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Good Morning!
Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground Season 1. I know! I’m as surprised as you.
So, two things. First, I’m going to start this post with a chunk of blog that I apparently wrote the day after some friends and I attended Fyter Fest here in Denver, but never actually posted to Let’s Watch Some Wrestling:
We’ll jump back into our regularly scheduled episode recap in a little bit, but since I just attended AEW Fyter Fest last night, I wanted to write about the live experience while it’s still fresh in my mind.
This was the fifth AEW show in Colorado, but the first in Denver proper. That’s big for the company, because the other venues they’ve used -- the now-defunct 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, and most recently the Blue FCU Arena in Loveland -- have all been at least an hour drive out from the biggest city in the state. Factor in things like rush hour traffic because doors are at 4:30 Mountain Time, and the fact that most of these shows were three-four hours because of Collision or Rampage tapings, and you’ve got a limited amount of wrestling fans willing to basically have to take half a day off AND be trashed the following day at work. Hence, those shows filled about half of those hockey-sized arenas.
AEW solved both of those issues by performing at the Mission Ballroom for Fyter Fest. Located just off the highway in Denver proper, the Mission is a popular concert venue that my wife and I had never been to in our dozen-plus years in the state.
IM FROM CHICAGO VIDEO
We attended the show with our constant AEW companion and our buddy who just recently got into wrestling, and the whole time was a blast. I don’t know whether it was the venue, AXS ticketing, or AEW who decided to offer a digital parking pass with tickets, but it meant getting underground garage parking right under the venue, which was cool. Up a flight of stairs and we were right in the line, and we even spotted Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo bringing their tiny baby into the building next to the arena. Everyone in line who noticed them was really cool about doing little waves but not shouting or freaking out, which was decent of them as wrestling fans, especially when one has seen how people can act towards these performers. Good job there, Denver wrestling enthusiasts!
Once inside, I realized the arena wasn’t quite what I thought. Seating charts implied a balcony and floor, and I assumed that meant an overhang and two floors. Instead, there was kind of a wall of stadium-style seating behind the announcers, with balcony seating extending to either side of the ring, and floor seats in front of and below those seats. The stage had a ramp that led directly up to the ring, a setup we’ve seen on several of the recent AEW shows at smaller buildings, and I don’t think there was a bad seat in the house. The balconies in particular looked great -- they had little counter-style tables running in front of those seats, and if we get another show there I’ll definitely try for those seats.
It was a blast, in short, but I have been considering taking some time to think about whether I want to attend another wrestling show before just reflexively buying tickets because they’re in my area. I’m still enjoying what AEW is producing, though, and since that’s pretty much all I watch these days (aside from Lucha Underground, that is) I’ll probably just shut up and tell them to take my money next time they’re in Colorado.
Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to apologize to the tens of you that kept up with Project Lucha Underground when I was doing it semi-regularly. There’s some stuff going on right now in both the world [general] and in my world [specific] that have conspired to simply not keep me on track. I’ve felt flustered and … you know that feeling when you walk into a room and you’re not sure why you did? I’ve felt that way about a lot of rooms lately. Fuzzy, I guess. So I went ahead and put together a little schedule for myself, one that prioritizes my house cholo duties, but also sets aside time for both paid writing work, most of which you’ll find at SlashGear, and this project/blog, which you’ll find, well, here.
I think that, going forward, posting on Thursdays or Fridays might work best for our purposes, although I don’t want to lock in a schedule because a) I may not stick to it and b) Lucha Underground happened in the past so I can kinda just watch one whenever I want. Also, we’re off to a roaring start because I haven’t yet watched Dynamite because of a work party Wednesday night, and Forbidden Door is fast approaching on Sunday!
Anyways, there we go! All caught up, sorta. The TL;DR version is that I’ve not been busy, but I’ve lacked focus, and that’s no good for anyone. Now there’s a dry erase board for my daily schedule, and a Trello board for the weekly duties. I feel more ready to be productive than ever!
That being said, let’s get back into the delightful world of Lucha Underground. Now more than ever, escapism is important for all of us, and a show that gives us little people teaming up with exóticos and masked superstars representing both good and evil might be just what the doctor ordered. Hey, why isn’t there a doctor on this show? I feel like wrestlers that are just dudes doing jobs, like Irwin R. Schyster or Issac Yankem DDS, would fit right in with the possibly-undead Mil Muertes. But I digress.
Let’s watch some wrestling!
Last Week [well, two months ago for us] On Lucha Underground
“The Top of the Ladder” featured one of the best Lucha Underground matches to date in the promotion’s first ladder match, a barn-burner between Big Ryck, Johnny Mundo, and Prince Puma. Mundo was able to collect the $100,000 briefcase and knocked out Dario Cueto for good measure, although he did return the boss’s key by laying it on his knocked out body to end the show. I’m sure that won’t come back to bite Mundo in the ass, right?
We also had a couple matches to keep the rivalries between King Cuerno and Drago, and Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Sexy Star, going. The main event was the focus of the show, though, and it was fantastic. We’ll see what happens next as, for the first time in a long time, we head back underground. As always, I’ll recap each segment after I watch, and will provide my own ratings out of ten lucha libra masks. After I’m done with the show, I’ll check Cagematch for the general consensus, so we can all compare notes.
Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 8: “A Unique Opportunity”
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| Why are we in here again? |
We opened with the usual shots from around Boyle Heights: trainyards, industrial areas, highways, and then the Lucha Underground billboard atop the temple. Inside, the ring was packed with familiar faces (and masks). Our announce team of Matt Stryker and Vampiro are as confused as I am, saying Dario Cueto invited these ten wrestlers to the ring but nobody knows why. Fortunately, here’s Dario to clear things up. He’s wearing sunglasses to cover a nasty bruise from where Johnny Mundo punched him last week. Cueto overcomes some What chants (ugh) to let us know these guys are gonna be involved in a “truly epic event tonight” that begins with this match, and will be followed up with another ten-person match later tonight. We’re not going to be fighting for money, says Cueto, but rather a unique opportunity. Vague! So, let’s get to the match!
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| Half the LU roster, ready to fight |
Opening 10-Person Match
King Cuerno versus Super Fly versus Fénix versus Penta versus Drago versus Big Ryck versus Prince Puma versus Son of Havoc versus Mariachi Loco versus Mascarita Sagrada
Brawling began before the bell with several dudes jumping Big Ryck before getting tossed like cartoon characters. Mascarita Sagrada continued his violent assault on Ryck, pausing to do some push-ups and show off his footwork. Ryck responded to this threat by grappling with Sagrada in an extended assault, before some of the other guys got involved. Cuerno and Drago paired off for a while, while Penta and Mascarita Sagrada had some fun in the ring. Puma and Havoc were highlighted next, with Puma getting the better of Havoc and flying out of the ring to make room for Mariachi and Fénix to work on Ryck some more before everybody started throwing themselves at the big guy and getting their collective shit kicked in. Fénix and Puma paired up after a while , giving us a mini-match that would have ruled in AEW if their paths crossed -- hopefully they get a chance to have a match during the LU run.
Drago and Cuerno met up in the ring next, and Cuerno managed to hit his finisher before the pin was broken up by Mariachi Loco. Penta then took Mariachi out with Made in Japan, although I guess it hadn’t gotten that name yet because Stryker called it a running Muscle Buster. Some more near falls followed, and eventually the main story of “everybody vs Big Ryck” came through before we got back to Prince Puma versus Fénix, part two. Puma landed a 450 on Ryck but Fénix took advantage with a tilt-a-whirl DDT, followed up by a dragon sleeper into a piledriver to pick up the pinfall victory.
For a big brawl, this was a lot of fun! I liked the pairings used when the ring cleared, dug the flow of the match, and enjoyed that they kept going back to Big Ryck as the recognized threat everyone would naturally focus on. Mascarita Sagrada got some big pops in there, too! Seven lucha libre masks outta ten for this one for me -- Cagematch gave it 7.98.
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| HE BIG |
After the match, our announcers put over everybody and the overall performance, and Cuerno again called out Drago afterward. And then we moved on to another Cage vignette, this time featuring the big guy doing his own narration over some video of him working out in an industrial setting, flipping big tires and shaking big ropes and hitting said big tires with a big hammer. He said that he’s pushed himself to the brink of evolution, and he’s not a man -- he’s a machine, and they call him Cage.
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| Konnan and Prince Puma face off in a mirror |
We were then thrust into the awkward position of watching Prince Puma get dressed down by Konnan in the Temple’s dingy locker room. Konnan yelled that people would kill to have him for a mentor, and that if Puma keeps letting these opportunities pass by, the opportunities AND Konnan will be gone. Puma looked a little angry, and a little sad, but since he’s apparently mute that’s as much as we got before we headed back into the Temple for the second ten-person match.
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| The other half of the roster, ready to compete |
Match 2, A Boyle Heights Battle Royal
Sexy Star versus Mil Muertes versus Johnny Mundo versus Pimpinela Escarlata versus Bael versus Chavo Guerrero, Jr. versus Cortez Castro versus Famous B versus Mr. Cisco versus Ricky Mandel
I’m not trying to say this is the lesser of the two matches right out of the gate, but there’s definitely more entry-level talent in this one. It’s Royal Rumble rules -- over the top rope, both feet gotta touch the floor. Chavo got the dramatic last entrance after Stryker ran down the entrants for us, continuing his rivalry with Sexy Star, who immediately went after Chavo to start things off. Vampiro got to profess his love for the mysterious lady in the vinyl catsuit that keeps showing up on the Temple stairs to observe the action, and things devolved into the kind of battle royal action one would expect. I’m not going to try to keep up with everything, but here’s the eliminations in order:
Pimpi dumped Famous B early
Ricky Mandel was tossed by the trio of Big Ryck’s guys
Mil Muertes yeeted Pimpi
Chavo heaved Star to continue their storyline/ rivalry
Mundo threw a Ryck pal, then…
Chavo countered by throwing a different Ryck pal, then…
Mil Muertes answered by chucking the last Ryck buddy in a span of seconds
Mundo got rid of Chavo next
A solid back and forth one-on-one between Johnny and Mil Muertes followed. Mil is interesting because he’s not jacked -- Mundo is actually taller and super-ripped -- but he’s so stout that it’s still believable that Mundo had some trouble doing any effective offense. In the end, Mundo had his finisher set but Mil Muertes got his knees up, leading directly into a lariat to eliminate Johnny and win the Battle Royal.
Cagematch went 6.43 for this match, while I went a little lower with a 6. It was fine, but not as many fun spots as the first match. The finishing sequence with Chavo, Mil Muertes, and Johnny Mundo was good though.
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| The Lucha Underground Championship |
Back from a break, our announcers hyped up the mysterious announcement as Mil Muertes and Fénix jawed at each other in the middle of the ring. Dario Cueto emerged from his office with a microphone and a belt, the Lucha Underground championship. I somehow did not realize we’ve gone eight episodes and haven’t revealed a title yet! Cueto went on to explain that he’s invented a new match type that honors the ancient warriors, and he’s calling it Aztec Warfare. There’s gonna be one more match tonight, and the winner gets to enter Aztec Warfare last, giving them a significant advantage. The loser of this match will enter first, meaning they’ll have to outlast 19 other luchadores to win.
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| Mil Muertes and Fénix face off |
Main Event
Fénix versus Mil Muertes for the right to be last entrant in Aztec Warfare
Despite having worked a full battle royale right before this, Muertes went right after Fénix, shoving him before the bell even rang. He dominated the first several minutes of the match, with his buddy/lover/keeper Catrina helping by distracting Fénix. Hope spots were few and far between, with Mil Muertes overcoming Fénix’s valiant efforts and laying the smaller man out with a Flatliner to end the match and the show.
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| No, I think we're to exit stage LEFT, actually |
We got a post-credits scene! Dario Cueto was in that prison-looking area of the temple, talking to someone off screen and holding the Lucha Underground championship belt. He explained that the gold in that belt was from each of the seven Aztec tribes, making it not only priceless, but also powerful. He ended his little speech with, “I’m sorry, I can’t let you touch it [CRASH ZOOM ON HIS FACE] I know how you like to destroy pretty things.”
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| Dario admires his belt in front of prison bars |
I’ll be shocked if Cagematch has a rating for this -- it was a long squash match with maybe four glimmers of Fénix offense. As a showcase for Mil Muertes’ power, it was fine, and Fénix didn’t come off as a chump, per se, but I would have opened with the Battle Royal so Fénix would look like the more recently gassed of the two, and like he barely survived his last match. As it stands, 4/10 for me. Oh, Cagematch gave it a 6, which feels generous.
Closing Thoughts
This was a great show to get us back into the swing of things, although I don’t know that I would have reacted so kindly when I watched week to week. Having a pair of ten person matches was a nice way to be re-introduced to everybody, and in hindsight the winners felt right and not knowing why they were competing kept me interested to the end. I really thought Muertes was either going to straight-up murder Fénix or Fénix would rally at the end. A squash seemed like a weird choice. But now we’ve got a title match set for a few shows from here, and 18 vacant spots to fill. It should be interesting to see how those slots get chosen.
So Long For Now
Follow me on BlueSky for updates and 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!