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!

Project Lucha Underground: S1E9 "Aztec Warfare"

 

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground. It’s been a good week over here! We watched AEW Forbidden Door and Dynamite, and had a good time with both. Forbidden Door, if we’re being honest, is probably one of the AEW PPVs I’m willing to miss annually, if only because I’ve never followed New Japan Pro Wrestling with any real consistency. So, oddly, the main complaint that I saw on socials about this year’s edition of Forbidden Door was actually a positive for me: that the show was heavily skewed in the favor of AEW. I watch AEW, so this was for me, and the addition of some NJPW guys without having the show become a showcase for them made it more interesting for me. Standout matches for me included the eight-woman tag match during Zero Hour, Fletcher vs Takahashi, ZSJ vs my close personal friend Nigel McGuinness, and the steel cage match that ended the show, but I wasn’t mad at any of the matches on the card. It’s all good stuff, as we say.

It’s been days since that show, though, and since the churn of North American Professional Wrestling Machine never ends, we had Dynamite on Wednesday from the former ECW arena in Philly. Darby Allen nearly died, but won in a brutal match against Claudio Castignoli. Cope and Christian united against FTR to set up their match at All Out, and we saw some tension in the Don Callis family between my sweet Cinnabon Son Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada. A face turn is coming, I can feel it!

With Will Ospreay, Nick Wayne, and Swerve Strickland all falling to injuries -- or “injuries” to take some time off for surgeries and recovery -- it does seem like an opportune time for AEW to focus on its women. Fans have been clamoring for more than one goddamn women’s match on Dynamite, as well as for a tag division to be implemented. Why not now? We’ve got at least ten potential teams, and showcasing what I believe to be the strongest roster in American pro wrestling isn’t a bad idea, even if things get scaled back a little when the boys get healthy again. Or not! You’ve got at least four hours of programming a week, let half the roster get some reps!

Oh! Also, after that first show in the AEW residency at the 2300 Arena, Tony Khan surprised ECW legend Taz with a little tribute that made everybody cry. Take a look!

Now wipe the tears from your eyes, and let’s get back on the clock.

Last Time On Lucha Underground

“A Unique Opportunity” was kind of a reset, useful for our purposes as we’d just come back from our little break. We had two ten-person matches, opening the show with a 10-person match won by Fénix, and following up with a ten-person battle royale won by Mil Muertes. Dario Cueto had been teasing a unique opportunity --

-- and this was the payoff: a match between the two battle royale winners. The winner got to enter a new match type last, giving them a distinct advantage, while the loser would enter first. A pretty solid match between the winners closed the show, with Mil Muertes picking up the clean victory. 

We also got some tension between Konnan and Prince Puma, with the former really leaning into the heelish tendencies that Vampiro has been warning us about since the start of Lucha Underground. Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Sexy Star continued their rivalry through the context of a battle royale, as did Drago and King Cuerno.

Overall, it was a solid show to set up a mysterious new match type which, given the title of this episode, might be introduced tonight! Only one way to find out. LET’S WATCH SOME WRESTLING!

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 9: “Aztec Warfare”

Aztec guys doing some Aztec warfare

We opened up with a little recap of “A Unique Opportunity,” with Dario Cueto narrating over some Aztec warriors battling in a field. I say narrating, but really it was just the dialogue from the last episode, where he explained that the Aztec Warfare match was going to be for the Lucha Underground championship. 

Our mariachis have been mariachi-napped!

After that, we got the more familiar Los Angeles flyover shots along with the title card and credits. Inside the temple, things were intense from the get-go, with folks dressed in Aztec garb dancing to drum beats provided by the band, which was either our usual mariachi/punk guys in new outfits, or a replacement. This must have aired after the new year [it did: January 7, 2015, to be exact] because we were wished a happy new year by our commentary team! That’s nice. And yeah, we’re doing Aztec Warfare tonight! 

I just thought this was a cool shot

Dario Cueto was then in the ring, welcoming us to his temple. He had the Lucha Underground championship belt resting on his shoulder, and told us 2015 was gonna be huge for LU. He said he invented this Aztec Warfare match, prompting the fans to chant the match name as Cueto explained the rules. We start with two wrestlers, and every 90 seconds another luchador would enter. Eliminations are pinfall or submission, and since he loves violence, anything goes!

We knew Fénix was going to be the first entry, and by “random draw,” Johnny Mundo pulled number two. I don’t know that we’ll have time to cram anything else in this show unless we get a bunch of quick eliminations, so let’s get to it!

Aztec Warfare

Fénix versus Johnny Mundo versus Mr. Cisco versus King Cuerno versus Son of Havoc versus Pimpanela Escarlata versus Prince Puma versus Ivelisse versus Drago versus Bael versus Cortez Castro versus Ricky Mandel versus Big Ryck versus Pentagon, Jr. versus Super Fly versus Chavo Guerrero, Jr. versus Mascarita Sagrada versus Sexy Star versus 

Both guys started out with kicks and finisher whiffs, with the announcers noting that a quick elimination was on both luchadores’ minds as another guy would be there in 90. And so it was, with Mr. Cisco heading down the stairs next. “This lil’ cholo’s rolling solo,” said Matt Stryker, and I kinda love that as a line. Cisco yeeted Mundo, but after a little back and forth with Fénix, Mundo flipped into the ring with End of the World to get the first elimination on Cisco. 

After a commercial and some more one-on-one brawling, King Cuerno was #4. Son of Havoc followed at #5 as I realized I’m not a play by play guy, but I'll do my best while keeping track of who’s in and who’s out. After all, I did have a private YouTube channel commentating WWE2k24 matches involving veterinary personnel, making me about as qualified as 80% of wrestling announcers...but I digress.

#6 is beloved exotico Pimpinella Escarlata, who got a really nice intro from Vampiro about judging folks by the content of their character. #7 was Lucha Underground’s main character, Prince Puma, who immediately cleared the ring to take on Johnny Mundo for a bit. Some solid work between those two and Fénix passed the time as our announce team noticed the mysterious vinyl-clad lady was in the crowd again, and then Ivelisse ran down the stairs as the 8th entrant. Ivelisse immediately made her presence known with a flying head scissors on King Cuerno and a DDT on Fénix, and then set Pimpi up for an elimination by her partner Son of Havoc. 

My guy Drago entered at #9 shortly after, and he went for a quick pinfall on Fénix and then Mundo but came up short. Ivelisse tried to attack King Cuerno as he got Drago in a fireman’s carry, but that just got her eliminated by the hunter. She’s gone and Bael is in at #10, and we’re told he’s a real b-boy from the streets and therefore knows how to throw hands, which … is that how that works? I thought b-boys were, like, dancers? I dunno, but in my digression, Prince Puma rolled up Son of Havoc for the elimination, and Cortez Castro strolled in at #11. Castro and Bael started working together to do some damage until Ricky Mandel entered the brawl and went after both of them, and Prince Puma was eventually left alone with Bael in the middle of the ring for another pinfall elimination. Johnny Mundo then let Puma have a breather as he worked Cortez Castro into a pinfall elimination just before Big Ryck showed up at 13, just a little too late to employ his henchmen. 

Back from a break just in time to watch Big Ryck murder everyone in the ring and pin Ricky Mandel, then Cuerno eliminated Drago and Mundo rolled up King Cuerno. Penta then rolled in at #14 and we’re keeping things moving smoothly, with eliminations and new entrants balancing out nicely. Penta ran wild when he got into the ring, and had Fénix set up for elimination when Ryck booted him in the head, leading both me and the announcers to ask, uh, why, dude? It’s an elimination match, and it’s not like you get paid by the pin. Super Fly was next to enter at 15, but Mundo, Puma, and Fénix all hit a little offense on the new fella. Puma was draped on Ryck’s back as Chavo Guerrero hit the ring at 16 with a chair in tow, and he immediately laid out Super Fly and Penta, and racked up a pair of eliminations. Mini extraordinaire Mascarita Sagrada headed out in the #17 slot as we went to commercial.

Game to get in the ring with anyone, Chavo and Mascarita Sagrada matched up in the otherwise cleared ring, with Sagrada dominating. Fénix and Mascarita paired up next, and both of them left the ring just as #18 Sexy Star met Chavo in the ring. A quick back and forth led to them both leaving the ring and Big Ryck and Mascarita Sagrada re-entering the ring, which went about as well as you’d think it would for Mascarita -- he was quickly destroyed and eliminated. El Mariachi Loco scurried down the steps with the #19 entry, and he distracted Ryck from beating on Johnny Mundo for a bit.

Some action between the remaining luchadores ended with Big Ryck absolutely murdering the Crazy Mariachi as our final entrant, Mil Muertes, headed down the stairs with his pal Catrina. So we’re full up and it’s all eliminations from here on out, with Mariachi eating a Flatliner to take Mil Muertes’ first pin. Mil Muertes stared down Big Ryck next, with both men failing to take each other off their feet before most of the remaining talent entered the ring as our drummers added to the intensity of the moment.

A double stack of Chavo and Fénix eliminated Big Ryck next, after Ryck ate top rope moves from both Puma and Fénix. With the biggest threat (non-Murtes edition) out, things felt a little more uncertain. Chavo grabbed another chair and gave Fénix the old el kabong and pinned him. Sexy Star challenged Guerrero to drop the chair, and he refused so she just went after him anyways. She dominated briefly before Chavo scoop slammed his rival onto the discarded chair, and then he placed that chair onto her face and headed to the top rope -- but then a returning Blue Demon made the save and distracted Chavo long enough for Sexy to lay out the villain with his own chair and pick up the pinfall.

No, seriously, look behind you!

That left Sexy Star, Prince Puma, Johnny Mundo, and Mil Mascaras as our final four competitors as we headed into the final commercial break. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but Aztec Warfare kinda rules.

Our Final Four

We came back to a brawl that ended with Star laying out Mundo and Puma, but when she hyped herself up to take on Muertes she underestimated his speed and was broken in half by a spear, allowing Mil Muertes to eliminate her.

Welp, she's dead

Johnny Mundo went after Muertes next, with Puma recharging his stamina meter in the corner. He recovered and took an unexpected ZigZag to the back of his noggin, and the three went back and forth for a bit before Puma was knocked from the ring. Mundo got Mil Muertes up on the turnbuckle, and the good guys hit the big man with a superplex to knock the wind outta him. Catrina tried to distract Puma, but he pulled her up to the apron and threatened a slap before dodging a Muertes charge. Muertes stopped himself before knocking Catrina off the apron, but Johnny Mundo hit a Disaster Kick from the corner and caught the woman on the side of her noggin, knocking her down. He seemed apologetic to Mil, and was almost chokeslammed before Puma hit a meteora, and the good guys hit a pair of flippy moves to get the dual pinfall. 

Buddies!

So good guy vs good guy in a rematch from the first episode of Lucha Underground, very cool. Puma looked gassed until the pair locked up, and then he hit some offense as Matt Stryker desperately begged Vampiro to chime in with some commentary. “This is awesome” chants hit as Puma struggled to get out of a half-crab, and he responded by breaking the hold (rope breaks are legal in an anything goes match?) and yeeting Mundo out of the ring. 

A super Spanish fly knocked Mundo down but not out, and Mundo grabbed an ankle a couple times before Puma was able to again mount the top turnbuckle. The pair traded punches before Mundo landed a poison ‘rana, and then ran to the other side of the ring for End of the World, which Puma miraculously kicked out of. Puma was dead in the corner after that, and Mundo got him up on the turnbuckle once more. Puma somehow got a health potion, and shoved Mundo off the turnbuckle before hitting his 630 and winning the inaugural Lucha Underground championship match! The crowd went bonkers as Prince Puma celebrated alone and then with Johnny Mundo, and even Konnan came down to cheer on his champ.

The first Lucha Underground champ. No one can ever take that from you, baldie.

That was rad! A pinfall and submissions battle royale has the potential to be a slog, but frequent eliminations kept the ring and surrounding area mostly clear, and I felt like everything went smoothly. The rivalries we’ve been building all season were highlighted, we got a return in Blue Panther, and the guy who most feels like the focus of this first season of Lucha Underground got a well deserved win. I enjoyed the hell out of this first ever Aztec Warfare match, and would go as high as 8 luchador masks out of 10. Cagematch says … 8.31, so I guess we’re in agreement!

Closing Thoughts

One match for our hour-long weekly show worked for this particular event. I don’t know that AAA/Lucha Underground ever planned on doing PPV shows this early into the promotion, but if it went on to really build an audience I could see this being their Royal Rumble. Hell, it even took place around the same time as that WWE staple. I liked how we used last week’s show and this one to announce Aztec Warfare, establish its importance, figure out the first and last entrants, and then blow the whole thing off. With the season running around 40 episodes, having a big event to mark the first quarter feels about right to me. We’ll see if that trend continues or if this is just a thing LU does when they have a big event.

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!