By Jon
COMMENTATORS: Matt Striker & Vampiro
On this episode of Lucha Underground we get the debut of King Cuerno, a banger of a match between Fenix and Pentagon Jr., and in the main event Johnny Mundo looks to get some revenge on Big Ryck. BUT WILL HE?!?
LINEUP
- Sexy Star vs. Ivelisse (*3/4)
- Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. (***3/4)
- Drago vs. King Cuerno (**)
- Johnny Mundo vs. Big Ryck (**)
*****
-Striker & Vampiro welcome the home audience and discuss the attitude change in Chavo Guerrero Jr. since coming to Lucha Underground. One of his attack victims, Sexy Star, cuts a promo in Spanish vowing to kick his ass for what he did to Blue Demon Jr., Mascarita Sagrada, and herself, and also vowing to end the Guerrero Dynasty. WHOA WHOA DON’T DO THAT. Her opponent for tonight, Ivelisse, gets introduced and comes down the steps with a mic, telling Star that’s what she gets for messing with someone tougher than her. Ivelisse mocks Star for hiding her ugly face behind her ugly mask and says that deep down she knows Ivelisse is the baddest bitch in the building. Star responds with a slap and we’re off to the races.
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Sexy Star vs. Ivelisse
Ivelisse attacks right at the bell, Star slows her down with a side headlock. Ivelisse whips her off, Star blocks a hip toss and connects with one of her own followed by an armdrag. Apparently Ivelisse and Son of Havoc, someone that Sexy Star has had run-ins with, are either romantically involved or brother/sister. Ivelisse grabs the tights and sends Star head-first into the middle buckle. Ivelisse uses the hair to drag Star to the canvas and lays into her with stiff kicks and covers for the 1…2…Star kicks out and Ivelisse switches it up to a chinlock while digging a knee to the spine. Star escapes and the two trade forearm strikes and chops, Star winning the shootout with a Codebreaker. Star mounts a comeback, connecting with a pair of vertical suplexes (TWO Amigos) for the 1…2…Ivelisse kicks out. Ivelisse slaps Star and brings her to the mat with a guillotine choke, changing into a cover for the 1…2…Star kicks out once more. Ivelisse tries again, Star once again kicks out so she rams the back of her head into the canvas repeatedly to try and snuff out the fight left in her. Star surprises Ivelisse with a drop toehold into a roll-up for the 1…2…3!
Sexy Star defeated Ivelisse via pinfall (6:20)
- Commentary bordered on getting unnecessarily pervy but they managed to hold it together for the most part, although Striker comparing two trained athletes fighting one another to his sisters fighting over the bathroom growing up was stupid. Match itself was okay but felt weirdly clunky, and continued a weird precedent for Star only being able to get surprise wins instead of decisive ones. She’s getting underdog wins but is not presented as such so it’s weird. (*3/4)
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–Dario Cueto meets with Drago in a dingy part of the Temple, saying last week left him unsatisfied as he didn’t lose but also didn’t win. Cueto wants to know what Drago is made of and he will be the first prey of the debuting King Cuerno.
–Melissa Santos introduces Pentagon Jr. who is already in the ring, mic in hand. He says (in Spanish) that no one in Mexico respects him and thanks Dario Cueto for finally giving him the respect he deserves. Pentagon says that after what he does to Fenix will be a taste of what he will do to anyone who comes up against him. ZERO FEAR.
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Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr.
Pentagon kicks Fenix to the canvas, Fenix surprises him with a roll-up for a two-count. Pentagon tosses Fenix to the canvas, Fenix dodges an elbowdrop and hits a standing moonsault but barely gets a one-count. More lateral press attempts result in a stalemate and a round of applause from the fans. Fenix sends Pentagon to the floor with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and follows up with a tope con hilo. Back in the ring Fenix hits an UNREAL springboard legdrop, so much hang time, but only gets a two-count. Pentagon levels Fenix with a superkick, Fenix catches the hand, hops to top buckle, releases his grip, and does a couple of springboards leading into a missile dropkick. Hell yeah. Fenix dazes Pentagon with an open-hand strike and follows up with a springboard twisting armdrag, Penta rolls to the floor, Fenix immediately follows up with a springboard corkscrew tope. Hot damn, we’re not even four minutes into this one! Penta floats over Fenix and connects with a lung blower for the 1…2…Fenix kicks out. Fenix catches Penta with a back handspring cutter for the 1…2…Penta kicks out! Penta catches a right hand and connects with a package driver for the 1…2…FENIX KICKS OUT. Penta drops Fenix in the corner with a STIFF chop, Fenix sends him to the apron and connects with a flying double stomp that sends both of them to the floor! Fenix rolls Penta in and covers for the 1…2…Penta bridges up! Penta charges in and connects with a beautiful wheelbarrow bomb for the 1…2…FENIX KICKS OUT AGAIN. It’s like he keeps rising from ashes or some sh*t! Penta takes too long on the top buckle and Fenix catches him with an enzuigiri from the canvas. Fenix hops to the top and connects with a SPANISH FLY for the 1…2…3!
Fenix defeated Pentagon Jr. via pinfall (7:55)
- Just a big ol’ car crash of cool spots and another decisive win for Fenix after winning his debut triple threat match last week. Hell yeah. (***3/4)
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-HYPE VIDEO: King Cuerno says that what people call evil is what he calls a way of life; people call him a predator and he calls people “prey”. He hunts TONIGHT.
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Drago vs. King Cuerno
Cuerno makes his debut entrance in the Temple wearing a giant deer head as a hat for he is a hunter, you see. Also I may have JUST realized that his first match is against an “animal” which also fits his hunting gimmick so if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go curl up in embarrassment then finish the match. He and Prince Puma are probably battling at some point, huh?
Cuerno stalks Drago around the ring and locks up, but the ref forces a rope break before he can attack. Drago surprises Cuerno with a snapmare but his strikes are met with one elbow that puts a stop to it. Cuerno shrugs off a hurricanrana attempt but not the follow-up enzuigiri. Cuerno shoves Drago into the ropes and belts him with a clothesline followed by a standing dropkick. Drago charges, Cuerno sets him on the buckles and Drago comes flying out with arana. Cuerno counters a headscissors by slamming Drago face-first into the canvas and rakes the laces of his wristbands across Drago’s eyes. Drago charges, Cuerno throws the ref down in front to stop his run. Cuerno hops off the ref and connects with a rana, Drago uses the ref himself to send Cuerno to the floor and follows up with a tope con hiro. Drago takes too long to gloat and gets drop kicked off the apron, Cuerno follows up with a tope of his own. Cuerno F*CKS Drago’s day up with a stiff open-hand slap to the chest. Cuerno takes too much time flexing, Drago surprises him and brings him to the canvas, rolls around him a bit, then rolls him up for the 1…2…3! OH!
Drago defeated King Cuerno via pinfall (4:53)
- Eyyy I didn’t expect Drago to pick up the win, that’s cool! Match was pretty good, some cool highspots, and I like the cut of Cuerno’s jib. His loss is probably not going to go over well with Cueto who seemed like he was banking on him skinning Drago alive. (**)
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–Konnan catches up with Prince Puma as he works out. He tells Puma that Johnny Mundo’s fight is not his and to stay out of the main event tonight. Puma ignores him, and an annoyed Konnan leaves him to train while hoping it’ll sink in at some point.
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Johnny Mundo vs. Big Ryck
Ryck made his debut at the end of the first episode of Lucha Underground, attacking Mundo alongside Cortez and Cisco and costing him the 100,000 dollars Dario Cueto had promised that night. Mundo confronted Cueto in his office last week to get the match for tonight, vowing to come after Cueto once he was done. I’m sure Dario is going to let that slide.
Mundo sticks and moves to start, catching Ryck with kicks to the hamstrings and grabbing a side headlock. Ryck bowls Mundo over with a shoulder tackle but misses a corner splash and Mundo uses his quickness to catch him off-guard with a kick. Ryck absorbs some knee strikes and sends Mundo into the corner, following up with a splash and a series of stiff forearm shots. Ryck throws Mundo, Mundo lands on his feet and lays into Ryck with a series of rights to bring him down to one knee. Ryck powers back, almost putting Mundo through the canvas with a scoop slam for a two-count. Ryck wrenches the neck, Mundo escapes with a pair of kicks and connects with a series of strikes to the ribs. Mundo dropkicks Ryck into the corner and connects with Moonlight Drive to finally bring him off his feet for the 1…2…Ryck throws him off. Mundo ducks a clothesline and connects with a springboard kick for the 1…2…Ryck kicks out again. Mundo sets up for the finish but the show suddenly cuts to the locker room where Cortez Casto and Cisco attack Prince Puma, then they make their way out and attack Mundo, forcing the ref to call for the bell.
Johnny Mundo defeated Big Ryck via DQ (4:40)
- Some good David vs. Goliath stuff here as Mundo worked his speed to get Ryck off his feet while Ryck used his brute force strength to throw him around the ring. I dug it for what it was. I love that the backstage attack went unseen by Striker & Vampiro, instead airing as a stylized cinematic vignette. That was cool. I like Lucha Underground’s production style. (**)
Mundo attacks Castro and Cisco, the latter eating a standing Spanish Fly, but Ryck knocks the fight out of him with a lariat. Cisco and Castro set up a table, Ryck puts him through it with a urinage, and the trio celebrate as the crowd boos mercilessly.
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS
Felt like more of a “normal” pro wrestling show this week as it continued some storylines and introduced a new player in King Cuerno (in losing fashion, no less). Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. was the highlight which I’m sure shocks NOBODY and I dug the ending segment of Mundo getting put through the table undoubtedly under the orders of Dario Cueto. Solid stuff.
- FAVORITE MATCH: Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr.
- FAVORITE MOMENT: Big Ryck throws Johnny Mundo through a table with a urinage
