Lucha Underground – Season One Episode 25 – 29th April 2015
The Way Of The Drago
With new Trios Champions memorably crowned last week our attentions can now finally turn back to the Lucha Underground Championship. Drago gets his hard-earned shot at Prince Puma this evening, but has been forced to put everything on the line in order to do so; namely his LU career. On the undercard three men will vie to be the next contender to the top prize in the promotion, whilst Fenix faces singles action for the first time since Grave Consequences. The Temple in Boyle Heights, CA is our setting. Matt Striker and Vampiro will call the action.
Dario Cueto has brought The Crew to the locked door where he keeps the mysterious being captive. He is far from pleased at their failure to win the Trios Titles. He orders them in to face whomever it is that he keeps behind bars…then drops the bombshell that it’s his BROTHER. Cisco and Bael look suitably terrified. Castro’s facial expression doesn’t really change, which is probably the story of Ricky Reyes’ entire pro-wrestling career.
Fenix vs Killshot
When he won Grave Consequences Fenix looked set to be a top guy in Lucha Underground. The fans adored him and he got a heroic ovation for slaying the beast known as Mil Muertes. But the lack of planning on what to do with him after that has been apparent. Since then he was something of an afterthought in a disappointing Trios Title qualification match, and is now relegated to working the opening match of a show and not even deemed important enough to have his entrance shown. Killshot, on the other hand, does come into this with real momentum. He made it to the finals of the Trios Title Tournament last week, and although his team didn’t win, he himself scored a huge personal upset by pinning former AAA Mega Champion Texano. Can he follow up with another huge victory?
These two start trading basic holds, and look hugely uncomfortable doing so. It’s as bad as Fenix has looked in The Temple thus far in fact. Thankfully he recovers quickly by cartwheeling THROUGH THE ROPES for a headscissors on the floor! They look so much more comfortable moving at speed! RUNNING CORKSCREW PLANCHA by Killshot! SLAP FLURRY by Fenix! He tries a springboard DDT, only for it to be countered to a CRADLE BRAINBUSTER for 2! Fenix Driver attempted next, but again Kill counters; this time to a tumbling Ace Crusher to leave both men down. Lumbar Check gets another hot nearfall for the newcomer. He tries to run straight into Fenix, who simply jumps off the ropes and kicks him in the face! German superplex attempted by Kill only for Fenix to BACKFLIP out of it! BACK FIST! NO SOLD! SPINNING HEEL KICK FLOORS FENIX! He lines up the Kill Stomp…and is cut off by a weary Fenix putting a palm strike through his face. FIRE THUNDER DRIVER! Fenix picks up the win at 05:58
Rating - *** - This one started ugly but got better as soon as they got into more comfortable territory; i.e. as soon as they stopped trying to do technical stuff and just started throwing high spots around. What I particularly enjoyed here was that, although the spots were flying like confetti, an element of struggle was retained via the sheer volume of counter sequences they ran. It felt like both luchadors were having to fight to hit every move, simply because almost everything they tried would have a counter attempted. I’m not a fan of how Fenix has been used since Grave Consequences, but having made the decision to put Killshot over Texano last week it was essential that he didn’t look like a total walkover here – and thankfully he looked very competitive even in defeat.
Drago and Dario have one of their now customary bathroom chats. El Jefe wants to know why Drago isn’t more grateful for the opportunity he has been given, but in his own sanctimonious way is actually quite complimentary about the masked man who stands before him.
The boss then pops into Prince Puma’s locker room to give him a pep talk too. Cueto implies that Puma is weak if he has any second thoughts about ending a career tonight. He walks away, but (crucially still within earshot of Puma) is confronted by Hernandez. The big man says he doesn’t care about Puma, and Dario says he thinks Hernandez is the only reason the Prince still has the belt anyway. He makes the Hernandez/Cuerno/Cage match up next a #1 contendership bout. Puma hears the whole thing, but rather than confront them stays sullen and silent…which in my view makes him look rather lame.
It’s time for fourway action between Famous B, Ricky Mandel, Vinny Massaro and Argenis – all making their returns from arm injuries suffered at the hands of Pentagon Jr (and all with bandaging on their arms to sell that). It is ended almost immediately by an angry Texano storming the ring and assaulting them all! He calls out the man who attacked him last week (Shawn Daivari) and demands he come to The Temple to fight him…
A muscular individual approaches Dario Cueto as he steps out of the building to make a call. He introduces himself as Marty ‘The Moth’ Martinez and wants the chance to compete in The Temple. Cueto thinks he’d get squashed (‘like…a moth’) and calls security.
King Cuerno vs Cage vs Hernandez
Cuerno and Cage were recently team-mates in the Trios Tournament, so Hernandez would possibly be right to feel outnumbered here. Additionally, both men blame him for their failure to defeat Prince Puma and become Lucha Underground Champion. Perhaps Dario realised that Hernandez was in trouble, or perhaps he felt threatened by the huge former-LAX member getting in his face backstage, but either way he has devised an intelligent way to level the playing field here. The winner becomes #1 contender to the LU Title; a prize great enough to motivate all three and potentially drive a wedge in what unity there may have been between the Hunter and the Machine.
Cuerno and Cage are on the same page early on, quickly joining forces and stomping Hernandez into the canvas. Standing moonsault/frog splash combo gets 2, but that’s it before the alliance crumbles and they both start trying to score pinfalls on each other. German suplex by Cage! Slingshot double lariat by Hernandez…who then tackles King C so hard he flies across most of the ring. 3-D KNEE STRIKE BY CUERNO AND CAGE! Hernandez ducks the Discus Lariat, and instead flattens Cuerno with an inverted Samoan drop. Marty The Moth has apparently evaded Cueto’s security…because he’s in the ring! AND ALL THREE MURDER HIM! In the confusion Hernandez hits Cuerno with a sit-out Dominator to score the win at 04:55
Rating - * - This was something of a non-event, which didn’t really feel like it had gotten going when it ended. The Moth character actually looks quite entertaining but it was madness to introduce him to the live LU audience in this fashion and totally killed the live crowd. I’d call this a completely underwhelming way to crown a top contender to your top prize…but having said that it does give us the interesting prospect of Konnan having to pick a side between his good friend and prize student when Puma and Hernandez lock horns.
Vampiro interviews new Trios Champions Angelico, Ivelisse and Son Of Havoc. Ivelisse calls herself team captain, which is disputed by Havoc (who points out they only got through the first round because of him) and Angelico (who singles out his crazy dive off the roof as the turning point in their match with The Crew). ‘It’s a crossbody’ – Ivelisse, playing down his prize highspot. They don’t like each other, but agree that when it’s time to fight they can get on the same page.
Prince Puma vs Drago – LU Title Match
We know how Drago earned this opportunity – by battling through a keenly contested Best Of 5 Series with Aero Star and gaining one of Cueto’s famed ‘Unique Opportunities’. With a Unique Opportunity there is always a perk and a catch. This time it’s that whilst he does get a title shot, he is putting his career on the line to get it. If Puma wins tonight Drago is banished from The Temple. And speaking of the champ, where is his head at? He looked to be having doubts backstage as to whether he could be the man to end a career…and that was before he heard his boss belittle him and an ally openly claim he doesn’t care about him and only wants his belt.
The first minute is fought at an electric pace, and culminates with Drago nailing a RUNNING CORKSCREW PLANCHA which almost takes the champ’s head off. Prince retaliates with a springboard dropkick then a RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! He then flies back in with a springboard somersault senton across the ribs for 2. He stays on that midsection, and even breaks out a modified version of the Dragon’s Tail for a nearfall. SKY TWISTER PRESS by Drago! Dragon’s Tail into a Kimura…but Puma makes the ropes. The champ gets back to his feet and hits a stalling Regal-plex into a Red Star Press for 2. REVERSE RANA by Drago for a hot nearfall! But he can’t capitalise and is grounded again with the Blue Thunder Driver. Benadryller COUNTERED TO A FLIP PILEDRIVER! But the referee got knocked out in the process! Drago pins Puma and has him down for most of a ten count and is heartbroken that there is no official to count the pin. With the ref down Hernandez comes in and appears to aim a running tackle at Puma! The champ dodges and it’s Drago who is pole-axed! Puma is furious at Hernandez but is egged on by Konnan who insists that he finishes the job. VERTIGO! Puma retains at 10:28, thus banishing Drago from The Temple
Rating - *** - There was a good match here, and a GREAT call by Matt Striker who really made this match feel like a huge deal with his work. But it never felt urgent, and never got out of a cruising pace towards something more exciting. Drago did such a good job conveying emotion and intensity during the series with Aero Star, yet looked strangely mechanical here…and given that his career was the crux of the drama it really hurt proceedings. Puma too was supposed to be conflicted and torn about ending a guy’s career…but actually just ran through his usual spots with very little break from the normal routine either. There were some amazing exchanges in there (and an absolutely killer first minute) but I felt like I was watching two top athletes showing off their skills, not a man fighting for his livelihood. The finish was disappointing too, particularly as I’m not the biggest Hernandez fan and am far less interested in Puma/Hernandez than I was in this one, which they effectively jettisoned to promote that future main event. A lot of Puma’s title defences are starting to be dragged down by overbooking now, which is something Lucha Underground need to look at.
Konnan tries to celebrate with Puma, but the champ isn’t interested in that and instead apologies to Drago for the manner of his victory. He leaves the ring still angry with Konnan and Hernandez, so the Believers can give the devastated Drago a standing ovation as he walks out of The Temple. An awesome closing sequence sees Drago walk past Dario Cueto on his way out, utter ‘we will meet again’ to him, then leave the building to erupt into flames! A dragon roars as the show ends…
Tape Rating - ** - For the first time in a while I come away from a Lucha Underground show a little disappointed. There were a couple of decent matches of course, so hardly a waste of your time. And from a storyline perspective there were some significant moments, like the Trios Champions agreeing to work together, the debut of Marty Martinez and the huge reveal that Dario Cueto’s caged captive is his brother. But Fenix relegated to opening match fodder, an uninteresting and flat #1 contendership match and a World Title bout ruined by cold, emotionless wrestling and tedious overbooking mean this wasn’t a favourite episode of mine.