By Liz@Ms_Deathwish
This week’s episode kicks off with a recap showing the rise and fall of Fenix, the arrival of Reklusa and also looks back to the wedding of Johnny Mundo and Taya that happened a few weeks ago. Taya and Johnny have not been seen since their wedding was crashed by the temple’s resident Monster, and son of Antonio “Papa” Cueto, Matanza Cueto (played by recent BOLA winner and current ROH television champion Jeff Cobb). We also see footage showing Ricky Mundo’s descent into madness, where it is revealed that he is the one who released the monster causing havoc at his supposed friends’ nuptials. I’m hoping this means we may finally see what became of the Mayor of Slamtown and Wera Loca after their disastrous wedding..
Introduction:
The band who open up the show this week are El 43, introduced by Temple regulars Matt Striker and Vampiro on commentary. They start by announcing a double main event for tonight’s show, with both matches having Ultima Lucha Cuatro implications. First off we have the “Man of a Thousand Deaths” Mil Muertes, teaming for the first time ever with the newly corrupted Fenix. They will be taking on a team comprising of their respective Ultima Lucha opponents, The Mack and Dragon Azteca Jr. This is the first match with Fenix fully embracing his new role and promises to be an exciting battle. The second main event follows on from the events of last week involving Marty “The Moth” Martinez, Pentagon Jr and the mysterious new black widow character of Reklusa.
Match 1: Taya vs Matanza Cueto
They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. This week Taya is back in the Temple and she is PISSED! Her and Johnny have been MIA since their wedding and she is back seeking retribution. She calls out Antonio Cueto and demands a match with the monster. The boss agrees but only with the added stipulation of it being a “Sacrifice to the Gods” match. This match has made victims of many wrestlers over the last few weeks, with none of them ever being seen again.
As soon as Matanza enters the ring, Taya wastes no time hitting him with aggressive offence. She uses her power to her advantage and gives him no room to mount any sort of counter attack. As soon as he manages to get some room, his own power game comes into play. Taya really holds her own against her bigger and stronger opponent. She is arguably one of the strongest women wrestlers working today and certainly one of the most aggressive. Following a struggle for dominance, Taya attempts a sleeper hold submission. This is a smart move when trying to subdue a larger rival. He manages to escape only for her to execute a lovely sequence, finishing with her Midnight Sun signature move and a pin attempt. The Monster’s power finally becomes to much for the Wera Loca and he goes for the finish, only to be taken out by the arrival of Taya’s husband Johnny Mundo. This ends the match in a disqualification.
Johnny takes Matanza to Slamtown with a barrage of attacks, finishing with his split leg moonsault “The End Of The World” and leaving Cueto laid out on the mat.
Match 2: Mil Muertes and Fenix vs The Mack and Dragon Azteca Jr
This match takes place under Tornado Tag Team rules, meaning that both members of any one team are legal at all times. We start with The Mack and Dragon Azteca Jr in the ring, with the crowd lending their support. As Melissa Santos announces the team of Fenix and Mil Muertes, her discomfort is palpable. It is obvious she is still emotionally affected by Fenix’s new attitude.
As the bell rings, each man runs straight for his Ultima Lucha opponent and the action immediately gets brutal. We are left with Mil Muertes and Dragon Azteca in the ring, who then turn on each other, with Mil gaining the upper hand following a powerful choke slam. Dragon fights back, using his speed and agility but his comeback is brought to an end with Fenix breaking up a pin attempt.
With the two smaller luchadors in the ring together, we are treated to an excellent display of pure lucha libre, including an insane spot with Fenix on the rope, proving that he is the true “king of the ropes”. Every match I see him in he seems to bring new innovations and creativity, he truly is a very special performer. After he dispatches of the dragon, he then turns to face The Mack. He is a big man who’s agility and athleticism is almost unheard of for someone of his stature. He manages to hold his own with the best, pulling off a really solid hurricanrana on Fenix, amongst other moves usually more suited to a high flyer. The Mack continues to impress every time I watch him. In spite of his lightness of foot and ability to fly, he also has that power behind him that allows him to hand out very powerful strikes and takedowns.
We then get a spot with the two big men in the ring going back and forth, blow for blow. Fenix and Dragon rejoin the action and we see some really fun double team efforts from Mil and Fenix. Back in season one, these two were mortal enemies, but now they seem to be working together brilliantly, showing their diversity and ability to adapt. A brilliant tag team sequence is eventually shut down by two stunners from The Mack. He then pulls off some great double teams with Dragon to win back the advantage. Some solid offence from both teams climaxes in an insane lucha libre style reversal DDT by Dragon Azteca where he gets so much air time it’s as if he defies gravity. Both he and Fenix follow up with excellent aerial attacks over the top rope and to the floor on the outside of the ring. Not to be outdone, The Mack executes a running swanton bomb of his own onto the three other competitors outside the ring.
Dragon and Fenix get back into the ring, exchanging some savage kicks and another outstanding exhibition of the lucha libre style. This is broken up by Mil, who brings his power to get a pin attempt. The Mack intervenes, leading to a battle between the big men, each trying to outpower each other. The Mack manages to attempt the pin but Mil is saved by Fenix. Fenix and Mack go all out on each other, with Fenix hitting the Frankensteiner and going for another pin attempt.
All four men leave it all in the ring, with the crowd chanting “fight forever” to show just how much they appreciate these athletes and the show they are putting on. You can see multiple red welts on the back of Fenix, proving just how hard the hits they take actually are. The match finally finishes with a double pin, Fenix hits Dragon with a modified muscle buster/driver and The Mack is bested by a Flatliner style DDT from Mil. This match was amazing and a great example of just why Lucha Underground remains one of my favourite promotions. The quality of the matches is second to none, with a unique take on storytelling and larger than life characters going to war with each other.
Match 3: Famous B vs Ricky Mundo
Famous B is another person who hasn’t been seen since the events of Johnny and Taya’s wedding. He is in the ring, with a mic, and he explains what he’s been up to since Matanza laid him out at the wedding he was officiating. He reveals he is back after injury rehab and ready to fight. As always, Famous B brings a comedic flavour to his promo, something that I feel really adds to the atmosphere of the temple.
His challenge is answered by a belligerent Ricky Mundo, who comes out clutching the very creepy doll that has been talking to him for weeks and influencing him to commit unspeakable acts.
It is worth noting here that any backstage segments shown on Lucha Underground are intended to be viewer specific. This means that anything we have seen backstage, is not known to the temple audience or the commentary team.
The bell rings and Ricky Mundo is aggressive and dominant from the outset, barely allowing Famous B to land a single move. The match is very short, with Mundo getting the pin in only a few minutes. It is obvious that this match is merely a plot point, so we wonder what Ricky and his evil master will do next. He crawls over to the doll and grabs a mic that is nearby. After calling out Taya and Johnny, he reveals that he was the one who released Matanza and is therefore responsible for the carnage at their wedding. He refers to Johnny’s treatment of him as his motivation and he blames Taya for coming between them. To finish this segment, he challenges Taya to a match at Ultima Lucha Cuatro. I’m sure we will know soon enough whether or not she accepts that challenge.
Match 4: Pentagon Dark vs Reklusa
This match is the result of Reklusa’s interference which resulted in Pentagon Dark losing the Lucha Underground Championship, and last week’s events where Marty “The Moth” Martinez called him out and challenged him to a “Cero Miedo” (Zero Fear) match for the title at Ultima Lucah Cuatro.
In my opinion, Lucha Underground has really led the way in bringing intergender matches into the public eye and that is something I am thankful for. As soon as this match was announced I was looking forward to it.
The atmosphere in the Temple when Pentagon Dark makes his entrance is always something special. I have yet to be lucky enough to see him perform live but it is an experience I hope happens as soon as possible. His rise to prominence has been a joy to watch and Lucha Underground has been a fantastic platform for many outside of the US and Mexico to see it.
Reklusa doesn’t even give Penta a chance to get into the ring, leaping from the turnbuckle as he approaches and raining down blows on his head. If you have seen her work in Impact as the “Hot Mess” you will know that Chelsea Green, who plays Reklusa, has bags of personality and this type of character is perfect for her. She dominates the Luchador in the early stages of this match, ending a flurry of offense by throwing him onto the pit of wooden chairs (that seems conveniently set up for mayhem in every episode). She runs at him for a cannonball attack but he catches her, picking her up for a brutal powerbomb on the ring apron.
“Cero Miedo” chants fill the arena as Pentagon regains control of the match. He more than repays Reklusa with his trademark savagery, throwing her all around the ring, including outside, and ending up with a devastating spot which sees her thrown into the aforementioned chairs. Reklusa really impresses here, taking some incredible strong style kicks and selling them to perfection. Anyone who is against intergender wrestling needs to watch how two consummate professionals deliver a match like this. It is a real privilege to watch them at work.
Pentagon finally decides to take the action back into the ring. He continues with his kicks and strikes, seeming to totally dominate, until Reklusa sees an opportunity and grabs with both hands. She showcases her impressive athletic ability with a truly stunning hurricanrana from the turnbuckle to Pentagon who is on the floor outside the ring. She follows up with a suicide dive into a DDT that leaves the former champ out on the floor. A few minutes later she impresses yet again with a head scissors into a tornado DDT, showing that her catalogue of moves is more than varied enough to hang with arguably one of the best luchadors working currently.
She manages to kick out of Pentagon’s signature Pentagon Driver, and narrowly escapes his Fear Factor finisher. He finally nails his finisher on the apron, the same move that was so devastating to Kenny Omega at the indie super-show All In. However, the Black Widow STILL kicks out. She hits The Canadian Destroyer with perfect precision, but even that isn’t enough to put Penta away. By this point the crowd is going insane and I don’t blame them. What a match! After an absolutely epic battle, Penta finally gets the win with a modified version of Fear Factor.
This match was Reklusa’s in ring debut with the company and honestly I’m totally blown away by how good she is. Pentagon is one of my favourite wrestlers and she completely held her own against him. Yet another exceptional match from Rodriguez’s promotion.
After the match, Pentagon moves to incapacitate Reklusa in his signature way by breaking her arm. He then decides against it and slides out of the ring to get something from underneath. He pulls out a bag of thumb tacks and empties them out in the ring. He goes for the powerbomb but is stopped by the appearance of Marty “The Moth” Martinez and a very nasty looking barbed wire baseball bat. Marty proceeds to dish out some punishment with the bat, which results in him cutting open his own hand. While Pentagon is down, Reklusa fetches a massive red can of gasoline from under the ring. She dowses him with the flammable liquid while Marty holds up a lighter for all to see. The episode finishes with both Marty and Reklusa standing above Pentagon and grinning, while Marty lights the lighter and threatens to burn him alive.
We can only imagine that all this madness is to hype up their Cero Miedo match, so I’m intrigued to see just how far these two will take it. Neither of them is shy to take things to the extreme, so this promises to be a very exciting title match.
