Lucha Underground SN2 EP13- ‘Monster Meets Monster’

Hey everybody! I’m back with another Lucha Underground review. The bright side of me getting behind on these is that you’ll get more than one this week. We know this main event for this episode will be Mil Muertes facing off against the Lucha Underground Champion Matanza. This will be a battle of Goliath versus Goliath. Let’s get to the episode!

The show begins with Cueto speaking with Fenix, Drago and Aero Star backstage. He tries to convince them to team. He did this last week with Mundo, Taya and Cage. Cueto decides against putting the team together and instead decides to team Fenix with P.J. Black and Jack Evans. Drago and Aero Star will be up against each other for one of the Aztec medallions.

The first match of the night is Aero Star versus Drago. I haven’t been able to speak much about Drago since I started doing these articles, so I’m happy to see this match taking place. Drago was one of my favorite wrestlers on the first season of Lucha Underground. These two men are about to put on a show stealer!

The two attempt multiple pins towards the beginning of the match. The match goes back and forth until Drago is able to take Aero Star down with a kick. Aero Star is able to recover and hit Drago off of the top turnbuckle. Aero Star attempts a handshake but Drago goes for a kick instead. Aero Star attempts to jump off the ropes but falls down hard. Even the most talented wrestlers can make mistakes ladies and gentleman!

Drago then throws Aero Star into the rafters. They both go back in the ring. Aero Star attempts a similar move to the one he made a mistake on before and fortunately hits it this time. Drago hits a move reminiscent to Aero Star’s very quickly after. Man these guys are fun to watch!

Both are back inside the ring now and Drago attempts a pin on the clearly injured Aero Star. Aero Star is able to kick out. Aero Star is still doing these crazy aerial moves even though this injury seems to bother him quite a bit. He hits one final top rope move and is able to get the win. I find it remarkable that Aero Star’s mistake made his win even more spectacular.

We get a vignette involving Taya and Johnny Mundo next. As I mentioned in my article for the previous episode, these two never fail to steal the show. Taya tells Mundo that he will be facing Cage next week in a match for one of the Aztec medallions. It will be a steel cage match!

Match two is upon us and its Fenix, P.J. Black and Jack Evans versus Catrina’s Disciples of Death.

Black and Trece start off the match inside the ring. Fenix attempts to tag in but Black pulls his hand away. It’s nice to see Black do well since leaving WWE. He was one of my favorites on that first season of NXT but WWE eventually had him playing a dude in a bunny costume. Evans has now tagged in.

Evans is one of my favorites on the Lucha Underground roster. The Disciples of Death now triple-team P.J. Black. Fenix is able to finally get into the match. He hits his typical high-flying moves on the Disciples of Death and looks like he is getting close to a win. He attempts a pin but the Disciples of Death kick out and get some hits of their own on Fenix.

The Disciples of Death continue to beat the hell out of Fenix. Fenix is able to tag in Evans. Evans is fantastic everybody! Fenix is back in the match now. The Disciples of Death attempt a pin but Fenix kicks out again. Fenix, Evans and Black have been a much better team than I would have guessed. Right after I write that, Fenix and Black begin to argue. Fenix makes a tag as Black jumps over the ropes. Evans won’t let him enter the match. Evans does a similar move to Black onto the Disciples of Death. Fenix finally enters the match and gets the pin and the win.

I honestly enjoyed these three as a team quite a bit. They were wonderfully dysfunctional!

A backstage segment is next in Dario’s office. He is speaking with Angelico, Son of Havoc and Ivelisse. He reveals that they are now in the Trios tournament and that whoever wins the tournament become the new champs. Just for the record, in my opinion they are Team Ivelisse.

Another backstage segment follows involving the Disciples of Death. I mentioned last week how much I love the special effects the use on these three so it was nice to see again. Catrina is pissed and berates them. Holy crap you guys! We just witnessed a double murder on Lucha Underground! That was insane and so different from everything else you see in wrestling.

The main event between Mil Muertes and Matanza for the Lucha Underground Championship is finally here! I expect some great things but I don’t know if I’ll enjoy anything this episode I much as I enjoyed that last scene backstage.

The match is about to begin. Who needs Batman Vs. Superman? We have Matanza vs. Mil Muertes here in the Temple!

I can’t remember a time where I saw two behemoths like this face off. Mil Muertes gets the better of Matanza to start off the match. I could be wrong but I believe that’s the first time we’ve seen Matanza on his knees and back. Matanza is able to get up and throw Muertes into the turnbuckles.

They are throwing haymakers at each other! We are only a few minutes in and I already love this match! Matanza hits some suplexes on Muertes but Muertes is able to reverse and throw Matanza outside the ring. Dario Cueto gets involved at ringside. Muertes grabs him by the neck. Matanza is able to stop a violent assault on his brother but Dario does get hurt in the process.

Muertes goes to the commentary table with Matanza. Catrina is now involved. Matanza stalks Catrina and grabs her by the neck just like Muertes had done to his brother. Before he can do anything, Muertes hits him with a chair.

They are in the audience now. The violence in this match is incomparable. They make it to the top of Dario’s office. They fight back and forth on the top trying to throw each other off. Oh my god! Muertes and Matanza have fallen through the ceiling into Dario’s office! The match is now a no contest.

The episode ends with my guy Joey Ryan’s boss aka the police chief talking with someone. That someone just happens to be played by Lorenzo Lamas. I find this very distracting as someone who has seen Lamas in so many other things. Imagine seeing Bob Saget on WWE TV playing a role that wasn’t himself. It would take you out of it. You’d just say “Oh hey that’s the dad from Full House”. You’d then forget whatever happened and wouldn’t take it seriously.

The gist of the scene though is that the guy Lamas is playing suggests to the detective/police chief that she stop her investigation

It was another fun episode of Lucha Underground with a great cinematic backstage segment and a really entertaining main event. I’m looking forward to seeing the Trios championship match in the next episode!

Lucha Underground SN2 EP10 – ‘El Jefe is Back’

What’s up luchadores and luchadoras! I’m back for my second week of reviewing the greatest hour of wrestling on TV each week, Lucha Underground.

We were treated with a five star match last week. Let’s see what we have going on in The Temple this week!

We start out this week with a some recaps including the debut of Matanza from last week as well as a few other refreshers on current feuds in Lucha Underground.

El Jefe is in the ring! Oh how we missed you Dario! Pentagon Jr. interrupts Cueto while he is announcing a new Trios tournament and new #1 contender for the Lucha Underground Championship. Pentagon wants to face Matanza. They will face each other for the title tonight. You’ll regret that Pentagon! Rather than ‘cero miedo’ you’ll have mucho miedo after facing Matanza.

This first match of the night is Taya & Johnny Mundo vs. Mr. Cisco & Cortez Castro. Taya and Cortez start the match off. Striker mentioning Taya being taller than Cortez gave me a good laugh. Sorry for that Cortez. Mundo tags himself in while Taya is impressing the #LuchaKliq at the Temple. He violently punches Cisco in the face multiple times. Cisco and Mundo go back and forth for a bit as both lay in the ring trying to tag in their partners. They both get to their partners. Castro pins Taya after a bit of action but Mundo stops it.

Now we hear “I’m a Machine!”. Cage is out to continue his feud with Mundo. Mundo runs off leaving Taya alone in the ring with both Castro & Cisco. They get the 1, 2, 3. This was a pretty solid first match to start the show.

Up next is a fantastic vignette involving Mariposa and Marty The Moth. Let’s just leave it at the fact that you don’t want to mess with Mariposa. The Moth and Mariposa are quickly becoming one of my favorite acts in Lucha Underground! I always liked Mariposa before she came to Lucha Underground,  so I’m glad she’s getting the chance to shine here.

We are then treated with a backstage promo between Dario and Catrina. Thank god you are back in charge Dario! Catrina threatens Dario that her man should be champ and not Matanza.

Match #2 of the night is up next and it’s a elimination match for the Trios Championship. It’s great to have Ivelisse, Angelico and Son of Havoc as champs again. I can’t imagine Lucha Underground without them. They will be facing the Disciples of Death.

We start of with some action between Angelico And Barrio Negro. Son of Havoc and Ivelisse also get involved and continue to beat the hell out of Negro. How dare you call Ivelisse the weakest Matt Striker! She’s the baddest bitch in Lucha Underground for goodness sake! Ivelisse is eliminated due to outside involvement from Catrina.

The action continues between the remaining men in the match. Angelico eliminate Trece. It’s now two on two. Angelico and Havoc have the moves of the night so far by going over the ropes and landing on the Disciples of Death. Angelico is next to be eliminated. The move that eliminated Angelico made me cringe. Son of Havoc is now all alone.

Havoc eliminates Negro to make it a one on one match. Ivelisse is back out to attack Catrina. Gotta love Striker calling Havoc a “bearded bastard”. The best commentator in all of wrestling is Matt Striker and I don’t think it’s even arguable. Havoc gets the win for his team to retain the titles. All in all, a pretty good match but I would have preferred more Ivelisse. Son of Havoc stole the show in that match.

We are then treated with more Dario Cueto backstage. This time with Rey Mysterio. Mysterio confronts Cueto about issues he has with Matanza, who he feels attacked his mentor.

Willie Mack and Sexy Star wait in the ring for the third match of the night. Sexy Star will be facing of against Mariposa. The Moth will also be ringside.

Mariposa and Sexy Star go at it. This kind of action doesn’t happen anywhere else. These are two of the most talented women in wrestling. It has to be said that Marty is one creepy son of a gun and you have to love him for it! Mariposa hits Sexy with what she calls ‘The Butterfly Effect’ to win the match. The Moth & Mariposa then attack Willie Mack as he is checking on Sexy Star. That move where The Moth picked up Mariposa and proceeded to throw her on Mack may be the highlight of the night for me.

The main event is next and it’s for the Lucha Underground Championship. Pentagon Junior watch your back! Matanza is coming for you! This match will be like something you’d see in a comic book. A young kid by me at the taping I attended described Matanza as, “like Bane from Batman but if he were a wrestler”.

Pentagon continually attacks Matanza to start of the match but it seems to have no effect. Matanza is a killer ladies & gents! He chucks Pentagon into the wooden chairs at ringside. Told you you’d regret it Pentagon! Matanza is probably the strongest and most intimidating guy I’ve ever seen in wrestling. Matanza easily defeats Pentagon to remain champ.

Vampiro enters the same ring as Matanza after the match. Man, Vampiro has some cajones! To no ones surprise, he is attacked by Matanza. Way to help out your buddy, Striker! I take back what I said earlier. Matanza then throws Pentagon through the commentary table. And that’s how we end Lucha Underground this week.

We were treated with another great hour of wrestling on Lucha Underground this week. The highlights being the singles debut of Mariposa, Son of Havoc in the Trios match and the continuing dominance of Matanza.