Project Lucha Underground: S1E12: “They Call Him Cage”

 

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground. I've got a hankerin' to do some Halloween decorating, but I really wanted to watch a Lucha Underground today and do a little writing, so here we are. It actually looks like it might want to rain, so maybe we'll hold off for a day or two.

It's nearly October, and that's a holy month at Let's Watch Some Wrestling HQ. We've literally watched over a hundred movies in the September/October Scary Season in years past, and while we're not going to try that soon, we've got plans to attend a performance of Dracula in ballet form, a three-day horror festival in Telluride, and a few dozen scary movies at home, too.

Oh! And to update our last conversation, we did in fact go to Tennessee! Dollywood was an absolute blast, with roller coasters, theme park food, and enough good energy to last at least a few weeks. We met my delightful niece, and the kid is a ray of sunshine, just like her mom. My brother in law and my sister are both doing well, and their doggos are as wonderful as ever. It was a refreshing trip for my soul, and I can't wait to see that kid again.

For now though, we've got some wrestling to watch. We've got a new antagonist, some new feuds to set up, and some backstory to establish.

So let’s get back on the clock.

Last Time On Lucha Underground

“Last Luchador Standing” was an oddly-paced Lucha Underground, one that had some big story beats and matches sandwiching some mediocre squash action. Look, they can’t all be winners, and even though part of this rewatch means going through the later seasons of Lucha Underground that I missed on the first go-round, we all know how this thing ends, right? I mean…the show’s not on anymore, guys, we’re not spoiling anything here.

But I digress! The big story beats were really big! The titular Last Luchador Standing was King Cuerno, finally ending his rivalry with Drago in a long last man standing match with a really unique finish -- Cuerno using a rope to lash a seated Drago to the ring post, preventing the blue dragon from standing and picking up the victory as a result. It was a good match, with a mostly clean victory, and I think it’s been one of the better feuds of this still-new promotion. 

The other big event was Big Ryck’s crew turning on their leader, and burning his goddamn eye out with a cigar in the process! As a cigar aficionado myself, I’ll have you know that this is not the preferred way to extinguish your stick, as the smell of singed flesh tends to overpower the otherwise pleasant aroma that a cigar produces. If you’re into that sort of thing, I mean. I’m aware enough to know most people don’t like ‘em, and therefore I limit my smoking to my backyard and the golf course. 

And with that, we’re all caught up! So, without further ado…

LET’S WATCH SOME WRESTLING!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 12: “They Call Him Cage”

That duct-taped weight bench can't be comfortable. I bet it chafes.

We opened, as we have been, with a recap of the last few episodes. Quick edits of The Crew’s turn on Big Ryck and Cage’s attack of Prince Puma started the show, and then we were sent into the Lucha Underground Temple’s Saw-looking gym, where Cage was lifting a large barbell as Dario Cueto walked in. Cueto told Cage that Cage didn’t just take the bull by the horns, he took it by the huevos. I don’t know what eggs have to do with wrestling, but that’s between them two, I suppose. Cage sent Konnan to the hospital on his debut, and told the world he wouldn’t wait in line for a title match. Cueto agreed with that sentiment, and would be granting Cage a match against Prince Puma for the Lucha Underground Championship. Cage came back with “No, Puma will be losing his title to Cage, cause I’m a machiiiiiiine.” Look man, I get that you have a gimmick, but machines fail all the time. I was literally a mechanic -- my job was to fix those failures. It’s not a given that you’ll win because you believe you’re a cyborg or a Terminator or whatever. 

Then we were in the Temple proper, with the house band rockin’ and our beloved [your mileage may vary] announce couple teased the main event and an interview between Konnan, Puma, and Vampiro. But first, we’ve got a match!

Opening Contest

I love these two, they're like evil PB&J

Mil Muertes (with Catrina) versus Fenix

I love Mil Muertes’ presentation as a Kotal Kahn-adjacent Aztec god. The cape, the collar, the shoulder pieces, they all add up to an old-school luchador out of time. Fenix quickly dodged a charging Mil to start, and Fenix gained the upper hand using his speed before Mil recovered and clobbered the little guy with a decapitating lariat. Mil Muertes was firmly in control after that, tossing the smaller luchador around and countering his speed-based offense with grapples and mid-air catches. 

Fenix ate a spear in the middle of the ring but managed to kick out, which I don’t think happens often in Mil Muertes matches. Mil responded by clubbing Fenix in the corner, but a top-rope superplex by Muertes allowed Fenix to take advantage of a bouncy landing. Fenix caught Mil Muertes with a surprise roll-up and got the three count for the victory!

The most devastating move in sports entertainment strikes again!

That couldn’t have been more than five minutes, but I was buying everything these two were selling in that short match. Given that they were both being presented as superstars, I wasn’t sure who was going to come out on top, although I guessed from the bell that Mil Muertes was going to be going over to start another win streak. Shows what I know! I’ll give this 6/10 lucha masks despite the match’s brevity; Cagematch says it was too short for a rating.

Beer bottles can't damage A MACHINE, man!

We came back from a break to a video of Cage being an action star in a junkyard, as some little guys try to attack him and he, uh, murders them. He’s also doing the voiceover, and he talks about how he’s earned what he’s gotten, and also that HE’S NOT A MAN, HE’S A MACHIIIIINE and they call him Cage. 

Match 2

The Crew just has a great look for its time and place

Argenis, Super Fly, and Aerostar versus Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco, and Bael

The Crew is the first trios team on Lucha Underground that doesn’t feel like a random grouping of luchadores. On the other side of the ring is, well, a random grouping of luchadores. The baddies look the part, bringing a kendo stick to the ring and dressing like the Lil’ Homies figures I used to collect as a kid. Remember those? Or am I dating myself here?

I used to pay 50 cents a pop for these guys at Annie's Hot Dog stand in River Forest, IL

Matt Stryker and Vampiro performed a bit of victim blaming as this match got started, essentially saying Big Ryck got what he deserved when he was caught “sonning” The Crew by telling them to stay out of his way. I tend to disagree, but I’ve also never had henchmen. Rapid tags and flippy lucha action from the good guys carried this match, but the bad guys were alright as bases too. Aerostar’s hot tag in particular looked cool, as he got some fun Spider-Man-esque pounces from the ropes onto Mr. Cisco. We also got a cool two-man tower from the Mexico City squad, and Vampiro mentioning that means my “random luchador” comment was in poor taste, my bad. This is what I get for typing as I watch. 

Cool guys doing cool stuff!

Cisco uses a move the announcers call a “Curb Stomp,” but it’s less Seth Rollins and more Mexican Surfboard setup, pulling the arms back before planting a boot into the opponent’s spine. Sometimes those moves get sold as being terribly painful, but I gotta tell you, my back could probably benefit from one of those. 

Aerostar was getting pummeled but a great reversal into a backwards cannonball drop allowed him to get a tag to teammate Argenis. Argenis landed a Canadian Destroyer, called as a Sunset Flip, and since I have no good memory for when this show aired in contrast to, say, WWE stuff that was on TV at the time, I’m just gonna assume Matt Stryker didn’t know what to call these moves he’d never seen. That or I’m wrong and these moves just have several names. Who’s to say? 

The back and forth between the two teams escalated into a series of dives, and the pace really picked up as we got deeper into the match. A 3D-into-a-Codebreaker that FTR fans will recognize as a Shatter Machine ended the bout clean with a pinfall victory for The Crew.

I had a lot of fun with this match! Commentary used the time to put over all of the participants while still focusing their attention on the Crew, and the luchador team put themselves over with some bananas work in and out of the ring. Never a slow moment, and while the ending was kind of expected, the work was never diminished. I’ll go 6 lucha masks for this match; Cagematch went with a 6.95.

We're gonna tell you about what we're gonna show you!

After a break, Vampiro and Matt Stryker talked about his interview with Cage, and then about his upcoming interview with Prince Puma…which is gonna be played now. Konnan spoke for Puma, saying Puma was pissed off after surviving 19 other luchadores and Fenix in his last two matches only to be attacked by a punk like Cage. Konnan says Cage would have been sent to the hospital if Prince Puma had expected his attack. Konnan kept speaking for Prince Puma, and Vampiro decided to pick a fight with Konnan about that until the two had to be separated by Puma. I don’t think those two like each other too much. Before the segment ended, Vampiro warned Puma to be careful, and I don’t think he meant that in a “because I’m coming for you” kind of way. More of a “don’t trust Konnan” kind of way. Which, I mean, I’ve watched wrestling for years, and that’s just evergreen advice, kayfabe or IRL.

Puma doesn't talk much but he doesn't like kerfuffles.

This show has flown by! It’s main event time already!

Main Event

This is gonna go great, I'm sure!

Prince Puma © (with Konnan) versus Cage for the Lucha Underground Championship

Vampiro made a point of saying that Puma didn’t need Konnan while the two were headed down the Temple steps. “I guess the only thing that can contain a Puma…is a Cage” was a helluva good line from Stryker as Cage entered the arena from the smoky side door. Puma flew at Cage from the rope before the big guy got into the ring, but once they both got inside the ropes Cage started to kick the snot out of the champ, tossing him around like a rag doll. 

We quickly hit the first submission hold, but Cage didn’t stay on it too long before resuming his beatdown of the masked Prince. Every bit of offense seemed to be reversed or countered by Cage, with the Machine either evading or catching Puma and slamming him to the mat.

Just a little twist and his head will pop right off!

A spinning DDT got Puma to Hulk Up in the middle of the ring, and the little guy started to get some high-flying offense to connect. Puma’s attacks continued to be few and far between, but he got a near-fall from a meteora before another Cage onslaught. A top rope maneuver that got caught and turned into a Jackhammer was pretty damn cool! A rolling pin break that turned into a two-footed stomp was ALSO cool, especially as it came after Cage just muscle-ing Puma up for a pair of power bombs!

Two to the face...for two!

Cage hit an F5 that solidified who he was kinda emulating throughout this match, but Puma managed to kick out and hit a series of strikes to slow the larger grappler down, laying him out with a suplex that only got two. The fans were fully into it by this point, although I don’t think they were quiet at any point in the fight, really. A ref shove by Cage dropped Puma from the top turnbuckle, and then a quick kick to the champ’s little champ led to a disqualification. LAME!

Kick 'em in the wiener and give 'em a piledriver, I always say.

I say LAME but after the match, the ref was attacked and Cage went after Prince Puma, setting him up for a powerbomb. Konnan made the save, breaking his cane on Cage’s back, and Konnan got absolutely destroyed for his trouble. Cage laid out Konnan with the title, and then tore the title in half as Konnan was laid out with a crimson mask to end the show.

I think this was a felt backup, but who's to say?

I hate a DQ finish to end a good match, and this was definitely a good match. Cagematch went 6.6, but I thought it was 8 lucha masks good, if you don’t count the fact that we didn’t get a clean finish. But then again, sometimes the bad guys are just out for blood, and maybe Cage never wanted a title. The rivalry needs to build, and a non-finish followed by a title destruction AND bloodying Puma’s manager feels like Cage doubled down -- a hat on a hat, if you will. I’m looking forward to seeing where this rivalry goes next!

Creeper.

A final shot of Dario Cueto watching that attack through the blinds of his office was abruptly broken when Cueto was shoved from behind by that mysterious lady in the vinyl catsuit we kept seeing in past episodes. She told Cueto she’s looking for a man who owes her, and Cueto stumbled over his words to say it wasn’t him -- he pays his debts. Cueto said he’d allow her to question anyone in his temple, and he would help her himself, if he could get a name. She said she only had one word: Matanza. Cueto said the word means nothing to him, in the least convincing way possible. With that, the lady disappeared, and the show came to a close.

I don't know no Matanza, and neither does anyone else!

Closing Thoughts

This was a really good episode of Lucha Underground, tip to tail! The opening match was a quick one, but it was a good first fight between the heroic Fenix and the big bad Mil Muertes, and things just picked up from there. From the trios match that established The Crew while also letting some of the underutilized luchadores shine, to the main event that pitted flippy hero Prince Puma against a guy spamming the Reversal button in Cage, to the world-building throughout, I thought this whole episode was a blast. I’m really looking forward to more Mil/Fenix, the return of a one-eyed Big Ryck, and a pissed off Prince Puma looking for revenge. Also, what’s a Matanza? We’ll find out soon, I hope!

OUCH!

So Long For Now

Hey, thanks for reading! Follow me on BlueSky for updates on Let’s Watch Some Wrestling, as well as live watch-along commentary for most episodes of AEW Dynamite (and occasionally Collision). And, if you’re looking into purchasing anything from a smart fridge to a new drill, check out the writing I do over at SlashGear -- my automotive, tech, and tool-related lists are heavily researched, and ranked after thorough aggregation of expert opinions, reviews, and my own experience as a professional auto mechanic, an unprofessional handyman and a somehow even less professional homeowner. 

Until next time…Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

Project Lucha Underground: S1E11 "Last Luchador Standing"

 

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground. It’s an exciting week here at Let’s Watch Some Wrestling HQ, and a short one as well. My beloved wife got some well-deserved camping time in last weekend, while I held down the fort, hung out with my doggos, and got some housework and writing done. Our week here ends today, since tomorrow we’re flying out to meet my already-beloved first and only niece, who was born back in January but lives with my sister and brother-in-law out in Tennessee. As theme park enthusiasts, we’ll also be hitting up Dollywood for the first time on Friday, because my sister’s working and we will need to pass the time somehow. It’s all very exciting.

Unfortunately, being gone over the weekend means I’ll be missing AEW’S ALL OUT show on Saturday. Not a huge deal -- I’ll just stay off social media for the weekend and check it out late Sunday or Monday. I think I miss one or two AEW PPVs every year because of life overlaps, and while I usually go back to see what I’ve missed, I’m not the type of fan to lose their mind over not being able to watch live. It’s cool.

Speaking of not being able to watch live, my buddy just sent me this story from Awful Announcing that says ESPN users who watch on Cox, Sling TV, Comcast and YouTube TV -- the latter three being major cable services in my area -- would have to pay to access the new ESPN app that will be airing WWE’s PLE this weekend, since ESPN Unlimited isn’t yet accessible by them. The rollout for this whole thing has been sketchy, rushed, and very confusing for fans from what I’ve seen, and I imagine that’s going to come to a head Saturday when Fed fans go to watch their new favorite 5-match show only to be met with an ultimatum -- double pay for ESPN or don’t watch John Cena versus Brock Lesnar, version 19. I myself don’t really partake these days, but I know many, many more people than me do, and it sucks that they can’t get their shit together to let fans know how to watch their product just because they’re in such a rush to counter-program AEW’s pay-per-view shows. 

But we’re not here to talk about current day wrestling, despite the ALL OUT card looking solid and Wednesday’s three hour AEW September to Remember airing tonight. That’s what BlueSky is for. No, we’re here to watch some telenovelas with a few matches mixed in. So let’s get back on the clock.

Last Time On Lucha Underground

“Law of the Jungle” was kind of a soft reset for Lucha Underground after the crowning of the first LU champion the episode prior. Aztec Warfare gave us our new champ, Prince Puma, and then “Law of the Jungle” showed us which feuds would continue, and which were being put to bed. The Man Called Cage got to participate in a match after weeks of build, and performed well against three other new additions to the Lucha Underground roster. He also made it known that he’s got Prince Puma in his sights, attacking the champ after he defended his title against Fenix to end the show. We also saw Blue Demon Jr., fresh off his return in the Aztec Warfare match, address Chavo Guerrero, Jr.’s apology by beating the man with a steel chair and flipping him the double bird…so I guess that rivalry’s over and done with. Drago and King Cuerno continued their ongoing battle and fought to a DQ after Drago dove from the top of Dario Cueto’s office onto a table with a prone Cuerno on it, so we’ll have to see if either man survived and if they’re still mad at each other (probably). And, uh, I think we’re all caught up. So, without further ado…

LET’S WATCH SOME WRESTLING!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 11: “Last Luchador Standing”

You know, I had thought I was really clever coming up with that “last time on Lucha Underground” bit. But I guess it wasn’t very original, since Lucha Underground started doing something very similar over the last few episodes. We kicked this one off with a little video package showing Big Ryck signing his contract and participating in Aztec Warfare, along with Pentagon, Jr. arriving at the Temple. We also got a recap of the trilogy of matches between Drago and King Cuerno, which went 1-1-1 after last week’s double countout. OH, I think I just realized what might be coming with this week’s episode title now…Jesus Christ, I’m really not the most observant viewer, am I?

Before we continue, allow me a brief tangent. I’m no contract lawyer, but it seems to me that if you sign a contract, and are offered a signing bonus in said contract, you would receive said bonus after signing said contract. Again, not a lawyer, but that all seems pretty straightforward. Dario Cueto had Big Ryck sign a contract, and Ryck even demanded his signing bonus in cash. Rather than paying the money agreed to, Cueto later offered up the briefcase with this cash as a reward for the winner of the first ladder match in Lucha Underground -- a match won by Johnny Mundo. Shouldn’t Big Ryck have some kind of legal maneuver he could make to get that cash? He shouldn’t have to “earn” that bonus -- that’s literally the whole point of a bonus! It’s an extra incentive to do something!

But I digress. The wrap-up wrapped up, the title card was displayed, and we got our usual helicopter views and time-lapsed shots of beautiful Los Angeles before our rockin’ house mariachi band hyped up the crowd. The announcing duo of Vampiro and Matt Stryker welcomed us to the show on behalf of the El Rey Network (RIP, although technically it’s not dead, just relegated to streaming on Roku) before confirming my suspicions and announcing a Last Luchador Standing match between Drago and King Cuerno. Our opening match was then announced:

Pimpi and Mascarita, friends 4 eva

Opening Match

Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro (with Bael) versus Pimpinela Escarlata and Mascarita Sagrada

“We celebrate the variety of life here at Lucha Underground,” yelled Matt Stryker as the unorthodox pair of mini and exotico headed down the Temple stairs to the ring. I appreciate that, even if he and Vampiro immediately got into some good natured early-oughts homophobia afterward…

ANYWAYS, Big Ryck headed to ringside as the match began, since you’ll remember the three baddies also serve as his henchmen. He looked very confused when the crowd cheered Pimpi on, and Pimpi responded by dominating the match early, being taller and more agile than the cholos. Sagrado was nowhere to be seen when the tag team specialists got the better of Pimpi, though, and an extended beatdown segment threatened to kill the crowd until Mascarita got the hot tag. Vampiro wasted no time declaring he’d punt Mascarita Sagrada, as he has in every match Sagrada has been in during his time in the Temple, and the unorthodox pair got the crowd back with dives, ‘ranas, and some quick offense. Unfortunately, Pimpi got distracted outside the ring and then was held by Bael while Sagrada ate a Shatter Machine from Cisco and Castro and was pinned. 

A fun opener that let the popular good guys have some fun before their downfall. 5/10 luchador masks for me; Cagematch didn’t rate this one.

After the match, Big Ryck entered the ring to enjoy his cigar and address his enemies through some What chants. After handing Mr. Cisco his cigar, Ryck declared he’d be going after the title no matter who held it, since we all must face the judgment (day) of Big Ryck. He did the Jericho arms-out pose afterward, only to have his knee taken out by Castro! The Crew (as I now realize is the official name of this...well, this crew) stomped the hell outta Ryck and beat him with a kendo stick afterward, effectively ending that partnership. After that, Castro and Bael held Big Ryck on the canvas as Mr. Cisco BURNED HIS FREAKIN EYE OUT WITH THE LIT CIGAR?!?!? 

The cigar, pre-mutilation

After a break, it was revealed that Dario Cueto was the person behind the attack on Big Ryck. He paid each of the three henchmen in stacks of cash, and explained that Big Ryck simply couldn’t see the big picture. Although now he’d have trouble seeing anything! Sick villains’ burn! He then told the trio that he’d have their back if they had his, and demanded a “yessir” from the group. So I guess it’s the old “evil authority figure has active henchmen on the roster” bit. Sure, we’ve seen it before, but have we seen it in an abandoned warehouse designed to look Mayan Temple, replete with dingy locker rooms and a prison cell in the basement?

I THINK NOT.

You get a wad, and you get a wad, and you get a wad

Back in the Temple, our intrepid announcers let us know that Big Ryck had been taken to a “local medical facility,” an old Vince McMahon-ism for “hospital.” Vampiro then hosted a little sit-down interview with The Man They Call Cage, which I guess is his full Christian name in this universe? I’m not typing all that, he’s Cage. And he’s not interested in making friends…he’s interested in winning championships.

This picture does more for Cage than any mic time would

He’s already demanding a title shot after attacking Prince Puma, despite only being here a week, because he’s the best. As he’s said about 15 times in this two minute interview. Vampiro challenged Cage a bit, and immediately backed down after a little threat. It…well, it sure did re-establish to Cage followers why The Machine is in the ring way more than he’s on the microphone.

Pictured: scary skull man and crash test dummy

Match 2

Super Fly versus Pentagon, Jr.

Pentagon, Jr. was the victim of a Chavo Guerrero, Jr. chair shot during the Aztec Warfare match, so it’s probably safe to say that the two are going to fight somewhere down the road. For now, though, Penta gets jobber-to-the-stars Super Fly. The two traded superkicks to start, and then Penta took advantage of a Super Fly backflip off the ropes by catching him in a backstabber for a near fall. Zero Miedo chants already started rolling through the crowd at this point, giving Penta more of a “cool heel” vibe than that of a full on rudo, which makes sense now after the turn from Chavo. 

Oh your poor chest...

Penta followed up that chop with another outside the ring, and continued to dominate in this extended squash. We did catch a glimpse of the mysterious Asian lady, but this week she’d traded her vinyl catsuit for a LU shirt and a crew pass.

I noted Stryker and Vampiro don't even mention her if she's not in skin-tight vinyl

Super Fly did get a little hope spot by way of a springboard handspring over the ropes, but overall this was Penta’s match to show out, and he did, finishing things up with his signature small package pile driver, which I think he still uses as “Made In Japan.”

Made In Japan (?)

This was largely a squash, but it was a fun one, and Super Fly got a few hope spots in to keep me from becoming disinterested. We got all of Penta’s greatest hits, and it didn’t eat up too much time, so I’m going 6/10 for this match. Cagematch says 6.09.

After the match, Penta grabbed a microphone and called Chavo a fraud -- but there’s someone out there willing to join forces. Ooooo we got a mystery partner on our hands, folks!

She's a star! And a hero (citation needed)

Match 3

Sexy Star versus El Mariachi Loco

We’re told El Mariachi Loco worked in a restaurant a couple blocks away from the Temple in Boyle Heights, and one day he took off his hair net and started training to become the Luchador he is today. Fun! He disrespected Star, who was being talked up as a role model by Vampiro because hindsight allows us perspectives he did not have access to. Star tossed El Mariachi around a bit, tossing him from the ring before pump kicking him in the face when he climbed back in. Loco pulled some hair to turn the tables and gain a little momentum, following that up with a submission attempt and some slaps to the face. But Star baited the crazy Mariachi, and she dumped him outside the ring and hit him with a “modified cross body,” or a meteora to our Mercedes Moné fans. 

Some Irish whips were reversed, and Sexy hit a nice cross body turned arm drag off the top rope. El Mariachi Loco looked like he was about to pick up the win with a top rope shooting star press, but Star rolled out of the way and locked in a surprise roll up (the most devastating move in all of wrestling) to pick up the win.

This one was short and painless, much like the match before it. I don’t think Star’s win was ever in doubt, and this one did seem a little unnecessary right after the squash that preceded it. For those reasons, I’m going 4/10. Cagematch says this was also too short to rate.

Main Event

Drago versus King Cuerno in a Last Luchador Standing match

This will technically be the rubber match, since the rivalry was at 1-1 going into last week’s match that ended in a double DQ. Drago came out hot for this one, quickly yeeting Cuerno out of the ring as he got an 8 count before rolling back in. We’re doing the standard 10-count anywhere in the arena rules for this one, and Cuerno quickly took another long lie-down before he popped back up and dropped Drago outside the ring with a running power bomb. We’re reminded of the timing these two have perfected as they…lie down for a long time between spots. 

One of several long mid-match naps

Cuerno had a nice double-german-into-brainbuster combo right in the middle of the ring, and just after Drago recovered he ate a punt kick right to the face! Some back and forth followed, and a cool spot where Cuerno tossed the ref between the luchadors only for Drago to run off the ref’s back and hit a hurricanrana finished that sequence. Drago then had a weird hesitation while trying to fly out of the ring, like his gear caught the top rope, but he got over it eventually. Marty Elias, Lucha Underground’s head official, started to get some grief for not starting his counts earlier from the announce team and King Cuerno. Cuerno hit that nasty Arrow From Hell dive he does from the ring to the outside, and then he grabbed a table from beneath the ring. Last time he set one of these up, things ended badly.

Drago sprung to life when Cuerno started to guide him towards that table, and the two traded blows until Cuerno gently placed Drago on it. Vampiro made references to Mayan sacrifices and Cuerno began to climb the ropes, but Drago popped up and shoved his opponent down. More forearm trading followed, and Drago looked like he was trying to set up an uranage from the apron onto the table. Cuerno reversed that into Thrill of the Hunt, his fireman’s carry into a powerbomb, and Drago went through the table and somehow recovered at 9.

This is about to end poorly for that table

Drago was promptly kicked in the face for his trouble, and a furious Cuerno then tossed Drago into the ring and stomped the dragon before hitting a standing dropkick. He followed that with a corner dropkick, and then grabbed some rope from under the ring. Cuerno wrapped Drago with that rope, putting it around the turnbuckle and in his mouth, and that kept Drago down long enough to rack up the cheap victory for King Cuerno. After the match, Cuerno put his headdress on the seated Drago to end the show.

Roped him up like a deer on the roof of a Ford Explorer

That was good! Some genuinely great spots, a finish I’ve never even seen tried before, and a definitive winner to end a rivalry. Who’d have thought one of our first big Lucha Underground feuds could end so cleanly? I’m going 8/10 for this main event match; Cagematch says 6.69 -- nice, but harsh!

Closing Thoughts

I had a good time with this show, although the bread outperformed the meat. The first match had those old WCW lucha match vibes, pitting some good-time crowd faves against some low-level baddies in The Crew. The turn was wholly unexpected, and I’m hoping we get some kind of cool Kano-esque face appliance when Big Ryck recovers. Cage’s interview served a purpose, but he’s not great on the mic, even when working with an interviewer. The back-to-back squashes kind of killed my enthusiasm, but Penta teasing a new partner was some interesting storytelling. The main event was really good, and I loved the unique finish to end the feud.

So Long For Now

Hey, thanks for reading! Follow me on BlueSky for updates on Let’s Watch Some Wrestling, as well as live watch-along commentary for most episodes of AEW Dynamite (and occasionally Collision). And, if you’re looking into purchasing anything from a smart fridge to a new drill, check out the writing I do over at SlashGear -- my automotive, tech, and tool-related lists are heavily researched, and ranked after thorough aggregation of expert opinions, reviews, and my own experience as a professional auto mechanic, an unprofessional handyman and a somehow even less professional homeowner. 

Until next time…Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!