Lucha Underground – Season One Episode 4 – 19th November 2014
Thrill Of The Hunt
Last week Lucha Underground gained an identity. It wasn’t a random promotion with a big budget and a couple of great wrestlers anymore, it stumbled onto a formula which would make it a real, viable and truly groundbreaking alternative to anything else on the pro-wrestling spectrum. Week-to-week storyline advancement, backstage vignettes that are both competently acted and plot-enhancing, and a completely unique in-ring style which separates them from their competitors…here’s hoping they keep that going this week. I believe the title of the episode refers to the debuting King Cuerno as a ‘hunter’ character…who meets Drago here. Fenix and Pentagon Jr. are thrown together once more following the athletic pyrotechnics of last week’s main event, and the hour will round off with Johnny Mundo and Big Ryck in a grudge match showdown. Matt Striker and Vampiro are in position at their table in Boyle Heights, CA to call the action…
Sexy Star is in the ring as the show opens, promising revenge on Chavo Guerrero for what he did to Blue Demon, to Mascarita Sagrada, and to her. Ivelisse interrupts to proclaim that she is the ‘baddest’ luchadora in Lucha Underground.
Sexy Star vs Ivelisse
This is the first time we’ve seen Star since Chavo took her out with a steel chair. Of course she’ll have that on her mind, but she’ll also be motivated for the opponent standing before her now. Ivelisse is a known associate of Son Of Havoc, whom Sexy felt disrespected by during LU’s debut episode. She pinned Havoc on Episode 2, and now wants his female companion too.
After some heated pre-match words it’s no surprise that the match begins with the two of them trying to punch each other’s lights out. Some clever editing minimises the impact of some sloppiness from Ivelisse, and Sexy regains the crowd by Matrix-ducking under a clothesline then landing a sweet rana for 2. A curb stomp into the turnbuckles kills her momentum though, putting Ivelisse back in charge. She actually looks to be targeting Sexy’s face – going so far as to rake at the mask and eyes even from a basic rear chinlock position. BIG chop duel between the two luchadoras…and it ends with both women down after Star hits a front lungblower. MASSIVE SLAP by Ivelisse…then her front choke DDT variant for 2. Ivelisse gets frustrated and argues with the referee, giving Star a window of opportunity to hook her into La Magistral. She holds the shoulders down for three at 06:19
Rating - ** - This was a decent women’s match for the time allotted, with both women getting to show plenty of ability and personality. Ivelisse wasn’t as smooth or as polished as Star, requiring some creative post-production work to cover a few really poor moments…but she looked great when working over Star’s face and mask – which was a real dick move when you think back to Star’s introductory video package as she stated it was the mask that gave her the belief to overcome her abusive past.
Drago is confronted by Dario Cueto, who isn’t convinced by him since he neither lost nor won the triple threat last week. He warns the Dragon that he has been earmarked as the ‘first prey’ of King Cuerno.
Pentagon Jr. stands in the ring with a live microphone. He thanks Dario Cueto for showing him respect and giving him an opportunity in Lucha Underground after feeling so disrespect back in Mexico. His next task is to beat Fenix to earn the respect of everyone else…
Pentagon Jr. vs Fenix
One thing Lucha Underground really is doing well thus far is rolling stories over from one week to the next. As they introduce a bigger and bigger cast it will be harder to retain that tight focus, but so far it’s an element they appear more capable of pulling off than any of their rivals. Last week these two locked horns in a spectacular triple threat main event, with Fenix diving from the balcony on his way to victory and officially being labelled the most promising young luchador to enter the Temple. Pentagon was the man that took the fall, and he wants revenge here.
Pentagon whacks Fenix with a flurry of early kicks…but can’t keep up with him when the pace quickens and eats a standing moonsault. Fenix follows it with a RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! He then springboards back in and gets insane hangtime on a guillotine leg drop for 2. DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK NAILED! This amazing again! Fenix rolls backwards through the middle rope to avoid the on-rushing Pentagon and floors him again with a springboard TWISTING lucha armdrag! CORKSCREW PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR! Back in the ring Pentagon finally manages to grab the illusive Fenix…delivering a tiger lungblower for a nearfall. PENTAGON DRIVER! MISSILE DROPKICK TO THE APRON by Fenix! Sling Blade in response by Penta, who is growing more and more irate at the athleticism and speed of Fenix. He drops him straight on his face with an inverted Code Red for 2. He scales the ropes…only to be intercepted by Fenix who somehow reaches him with a vertical leap gamengiri. DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD INTO A SPANISH FLY! Fenix pins Pentagon again at 07:56
Rating - **** - They’ve done it again! For the second week in a row these two luchadors don their masks and rock the Temple with an insane seven minute sprint that had to be seen to be believed. I’m sure long-term AAA fans would have known what to expect, but you can’t oversell how impressive these guys are and what a great job they are doing of exporting this style to a new market. This wasn’t quite as batsh*t wild as the triple threat last week, but they made up for that with a little more story – with the aggressive Pentagon trying to use his power but getting more and more frustrated that Fenix was just too darn quick and kept diving all over the place. The difference these two have made to the entire Lucha Underground presentation in just two weeks is immense…
Footage fleshing out King Cuerno’s ‘hunter’ gimmick airs next. He is hunting a dragon tonight…
Drago vs King Cuerno
It barely took a few minutes of air-time tonight, but this has already been positioned as a high profile encounter, such is the strength of LU’s universe-building cinematic segments. Dario Cueto is uncertain what Drago offers to Lucha Underground since he neither won nor lost the main event last week. So he wants to put him to the test against the latest prize fighter he has funded and brought to the Temple. Cuerno works as El Hijo del Fantasma in Mexico, but dons a new ‘hunter’ gimmick for LU – complete with full dear carcass head dress for his entrances. The pressure is on both men to prove their worth to the dastardly proprietor of this company…
Drago has electric speed so it makes sense that Cuerno wants to work at a more methodical pace. He shrugs the dragon off as he attempts a hurricanrana and decks him with a straight lariat. A satellite headscissors attempt is dismissed as resoundingly as the rana earlier then he starts raking the laces of his wrist straps across the eyes. RUNNING RANA OFF THE REF by Drago…straight into a TOPE ATOMICO! Cuerno can fly too, and he rockets right up the aisle with a tope suicida. Springboard leg hook lucha roll-up…GETS THREE! I have no idea what to call that pinning combination but scores Drago a huge win at 04:51
Rating - *** - All three matches so far on this episode have been complete adrenaline rushes. This one packed in a couple of recognisable dive sequences, but was actually more memorable for the methodical approach of the debutant than it was the aerial antics of the dragon. The way he dumped Drago on the mat every time he tried an extravagant headscissors takedown was a revelation. I feel like he’ll be able to add more to his ‘hunter’ presentation as his LU tenure progresses and he becomes more comfortable with the new gimmick, but as a worker he slipped effortlessly into the LU ‘style’. It will be interesting to see how Dario Cueto reacts to both men now. He was sceptical of Drago, who won tonight, and brought in Cuerno with plenty of fanfare only to see him lose…
Konnan warns Prince Puma not to get involved in the main event…
Big Ryck vs Johnny Mundo
When Mundo won the main event of the first ever episode he was expecting to collect a $100k ‘signing bonus’ from Dario Cueto but instead was attacked by Ryck and his Crenshaw Crew who were revealed to be hired thugs working for El Jefe. Johnny gained a measure of revenge on Castro and Cisco back on Episode 2, but last week demanded a grudge match with Ryck. He got his wish, but unbeknownst to him Ryck is being given even more money by Cueto to send him to the hospital…
Ryck’s immense power is inevitably the focal point of this match, with Mundo trying to negate it by staying mobile and peppering him with kicks. He also busts out an awesome parkour flip to land on his feet when Big attempts a biel across the ring. Moonlight Drive gets 2, but in between every burst of Mundo offence he has to endure a torrent of heavy-handed punishment from his massive opponent. The camera goes backstage and shows the rest of the Crew violently assaulting Prince Puma. With him down they sprint to the ring just in time to drag Johnny down as he sets up Fin Del Mundo. Of course that means Ryck is disqualified and Mundo gets a hollow win at 04:43
Rating - ** - Not a great match in and of itself, but you can give it something of a pass because it’s obvious this is just a stopping point on the road to bigger matches down the line in this feud. I did think Johnny was outstanding once again though, and busted out quite a few entertaining little sequences and spots to bounce off his larger and immobile opponent.
The result is an irrelevance as Mundo does his best to fight off all three members of the Crenshaw Crew. Ryck chokeslams him through a table to end the show…
Tape Rating - *** - Lucha Underground is starting to pick up pace after a shaky and unimaginative start. Fenix, Pentagon and Drago have injected so much style and quality and made it a better show inside the ropes. However, as enjoyable as their aerial antics is the concise episodic writing style LU have been able to utilise. They don’t have a lot of time so the show moves along briskly, but each week we touch upon and flesh out various storyline threads, deepening characters and giving audiences a deeper connection with the eventual in-ring competition. To that end Mundo/Ryck wasn’t a particularly good main event, but you care less about the quality of the match because you’re interested in seeing how the Mundo/Crenshaw Crew/Puma/Konnan/Cueto intertwined angles develop. King Cuerno arrived to add another intriguing character to the LU melting pot…and of course it helps that for the second week running we had Fenix and Pentagon tearing the house down with their frantic spot-fest style. Tune in next week for a Boyle Heights Street Fight!