Lucha Underground – Season One Episode 12 – 28th January 2015
They Call Him Cage
Just two weeks into his Lucha Underground career, Cage already has an episode of the show named after him and a LU Championship opportunity against Prince Puma to headline it. Puma needed medical attention after the vicious assault at the hands of The Machine two weeks ago, so their main event will be a real grudge match. Beneath that Fenix and Mil Muertes collide in an intriguing battle of size versus power…and we’ll also see The Crew back in action after violently turning their back on Big Ryck and aligning themselves with Dario Cueto last week. Matt Striker and Vampiro welcome us to The Temple in Boyle Heights, CA.
El Jefe praises the initiative Cage has taken since arriving in Lucha Underground, which is why he is being rewarded with the title shot tonight.
Mil Muertes vs Fenix
These two were finalists in the contest for Dario Cueto’s ‘Unique Opportunity’, which gave Mil the coveted #20 spot in Aztec Warfare and forced Fenix to enter first. They are polar opposites in every way; Muertes a big, hulking powerhouse from ‘beyond the grave’, whilst the ‘Bird Of War’ Fenix is lightning quick and symbolic of an entity which rises above death. Can he avenge the loss he suffered a few weeks ago? Striker and Vampiro discuss the fact that Catrina and Mil are supposedly furious at not taking home the Lucha Underground Championship following Aztec Warfare.
Muertes tries to use his size to swamp Fenix, who needs all his quickness to stay out of his clutches. Mil easily shrugs off all his offence though…THEN PUNCHES HIS LIGHTS OUT! Evidently Muertes is still fuming after Aztec Warfare, and is remorseless as he drops his opponent on his head suplexing him into the turnbuckles then counters the Lethal Injection into a savage German suplex. Dagger In The Heart nailed for 2! Fenix won’t stay down though, pushing Mil to take drastic action and pursue him up the ropes. He nails a superplex…only for Fenix to hook a leg on the way down and score an upset flash pin victory at 03:47
Rating - N/A - Reviewing this more than two years removed from the original date, I have the benefit of hindsight and am aware that this was laying the foundations for a much bigger angle so I’ve been generous and given it the N/A rating. Fenix is possibly my favourite LU talent right now, and he looks so good no matter who his opponent is. Even in less than four minutes here these two were entertaining enough working a few decent cat-and-mouse exchanges; the clear highlight of which was that massive knockout punch spot early in the match. Fenix winning, despite being dominated, is an interesting twist and will presumably further fuel Mil’s rage after missing out on the LU Title weeks earlier.
Cage is in the streets of LA fighting off a street gang, with similar narration to some of his earlier video packages – the message being that he isn’t a whacky character, he’s not a dragon or immortal and he doesn’t wear a mask or a cape…he’s simply a ruthless, violent asskicker; a Machine
Aero Star/Super Fly/Argenis vs Cortez Castro/Mr Cisco/Bael
The Crew severed ties with Big Ryck by burning out his eye with a lit cigar last week. It was a stunning act of violence, after which they revealed their new association as paid thugs for LU head honcho Dario Cueto. Tonight they face three of the newer masked luchador imports from across the border, again looking to make a statement of intent.
Fly starts and quickly gets wild with a TOP ROPE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! He’s too fast for both Castro and Cisco, who leave Bael to deal with Argenis whilst they recover on the outside. Aero climbs onto Argenis’ shoulders on the second rope…then DIVES with a sky high crossbody for 2! Triple boot combo from The Crew to Aero turns the momentum in their favour. They try to isolate Star, wisely slowing the pace to something far more comfortable. REBOUND FLYING SENTON from Aero to Bael! Hot tag to Argenis who comes in throwing around headscissors takedowns to any Crew member who crosses his path, followed by a Code Red on Mr C for 2. Bael then double stomps Argenis’ ribs over Cisco’s knees to completely shut him down. All of a sudden there are fights all over ringside – and Argenis dives out onto a pile of bodies with a ROPE RUN CROSSBODY! AERO STAR HITS A SLINGSHOT SUPER RANA SENDING CISCO FROM THE TOP TO THE FLOOR! SPRINBOARD SOMERSAULT PLANCHA NAILED! 3-D LUNGBLOWER out of nowhere by Castro and Cisco! They pin Aero at 10:54
Rating - *** - Right now none of these six are particularly high ranking members of the Lucha Underground roster, so credit to the producers for having the courage to give them all the time they needed to go out and produce something enjoyable. In a free TV environment this match was easy to follow, featured an array of identifiable characters and got more and more spectacular as it went along. You didn’t need to be familiar with the promotion or a storyline; if you were a casual fan of pro-wrestling and stumbled across this you could pick it up without issue and enjoy it through the sheer quality of the work. Good stuff from all involved, with Aero Star’s athleticism and unique way of moving and diving making him the obvious standout for his team.
Last week Vampiro interviewed Cage, and this week he has a sit-down with Prince Puma and his thunder-stealing ‘coach’ Konnan. Konnan doesn’t let his protégé speak and gets completely sidetracked trading jibes with Vamp. Puma looks increasingly irritated at not being able to talk…
Prince Puma vs Cage – LU Title Match
We know the story here. Cage violently debuted in Lucha Underground, after weeks of hype videos, by laying waste to a succession of other luchadors in an undercard match…then marching back to the ring after Puma’s successful title defence against Fenix to take him out. The Machine doesn’t want to wait for title shots, and his initiative has been rewarded by an impressed Dario Cueto. Does Puma have the wherewithal to overcome the immense size and strength difference between himself and his challenger this evening?
RUNNING MOONSAULT UP THE AISLE BY PUMA! He ambushes the huge challenger during his entrance in an effort to bridge that size differential early. But as soon as they enter the ring he tries to springboard off the ropes and literally bounces off Cage’s torso. Cage sensibly takes it right to the ground where Prince can’t fly and can’t use his speed to wear him out. Even when the champ does battle back to his feet Cage is poised and ready to cave his face in with an elbow smash. From the apron Prince gets immense hangtime on a springboard clothesline to finally knock the Machine off of his feet…only for Cage to almost eject him from the ring with a butterfly suplex. Chocolate Rain gets 2 for the champion – who has obviously realised he needs to take to the air if he is to be successful. He tries one dive too many though; getting caught by the neck then converted to a Jackhammer for 2. SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT gets Cage a nearfall again, as Vampiro and Striker purr in admiration for the agility of the big man. F’n-5 nailed! GMSI blocked though, with Prince P showing amazing strength to hit ROLLING SUPLEXES! Cage shoves the ref into the ropes to stop Puma climbing for the 630…then punts him in the balls, earning an obvious DQ loss at 10:50 (ish – my watch stopped!)
Rating - *** - I liked the match itself, although the finish was terrible. I’m happy to see the bigger picture and let Lucha Underground tell the stories they want to tell, but offering Muertes/Fenix and Puma/Cage in the same episode and not allowing either to get anywhere near their full potential is something of a shame. Obviously these guys know each other from PWG and worked the speed vs power formula well without coming up with anything too innovative or outlandish. Cage is an amazing specimen, but considering he is being promoted as a big, ruthless machine…he feels a little wooden in his delivery. I’m not sure how ‘opting out’ of the match when Puma seemed on the verge of victory was that helpful to his credibility either.
Konnan watches helplessly from the apron as Cage murders Puma with Weapon X. He does try to interject himself eventually…only to be taken out with a shot from the sh*tty LU Title belt, which doesn’t look like it would hurt at all. Somehow we are supposed to believe that it was sufficient to bust Konnan open (and he is REALLY bleeding). Cage almost turns babyface by ripping the belt in half as the show comes to an end. Good riddance to that piece of trash.
Dario Cueto is watching the action from his office…but is confronted by the Asian woman who has popped up all over the show over the last few episodes. She is looking for ‘Matanza’, but El Jefe denies all knowledge. She also appears to have super-powers like Catrina, as she vanishes without trace…
Tape Rating - *** - I didn’t enjoy this episode as much as others in recent weeks, although that was largely due to the lack of a blowaway, top quality main event…and it’s just not smart business to throw those out every single week. Here we were very much building stories for the future – such as the Fenix/Muertes rivalry, the Asian lady confronting Cueto and an obvious set-up for a higher stakes Puma/Cage rematch after the unimaginative non-finish to their main event. At just 45-minutes long, these episodes move at a breathless pace and pack quite a punch. The trios tag in the middle of this one was a highlight for me. I didn’t have great expectations, all of the competitors were lowly ranked guys on the roster, but the producers committed to it and created a number of new stars as a result. The Crew suddenly feel far more threatening after such an imposing performance, and Aero Star’s courageous underdog showing in the face of defeat sets the stage for him to go onto bigger and better things too.