Lucha Underground
Date: July 6, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’ve finally arrived at Ultima Lucha Dos with the first of three weeks of shows. It’s hard to say what part of the card we’ll get first but one of the good things about this promotion is how well each individual story is built up. This really does feel like a special event and this has the potential to top last year’s excellent show. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Dario Cueto announcing the Unique Opportunity Tournament between Cage, Son of Havoc, the Mack and Texano.

Unique Opportunity Tournament Semifinals; The Mack vs. Cage

We’re not ready yet as Dario, in a tuxedo, comes out to say these two started off Ultima Lucha last year. That falls count anywhere match might have been Dario’s favorite of the show so let’s make this one falls count anywhere as well. Cage dropkicks Mack and hits a standing moonsault for two because he can do moves like that. Mack comes back with some hard shots of his own to knock him outside and Striker is getting way too excited.

A hiptoss sends Mack onto the steps as this starts picking up in a hurry. Mack knocks a trashcan (with trash included for a change) out of Cage’s hand and powerslams him down onto it for two. They fight into Dario’s office and see Black Lotus (I love that kind of attention to detail. You just do not see it anywhere else.) before Cage steals a framed poster and breaks the glass over Mack’s head.

We get even more violent with a powerbomb through an open chair (that always looks sick) for two on Mack as this has almost been all Cage. Mack comes back with a stop sign shot before breaking a guitar over Cage’s head (Striker: “The sweet sounds of E minor!”) for two of his own.

With Cage down, Mack goes to the back and finds…..pinatas. Quick sidebar: does anyone else find the concept of pinatas really disturbing? “Hey kids! Here’s your favorite cartoon! Now beat him with a stick and eat whatever falls out of its broken body!” Anyway Mack steals some candy and grabs some beer but the Stunner is broken up. Cage is busted open and it’s table time but Mack comes back with a chain shot to the ribs instead.

More beer sets up the Stunner and a horrible Austin impression from Striker. Mack drops a frog splash out of the crowd to put Cage through the table, giving Striker another reason to shout THIS IS ULTIMA LUCHA! That only gets two so Cage finds a well placed cinder block but he slips on the beer, allowing Mack to roll him up for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B. Now that’s how yous tart off a big show. They didn’t even bother with the wrestling here and just turned the whole thing into a wild brawl in the time they had. I was getting worried about the finish there as Cage had basically been destroyed and then just grabbed the block but Mack won anyway, even off a screwy finish. These guys have chemistry together and that’s always worth an opening match.

Unique Opportunity Tournament Semifinals: Son of Havoc vs. Texano

Dario points out the bar outside and makes this a Boyle Heights Bar Fight. They actually wrestle a bit to start with Texano hitting a shoulder but eating an elbow before they head outside after a full minute in the ring. Havoc hits an Asai Moonsault but Texano sends him into the barricade. Texano is thrown through a storage closet door, only to have Havoc go in after him and come out with a fire extinguisher. A shot of vodka lets Texano come back with a bottle shot to the head but it only hits helmet.

Let’s throw the bar stools, a chair and a keg in the ring, drawing a WE WANT BEER chant. Texano hits him in the head with the bullrope for two but he gets sent into the keg in the corner. Havoc breaks up a bar stool and hurricanranas Texano onto the pile of wood. Apparently it’s cheap wood though as he gets up and hits Havoc low with a chair. Havoc one ups Texano though by sending him through the bar, followed by a bicycle kick onto a pile of broken bottles for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C+. Still good but nowhere near as strong as the opener. Texano is another guy that I like more and more every time I see him and I’d really be interested in seeing him do something with an actual story that doesn’t involve Chavo Guerrero. Son of Havoc going solo is interesting as well and it’s a good sign that he can have a good match like this on his own.

And now, a word from the guest band.

We run down the rest of the Ultima Lucha card.

Unique Opportunity Tournament Finals: The Mack vs. Son of Havoc

The stipulation here: falls count anywhere. Again. Mack knocks him down in the corner to start but misses a ridiculous corkscrew splash. They head outside with Havoc going into the barricade before taking it back inside for a spinning Downward Spiral out of the corner for two. Havoc sends him outside for a big flip dive but the shooting star hits Mack’s raised knees. Mack loads up….something in the corner but gets caught by a handspring elbow, setting up the shooting star to give Havoc the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C. These matches got weaker as they went along but the problem is starting with the violence and then ending with a mostly clean match. It feels like a downgrade every time (albeit not a steep one) and the matches getting shorter every time didn’t help things. Mack came off looking a bit better here though, especially after the polar opposite style in the first match.

Post match, Dario and Black Lotus come in with a briefcase. The offer is $250,000 in the briefcase or……a spot in the main event of Ultima Lucha III. Havoc takes the title shot (which of course comes with another briefcase) but Dario says we’re not done yet. Since Havoc turned down the money, it’s up for grabs against Havoc’s third opponent. If Havoc wins he gets the title shot but if he loses, the opponent gets the money. This brings out Famous B. to introduce his new client, who is already famous.

Son of Havoc vs. Dr. Wagner Jr.

Wagner is a big deal from Mexico and a former AAA Mega Champion. Wagner starts fast with a Samoan Drop and Havoc is already in big trouble. Havoc ducks a clothesline and hits a springboard crossbody. The shooting star misses though and the Dr. Driver (Michinoku Driver) puts Havoc away at 2:10.

Overall Rating: C+. Well that happened. Really, that’s the only thing you can say here as the idea debuted and then went away in the span of an hour with Wagner winning the money in his debut that didn’t even break two and a half minutes. The opener was worth checking out and the next two matches were fine but it’s a completely skippable show because nothing here really meant anything. Still though, it’s a good appetizer for the real three hours and I’m glad they got through the tournament stuff in one night instead of having to drag it out over the duration of the show.

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

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Lucha Underground
Date: May 18, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

As is usually the case, it’s hard to say what to expect on these shows. The three title pictures continue to be a story but the bigger deal seems to be everything going on behind the scenes with Councilman Delgado trying to take down Dario for his master, whatever that may entail. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Gift of the Gods Title and Matanza destroying Pentagon Jr.

Dario Cueto is putting cash in a bag when Cage comes in, demanding to get his hands on Chavo after having his Gift of the Golds medallion stolen. Dario says join him in the ring.

It’s time for the Gift of the Gods presentation with Cage following Dario out. Dario explains the concept and says there will be a seven way match tonight. The winners of the medallions are called out so here are Texano, Joey Ryan (Theory that unfortunately I can’t take credit for: Castro let Joey pin him because they’re secretly working together as undercover cops. I’ve heard far worse ideas.), Sinestro de la Muerte (with Dario not being able to remember which Disciple he is), Aerostar, the Mack, Sexy Star and Chavo Guerrero Jr., who didn’t actually win but that doesn’t seem to matter.

Everyone else clears out so Cage can stomp Chavo down in the corner and take the medallion back. Well in theory at least because it’s just a big washer, allowing Chavo to blast Cage with a chair. Chavo puts the real medallion in the belt and that somehow count in Dario’s eyes. Cage gives Chavo Weapon X to blow off some steam.

Daga vs. Argenis vs. Mascarita Sagrada vs. Kobra Moon

One fall to a finish. Famous B. takes over for Sagrada’s introduction. It’s a big brawl to start with Sagrada headscissoring Daga down to start. Moon forearms Sagrada down though and gets two off a Michinoku Driver. Argenis and Daga come back in with Argenis superkicking the unmasked one down. That goes nowhere as Argenis is sent to the floor for a dive from Daga. Back inside and Sagrada rolls up Moon for two, followed by a cross armbreaker on Argenis. That’s quite the odd visual.

Daga dives in to break up a powerbomb on Sagrada before setting up the overly contrived spot of the match with a Gory Special on Moon and a reverse Boston crab on Argenis at the same time. Sagrada comes in for the save but Argenis slaps Sagrada in the mask to break up a sunset flip on Moon. Back up and Moon runs Sagrada over, followed by a White Noise into a piledriver for no cover. Instead she stands back, allowing Daga to get the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. Uh….ok then. I still don’t buy into Kobra and Daga is only so much of a star. I’m really not sure what the point of this match was but an alliance between Moon and Daga isn’t going to be anything interesting either. This is a really weird match and I wasn’t feeling it at all really.

Killshot is putting his gear on when Marty the Moth comes up to see him and offers a salute. They’ll be facing off tonight so Marty puts a finger guns to Killshot’s head. This earns him a quick flip over to the floor where Marty laughs like a crazy man.

Marty Martinez vs. Killshot

Marty makes sure to perv on Melissa Santos during the entrances. They stare each other down and Marty does the finger gun again, prompting a Major Gunns reference of all things. Marty sends him into the corner and then over the top, only to have Killshot land on his feet. Back in and Killshot sends him to the floor for a change but a flip dive is caught on Marty’s shoulder, which really isn’t the kind of power you would expect from him. Marty slowly beats Killshot down inside and does the finger gun again, only to tick Killshot off this time. Well again, but this time Killshot smacks him in the face to take over.

Killshot BLASTS him in the head again for two, followed by a third shot to the head. Marty pops up and knocks Killshot off the top though, only to have Killshot block a German suplex off the apron. Instead it’s Marty eating a Death Valley Driver on the apron to put both guys on the floor because that’s how wrestling moves work. Both guys beat the count at nine so Marty takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Marty’s dive in the corner gets caught though and it’s a forward driver (think Kenny Omega’s One Winged Angel but out of a waistlock instead of an electric chair) to give Killshot the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This was better than the first match but it’s still only so good. Killshot is starting to get somewhere with the military character but it would be nice to have something other than “Yeah he was in the military.” Marty is PERFECT as the creepy guy though and it’s mainly due to all the little parts that he adds to everything. It’s better than the first match but still really nothing I’m going to remember in five minutes.

Marty destroys him post match and steals the dog tags.

Gift of the Gods Title: Sinestro de la Muerte vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Joey Ryan vs. Sexy Star vs. The Mack vs. Texano vs. Aerostar

One fall to a finish and the title is vacant coming in. Chavo bails to the floor to start and it’s time for everyone to hit one spot and then run to the floor. The match settles down to Joey vs. Star with the former not that upset with having to wrestle a scantily clad woman. Chavo tries to steal a rollup on Star but Mack comes in to clean house, leaving him in a staredown with his friend Sexy.

Texano pulls Star out to the floor before taking her place against Mack. A powerbomb plants Mack but it’s Aerostar diving in for the save. A springboard tornado DDT gives Aerostar two on Texano, only to have Sinestro come in for his quick section. It’s time for the big dives with Star pulling Joey off the top and taking everyone out at the same time. Back in and a Backstabber gives Sinestro two on Ryan before Mack throws Muerte outside.

Mack and Star take turns chopping Ryan before a double legdrop crushes Joey again. Chavo runs back in and frog splashes Ryan for two with Mack diving in for the save. That’s not cool though and everyone goes after Chavo for a parade of finishers (save for Ryan but including Sinestro, who shouldn’t be up for this kind of thing). However, cue Cage to destroy everyone not named Chavo before putting Guerrero on top of Joey for the pin and the title at 8:33.

Rating: C. This was a lot of waiting around until we got to the big Cage deal at the end, which makes sense and keeps Cage looking strong before his eventual match with Chavo for the title, which he certainly has a claim to. Other than that though there was almost nothing going on here but that’s what you have to expect with a six minute match with seven people in there at once.

Post match Cage goes with the obvious reveal: he gets a title shot at Chavo next week.

Vampiro tells Pentagon that he must be broken again, just like the monster broke him already. Pentagon is suspended in some weird S&M style looking harness while Vampiro beats on him with a stick. Vampiro talks about all the evil inside of him and how the pills can’t hold him back. This is nothing compared to what Matanza did to Pentagon and it’s nothing compared to what he’s about to do to Pentagon either. It’s time for a barbed wire baseball bat to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This one really missed for me as there wasn’t much for anything to be seen here. The opening match went nowhere, the second match was fine and could set something up, but the third match was all there to set up something else later on. Now all that being said, the stuff at the end was interesting with Pentagon looking like he’s coming back as the ultimate Matanza slayer full of Vampiro’s evil. This show was a bunch of standing around waiting but that’s not really enough to carry this week.

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

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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: April 6, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s time to get the focus back on the Trios as we’re starting a tournament to crown new #1 contenders. This could be interesting as I’m not sure if I can even name two trios, let alone enough to fill in a full set of brackets. Odds are we’ll get more Dario goodness as well, which is more than enough to carry the show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the stories tonight, including Cortez Castro and Joey Ryan being undercover cops, Sexy Star being stalked and Matanza destroying Pentagon last week.

Vampiro looks at his anti-psychotic medication when Dario comes in and calls him Ian Hodgkison. Dario knows there’s a part of Vampiro that wants to bash his brains in and then go fight Matanza but Vampiro isn’t crazy enough to do that. He’s valuable to Dario as the voice of Lucha Underground so tonight Vampiro needs to be on commentary. Vampiro takes his pills.

Castro and Ryan report their findings to their boss, who wants them to take out Dario. Apparently they’re in the Trios tournament together, which seems to please the captain. I’m really interested in where this goes and it’s nice to finally get back to the story after several weeks away.

Ivelisse vs. Kobra Moon

Feeling out process to start with Moon working on the arm but getting taken down into an armbar. A headscissors has Ivelisse in trouble but it turns into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. Moon does her slithering into a choke over the ropes for two, followed by something like a Tarantula/Anaconda Vice combo. A butterfly suplex into a double underhook choke keeps Ivelisse in trouble but she grabs a Russian legsweep to put both of them down. Ivelisse wins a slugout and kicks Kobra down with Striker admitting that this is an ugly match. Back up and Ivelisse grabs a running sunset flip bomb for the pin at 6:35.

Rating: D. Striker was right when he called this ugly. Kobra is just not working and it’s getting worse with each week. At the same time it’s nice to see Ivelisse getting some solo time instead of being on the wacky team. She’s still awesome in the ring and you can hear TNA cry a bit more every time she has a match.

Video on Killshot, who was a sniper in the military. He and his unit were captured for thirteen months but he escaped and made it back home. Of course this is accompanied by some well choreographed video showing Killshot in combat. Really cool stuff here of course.

Famous B. comes in to see Mascarita Sagrada and offers a business card.

Sexy Star is working out when the Mack comes in. Apparently he’s on a team with Marty the Moth and Mariposa and would like Star out there for moral support. She screams a lot and I guess that’s a no.

Trios Tournament First Round: Cortez Castro/Mr. Cisco/Joey Ryan vs. Mariposa/Marty Martinez/The Mack

The fans are WAY into Joey here. The announcers point out that the prize for the winners isn’t clear, though I’d assume it’s a title shot. Cisco and Mack start things off after Vampiro thinks Cortez and Castro are two different people. Mack gets two off a hard shoulder but gets dropped by a springboard armdrag. The fans actually start cheering Cisco after a hurricanrana but Mack flips up to his feet and we get a respectful fist bump.

Joey tags himself in and wants Mariposa, who he facepalms down like a jerk. That’s fine with Mariposa who destroys Ryan with armdrags and kicks to the back, sending Joey over for a tag to Castro. Marty is knocked down in the corner and kicked in the face, only to come back with a dropkick. The fans tell him that he still sucks though and it’s back to Mariposa to dropkick Cisco. Things settle down with a cravate on Cisco, only to have him grab a neckbreaker on Marty for the breather.

Castro comes back in with a tornado DDT, only to have Joey and Mack tag themselves in. Mack Samoan drops him and gets two off a standing moonsault as everything breaks down. Mariposa blocks Mack’s dive so he kicks her onto the pile and dives anyway. You don’t block the Mack. Back in and Marty tags himself in, causing a slap off with Mack. That earns Marty a Stunner, followed by a 3D into a Codebreaker to give Joey the pin on Marty at 8:35.

Rating: B. This was way better than I was expecting and Mack had a star making performance here. Castro and Cisco seem to be on the verge of a face turn but that might be due to having Joey Ryan on their team. I’m not wild on the Mariposa/Marty/Mack thing but it could turn around if Mack keeps performing like he did here.

Mariposa goes after Mack but Sexy Star comes in for the save and finally fights back against Mariposa after weeks of cowering away.

Dragon Azteca is on the roof when Rey Mysterio comes in. Apparently Dragon wants to kill Matanza but Rey points out what happened in Aztec Warfare. They’re in the trios tournament next week though and here’s Prince Puma as their partner. Puma actually speaks for the first time, agreeing that they fight next week.

Lucha Underground Title: Fenix vs. Matanza

Fenix is challenging. Matanza shrugs off a kick to start and shoves Fenix away with ease before choking in the corner. Fenix tries some more kicks which just seem to annoy Matanza, setting up a release German suplex to send Fenix into the buckle. Dario calls for blood but Fenix escapes the Wrath of the Gods. A big German suplex sends Fenix flying again as this is getting into massacre territory.

Matanza charges into a superkick and a springboard missile dropkick staggers him. Dario tells him to remember mom so Matanza catches a dive and plants him with a World’s Strongest Slam on the floor. Matanza just unloads on him with right hands, setting up the Wrath of the Gods to retain the title at 4:50.

Rating: D. It’s rare that a squash is the way to go but that’s what we’re getting here. This is approaching the Brock Lesnar style monster push with no one being able to touch Matanza until we get someone really special out there. I mean, I know Muertes is going to be lurking eventually but you can only run through so many people before it gets goofy. We’re not there yet, but I’m not sure who else they can throw at Matanza for now.

Matanza destroys him even more post match until Catrina shows up to say stop. Mil Muertes runs in and knocks Matanza out to the floor. You knew this was coming and there’s no way it’s going to be anything other than awesome.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event doesn’t really hold the show down as it was much more about setting something up than the match itself. Matanza vs. Muertes is going to be sweet and given that this is Lucha Underground, they’re going to give it the time to build things up. That’s one of the best things around here: they know how to set things up instead of just going through everything at once, like the Trios tournament and then the big showdown. It’s another good show and gives you more to look forward to in the future.

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

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

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: February 3, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Season two is on a roll to start as last week saw things hitting the ground running with Pentagon now as a major force for good and apparently targeting Mil Muertes. Other than that we need to find out where Dario Cueto is and whether or not he’s going to charge people to be murdered by Matanza. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s opening and Ultima Lucha. That’s quite the odd combination and it’s capped off by the new Dragon Azteca putting on his mask.

Prince Puma is working out in the back as he flashes back to the Mil Muertes lost. This brings in Pentagon Jr. to say they’re teaming tonight against the Disciples of Death. After that though, Pentagon is coming for him. They do a choreographed fight complete with sound effects before Pentagon walks away. Good talk guys. Well guy as Puma didn’t actually say anything.

The fans are chanting for Pentagon Jr. as Muertes (with his arm in a sling) is sitting on his throne again. Vampiro doesn’t want to talk about what happened last week.

Johnny Mundo vs. Killshot

I didn’t care much for Killshot last year. Killshot starts fast with a kick to the face before Matrixing into a nipup to avoid Johnny’s kick. They head outside with Killshot hitting a dive, only to get ripped in half by a spear. You don’t see Johnny do that too often but it looked really good. The fans try to get creative with a JOHNNY ZERO chant but it’s really not working.

Killshot comes back with something like a cutter, only to have Johnny kick him in the face. The End of the World is broken up with a superkick and a jumping hanging DDT. Killshot’s 450 gets a very close two but the referee gets bumped, allowing Mundo to kick Killshot low. The End of the World is enough to give Johnny the pin at 4:37.

Rating: C+. Killshot looked better than usual here and it was a good season debut for Mundo. He’s one of those guys that you can put into any spot on the card and he’s going to make it work through that X factor of his alone. Good match here and a really strong choice for an opener.

Post match Mundo calls out Muertes but gets Cage, now seemingly a BIG face, instead. Cage says he’s 100%, unlike that champion who has to sit on his throne. If Muertes wants a real challenge, Cage is ready to break him in half. Mundo is ready to fight right now but bails from Cage instead. Cage motions that he wants the title, allowing Mundo to get in a cheap shot. That’s fine with Cage as he runs Mundo over and presses him up, sending Johnny bailing.

See, this is where the seasons format works. They spent season one setting up these characters and now they’re putting them together in feuds. Mundo and Cage both looked awesome and now we get to see which is actually the better one. On top of that, everyone wants the title and a shot at the man sitting above them all to tie the whole thing together. That’s what the company should always be about: that heavyweight title.

Marty the Moth still has Sexy Star tied up and shows her….a dead moth. His sister has said that it’s time for them to go back to the temple so Star can blossom into a butterfly. This was REALLY creepy stuff and the Moth continues to show that you don’t know what you’re going to get in this promotion, which is one of its major strengths.

PJ Black (Justin Gabriel) is known as the Darewolf, who always wants the next big thrill. In this case it means beating up some bikers (naturally wearing lucha masks) outside of a hotel before coming to the Temple.

The Mack vs. PJ Black

Striker declares (Willie) Mack a cross between Joe Frazier and Porkchop Cash. Black headlocks him to start as Striker keeps using the Willie name, even though that’s not his name here. Vampiro kind of calls him out on it and it’s time for some chops (Vampiro: “He slapped the South African out of him right there.”). Mack gets the better of it for two, followed by a Samoan Drop and a standing moonsault for two on Black.

We get a Norvell Austin reference for absolutely no logical reason (Yes I get the reference and yes I know why Striker said it. It’s still just kind of dumb.) before Black flips out of a German suplex. A Blue Thunder Bomb and the top rope Lionsault get two on Mack but he rolls away before the 450 can launch. That’s probably good since Killshot used it in the first match. Black goes up for a springboard but dives into a Stunner (supposed to be a cutter but Black landed on his knees) for the pin at 4:45. Striker: “Looks like he failed his wellness test.”

Rating: D+. I really wasn’t feeling this but I’ve never been the biggest Black fan in the world. He’s fine and does a great looking 450 but the rest of his body of work leaves something to be desired. Darewolf is fine enough for a character but I’m really not sure what the point is in having him lose to Mack of all people in his debut.

Kobra Moon, a new woman who looks like a vigilante super heroine, debuts next week.

Disciples of Death vs. Prince Puma/Pentagon Jr.

Handicap and I really hope the Disciples have individual names now. I mean, they did last time but it would be nice if they were repeated here. Vampiro talks about Pentagon Jr. taking the dark path to the light, basically confirming Pentagon’s face turn. The Disciples jump him from the start but Pentagon hits a quick flip dive to take all of them out. The numbers start catching up with our heroes though and we get into a more standard match. Puma gets beaten down for a bit until a kick to the face allows for the hot tag off to Pentagon.

The new hero starts firing off a bunch of Sling Blades and chops to the chest, only to get in a shoving match with his partner. Everything breaks down again and a hanging double arm DDT drops Puma. Striker starts using the proper names halfway through the match and yeah I’m not bothering. Puma drops one of the Disciples and hits the 630, only to have Pentagon tag himself in and steal the pin at 7:35.

Rating: D+. I really don’t like this style of booking as the Disciples are now looking like a set of three guys who just happen to be hanging out with Muertes and Catrina. It doesn’t help that they just lost clean to a two man team which had its own issues. The match itself wasn’t even very good as it felt all over the place and the ending just happened.

Post match Pentagon and Puma slug it out but Pentagon can’t break the arm, despite staring out at Vampiro.

We cut to the back for the final stinger. Someone is sitting with a hood over his face as someone else talks to him about Dragon Azteca being his mentor. The man in the hood is revealed as the new Dragon Azteca and the speaker says that is his new identity. The speaker wears a mask as well and he’s very happy with his own. We pan over and it’s…..REY MYSTERIO. That might get them some attention.

Overall Rating: C. This was a pretty big step down but as usual it helps to set up stuff for the future. Like, you know, Mysterio debuting. I like the fact that they’re setting up the story of everyone going after Muertes and we’re getting closer to actually paying some of this stuff off. The key here though is Lucha Underground has earned the benefit of the doubt to make me believe that it might actually work. You don’t get that everywhere and it’s nice to have that feeling.

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: July 29, 2015
Location: Lucha Underground Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

We have arrived. Tonight is a rare idea in wrestling as we’re at a season finale, in this case called Ultima Lucha. This is the first of two shows as there was too much to contain in one show. One of the major matches tonight is going to be for the Trios Titles with Angelico/Son of Havoc/Ivelisse defending against the Disciples of Death, who I don’t remember having an actual match yet. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on Cage vs. The Mack, Drago vs. Hernandez and the Trios Title match so I’m guessing that’s what we get tonight.

Black Lotus is working out in her cage when Dario Cueto comes in wearing a tuxedo and sipping champagne. Dario talks about pitbulls becoming monsters because their masters make them hurt people. That’s what happened to Dario’s brother, but he didn’t kill Lotus’ parents. It was El Drago Azteca, Lotus’ master, who killed them and blamed Cueto’s brother. Dario leaves Lotus to think about that because he has a show to run. Lotus is so angry that she starts pounding the wall, which seems to start giving way.

The announcers run down tonight’s card, with the three matches from the opening recap.

The Mack vs. Cage

Falls count anywhere. Mack beat Cage twice in a row and then brawled around the arena with him to set this up. Cage jumps Mack during his entrance and they’re fighting early. A slam onto the roof of Cueto’s office has Mack in trouble as this is one sided so far. As I type that of course, Mack suplexes him onto the bleachers for two.

Cage is whipped through the door to a storage closet but he finds a fire extinguisher and a stop sign. Why a stop sign is in a storage room of a wrestling arena isn’t clear but Cage’s DDT onto the sign is good for two. Mack comes back with a cooler of beer and blasts Cage in the head before opening the cooler, popping some beers and hitting a Stunner for two on the floor! Striker: “THAT COOLER HAD A FAMILY!” I usually can’t stand Striker but he has just won the entire night. The beers into a Stunner were awesome too.

Cage tries to head towards the ring (they haven’t actually been inside yet) but gets powerbombed off the top and through a table at the floor for two. That was quite the crash and quite the kickout too. They head into the balcony and Mack spinebusts Cage through it for a near fall. Vampiro: “I NEED TO TAKE A SHOWER OR SOMETHING!”

Cage superplexes Mack from one side of the balcony to the other for two, which gets a bigger reaction than it probably should have, which is the sign of a white hot (or well paid) crowd. There are some cinder blocks on the balcony for no logically explained reason and Cage, just because he’s all violent, curb stomps Mack’s face through one for the pin in quite a violent finish.

Rating: B. Oh yeah this is going to be fun. The Stunner spot had me loving this and the violence was a great choice to open the show and fire up an already hot crowd. Cage continues to be one of the bright spots here and I saw some of the potential in Mack that I haven’t quite seen before. Really, really fun opener that didn’t actually get inside the ring, which makes perfect sense here: if they can fight anywhere and want to hurt each other, why would you go inside a ring?

We run down next week’s two hour card. I’m really glad about that as I was wondering how they could fit that many big matches in just an hour.

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

The Disciples (Barrio Negro, El Siniestro de la Muerte, Terce) are challenging and have Catrina in their corner. This is under tornado rules so no tagging. Ivelisse still has a broken leg and comes in on crutches to make this even more of an uphill climb for the champions who can’t get along. At least the Disciples have different color masks so it’s not another Crew situation.

The champs get jumped to start as this is already looking one sided due to Ivelisse’s injuries. Havoc and Angelico fight back and hit a dive each and the standing shooting start gets two on Barrio. Ivelisse gets dragged in though and the champs are in trouble again as she gets caught in a Brock Lock. Havoc finally makes a save as the Disciples were staring at her and laughing in a creepy moment.

Siniestro and Angelico go up towards the balcony and this can’t end well. A backdrop puts Angelico down on the bleachers, leaving Havoc to fight off two guys at once. Angelico is up though and goes even bigger this time, diving onto the two Disciples at ringside instead of in the ring for a VERY scary landing.

With everyone down at ringside, Catrina gets in the ring and holds up the stone to wake up the Disciples. Ivelisse gets in on her crutches but throws them away and takes Catrina down for a beating. The stone goes flying and the Disciples are in trouble, only to have Catrina get the stone back and blast Ivelisse in the face to give Negro the pin and the titles. That’s the first title change in company history.

Rating: C. Total insanity which loses a bit of its strength after the previous brawl but at least this was fun. Catrina having all the gold is an interesting idea and I kind of like the fact that we still only kind of know what her deal is. They told a good story here too as Ivelisse was too weak of a link this time and even the big dive from Angelico wasn’t enough to survive yet again. It makes sense that they lose and you could easily do a rematch once Ivelisse is healthy.

The announcers drink a “so refreshing, so good” beer in a totally spontaneous and not at all compensated moment.

Drago vs. Hernandez

This is Believer’s Backlash, meaning the fans at ringside have straps. Drago came back and took the #1 contendership, causing Hernandez to beat him with a strap. Then things got serious when Hernandez said dragons weren’t real. Hernandez jumps Drago to start, then easily jumps to the top rope to dropkick Drago to the floor. We get the obvious reaction as the fans don’t attack Drago but beat the tar out of Hernandez as soon as he goes to the floor.

Back in and Drago kicks Hernandez in the face to take over as Hernandez realizes he can’t go outside. Drago is fine with knocking Hernandez outside for a whipping with a good sized guy getting in a big shot. Hernandez finally figures out that he needs to stay inside and keep Drago down so he scores with an Alpha Bomb but the top rope splash hits knees. Drago tries a slam for some reason but opts for the Dragon’s tail (or whatever that rollup is called) instead.

Hernandez is all ticked off and strong and such so he Border Tosses Drago onto the fans for a huge crash. When all else fails, throw people at other people. Hernandez loads up a dive but we’ve got mist to knock him out of the air. The big blind guy crawls under the ring, leaving Drago to pull out a table. Cue Hernandez from under the ring but the fans are waiting on him with a beating. Hernandez finally has enough and takes a strap from one of the fans……so Drago pulls out nunchucks to beat the tar out of him instead. A frog splash puts Hernandez through the table and another splash in the ring gives Drago the pin.

Rating: C+. Fun main event here with Drago (who is somehow 40) getting a definitive win over Hernandez, who is one of the bigger heels in the promotion. There’s a future for Dragon as a top name in a second season but this was more about the fans than anything else. This worked, but the Trios Titles probably should have wrapped things up.

El Dragon Azteca (I think) is walking in front of the temple when someone in a white hoodie comes out. They spar for a bit before Dragon says he has to save her. The hoodie guy (apparently the one that Dragon saved at the beginning of the season) says that Puma can help and Dragon doesn’t have to go in and save Lotus because of a prophecy that says Dragon dies if he enters the temple. Dragon goes in anyway to end the show. I really have no idea what is going on with this Dragon Azteca/Black Lotus story but DANG if it’s not awesome.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah Lucha Underground is awesome. They’ve set up this show all year and this was really just a glorified pre-show before we get to the major matches. The Black Lotus stuff has me really intrigued and I’m wondering how big of a story it’s going to become as it seems perfect for a cliffhanger to end the season. The wrestling here worked more than well enough and I was getting way into it after about two minutes, which is how a major show should feel. I’m hoping this doesn’t end because it’s such an entertaining show and it had a great start to Ultima Lucha.

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

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

Ultima Lucha is almost upon us and the major story is Mil Muertes casually destroying Prince Puma last week. The title match seems to be inevitable but you never can tell with this promotion. Well you can if you read the spoilers but that’s just cheating. We also need to find out who the final medallion winner will be so let’s get to it.

The opening recap covers Texano vs. Blue Demon Jr. over who really is Mexico. Not Mexican remember, but the entire country of Mexico.

Big Ryck is in Dario Cueto’s office where the boss thinks Ryck has lost focus and has been blinded by Daivari’s money. Cueto holds up the last medallion and asks what’s more important, money or power. Ryck says he can have both and gets the medallion and a roll of cash. They finally see eye to eye.

Johnny Mundo vs. Texano

This could be good. The fans chant JOHNNY ZERO but change it up to a standard Texano chant. Mundo hides in a corner like he should do as a heel before kicking Texano in the face to take over. Texano kicks him right back for two and the fans are way behind the good guy here. Johnny comes right back and heads outside for a neckbreaker onto the floor in a nice looking move.

Back in and the running knee to the head quiets the JOHNNY ZERO chants, followed by a chinlock. That goes nowhere so Texano fires off a chop. Johnny ducks a second so Texano chops him in the back for a nice spot. A Rough Ryder gets two on Johnny but he blasts Texano with a Flying Chuck for two. Texano fights back again but the Crew comes in to beat him down for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t bad but they were just trading kicks to the head for most of the time. I still like Texano and Mundo looks like the biggest star in the world (see what I did there?) around here. Nice little match here but it was there to set up the post match stuff instead of anything else.

Alberto makes the save and has a staredown with Texano but they both walk away.

Hernandez is in Dario’s office (and somewhere you can hear Dixie Carter crying) when Cueto says he’s splitting Ultima Lucha into two weeks. I’m not wild on the idea but it’s all they could do given their timeslot. As for Hernandez, he’ll be on the card in a match against Drago, but since so many fans hate him, they’ll be around the ring with straps. Hernandez doesn’t seem worried.

The Mack vs. Cage

Mack pinned Cage a few weeks back so this is a chance for revenge. Cage fires off a bunch of clotheslines to start….and gets sunset flipped out of the corner for a pin in less than 45 seconds. Dang it stop hurting your big stars.

They brawl on the floor and into the crowd until Dario comes out to make a hardcore match for Ultima Lucha with their match taking place next week. Dario isn’t done though as he’s going to explain the Aztec medallions after the break.

Back from a break with Dario in the ring and a new title belt next to him. The belt has slots for all seven medallions lined up across the middle in a kind of hideous design. It’s the Gift of the Gods Title, which is good for a Lucha Underground Title match anytime, as long as you give Cueto a one week notice so he can properly promoted. On top of that though, you’re going to have to defend the title if you take your time. Now we need a first champion, so everyone who has a medallion needs to come to the ring.

This brings out Jack Evans, Aerostar, King Cuerno, Bengala, Sexy Star, and Big Ryck. Everyone puts their medallion into the belt but since there’s no Fenix, we have an open medallion. That can’t work, so let’s have a battle royal where the final two will have a regular match for the medallion. Cue the returning Fenix, who is quickly put into the battle royal. I like the concept of the Gift of the Gods Title, with the one week idea being a very welcome change.

Battle Royal

Fenix, Kill Shot, Marty Martinez, Argenis, Famous B., Mascarita Sagrada, Vinny Massaro, Delavar Daivari, Super Fly, Ricky Mandel

Remember that it’s a battle royal until the final two, when it’s pin or submission. Fenix is in a shirt over his tights for some reason. It’s a brawl to start with Famous B. Pedigreeing Mandel and dropping a legdrop. Mandel is quickly tossed and Argenis is sent out as well. Daivari kicks Kill Shot out, followed by a slugout between Famous B. and Massaro as the fans try to remember who either guy is. Sagrada monkey flips Super Fly out but eliminates himself in the process.

We’re down to Famous B., Martinez, Daivari and Fenix. Martinez and Daivari double team B. out but Fenix quickly tosses Daivari, leaving us with Marty vs. Fenix for the medallion. Gee I wonder what’s going to happen. Marty hits a quick dropkick for two and Fenix rolls outside, where Marty isn’t willing to try a big dive. Back in and a Tajiri handspring elbow drops Marty, setting up a springboard wristdrag. They horribly botch a hurricanrana but it’s still good enough for Fenix to get a pin.

Rating: D+. The best part here was they kept it quick (about seven minutes total) when there it was obvious that Fenix was going to win. Fenix is probably the odds on favorite to win the title at Ultima Lucha but it should at least offer him some better competition than this did. Not bad, but it was pretty much just waiting seven minutes before the obvious.

Fenix puts his medallion inside the belt.

We run down the Ultima Lucha card.

Here’s Prince Puma for the hard sell before the title match. He’s about to speak for the first time (really? He didn’t talk back in the day?) but Katrina and Muertes (rocking a suit) cut him off before he can say a word. The Disciples of Death run in but Puma fights them off to stare at Muertes again. Mil gets in but Puma kicks him in the face, setting up the 630 to end the show. This was the kind of thing they needed to do with Puma as it’s been one sided to Muertes so far.

Overall Rating: C+. Not a great wrestling show but a solid push towards the biggest show of the year. That’s exactly what a go home show is supposed to be and they mostly nailed it here. It’s also nice to see what the Gift of the Gods Title is after all the weeks of hyping it up and the idea actually works well. Throw in Fenix returning and Puma finally getting one up on Muertes and I’m ready to see Ultima Lucha.

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

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011T13PV4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cage vs. The Mack

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

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

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

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

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

Mil Muertes vs. Son of Havoc

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

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

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

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

Team Alberto vs. Team Johnny

Alberto El Patron, Sexy Star, Drago, Aerostar

Johnny Mundo, Jack Evans, Super Fly, Hernandez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOUNBEA

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

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