Project Lucha Underground: Season One, Episode Two

 

Good Morning!

Howdy! Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground Season 1. We’re back in Boyle Heights for the second episode of our foray into the history of Lucha Underground, and we’ve already got the beginnings of some mysteries on our hands. What’s Dario Cueto’s whole deal? Is Konnan as bad as Vampiro seems to think? Is Son of Havoc a misogynist, or just a jerk? Who is Cueto bringing in to “finish the job” against Blue Demon, Jr.? And, finally, who were the three guys who attacked Prince Puma and Johnny Mundo after the main event of Episode One? Maybe we’ll find out tonight! Let’s go Underground!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 2: “Los Demonios”

We open with a little recap of episode one narrated by Matt Striker, which I kind of just provided so, um, you’re welcome? Then we got some cool twangy music during the opening credits as we fly over LA’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, where the Lucha Underground Temple is located, and those three dudes who attacked Puma and Johnny are in the ring, being roundly booed by the fans. So, hey, no waiting for the big reveal! 

El Rey Network

The smallest of the three, a Latino fella in cargo pants (as was the style at the time) tells us that he’s Cortez Castro, and he and his buddies are here to hurt people and take their money. Cisco and “The Boss” Big Ryck introduce themselves, and then Johnny Mundo slides into the ring to attack all three men. Surprisingly, Johnny didn’t have any trouble scaring them out of the ring, but when Castro and Cisco grab what appear to be wooden folding chairs -- unique in the world of pro wrestling -- and Dario Cueto comes from his office to announce that we’re getting a tag match. 

Match 1

PRINCE PUMA and JOHNNY MUNDO versus CISCO and CORTEZ CASTRO

Rick Knox is officiating this one with a broken arm/wrist, but since he’s largely been ineffective his entire career I can’t imagine it’s too big a loss. (I kid, I kid.) Fun teamwork between Mundo and the Prince in this one, with both men using their athleticism to speed the match along and lead their more inexperienced counterparts to a good match. 

Apparently Los Angeles’ indoor smoking laws were more lax back then, because Big Ryck was smoking a cigar while watching the match from the steps of the Lucha Underground Temple. Hell, my mom used to make my old man smoke his Salem Lights outside in the middle of Chicago winters, and I’ve never had a cigar anywhere near a door or window of anywhere I’ve ever lived, so I can’t relate. 

El Rey Network

Pretty standard “basic heels vs flippy faces” tag match, here. The good guys hit some fun combo moves -- a double step up enzuigiri stood out early -- and the bad guys are basically designed to be forgettable, with Cisco in a black tank top, khaki shorts, and long white socks and Castro in dark cargo pants. 

El Rey Network

Striker and Vampiro are reminiscent of current-day Excalibur and Taz on commentary -- although Vampiro is also extremely anti-Spanish, something I noticed but didn’t mention in episode one in regards to Dario Cueto. Here, the last name of Cortez draws Vamp’s ire, as he explains that in Mexico the name Cortez reminds people of Spanish conquistadores. 

Mundo hit a Moonlight Drive for a near-fall, followed up by Prince Puma flying out of the ring with a corkscrew dive over the ropes and onto Castro outside the ring. After an awesome up-and-over drop by Mundo, immediately followed by a Puma dropkick, the good guys hit simultaneous 450s from opposite corners to get the double pinfall victory. Big Ryck walked to the top of the main Lucha Underground staircase and looked back at the ring before heading out.

Cagematch gives this one 6.76 stars, which seems pretty fair. It served as a showcase for rivals-turned-teammates Prince Puma and Johnny Mundo, and Castro and Cisco didn’t do anything so jarring that it took the spotlight away from the faces. I’d go six, but a fun six. 

El Rey Network

After a break, we’re in the locker room with Prince Puma getting a post-match real talk session from Konnan. Konnan jabs his finger into Puma’s chest, telling him that Johnny Mundo’s fight isn’t Puma’s, Johnny isn’t his friend, and Konnan is Puma’s ONLY friend. He continues the time-honored American television tradition of asking a question in Spanish and immediately following it with the English translation, and a sad-looking Prince Puma nods in agreement as the two leave together. I don’t remember if Puma ever speaks, and if not, maybe that’s why Ricochet took so dang long to get comfortable on the mic -- hell, he never really seemed to get there in NXT or WWE.

Back ringside, Matt Striker tells us that Dario Cueto has brought Mil Muertes to the Temple tonight to deal with Blue Demon, Jr. We then cut to a creepy backstage vignette with a feminine voice telling us that “a thousand deaths are coming.” We then see flashes of the big, masked man in a cape before we watch him head down a dimly lit hallway as we go to break. 

Match 2

SON OF HAVOC and IVELISSE versus CHAVO GUERRERO, JR. and SEXY STAR

We met three of these luchadores last week, and Ivelisse is introduced in this match. She is a stalwart in indie wrestling, and as of today has over 360 matches under her belt. She’s been featured in All Elite Wrestling, Shine Wrestling, FCW, and even had a cup of coffee with the Fed. She’s usually billed from Puerto Rico, although she was born in Chicago (hell yeah) and she’s got a reputation as a tough, brawler type -- but it’s also said that she’s difficult to work with behind the scenes, and a no-sell situation with Thunder Rosa led to her disappearing from AEW.

Following up from last episode’s match between Star and Havoc, and Vampiro points out that “the other guys” won’t let women mix it up with men…but “this is 2014 … this is equal opportunity, dog!” Vampiro tells us that Chavo is almost a mentor to Sexy Star, and he has her back in this one. The fellas match up first, with the crowd firmly behind the faces. Matt Striker reads Chavo’s Wikipidia page on air as Ivelisse gets tagged in and stomps the hell outta Chavo. 

Sexy Star did get a hot tag soon after, and got to go after Havoc with a few quick moves before she ate an elbow to the face. When both women were in, Vampiro had a tough time deciding whether he wanted to focus on them being “kickass chicks going toe to toe” or whether gender wasn’t an issue, since this is technically an intergender match. Later, though, both commentators fail to live up to those standards of gender neutrality. It doesn’t really matter to the match itself, it’s just a little jarring to hear today, even though intergender wrestling remains a little bit of a taboo in North American pro wrestling. If I call it out every time, these recaps will get tiresome, so just assume I’m rolling my eyes when you hear something questionable if you’re watching along at home.

Chavo hit a Frog Splash and tagged Sexy Star in to get the pin, which was decent of him to let her get her win back after Son of Havoc used her tights to get the pinfall in their last match. 

Cagematch gave this one a 4.68, and I’d go with a 4 myself. Not to shade the participants, but Ivelisse was barely given a chance to do anything aside from stomps and head slams, and neither Chavo nor Son of Havoc have the explosive movesets that helped set Lucha Underground apart. It was fine, I’ve seen worse, and it’s the second match on this show with a throughline from episode one, which gives it a little story continuity.

El Rey Network

After a logo flash and a break, we’re back in the Lucha Underground locker room with Blue Demon, Jr. He’s warming up as we cut to a blurry shot of a woman in a dress walking into the room, and there’s some cool shots of Blue Demon from behind as she approaches and the camera switches between the two. We see her finger tap Demon on the shoulder from behind, but she’s not there when he turns around. She jump scares him from the front, and introduces herself as Catrina, an associate of Mil Muertes. She says Mil sends a message, and licks his mask, saying it’s a taste before a thousand deaths. So, um, are we to infer that Mil wanted to lick the mask himself but didn’t have the time? Did he think the blue mask was blue raspberry flavored? 

Sometimes stuff sounds cooler before it airs, I guess. Or maybe I’m misinterpreting, who’s to say?

El Rey Network

We’re back with the announcers briefly before cutting back to another cinematic, this one focusing on Prince Puma. Konnan narrates Puma’s backstory, saying that he has “a friend we probably all know” who found Puma, getting beat up in a back alley. At first, I thought maybe we were describing the opening of episode one, but Konnan said this kid didn’t need any help, and that hoodie guy was getting his ass kicked, so I guess not. We see Puma working a heavy bag while Konnan tells us that Puma is a direct descendent of the fiercest renegade tribe of the Aztecs, and he’s bringing Prince to Lucha Underground because it’s his calling. Puma knocks the heavy bag off its hanger to end the segment. I love the sparse lighting in these cinematic segments, but I worry these guys are gonna trip over something in the locker room; after all, their peripheral vision is already hampered by their masks.

Main Event

BLUE DEMON,JR. versus MIL MUERTES

El Rey Network

Blue Demon’s in the ring as we come back from break, and Mil Muertes’ presentation is dope. He’s “from beyond the grave,” He’s got a cool feathered neckpiece, feathered pauldrons on his shoulders, and a big triangular neckpiece. Catrina gives hims a little red stone in a hankie to sniff (I think it’s a hankie) and even though Mil is presented as a monster, Blue Demon, Jr. shows no fear. Mil responds by attacking from behind and stomping the shit out of the hero. Mil’s pants are patterned with light blue and dark blue pinstripes, but that doesn’t take away from his aura…although I would think black would be more appropriate? Catrina takes some cheap shots at Demon while Vampiro comments on how into stiletto heels he is -- sorry, I said I’d stop pointing this stuff out. Mil’s mask is cool, black with silver and red accents and a kind of overlapping silver M on his forehead. He has a full sleeve on his left arm and pec, and the spear he delivered to Blue Demon while I typed that line was interesting -- impactful, but also weird in that Mil dropped on his chest after delivering it. A flatliner finished off Blue Demon, Jr.

Not quite a squash, but Mil Muertes heavily dominated the match, with Demon only getting a few bits of offense. Cagematch doesn’t have a rating so I’ll go 4/10. Afterward, Mil mounted Blue Demon, Jr. and began punching him when Chavo Guerrero, Jr. slid into the ring with a steel chair to even the odds and chase off Mil Muertes. 

El Rey Network

Ope, nevermind, Chavo done turned on Blue Demon. He clobbers Demon with the chair, then punches out two referees while the fans chant, “What the fuck?” Chavo lays out a couple randos with his chair after that, and then Sexy Star runs into the ring to plead with Chavo. He considers, then drops Star with the chair too. So Chavo made it one whole match before a heel turn, which feels pretty appropriate for him, historically. Medics then head ringside with a board and gurney, loading up Blue Demon as Chavo sets up his steel chair in the ring and laughs. After a lengthy loading sequence, Chavo attacks Blue Demon on the gurney before medics can roll him away to safety. Our announcers dramatically sign off as Chavo take a bow and an ambulance drives off into the night. 

El Rey Network

Closing Thoughts

This was fun! Was it a little too soon for our first heel turn? Maybe. But Heel Chavo is way better than Face Chavo, in my opinion, so episode two is as good a time as any. And now we’ve woven Chavo and Sexy Star into the main storyline (Blue Demon, Jr. vs Mil Muertes) along with Star’s budding rivalry with Son of Havoc, too. 

I like Catrina and Mil Muertes, and they bring the spooky element to Lucha Underground that was born in guys like the Undertaker, the Dungeon of Doom, and Papa Shango, and lives on in current-day promotions with The Wyatt Sicks, the Hounds of Hell, and Alistair Black. LU wasn’t the first to have a supernatural baddie, and they certainly won’t be the last. 

The cinematics in this episode were pretty great, too, further establishing Prince Puma and also introducing Mil Muertes. While I joke about the minimal lighting that they use for those vignettes, they look great and really add to the intimacy in this run-down building. The locker room is fast becoming a focal point of the show, with more interactions starting to take place in there. 

The commentary is already starting to wear on me a little bit. Matt Striker is fine, but Vampiro is increasingly showing his ass in racist and sexist ways, which I do not think was the style at the time…it was barely ten years ago. I’ll do my best to let it go and focus on the show, but I’ve always had a problem trying to block out commentary during wrestling. Which is a bummer in a lifetime where guys like Lawler, Cole, McMahon, and McAffee are constantly honking and braying on the mic.

So Long For Now

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Until next time…Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!