to have Havoc hit a shooting star on Cuerno for two.

Fenix hits a big flip splash for two on Puma, leaving us with Drago vs. Super Fly. Cuerno makes the save but Drago hammers him down, only to get kicked in the face. The Thrill of the Hunt is good for two as Mariachi Loco comes back in and superkicks Cuerno down for two. Pentagon grabs Loco for a package piledriver (called a Muscle Buster by Striker) for two more.

Sagrada comes back in to hammer on everyone but Puma throws him into the air for a kick to the ribs (it would be a punt Vampiro, not a field goal). Not that it matters as Ryck drills Puma with a clothesline, only to have everyone go after him again. Drago gets knocked to the floor for a great looking dive from Cureno, followed by the parade of dives to put most of the people down. Fenix hits a kind of 619 to Ryck but Puma kicks him down a second later. Puma hits the 630 on Ryck but walks into a tornado DDT from Fenix. A sitout tombstone is enough for Fenix to pin Puma in a pretty big upset.

Rating: C+. This was fun but it was so insane that it was hard to keep track of. The dives are always cool to see, but I’m not wild on the lack of focus on the storyline and the emphasis going onto the insanity with the dives and flips. Yeah they’re fun, but eventually people are going to stop caring because they’ve seen them before.

Battle Royal

Mil Muertes, Sexy Star, Ricky Mandel, Pimpinela Escarlata, Cicso, Johnny Mundo, Famous B., Cortez Castro, Bael, Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Well, it is different. Bael is the recently debuted B-Boy. Star dives through the ropes to go after Chavo during the entrances before throwing him in for the first time. Mundo is quickly thrown over the top but hangs on as only he can. Famous B. (I don’t know who he is either) is thrown out early as Escarlata takes down Cortez and Cisco, only to get dropkicked by Star.

There goes Mandel as this is a mess so far. Striker calls Escarlata him and her in the span of five seconds, only to have Escarlata be eliminated a few seconds later. Chavo throws Star to the mat before pulling on her hair. A high cross body goes badly for Star and Chavo easily eliminates her. Mundo gets knocked to the apron but manages to fight off all three members of the Crew. He even manages to eliminate Cisco and Cortez, allowing Muertes to spear Bael and dump him.

We’re down to Chavo, Mundo and Muertes with Guerrero getting the early advantage. Mundo fights back but misses a dropkick, allowing Chavo to monkey flip him to the apron but Johnny hangs on again. Muertes grabs Chavo for a German suplex but Mundo sunset flips him, sending Chavo flying. Vampiro: “I haven’t seen that since All Japan!” Then watch TNA because I’ve seen it there at least three times, but I guess that doesn’t count because it’s not from Japan.

Catrina trips up Mundo and Muertes sends him to the apron, only to have Johnny springboard back in. Chavo gets crotched on the ropes, setting up the Flying Chuck for the elimination by Mundo. We’re down to Muertes vs. Mundo and the slugout is on. Johnny is knocked back to the apron but grabs Muertes by the leg. Striker of course talks about Catrina’s skirt.

A knee to the face staggers Mil and Mundo sends him to the apron. Some kicks to Mil’s ribs have him in trouble but he knocks Mundo down on the apron. Johnny just keeps kicking though and gets back in, setting up an enziguri to put Muertes down again. The End of the World hits knees though and Johnny comes up limping, allowing Mil to clothesline him (of course called a Lariato by Striker because….well because he’s Striker) out for the win.

Rating: C-. This is another match where I really don’t know what I’m supposed to say about it. It’s a battle royal and not a particularly interesting one. Yeah the right guy won and it likely sets up Fenix vs. Muertes for something, but at the end of the day, most battle royals just aren’t that interesting, this one included.

Here’s Cueto with something this promotion has needed for awhile: the Lucha Underground Championship. He’s come up with the most brutal match ever: Aztec Warfare. On the first show of the new year, the winner will be crowned the first ever Lucha Underground Champion. That brings him to Muertes and Fenix. They’ve battled to get here, but now they’re facing each other for….the final spot in Aztec Warfare. The loser however will enter last. It sounds like a Royal Rumble from here.

Fenix vs. Mil Muertes

Muertes knocks him down to start and hammers away on Fenix’s back. A very bouncy springboard armdrag (with Muertes just standing there like a nitwit) takes Mil down before a missile dropkick sends him out to the floor. Fenix follows him out with a big corkscrew dive but both guys are down. Back in and the spear takes Fenix down as the announcers keep talking about Catrina looking good. Fenix pops back up with a handspring into a kick to the head, only to have Muertes plant him for two. Another handspring into a cutter gets two for Fenix but he springboards into a European uppercut. The Flatliner gives Muertes the win.

Rating: C. Just a basic power vs. speed match here and more proof that Muertes needs a better finisher. It’s just not a good move for a guy that strong to use as a finisher. Change him over to something like a spinebuster or just that spear, but get him away from the same thing Mr. Anderson uses.

In the back, Cueto looks at the title and says the gold in the belt comes from each of the Aztec tribes. He tells someone off camera that they can’t touch it to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was fun for the most part but I’m really not wild on them basically throwing out most of the stories for a one night competition to set up another competition. Now hopefully they can tie things back together with the stories to make it all come full circle, but I’m starting to lose faith in these guys. I’m just not feeling this idea of going for a fun show rather than setting up lasting stories. It makes them feel a little desperate, which isn’t a good sign. Hopefully I’m looking too deeply into this, but I’m not wild on this show.

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: December 10, 2014
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We actually have a major match tonight with a $100,000 ladder match between Johnny Mundo, Prince Puma and Big Ryck. This has the potential to be a major match, which might be exactly what the company needs as their ratings haven’t exactly been the best. Granted that’s probably because not a lot of people have the El Rey Network. Let’s get to it.

We open with the usual recap, focusing on the ladder match and Sexy Star getting some revenge in the tag match.

Danny Trejo is still here, likely because this is still the same taping.

King Cuerno vs. Super Fly

There’s a Jimmy Snuka joke in there somewhere. Cuerno jumps him to start and the beating is quickly on. Drago is watching from the crowd as Cuerno runs Super Fly over again for two. A dropkick gets another two as this is firmly in squash territory. The fans are entirely behind Cuerno as Striker brings up Super Calo for some reason before talking about why Fly did a certain “bump.” Fly knocks him out to the floor for a big dive but Cuerno just kicks his head off. Cuerno sees Drago and loads up the sitout Death Valley Driver for the pin.

Rating: C-. I still like the Cuerno character but I’m not thrilled with him feuding with Drago. It just doesn’t seem like a huge challenge to him as Cuerno has just mauled everyone he’s been in there with so far. Hopefully they give him a new feud soon after he destroys Drago. Super Fly didn’t do much for me here.

Solid video on Pentagon Jr., who we’ve seen a few times now. They play him up as a modern day Samurai.

Fenix vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Chavo has Pentagon Jr. with him but Fenix counters with Sexy Star. The fans are split on who they like better here, which isn’t the best sign given that Chavo likes to beat up women. Fenix dropkicks him into the ropes to start and a second one gets two. Off to a Fujiwara Armbar on Chavo for a few seconds followed by the springboard double knee to Chavo’s chest, only to have him roll into a half crab. Pentagon Jr. pulls the rope away but not far enough as Fenix gets the break.

Chavo wraps the leg around the post before just punching Fenix in the face. Back up and Fenix sends him to the floor and hits a big corkscrew dive onto both Jrs. They head back inside with Fenix diving into a slam for two, followed by the Frog Splash for the pin. Sexy Star didn’t do much here.

Rating: C. Not bad here but there’s a limit to how good a Chavo Guerrero match is going to be. He’s another guy that we’ve seen for so many years and there’s just nothing all that interesting to him anymore. It’s not that his matches are bad or anything, but he’s totally maxed out on how far he can grow.

Sexy Star says he (meaning Blue Demon Jr.) is coming back.

Cage (Brian Cage from PWG) is coming. He doesn’t have any special powers because this isn’t make believe. The guy is incredibly muscular and could be a good change of pace from all the high flying.

Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo vs. Big Ryck

$100,000 ladder match set up by Cueto giving the hardest worker bonus from week #1 to Ryck. Johnny then threatened Cueto and demanded his money, so this $100,000 is Ryck’s contract bonus. Mundo has also stolen Cueto’s mysterious key. Konnan is announced as being in Puma’s corner but he’s nowhere in sight.

Ryck gets double teamed to start as Striker tries to cover the history of ladder matches. Mundo nails a running kick to Puma’s face, followed by a hard knee. Ryck knocks Mundo off a ladder but Puma baseball slides the ladder into him to take over. Now it’s Mundo pulling Puma down from the ladder but has to avoid the ladder being shoved at his head. Striker says that the briefcase doesn’t have to be airbrushed to signify its significance. This has been Matt Striker’s Weekly Shot At WWE, Thereby Making Him Look Like A Stupid Jerk.

The big man finally gets back in and knocks both guys down with a ladder. Cue Cisco and Cortez to do the climbing, which actually makes sense. Puma and Mundo come in for the save as an ECW chant starts up. They shove the ladder over, sending Cortez down onto Cisco and Ryck in a big crash. Puma is whipped into the ladder against the ropes, setting up a big dive from Mundo to put all the heels down again.

It’s table time, allowing Striker to talk about ECW again. Mundo pounds on Puma’s chest and sets up the required huge ladder on the floor. He climbs up to dive through Cisco on the tables but had to fight off Puma instead. They wind up on the apron but Puma dives through the ladder to take out the villains in a nice spot. Totally choreographed of course but nice. Mundo and Puma head back inside to fight over the ladder with Johnny being sent into the corner with the ladder going into his ribs.

Puma goes for a climb but Mundo is right there (which Striker chalks up to experience. You know, instead of just calling it common sense), only to eat a Diamond Cutter (yes a Diamond Cutter, not an Ace Crusher like “I KNOW MOVE NAMES!” Striker). Ryck and company come back in and bridge a ladder into the other ladder like a platform. Mundo is whipped face first into the platform before being catapulted into it again.

The ladders go down as Ryck just mauls both guys. Now we have a table in the ring as the lackeys double team Mundo. They load up something off the top but Johnny slams Cisco through the tables on the floor to get a breather. Ryck and Mundo both pick up ladders and bang them together with Johnny getting the better of it. Cortez is back up though and loads up a superplex on Puma, only driven through the table by the double knees.

Mundo is waiting on Puma with a ladder to the face and the masked man falls out to the floor. Striker: “It doesn’t matter how many t-shirts you have or how popular your podcast is. It’s about THIS.” Mundo dives over a ladder with a corkscrew dive onto Ryck and follows it up with the End of the World onto Ryck onto the ladder. Puma nails a 630 to the same target before knocking Johnny out to the floor.

Instead of climbing though he puts Johnny on a ladder over the middle rope in the corner. Johnny fights up but gets dropped ribs first into the ladder, only to dive into a Ryck powerbomb. Ryck drops Puma onto Johnny onto the ladder before throwing Puma through another ladder at ringside. He climbs up two ladders in the middle of the ring but Mundo very slowly goes up. Why Ryck didn’t just grab the briefcase isn’t clear but I’d assume it’s due to the script saying he’s not supposed to.

Mundo knocks him off but “a fan” in a mask comes in to shove him down. He takes off the mask to reveal himself as indy wrestler B-Boy (not named) but Mundo beats him up on the floor. Cisco and Cortez go up a ladder but Mundo snaps Ryck’s neck across a rope and springboards up to another ladder. A kick knocks the lackeys’ ladder down and Mundo gets the briefcase.

Rating: B-. This was long and felt like they had a big checklist of spots that they wanted to get in before the end of the match. The overbooking got old in a hurry but at least there was a story to the match. Mundo winning is the logical ending and I’m sure he’ll have to deal with B-Boy now, but it’s still only so good compared to some of the other matches like this that we’ve seen over the years.

Post match Cueto comes out and wants to have a business relationship with Mundo but first, he wants the key back. He demands that Mundo put it around his neck but Johnny puts it upside his head to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was better for the most part due to the last third being spent on a big match but they need some fresh blood. The problem is these stories just kind of keep going with no real end or goal in sight, which can run out of steam at some point. On top of that, having one major match like this, while entertaining, isn’t a good idea on a one hour show because it keeps a lot of people off the show. Cut a few minutes off this and give us a quick promo or match instead. It would keep the show a bit more fresh. It’s a good episode but there are some tweaks they need to make.

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

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Finally, I’m holding a Holiday Special for my e-books: any two of them for just $5.  Check out the details here.

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