By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com
Last week, Jack Evans debuted and lost to Aerostar. Ryck threatened The Mack with a beating since they didn’t win the Trios tag titles. A crazy seven-way match happened, and Johnny Mundo turned heel tossing Alberto through Dario’s office window. This shocked Dario so much that he continued to make his drink, and then was clearly impressed afterwards once he finished. Fenix was also threatened by Katrina and her new squad of ghostly luchadors. Cueto also announced that the Trios champions he despises will defend the titles – and since Ivelisse’s foot is broken, it will be a ladder match.
This week’s show begins with a recap of Marty the Moth annoying Cueto, and Hernandez’s path of destruction so far. The Daivari-Texano issue is shown, as is the final Trios tag title tournament match. Cueto threatening The Crew with his brother the monster closes out the video package. A band leads us in while Striker and Vamp, in a bright white shirt, welcome us to the show. Striker says the first match tonight will feature Prince Puma. Marty “The Moth” Martinez first hovers around Melissa Santos creepily, and then starts flapping his arms like Koko B. Ware – so this should be hilarious. Puma comes down with Konnan.
Match One – Prince Puma vs. Marty “The Moth” Martinez
Striker puts over how big Lucha Underground is in the wrestling and sports media. Konnan tells Puma to treat him like a joke, and Marty hugs him and suckers him into a lariat. Marty nails a big dropkick, nips up, and poses. Corner leaping forearm by Marty leas to a giant smile. Puma sends down with a big shot and blasts away in the corner before hitting him with a kneeling calf kick to the head for 2. Corner European uppercut by Puma, but he misses a second corner shot and eats a lariat. Marty flaps, but misses a moonsault and eats a big kick. Spinning Blue Thunder bomb hits and Konnan tells him to go up op. 630 hits and the champ gets a win.
They did an excellent job here giving the champion more credibility and turning Marty the Moth into a job guy with a bit of an edge to him. Hernandez comes down and Konnan calls him a sorry son of a bitch who makes lambs look dangerous. Konnan tells “baby nuts” to get in the ring now so the champ can beat him now. Konnan is still excellent on the mic. Hernandez comes halfway down the steps and then leaves – he’ll fight on his terms. Striker hypes up tonight’s title match and says that next, we’ll hear from Mundo in an interview with Vamp explaining why he attacked Alberto. Well, that’s simple – Alberto was a prick to him, he lost to the guy, and snapped.
Vamp meets with Mundo and says the window behind them is boarded up because Mundo smashed Alberto’s face through it. They show the attack and he asks why he did it. Mundo says he came here to prove he’s the best, and he says he’s proved it – it’s simple. Vamp says he digs the confidence, but he’s not answering the question. Mundo says he’s known Alberto a long time, so he did this to make him realize how good he was. Vamp says he’s seen everyone everywhere, and once Alberto came in, Mundo got stepped over. He tells him to not get pissed, but he’s just the messenger – is he jealous? Mundo tells him Alberto is overrated and overconfident. Mundo says Alberto’s done now – and he’s some guy in catering that Alberto can slap around. He doesn’t care about Alberto’s family or what he did before LU – Mundo is the biggest star in Lucha Underground and it’s his world. This was easily the best thing that Mundo has ever done that involved talking.
Dario Cueto talked to The Crew about human sacrifices, and tonight, he’ll give them a chance for immortality. If they can’t beat the champions, it will anger him and the gods, and they don’t want that. Dario Cueto is easily the best heel owner since Bischoff, and it really helps that he’s a regular actor who happens to be on a wrestling show because he delivers every line with an air of sincerity.
The band plays and the fans dance while Melissa Santos introduces the next match. Delavar Daivari is in the corner sipping his drink preparing to do battle with Texano, who is now a babyface and put over as the longest-reigning AAA Mega champion.
Match Two – Delavar Daivari vs. Texano
Texano clotheslines him down instantly and punches him down in the corner. Striker puts over Texano’s work ethic while running down Daivari having everything handed to him. Texano misses a corner charge and eats a single-arm DDT as well as some shoulder charges that get 2. Kneeling hammerlock by Daivari leads to a Kimura. Texano boots him out of the corner, but gets taken down quickly. Daivari goes up, but is met with punches and eats a superplex. Texano wins a punch exchange and a leg lariat for 2. Daivari gets rolling German suplexex, but Texano goes for his own. Daivari escapes, but eats a Codebreaker for 2. Daivari elbows Texano, and Big Ryck comes down and clotheslines Texano. Striker says that Ryck fights for money, and Daivari has a lot of it. They put Texano up top and slug away before Daivari lands a rana. Daivari grabs his drink and makes a cocky cover, but he has Ryck force the ref to count to 3 anyway. I like this – it’s a bit like Bundy’s 5 count, but different and far more cocky than it is dominant.
Cueto is poked by Katrina in his office before she distracts hi with her cleavage and tells him that Mil Muertes will deliver him a sacrifice if he wants. She wants Muertes to kill Fenix, and she demands a death match before disappearing. We see the Black Lotus leaving her training area and roamng the tracks on the way to the Temple to kill Dario’s brother. Chavo tells her trainer that if he wants Lotus to leave, he needs his help. Chavo has really been an unsung hero of this show by being a good veteran name, and hopefully, he improves his acting chops if he’s going to have a more serious role.
The moon greets us to a new setting – Chavo tells the trainer that the Guerreros and Cuetos have been at war for generations. Chavo offers to protect Black Lotus, and the trainer will clear Chavo’s debt to Mexico if he protects Lotus. Their drink ends and we go back to the Temple. Ladders surround the ring, so tonight’s main event is coming up. The Crew comes out and we go to an ad break before the final bout of the evening. Next week, we get the Fenix-Muertes deathmatch and Hernandez in some new gear against Puma for the title. The champs come down and Ivie’s got crutches.
Main Event – The Crew vs. Angelico, Ivelisse, and Son of Havoc – Trios Title Ladder Match
Ivie is taken down in the attack and a crowd brawl breaks out between the healthy team members. Ivie gets a big chant and hops down the steps, thankfully using the railing to come down. Havoc chops Castro in the corner, but Bael punches Ivie down on the floor. Striker says we shouldn’t feel bad for he – why? She’s undersized not even considering her gender, and she can’t walk. Angelico dives onto Castro and Bael while they’re holding a ladder in yet another fantastic dive for his resume. Castro brings a smaller ladder in, but Angelico hops in and knees his face off!
Angelico takes off his top and climbs up, but Bael meets him. Corner shots hit Angelico from all sides. They put the top of the ladder against Angelico’s crotch in the corner and chairshot it right into the groin. Well, that’s new and rather painful to look at. Cisco chokes him on the floor as Bael sets up a table. Son of Havoc eats a beating from all three guys, but he comes back with a drop toehold on the ladder in the corner and a series of moves to get a brief edge. Nice double stomp/DDT combo off the ladder by The Crew to Havoc, but Angelico comes back in to save him.
Angelico gets smacked into the boards and Cueto is on the phone. Angelico gets placed onto one of two tables, but tips Cisco off of a ladder THROUGH THE WINDOW and into the office! That was fantastic. Angelico puts a man on a table and climbs the ladder to the top of the office and then goes for the dive again, but Castro canes him. Bael’s powerbomb to Havoc is avoided, but Cisco dives out of the window onto him!
Havoc gets a flying back double elbow and prevents Castro from climbing up. Havoc’s ladder is tipped over, so he moonsaults onto them off the rope! Cisco prevents an SSP from Havoc, who headbutts him down and hits the SSP on the table – but the table doesn’t break! Cisco is sent to the floor as Castro is mid-ring with the ladder. ANGELICO DIVES OFF THE OFFICE AND MISSILE DROPKICKS HIM OFF THE LADDER! The crowd chants “holy shit” as Cueto is just gobsmacked. Angelico grabs the ladder to balance it for Ivie as she climbs up and bites Cisco’s hand to send him down and she pulls a belt down to win! This was an insane match and well-worth going out of your way to see.
Cueto is shocked in his office as the champions celebrate. This show ruled. Lucha Underground is such a treat to watch, and matches like this serve as constant reminders of why it’s so fun to be a wrestling fan and have alternative products to enjoy. Hopefully, there’s a deal coming up where they put this show on Netflix or Hulu to expand its casual audience. Given how beautiful the show is, a Blu-Ray release would be great – but due to the sheer size of that set, is unlikely.
To see every screen for the show, just click here.