Project Lucha Underground Season One, Episode Six: "The Key"

 

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground Season 1. As we ease into reviewing Episode Six, “The Key,” things continue to roll on here at Casa Pequeño, with me succumbing to a newfound addiction to Balatro on our tablet, and my wife elbow-deep in Blue Prince on the Xbox. We’ve also knocked out four of the seven Mission: Impossible movies in our attempt to watch them all in time to check out the new one when it releases on Friday, in a project we’re calling Mission: Mission: Impossible. [We’re big on naming projects around here -- makes them feel more important, and therefore more finish-able.] If you’re on Letterboxd, give me a follow and I’ll do the same. Oh, and we checked out the new Final Destination movie, Bloodlines, on opening day. A fun, barebones story, imaginative kills, and a genuinely touching last scene for series mainstay and horror god Tony Todd added up to a fun afternoon at the local AMC for me and Mrs. Pequeño. 

It’s a lazy Sunday here so I figured I’d get another episode of LU under my belt before I watch some stressful Game 7 hockey a little later. That said, let’s watch some wrestling!

All Images: El Rey Network

Last Week On Lucha Underground

Episode five, “Boyle Heights Street Fight,” felt like one of those episodes that leans more into storytelling than wrestling. That happens from time to time, especially on a show still in its infancy like this one was. It’s hard to find balance, and so much of wrestling is that. Balancing story development with in-ring action, measuring what your audience wants to see in the ring, and figuring out where things like comedy, drama, action, and tension all fit in. Pro wrestling can be at its best when it’s a perfectly balanced variety show; it can also just cater to a niche audience and go hard into one aspect of the show, like comedy or hardcore matches. LU is basically a telenovela with fights, and it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out as we get past what I remember and into the unknown.

Drago has been pitted against some heavy hitters the last few shows, too, barely making it past King Cuerno two shows ago only to get hit with finishers from both Cuerno and Mil Muertes on the last episode. Sexy Star and Chavo Guerrero continue to have issues stemming from Guerrero attacking both Star and Blue Demon, Jr., , and now they have aligned with Fenix and Pentagon, Jr., respectively. 

Son of Havoc tried to make an example of mini-estrella Mascarita Sagrada, only to have the lil’ guy come out of their match with a victory. Konnan set up a street fight for his protege, Prince Puma, against current main baddie Big Ryck, but even with the help of Johnny Mundo, the numbers game (and an accidental chair shot from Mundo to Puma) caught up to the good guys and the Prince was left lying after being put through a table just like Mundo was the week prior. And with that, I think we’re all caught up.

So let’s get back underground!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 6: “The Key”

Some dramatic camera work took us through different areas of the Temple, and while it all fits the aesthetic I think Dario Cueto could afford to have a cleaning crew run through the place. Leave the graffiti on the walls, sure, but I don’t think the wrestlers should have to worry about acquiring tetanus every time they use the locker room. Black mold is real and it is scary, man.

Pay somebody to clean the place, Eric!

Dario and Big Ryck are seen in Cueto’s office, where Ryck lit a cigar and Dario went over Ryck’s new “big-money exclusive contract.” Ryck demanded a signing bonus in cash, which Dario agreed to and will totally not welch on, I’m sure. In wrestling, it’s important to tell the viewers that every wrestler gets paid top dollar, despite the contrary being true 99% of the time in real life. Dario loves him some violence, and he’s happy Ryck brings it. 

It's Pimpi!

Match 1

Son of Havoc (with Ivelisse) versus Pimpinela Escarlata

Ivelisse and Son of Havoc were in the ring, with Ivelisse complaining that SoH’s first two matches were against a woman and “half a man.” Havoc issued an open challenge, and he was answered by everybody’s favorite exótico, Pimpinela Escarlata. Pimpi is one of those performers that stuck out the first time I watched Lucha Underground, as his androgynous persona was treated with respect and good fun by the audience and the announcers. From Gorgeous George to Goldust, with dozens of examples in between, wrestling has always been welcoming to the “outsiders” in society, and I think that’s one of the reasons so many of us love it. 

Pimpinela and Havoc had a solid back-and-forth match, with Ivelisse constantly getting involved and Havoc heeling it up by mocking Pimpinela Escarlata. The odds were eventually evened (that cannot actually be a word) with the appearance of Mascarita Sagrada, who chased off Ivelisse and slid between Son of Havoc’s legs during the pursuit. That distraction let Pimpinela lay a big ole smooch on Son of Havoc, possibly awakening something in him but definitely distracting him enough for Pimpi to roll him up for the victory.  Son of Havoc was shocked and appalled, and Ivelisse comforted him while Pimpi and Sagrada danced in celebration. 

Dance magic dance

This was good fun, and a smart test of how the audience might react to someone like Pimpinela Escarlata. Turns out, they passed the test with flying colors. The mask was fast and fun, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. The bad guy looked bad, the good guy looked good, and the comeuppance was sweet. 5/10 luchador masks. 

While exóticos like Pimpi have been performing in lucha libre since the 1940s, their American equivalents were seldom treated as the good guys in their feuds. That has changed tremendously as time has passed, and these days wrestlers of all stripes play all sorts of roles in everything from indie promotions to AEW and WWE. 

Just make sure to wash your hands, fellas

In the horrifying bathroom of The Temple, we’re treated to Dario Cueto using the nasty toilet. Johnny Mundo confronted him there, shoving him against a stall and assuring him that he’ll keep getting up when Cueto sends Ryck to knock him down. Mundo demanded his 100k, and Cueto assured him he’d get it in cash as long as he didn’t attack him. Mundo backed off, but took the mysterious key Dario wears around his neck as insurance. 

Match 2

Famous B versus Mil Mascaras (with Catrina)

Aw poor Famous B. He got real dead in this match, possibly the squashiest squash we’ve seen to this point in Lucha Underground. Famous B got absolutely zero offence, and after throwing B around the ring and destroying his opponent with a spear, Mil Muertes finished Famous B off with a Flatliner and a pin. As far as reminding us what Mil is capable of, this would get a 7/10 in squash. It’s a different scale, but squashes will always have a place in wrestling shows to let the audience know who to fear and respect. Catrina followed the match with the “lick of death” but in a vertical position, with Mil Muertes holding up Famous B for the, um, tongue lashing. 

Interestingly, Famous B is still performing today! Cagematch lists his in-ring career as ending in 2019, yet he’s been performing in Australia for years. After Lucha Underground shut down (spoilers, I guess) he went over to Battle Championship Wrestling to perform in a three night event called Lucha Downunderground, where he participated in four matches. After that, B took a breather, but in 2023 he returned to various Australian promotions and continues to wrestle to this day. So, Mil Muertes did not kill him on this night; I guess we’ll probably see him again as we keep the Project rolling. 

The dragon man has nunchuck skills!

A tremendous video package followed, with Drago taking center stage. A little girl’s voice narrated the piece, talking up the legends of dragons, their powers, and how they had to adapt as time went on, which explains why our Drago is in the form of a man. Meanwhile, Drago did some nunchuck stuff on the LA rooftops, fought some dudes, and generally looked awesome. I love this guy! 

Match 3

Drago versus King Cuerno

This is the second match between these two, and while Drago beat Cuerno in Cuerno’s debut match, Drago suffered a nasty attack from Cuerno on the last show after he was defeated by Mil Muertes. Mid-match, we got another visit from the mysterious lady in the vinyl catsuit, who scowled and walked off after about a minute of watching the match. 

Drago and King Cuerno had a tense match, with both guys hitting bursts of moves before retreating. Dives, throws, and near-falls all led to Cuerno hitting a tope suicida, followed by him tossing Drago back in for “Thrill of the Hunt,” his fireman’s carry into a sitout power bomb. Cuerno got the pinfall, and picked up Drago’s head to yell that “the hunt has just begun,” which, uh, you just killed him dead, buddy. Hunt over! 

A solid match in which both guys did a good job of telling the hunter/prey story, with Cuerno respecting Drago’s abilities more this time around. I liked what they did in the ring, and that they didn’t feel like they had to go out of their way to explain what was happening. I’ll go 6/10 for this one.  

Huh, I think what followed was the first ever in-ring promo in Lucha Underground. It was incredibly well-shot, using interesting camera positions to keep the promo feeling unique and kinetic despite it being your standard promo train. 

Johnny Mundo called Dario Cueto out, demanding his $100k. He counted, but it was Big Ryck who responded. Rick threatened Mundo, and Mundro responded by flying from the ring at the big guy, laying him out. Johnny resumed his count only for Konnan to respond next. Konnan claimed that Johnny actually owed Prince Puma the $100k for their match, but after Johnny Mundo’s actions last week, Puma would no longer have Johnny’s back. That distraction allowed Big Ryck to attack Johnny Mundo from behind, but despite Konnan’s speech, Prince Puma was right there to make the save. The good guys took out Ryck with a double drop kick, but then Puma and Mundo exchanged blows, knocking the key off Johnny’s neck in the process. After officials separated everybody, Dario Cueto finally showed up with a briefcase he claimed had Mundo’s money inside it. But since Big Ryck was conveniently also awaiting a contract bonus in cash, Dario Cueto proposed a $100,000 three way ladder match. I don’t think that’s how contracts work, but I’m no lawyer.

Main Event

Sexy Star and Fenix versus Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Pentagon, Jr.

The announcers noted that while this was considered a mixed tag match, Star could engage and be engaged with anyone. Fenix started things off quickly, dumping Chavo out of the ring, but Penta grabbed Star by the hair and tossed her from the ring, leaving the brothers in for a short fight before Pentagon took a powder. Chavo dove back in, slowing the pace and grounding the high-flying Fenix. Once Fenix got free, he tagged Sexy Star in for a little revenge against Chavo, but it was short lived. The baddies took control, with Penta using his power advantage over Fenix and Chavo doing the same against Star before Fenix was double-teamed and Star was taunted while it was happening. 

Fenix eventually hit Penta with a rebound handspring cutter, and got to Sexy Star for the hot tag. She took advantage, taking out both Penta and Chavo, and there was a helluva spot that saw Chavo getting Star into a Boston Crab, Fenix tagging himself in and stomping Chavo’s back from the top rope, and Penta grabbing Fenix from that and release German suplexing Fenix into the turnbuckle. Sexy and Fenix both hit some massive (and dangerous, given proximity to the staircase) dives to the outside, but when Sexy went for a crossbody on Chavo in the ring she was caught and slammed down. Pentagon went for a package backpack bomb that Sexy reversed, and Fenix followed with a MASSIVE meteora onto Penta from the turnbuckly, letting Sexy Star get the pin on Penta and the victory as a medic ran in to check on Penta. The good guys celebrated to end the show, and that was that!

While Chavo and Penta did their best to slow the pace to benefit their style, the match never felt like it slowed down. People ran around constantly, and when the heels were in control it mostly felt like it was needed to let the good guys catch their breath. I like this a lot, and Fenix and Star picked up a win, clean as a sheet. 6/10 -- good, not great, but entertaining throughout. Cagematch gave this, the only match on the show they rated, a 6.74, and now I feel a little stingy. 

Closing Thoughts

Another solid show with some fun debuts and some good wrestling throughout. I think I’m gonna start adding a “match of the show” here, since it feels like a good place to do so. And while I enjoyed the main event a lot, I think I’ll give it to Drago and King Cuerno because of the storytelling work that they did in the ring. 

I also want to mention the Johnny Mundo promo. While Mundo was fine, and Ryck was, well, he said his lines, I thought the production for the segment was great. It feels like they’re really getting to use the space they have in that Boyle Heights warehouse, and shots like the one below show me that they either intentionally set the building up for cool looking viewpoints, or they simply discovered them while working in the Temple week after week. I don’t think the why really matters; I’m just happy it looks so cool and unique.

Given that episode seven is “Top of the Ladder,” I’m gonna go ahead and assume that the ladder match that Dario Cueto announced will take place on the next episode. Lucha Underground has plenty of long-term stories brewing already, but they don’t really announce matches far into the future -- it feels to me like they most they’ll do is announce something for the next show. That’s smart, especially for a fledgling company -- let the new, curious viewer know that if they like what they see, they’ll get something cool if they tune in again next time. I’m no Eric Bischoff, but that seems like solid short term audience building strategy to me.

So Long For Now

Follow me on BlueSky for updates and live watch-along commentary for AEW Dynamite (and occasionally Collision). And, if you’re looking into purchasing anything from a smart fridge to a new drill, check out the tech writing I do over at SlashGear -- my 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: Season 1, Episode 5: “Boyle Heights Street Fight”

Good Morning!

Howdy! Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground Season 1. The Pequeño household is in the middle of a bunch of projects here, with garden clearing, mulch laying, and grass encouraging all taking center stage. We’ve also begun Mission: Mission: Impossible, in which we watch all the Mission: Impossible movies before the final one drops in theaters next week. I also just finished up Andor, and am gonna try to get the wife to watch that with me since Rogue One is her favorite Star Wars movie. 

On top of all that, we’re hoping to check out the new Final Destination flick, Bloodlines, which I’m told is not related to Roman Reigns despite the title. But that’s neither here nor there. We’ve got Lucha to watch, and less time to watch it (because of all the other stuff we’re also watching.)

Last Week On Lucha Underground

Episode three was pretty good, if a little uneven! Couple good matches in King Cuerno versus Drago and Fenix versus Pentagon, Jr. and some plot moving stuff too. Prince Puma caught some strays during Johnny Mundo’s match against Big Ryck, and Mundo got beat down and put through a table to end the show. Ivelisse challenged Sexy Star, adding to the women’s roster and keeping the spotlight on Star for now. We still haven’t seen what Dario Cueto’s key is for, but Mil Muertes’ pal Catrina seems to know. King Cuerno had a solid debut, and I think that wraps everything up. 

My one big critical observation was that it kinda felt like a reset. We didn’t build on too many stories that will keep rolling as we move forward. But I guess that’s not really the case. Star remains the focal point of the women’s division, and I think her matches against Ivelisse and Son of Havoc and her beating at the hands of Chavo Guerrero keep that intact. And I guess Johnny Mundo would be considered the main protagonist of the show alongside Prince Puma, and they’re clearly being set up to continue their bro-lationship despite Konnan telling Puma to distance himself from Johnny. I guess the best thing to do is keep watching to see what develops, so let’s go ahead and do that.

So let’s get back underground!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 5: “Boyle Heights Street Fight”

All Images from El Rey Network

After a recap of weeks past, we got to visit Dario Cueto in his office. Konnan told Cueto that he was there representing Prince Puma, but Cueto wasn’t having it, as Big Ryck’s crew doesn’t answer to Cueto. Konnan requested a match between Big Ryck and Prince Puma, but he didn’t want a regular ass match, he wanted a street fight. No rules, anything goes, things of that nature. Cueto agreed, Konnan took a big swig of Cueto’s drink again -- so far Konnan has declined a drink twice and taken Dario’s both times. Cut to a little spider for some reason, and we headed into the Temple for…

Match 1

Mil Muertes versus Drago

You know I love me some Drago, but these two probably have the best presentations of anyone in Lucha Underground, and that’s saying something. Drago approached this fight a lot like the one last time against King Cuerno, trying to use his speed to evade Muertes while getting hits where he could. Speaking of, King Cuerno watched this fight from atop Dario Cueto’s office, not really reacting but observing. Mil Muertes dominated, although Drago might have gotten more offense off than anyone else so far in a match against the big guy. Unfortunately, a couple successful strikes led to Drago climbing the turnbuckle only to be speared out of the goddamn air by Mil Muertes. A Flatliner finished off the blue dragon, and Mil Muertes won by pinfall. 

This was pretty good for what ended up being a glorified squash! Drago’s look sometimes fools me into thinking he’s bigger and more dominant than he is, as the last couple matches we’ve seen show he’s better at playing Little Mac than Mike Tyson, so to speak. 6/10 lucha masks for this contest. 

After the match, Catrina did the face-lick she’s fond of, and King Cuerno continued to observe from above. After the ring cleared, and Drago remained unconscious on the mat, Cuerno stalked down to the ring, yanked the dragon to his feet, and hit Drago with a Fireman’s Carry into a sitout powerbomb, which probably has a name but since we hadn’t seen it yet, nobody used it. 

After a replay of the Johnny Mundo video package where he works out in a poorly lit gym, we ended up following Dario Cueto into the locker room, where Mil Muertes and Catrina were hanging out. Cueto congratulated the pair, but Catrina called out Cueto, saying that “Mil Muertes learned long ago that you can’t keep darkness locked away forever.” Does Cueto have skeletons in his closet? A horrible alter ego, like some kind of Jekyll and Hyde situation? WHO’S TO SAY?

Match 2

Son of Havoc (w/Ivelisse) versus Mascarita Sagrada

We got us a mini match! Mascarita wasn’t having any of SoH’s taunts, going right after the taller competitor. Ivelisse saved Havoc’s bacon a couple times, pulling the bearded fella out of the way of the mini-estrella. Gorilla presses, standing moonsaults, and taunting followed as Son of Havoc gained the upper hand, but a mysterious lady in vinyl appeared on the steps of the Temple, distracting commentary as she watched the match. She took off as quickly as she popped into the Temple, though, so we didn’t get any immediate follow up. 

Ivelisse again cheated on Havoc’s behalf, but Sagrada got revenge (?) with a dive out of the ring that would have ended with him on his head if Ivelisse didn’t reposition herself to catch him. The commentary obviously played this as an intentional Sagrada attack, but it looked pretty gnarly to me. Fortunately, nobody died! 

Mascarita Sagrada hit a top rope dive on both Son of Havoc and Ivelisse, and then caught Havoc back in the ring with a tilt-a-whirl head scissors that rolled into a pin for the victory! 

You know, this match wasn’t half bad! It’s hard to call a mini match -- sometimes they feel like a carnie thing from a bygone era, usually used for a cheap pop or even cheaper heat. Other times you gotta respect the athletes taking part in the match, and the long history of mini-estrellas in lucha libre. Mascarita Sagrada held his own here, taking a lot of offense and doling out his own in dives and assisted maneuvers. Overall, I’ll go with a 5/10 for this one.

No time for vignettes here, as we rolled straight into the next match.

Match 3

Sexy Star versus Chavo Guerrero, Jr.

Star has had issues with Ivelisse, Son of Havoc, and Chavo Guerrero already, and we’re only on episode five of this series! Vampiro let us know that Blue Demon, Jr. is already on the mend after Chavo attacked the masked legend with a chair a couple shows back. Chavo did exactly what you’d expect after his heel turn -- lots of pie faces, forced kissing, shoves. Star retaliated by knocking him out of the ring, grabbing a steel chair, and kicking the ref in the wiener when the ref dared to suggest he couldn’t do that. So that’s a DQ, obviously.

Pentagon, Jr. then arrived and yanked the chair out of Star’s hands, but after a delay Penta allowed Chavo to grab Star. Fenix then ran into the arena, flying up the top rope and springboard kicking Penta’s chair into his face. Fenix hit Chavo with an enziguri, and he helped Sexy Star up and over him into a pop-up head scissors on Penta. The good guys posed as Chavo begged off up the stairs, and that was that.

Not a match to be rated, but a really fun segment regardless. You always love to see a good guy make a save in wrestling, and if we get a tag match with the four of these luchadores, it’s bound to be fun.

And again, no intermission, right into the main.

Main Event

Big Ryck (w/Mr. Sisco and Cortez Castro) versus Prince Puma

Seems a little unfair to do a street fight and have two guys with chairs accompany one of the competitors, but what do I know? Vampiro blamed Konnan for Puma getting into this situation, but Puma’s not gonna back down. Ryck got a really cool entrance, lit from behind and flanked by his associates. Puma came down the stairs, looking a little nervous but not scared. The two faced off and Puma got a handful of strikes off before getting absolutely merc’d by Ryck. Puma got a little offense in before Sisco and Cortez interfered, giving Ryck the upper hand until Puma hit a crazy looking corkscrew dive out of the ring and onto all three of his enemies. 

The match was 80% Ryck slowly beating on Puma with his pals interfering when needed, and for some reason Cortez bled despite barely being involved in the fight. A kendo stick helped Puma even the odds after a lengthy beating that saw Ryck seated on a chair in the corner, but Ryck would fight back as his buddies grabbed a ladder and table. Puma looked about to get murdered on that ladder when Johnny Mundo appeared on the balcony and flew into the ring to make the save! Incredibly cool shit.

Mundo proceeded to get Puma off the ladder and dump Cortez and Sisco from the ring, and then tackled Ryck with a Thesz press and punches. Johnny cued up a chair, but a quick roll from Ryck led to Mundo laying out Puma. The goons took out Mundo, and put Puma through a table to end this show the same as the last: with Big Ryck and friends standing tall.

Prince Puma had some good hope spots, but in the end the odds were overwhelming, even with Johnny Mundo’s help/chair shot. Mundo did roll in after the baddies left so he could check on Puma, so I don’t think any ill will was intended.

A good street fight has a few things -- interference, weapons, and some fun spots. Even though the pacing of this was kinda slow, it did tick all those boxes, and Johnny Mundo’s dive from the balcony of the Temple into the ring was phenomenal. 6/10. This was the only match from this show that Cagematch gave a rating to, and it was a 5.8/10.

Closing Thoughts

So next episode we’ll get to see if this is like every other wrestling show ever, where nobody can watch the show and understand that the accidental attack was just that. I assume Prince Puma won’t trust Mundo immediately; I also don’t trust Konnan to not blame Mundo for Puma’s loss. 

This was a solid episode. No big standout matches like in previous ones, but good stuff and heavy lore building happened throughout. Sometimes you just gotta keep things moving, and it’s always good to establish your heel faction early on so that the good guys can assemble against them, Avengers style.

So Long For Now

Follow me on BlueSky for updates and live watch-along commentary for AEW Dynamite and Collision (occasionally). And, if you’re looking into purchasing anything from a smart fridge to a new drill, check out the tech writing I do over at SlashGear -- my 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!