By Jon
COMMENTATORS: Matt Striker & Vampiro
This episode of Lucha Underground features the debut of Mil Muertes as he takes on Blue Demon Jr. in the main event. Also on the show last week’s attackers introduce themselves and take on Johnny Mundo & Prince Puma in tag team action, Konnan discusses the potential of Puma, and Chavo Guerrero Jr. becomes the chairman of the Temple.
LINEUP
- Johnny Mundo & Prince Puma vs. Cortez Castro & Cisco (***1/4)
- Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Sexy Star vs. Son of Havoc & Ivelisse (*3/4)
- Blue Demon Jr. vs. Mil Muertes (**1/2)
*****
-Show opens with the three men who attacked Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma last week in the ring. They are not here to play games, they are here to beat people up and take money. First guy introduces himself as Cortez Castro, second guy is Cisco, and finally the boss Big Ryck. Johnny Mundo runs out and attacks Castro and Cisco, clearing them from the ring as Big Ryck watches from the stairs. Castro and Cisco grab chairs, Prince Puma runs in to help Mundo. Dario Cueto emerges from his office and announces that they will be having a tag team match…RIGHT NOW. Some tropes are too hard to let go of, y’all.
—
Johnny Mundo & Prince Puma vs. Cortez Castro & Cisco [w/ Big Ryck]
Puma takes Castro and Cisco down with a couple of headscissors. Castro connects with a closed fist, Puma responds with a dropkick. Mundo tags in and they connect with a double enzuigiri for a two-count. Castro ducks a knee strike and rolls Mundo up for a two-count, then catches him with a dropkick. Cisco tags in, Mundo drops him with a leg lariat followed by a PARKOUR legdrop for the 1…2…not yet. Apparently Cisco’s wrestling style is “prison shower-style, homes”, did not need Striker doing THAT accent. Cisco reverses a whip, Castro attacks from behind and Mundo drops him from the apron. Mundo tries a springboard, Castro trips the legs and Cisco connects with a senton for a two-count. Castro tags in and hits a legdrop for the 1…2…Mundo kicks out. Cisco & Castro continue to wear down Mundo as Big Ryck watches from the steps puffing on a cigar. Mundo escapes their clutches and Puma gets the hot tag, throwing Cisco into Castro and taking Castro down with a neckbreaker as Casto accidentally DDTs his own partner. Nice. Puma backlips over a legsweep attempt and hits a standing shooting star for the 1…2…Castro breaks it up and Mundo takes him out with a rana but MISSES a twisting plancha on the floor. Cortez kicks Puma, Cisco follows up with a neckbreaker for the 1…2…not yet. Mundo pulls Castro out, Puma rolls Cisco up with a sunset flip for the 1…2…NO. Mundo tags in, Puma hits a cutter and Mundo follows up with Moonlight Drive for the 1…2…CISCO KICKS OUT. Puma dropkicks Castro off the apron and follows up with a moonsault OVER the ropes. Cisco tries to sneak out a win by using the ropes but it doesn’t work. Mundo and Puma take flight and hit STEREO 450S for the 1…2…3! Big Ryck is not amused.
Johnny Mundo & Prince Puma defeated Cortez Castro & Cisco via pinfall (8:22)
- A very hot start to this week’s episode. Puma is a once in a generation performer and he was ON FIRE here tonight, as was Mundo, and together they made one of the more entertaining teams I’ve seen on a wrestling show in awhile. I liked that last week ended with Mundo & Puma getting attacked and this week opened with them getting a measure of revenge, nice poetry to it all. (***1/4)
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–Konnan tells Prince Puma to stay away from Johnny Mundo as Mundo’s fight isn’t his and he only has one friend in this business: Konnan. Puma nods in understanding and they head out.
-A video plays hyping the impending debut of Mil Muertes, as teased last week by Dario Cueto.
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Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Sexy Star vs. Son of Havoc & Ivelisse
Unlike “other companies”, Lucha Underground lets the women fight the men so while this is a mixed tag team match on paper it is not bound to its usual constraints.
Guerrero takes Havoc to the canvas with a snapmare, transitioning into a side headlock. Havoc does a backflip, Guerrero rips some of his beard out in a show of BLATANT disrespect but the crowd loves it. Beard haters. Ivelisse hits Guerrero from behind and Havoc sends him crashing to the canvas. Ivelisse gets the tag and stomps a mudhole into Guerrero in the corner. Guerrero shoves Ivelisse off, Havoc knocks him down and Ivelisse connects with a kick for the 1…2…not yet. Havoc tags in, Guerrero drives him to the canvas with a clothesline and makes the tag to Sexy Star. Star sends Havoc flying with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors followed by a series of kicks…and gets dropped with a back elbow out of nowhere. Ivelisse tags herself in and rams the back of Star’s head into the canvas repeatedly. Ivelisse counters a whip with a superkick, Havoc gets the tag, Star counters a standing moonsault with a pair of knees. Guerrero gets the tag, shoulderblocks to Havoc and a Liger Kick in the corner for the 1…2…Ivelisse makes the save. Star and Ivelisse trade blows, Star connects with a seated splash from the apron. Havoc signals for the end, Guerrero connects with a dropkick followed by the Frog Splash but tags Star instead of covering so she can roll him up for the 1…2…3!
Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Sexy Star defeated Son of Havoc & Ivelisse via pinfall (5:36)
- Lots of big talk about how intergender wrestling is perfectly fine in Lucha Underground in a match where it felt like they went out of their way to do as little of that as possible. Guess I wasn’t watching the same match as Striker & Vampiro. Overall it was alright, Guerrero letting Star get the pin so she could have revenge for last week was a nice touch but also a woman needed a man’s help to get the win is ANOTHER bad look soooo yeah. (*3/4)
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–Blue Demon Jr. is shown backstage getting ready when a lady in a black dress saunters up and surprises him. She introduces herself as Catrina, an associate of Mil Muertes, and licks Blue Demon Jr.’s face to send a message: a taste before a thousand deaths. Oh word?
-VIDEO: Konnan talks about Prince Puma coming from the worst barrio in LA, and how he is a descendant of the fiercest renegade tribe of Aztecs. Konnan says Puma’s past may be dark but his future is VERY bright.
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Blue Demon Jr. vs. Mil Muertes [w/ Catrina]
Catrina carries something of great importance to Muertes in a red velvet handkerchief. Hope it’s not boogers. Muertes stomps Demon down before the bell, sending him back to the canvas with a chop and driving a series of knees to the spine. Demon rolls to the floor, Muertes continues the attack by bouncing his head off the commentary table. Demon catches Muertes with a hip toss and a dropkick. Demon dodges Muertes in the corner, Catrina climbs the apron and distracts Demon long enough for Muertes to knock him in the hell out with a right hand. Muertes distracts the ref, Catrina gets a cheap shot in on her way back to the floor. Demon connects with a bulldog out of the corner for the 1…2…Muertes kicks out. Demon signals for the end, Muertes instead connects with a backstabber for the 1…2…kickout. Demon drills Muertes with a DDT for the 1…2…kickout. Demon lights Muertes up with chops and right hands, Muertes responds with a THICC right hook followed by a spear. Muertes measures Demon and connects with a Flatliner for the 1…2…3.
Mil Muertes defeated Blue Demon Jr. via pinfall (4:22)
- Impressive debut for Muertes, who looks intimidating AF if you ignore his stripy pants. I think he ditches them pretty soon after this though, which is a good thing. Pants aside I liked this one a lot and it made Muertes look like someone to be reckoned with by getting a relatively easy win over such a legend in lucha libre. (**1/2)
Muertes continues attacking Demon after the bell, Catrina hands him the red handkerchief filled with something. Chavo Guerrero Jr. runs out with a chair and HITS DEMON as Muertes and Catrina watch. Guerrero hits a couple of referees who try to help and continues pummeling Demon, bodies lying everywhere. Guerrero picks the chair back up and hits a couple of random backstage wrestlers before cracking Demon once more. Sexy Star, his partner from earlier, comes out and asks what he’s doing and GUERRERO LAYS HER OUT WITH THE CHAIR AS WELL. Guerrero poses in the center of the ring as bodies writhe around him. Guerrero sits in the same chair he just hit everyone with to watch the EMTs load Blue Demon Jr. on a stretcher, laughing the whole time. Guerrero gets in some more shots before Demon is finally wheeled away to an ambulance waiting in the back. Guerrero bows for the jeering crowd and blows a kiss to Sexy Star as the episode concludes.
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS
A great start and finish to this episode. Mundo & Puma made a really fun tag team and had a great match to start the show, Mil Muertes’ dominant debut plus Chavo Guerrero Jr.’s surprise heel turn at the end closed the show wonderfully. Some of the in-between was lame, lots of bloviating about intergender wrestling during a match where they barely let any of it happen, but the bookends made it worthwhile and it was a good hook leading into the next episode. Lucha Underground out here making Chavo interesting for the first time since WCW.
- FAVORITE MATCH: Johnny Mundo & Prince Puma vs. Cortez Castro & Cisco
- FAVORITE MOMENT: Chavo Guerrero Jr. turns heel and lays waste to everyone in his path, in a dominant show of force I don’t think he was ever allowed before.
