Lucha Underground – Season One Episode 13 – 4th February 2015
Mundo vs The Machine
The title would suggest we have another Cage-themed week ahead, which would make sense given that we ended the last episode with him shredding the Lucha Underground Championship with his bare hands. Beneath that a trio that will go on to become hugely significant as our Lucha journey continues – Angelico, Son Of Havoc and Ivelisse – cross paths for the first time and we also get a collision between two spectacular athletes in Drago and Aero Star. Vampiro and Matt Striker provide commentary, as always, from Boyle Heights, CA.
Son Of Havoc vs Angelico
Havoc has spent most of his LU career thus far feeling frustrated and embarrassed by having to wrestle the likes of Sexy Star and Mascarita Sagrada. We last saw Angelico a couple of weeks ago putting up a brave fight but ultimately getting crushed at the hands of Cage. A win would be huge for the career trajectory of both men it seems…
Angelico is significantly taller than Havoc and uses that range to both out-wrestle and out-strike him in the early minutes. The Shuri Knee in the corner almost takes Son Of’s head off, forcing Ivelisse to take action and cause a distraction. SOH lands a standing moonsault, before Angelico’s range striking again comes into play as he pivots into a capoeira style kick from the ground. Ivelisse gets involved for a second time by choking him in the ropes yet still Ang is able to topple Havoc to the floor. TOPE ATOMICO NAILED! Havoc manages to survive that…then almost snaps his opponent in half with a cradle backbreaker. Phoenix Splash misses…but still SOH counters Fall Of The Angels, much to Ivelisse’s delight. Angelico almost punches her lights out…and after she slaps him across the face her own boyfriend is accidentally fired straight into her! In the ensuing confusion Angelico swoops to pin Havoc and condemn him to another loss at 06:31
Rating - ** - Fun stuff, although too dogged by outside interference to go much higher in the ratings. Angelico looked a fun act in his debut match, even whilst being resoundingly squashed by Cage, so it is pleasing to see that he evidently impressed the producers enough to get something more substantial moving forward. He and Havoc had an interesting dynamic, as you rarely see such a significant size difference on two junior heavyweight style competitors. Watching Angelico use that height to fend off SOH’s attacks and land his own was a lot of fun, and it was evident they had real chemistry even at this early stage.
Ivelisse is furious, and storms out on Son Of Havoc…
In his office Dario Cueto welcomes Johnny Mundo back to The Temple for the first time since Aztec Warfare. El Jefe tries to make peace between them and concedes that Mundo’s presence usually ensures a top quality main event. As such he puts him right in the main event tonight…against Cage.
Pentagon Jr. vs Famous B
One suspects that B will most likely be a lamb to the slaughter at the hands of the impressive Pentagon here. Perhaps the bigger mystery is whether Penta will reveal the identity of the new veteran he has assisting him to get to the top after Chavo Guerrero turned out to be a weasel…
A video package promotes Penta as a lethal hand-to-hand combat fighter, and he backs that reputation up with a thumping kick into B’s skull. FEAR FACTOR! Pentagon has it won with that but opts to make an example of his opponent by locking him into a hammerlock/armbar combo which will go on to be known as ‘The Sacrifice’ and is one of his signature moves. He earns an easy tap-out win at 01:34
Rating - N/A - Pentagon has a wonderful look, and seems to find a way to connect with both American and Latin American audiences equally despite conducting all his interviews in Spanish. He’s floated on the periphery of the Lucha Underground scene thus far, yet always impressed. One suspects this crushing win is the first step towards building him for far more meaningful moments down the line…
Pentagon Jr. refuses to break the Sacrifice…and instead drops backwards and SNAPS B’s arm, as the crowd roar and cheer in delight. He leaves by saying that he pledges loyalty to his ‘master’...
Dario Cueto is somewhere in the bowels of The Temple, staring at his key and talking to a mysterious off-screen presence – revealed to be the ‘Matanza’ that the Asian female questioned him about last week. That woman is known as ‘Black Lotus’. El Jefe leaves vowing to protect the Temple from Matanza…
Drago vs Aero Star – Best Of 5 Series Match 1
Aero is winless thus far in Lucha Underground competition but has looked very impressive, particularly as part of a trios tag against The Crew last week. He needs a win badly, but so does his opponent this evening. Drago is looking to recover from the controversial, decisive loss he suffered to King Cuerno in the Last Luchador Standing Match. This series is Best Of 5, with both luchadors looking to reinvigorate their Lucha Underground careers…
These two are rapid and prove it with a high speed opening minute until Aero snatches the advantage with a double springboard stomp. Drago lands a diving lungblower to respond only to be booted off the apron by the Spaceman. STEP-UP SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR NAILED! The way Star doesn’t even put his arms out to protect himself on that is scary! Drago sensibly brings it back to the ring and uses a bit of muscle to plant Star on his face. CORKSCREW PLANCHA BY DRAGO! Aero’s turn to drag the match back into the ring now – where he lands a handspring elbow for 2, but then gets wiped out again with the running blockbuster! Drago wins at 04:11
Rating - ** - I liked what we saw here, but it felt like it was just getting going when the match came to a jarring and sudden halt. A lot of Lucha Underground matches we’ve seen thus far come down to speed vs power, so it was cool to see two smaller guys just go all out at high speed. These two definitely have the potential to deliver something memorable as this series progresses – assuming the matches are a little longer and more substantive than this.
Fenix is working out, unaware that he is being stalked by Catrina. She ponders what can scare a man who cannot die…and plants a seductive kiss on his lips. Then she vanishes as quickly as she came, imploring Fenix to keep the kiss a secret, as Mil Muertes would ‘bury both of [them] alive’…
Johnny Mundo vs Cage
The Machine still carries the broken pieces of the Lucha Underground Championship belt that he tore apart after his match with Prince Puma last week. We don’t have an explanation as to why he voluntarily got himself disqualified from that one though. He made quite an impact regardless, and gets the opportunity to do so again this week as he faces a man praised by Dario Cueto as a top tier, main event talent earlier in the evening. Mundo is one of the biggest names in Lucha Underground; therefore has one of the biggest targets on his back for an ambitious individual like Cage.
It takes less than thirty seconds for the powerful Cage to sidestep an attempted flip attack from his athletic adversary and down him with a backbreaker. Mundo has seen his share of muscular adversaries though – and lands on his feet next time Cage tries something similar to blast him with the corkscrew kick. Cage withdraws to the floor…where he catches Johnny from the apron to powerbomb him into the ringpost. King Cuerno is lurking high above The Temple – perhaps stalking his next prey? The Machine continues to batter Johnny’s back…but makes a mistake by attempting a DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT (and missing)! Moonlight Drive blocked…F’n-5 countered…and Mundo hits an inverted DDT. But Cage crushes the spine again with a running Alabama Bomb for 2! GMSI blocked…Discus Lariat blocked into the Flying Chuck! Fin Del Mundo dodged, so Mundo lands a RUNNING CORKSCREW DIVE OVER THE TURNBUCKLES! Cuerno is making his way down the steps…and he attacks Mundo from behind. That’s an obvious DQ at 06:35 of course, and Cuerno’s attack continues as he ruthlessly smashes a steel chair against Mundo’s knee as it lies exposed against the ringpost. Dario Cueto appears from the door of his office and sadistically orders the match to be restarted! Johnny can’t even stand but still beckons Cage into him. The Machine kicks at the bad leg, then lures him into inadvertently kicking out the ringpost – again with the bad leg. Mundo can’t stand, and lands a Pele Kick almost by falling over, then somehow rolls into Moonlight Drive for a desperate two-count. Cage grabs the bad leg to block Fin Del Mundo…and drops him with the F’n-5. DISCUS LARIAT! WEAPON X! Cage wins at 10:03 (total).
Rating - *** - I was liking this match more than Cage/Puma from last week, but again it was marred by unimaginative outside interference. The idea of King Cuerno, a hunter, targeting arguably the most marketable name in Lucha Underground makes sense, but I don’t understand why he needed to do it in this manner. They are obviously trying to get Cage over as a credible threat, therefore giving him bogus, overbooked silliness in consecutive episodes is rather inexplicable and completely counterproductive. Having said that, the actual wrestling we did get was extremely good. Cage was muscular and imposing, but also focused and strategic in how he deployed his offence, whilst Mundo did a great job juggling putting him over and also getting his own ‘sh*t in’ as well. I’d like a rematch of this…but one suspects we’ll be moving towards Cuerno/Mundo imminently.
The show ends with a panicked Dario Cueto on the phone to someone trying to make hasty arrangements to deal with Black Lotus. He has to hang up as a knock at the door interrupts him. Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) steps into El Jefe’s office, dropping a huge bombshell to conclude on!
Tape Rating - *** - As a universe-building episode of the show this was actually rewarding, as there was so much storyline-advancing content here. We saw the first interactions between the trio of Angelico, Ivelisse and Son Of Havoc, Pentagon Jr. breaking his first arm and name-dropping his ‘master’, the double reveal that the Asian woman is called Black Lotus and that whomever Dario Cueto holds captive with his key is the ‘Matanza’ she is seeking, the first match in the Drago/Aero series, Cuerno setting his sights on LU’s top star, that mysterious exchange between Fenix and Catrina and even the first sighting of Alberto El Patron. The in-ring content wasn’t the best for once (although Cage/Mundo was decent if you can look past the outside interference), but there wasn’t a wasted moment and they packed a LOT into less than 45-minutes.