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: S1 E10 “Law of the Jungle”

 

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground. It’s been another productive week here at Let’s Watch Some Wrestling HQ, with some writing getting done, some new friends stopping by for puppy (and human) socializing, and overall relaxing vibes as we segue into scary season, objectively the best time of year. I got my COVID and flu shots yesterday, and my arm’s already feeling a bit rough, but we’re headed out of town next weekend and this indoor cat needed to make sure he’s not sick for that trip, or for the horror movie festival we’ll be attending in October. 

We’re also undergoing kind of a crash course of the game of golf. A friend had a free pass to use this month, and my wife and I are professionals at the EA PGA Xbox game, and also owners of clubs that said friend gave us about ten years ago. So we’ve watched some YouTube videos and are headed to the driving range this weekend to get back into form, for me, and to develop a form at all, in my wife’s case. Either way, it should be fun to go from very little experience to trying to do a full ass fancy 18 hole course. At the very least, I hear there’s a cart that brings you drinks!

But I digress. We’re not here to talk about my efforts to become a professional man of leisure, or to sign on to the PGA Senior Tour. We’re here to watch some wrestling. So let’s get back on the clock.

Last Time On Lucha Underground

“Aztec Warfare” was Lucha Underground’s answer to the WWE’s Royal Rumble match, a customized battle royale with entrants hitting the ring every 90 seconds, 20 in total, until we were left with one winner, the first Lucha Underground champion, Prince Puma. It was an interesting format for a regular episode of TV -- basically just the one match for the whole show -- but I thought it worked well, had some great spots to feed into established rivalries, and had a really good ending sequence to crown the new champion. 

It felt like the end of the beginning for Lucha Underground. We’ve now established several feuds, introduced our main protagonists and antagonists while still making it clear that even though the good guys are willing to work together, it’s still every man [gender neutral] for himself. I thought that was refreshing in a world where, for example, John Cena suffers a beatdown and nobody in the back ever bothers to come save the biggest babyface in the company. 

So now we’ve got a title, a nice belt, possibly an annual tradition in Aztec Warfare, and our first reigning and defending champ in Boyle Heights’ own Prince Puma, managed by an increasingly disappointed Konnan. I guess we’ll see what awaits us in the next chunk of programming, and there’s only one way to do that…

LET’S WATCH SOME WRESTLING!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 10: “Law of the Jungle”

I love that little bull on Cueto's desk

We opened up with little recap featuring Chavo Guerrero Jr.’s heel turn and subsequent rivalry with Sexy Star, Konnan talking up Prince Puma (and then berating him), and highlights from Aztec Warfare. From there, we were brought into LU owner Dario Cueto’s office, where he was meeting with Fenix. He was being very supportive of the luchador, and things seemed on the up-and-up until Cueto told Fenix to destroy Prince Puma in a match. Fenix said he doesn’t fight for Cueto; he fights for himself, and to be the best. 

I also love serious meetings taking place with a guy in a spiky mask

Cueto remained calm, surprisingly, and agreed, saying Fenix would be fighting for the Lucha Underground title. Destroy Puma, embarrass Konnan, be the new champ -- take the opportunity or someone else will. Fenix said nothing and left, and Cueto took that as a win. Unbeknownst to him but knownst to us, that mysterious vinyl-catsuit lady that popped up in the temple the last few episodes was outside the office, listening in. 

It's like Where's Waldo with this lady, but more mysterious.

And with that, we got our title card and were back in the temple, with our house band rocking out and our commentary team of Matt Stryker and Vampiro getting us hyped for the night’s card. They ran down a few matches and said Dario Cueto had opened the door for four new luchadores to join the company, and they would be competing right now in an elimination match!

The new guys

Opening Match

Argenis versus Aerostar versus Angélico versus Cage

Oh hey it’s Cage! We’d been seeing some vignettes of him training for a few weeks now, and we have established that he is, in fact, large. Actually, if you follow AEW you’re likely familiar with ¾ of the competitors in this match -- Angélico has been with the promotion since the beginning, and Aerostar made a few appearances early on. 

Cage started off by tossing Argenis around before everybody realized teaming up against the big fella was the way to go. Once Cage was tossed, we settled into some fun lucha action, first between Angélico and Argenis and then between Argenis and Aerostar. Cage did get back into the ring, and he’s basically a slightly faster version of the powerhouse you’re familiar with from his appearances in basically every promotion that isn’t The Fed. 

Everybody got their stuff in, as they say for this type of multi-person match. There’s a pair of dives out of the ring, first from Aerostar and then Angélico, that are really out of this world -- Angélico’s especially looked like he might have overshot the other wrestlers further then the Spaceballs overshot Lone Star and pals, and then took a bow after somehow landing that dive just off to the left of the commentary table.

Back in the ring, Angélico continued to establish himself as the smarmy crowd favorite, but Cage stormed in and dominated, pinning Argenis, then throwing Aerostar at Angélico before eliminating both of them in short order and picking up the victory. Cage didn’t do a ton in this one, but he used the time he was in the ring to show that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

They call him...CAGE

I had a lot of fun watching this match! It really didn’t need to be an elimination match, although I guess that did help Cage display his dominance by killing everybody else in quick succession. The sequences without him in there were the high-speed lucha action we’ve gotten used to seeing, and though it was a little odd to not see Cage used as a base -- something he’s more than comfortable doing -- I think they did a good job showing that the other competitors realized they had to keep him out of the ring to even have a chance at winning. I’ll go 7/10 luchador masks for this match; Cagematch puts it at … oh, nothing, because it was short. It didn’t feel that short, but what do I know? I’m just a guy overly invested in a TV show that aired like ten years ago.

But I digress.

Pretty!

After a commercial break, we got treated to some beautiful timelapse video of the night sky outside Los Angeles, and then back in the Temple we got to listen to Chavo Guerrero, Jr. apologize for ruining the friendship between himself and Blue Demon, Jr. Blue Demon cautiously entered the ring after a little “get a load of this guy” mime work with the fans. 

Blue Demon, Jr., to the fans in the Temple

Chavo, unsurprisingly, turned his apology into a threat, and Blue Demon laid into the skeevy Guerrero, finishing him off with several chair shots to the head and back before leaving him in the ring and flipping the double birds at him. According to the announcers, that’s it for that rivalry.

You know it's serious when we're digitizing fingies

 

Match 2

King Cuerno versus Drago

Is it respect? Love? Or something forbidden?

King Cuerno’s entrance gear is so cool. He’s basically wearing Bambi’s mom out there. And I’ve already made my feelings clear on Drago’s, well, everything -- I just think he’s neat.

This little guy knows what's up

These two have had a handful of matches already, and started off at full speed, with dives, strikes, and a Code Red. King Cuerno set up a table and stalked the prone Drago before rolling him back into the ring, and Cuerno nearly had Drago in a fireman’s carry when Drago slipped free. Cuerno grabbed a chair but whiffed, and ate a Drago superkick for his trouble. Drago then ascended the Temple stairs to the top of Dario Cueto’s office, AKA the launch pad for some of the coolest spots in Lucha Underground, and he did not disappoint, splashing Cuerno through the table and leading to a double count out. 

That was cool, but wasn’t much of a match, running just over three minutes. This feud MUST CONTINUE.

The fire burns

We got a short video of Fenix, explaining the history of his name, and then we got right into the…

Main Event

Fenix versus Prince Puma © for the Lucha Underground championship

Code of Honor adhered to

The two good guys shook hands before doing what they do best -- flinging themselves around the arena for our entertainment! I find recapping one-on-one matches to be some of the toughest for me, especially when it’s two similar talents like these wrestlers. Evenly matched, back and forth action with some solid near falls for both guys was the story of this match, with some big top rope moves leading to some 1-2-OOOOHs from the crowd.

This is gonna end badly for somebody

The final sequence was really good, with Fenix running across the ropes only to eat a kick to the chest from Puma. Puma then pounced (pun intended) on the carcass of Fenix with his signature 630, and he picked up the victory.

A solid match, despite my lack of a thorough watch-along, and a good first title defense for Prince Puma. I’d go 7/10 for this one, and Cagematch seems to agree with a 7.52.

Prince Puma’s post match celebration was a short one, as Cage ran down to the ring and absolutely destroyed our champion. He hit Puma with discus lariats and powerbombs before posing over the downed champ to end the show.

CAGE smothers the closing credits AND Prince Puma

Closing Thoughts

I guess this show did what I’d figured it would, which is set the table for the next group of shows now that we have a champion. We’ve got some fun new talent in Aerostar, Argenis, and Angélico. Cage will be a good foil to Prince Puma, with his power and ability to work well with high flyers matching well with the champ’s speed and heart. I guess the Chavo/Blue Demon feud is over, which was a weird way to end that rivalry if that’s the case. And King Cuerno and Drago will apparently just fight forever, although that double count out may have been a way to take them off the show for a while -- I guess we’ll see. 

Not the best show, but there are worse ways to spend your time. The matches were good, the vignettes gave us some direction going forward, and the new talent should mix in nicely with the existing pool of luchadores. 

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!