Kevin’s Lucha Underground Review 2.03.16

Life is so good now that Lucha Underground is back. They continue to do a great of blending the cinema with the wrestling in their opening video package that recaps a lot of top angles like Mil Muertes winning the Lucha Underground Title and the Dario Cueto/Black Lotus saga. Part of this review will be written in the present tense (the segments) while the other parts (the matches) will be written in the past tense as I recap them after watching.

The first guy we see on this show is Prince Puma, working out and thinking about the crushing loss to Mil Muertes. Pentagon Jr. comes up behind him and thanks him for the opening to break Muertes’ arm. He says they are partners tonight but Puma may be the next sacrifice. BECAUSE YO SOY PENTAGON JR. AND CERO MIEDO! They get into a sick movie like fight scene that ends with Puma pressing him up against a locker and walking off. Still no words from the first LU Champion.

Mil Muertes is still overlooking the Temple in his throne but he is sporting a sling. Matt Striker asks Vampiro if he was behind Pentagon’s attack last week, which Vampiro denies.

Johnny Mundo def. Killshot in 4:34
Mundo was sporting some gold pants that somehow really worked with his heel character. I feel like Killshot is rather underrated. This was an athletic contest, with both guys doing some impressive things. Killshot really got a chance to showcase his skills. He had a sequence of a superkick, DDT and 450 splash that had me believing he would pull off the upset. They did a ref bumpb, which isn’t the norm for Lucha Underground. It allowed Mundo to hit a low blow and the End of the World to win. It was as good as I would want a four minute match to be. Killshot got to look good and Mundo picked up a win. ***

Johnny Mundo has some balls on him as he gets a microphone and calls out Mil Muertes. He says that the earthquake that roughed up Mil as a kid is nothing compared to the End of the World. Cage interrupts, calls Muertes’ arm injury a boo boo and says that he’ll break Muertes in half. The fans do the “I’M A MACHINE” thing with him but Mundo says Cage isn’t in his league. Cage brings up that he beat Mundo in their only ever match and he’s willing to do it again now. Mundo exits but then attacks Cage from behind. Cage fights him off and Mundo is sent packing. This was a good way to establish Cage as a face and bring up their season one match.

Our first look at Sexy Star this season happens as she is tied to a chair with wounds all over her. Marty Martinez laughs manically and shows off a butterfly. He says that everything done is for her own good so she can blossom into a beautiful butterfly. His sister says it’s almost time for her to fly back to the Temple.

A cool vignette (does Lucha Underground do any other kind) is shown to hype the arrival of PJ Black! He’s the “Dare Wolf”.

The Mack def. PJ Black in 4:42
For those unaware, PJ Black is the former Justin Gabriel. Black has grown some chest hair to make himself look tougher. Mack is a big fella, but uses his size well and is deceptively athletic. They worked a fine match here and I must say that PJ Black fits into the Lucha Underground world perfectly. Black was given ample time to pull off some cool moves and get the fans into him. He made a crucial mistake as his high flying style cost him. He tried to springboard in but was caught with a midair stunner for the 1-2-3. Yes, Black lost in his debut, but he came off looking good and made sense since he just made a mistake. I expect good thing for him this season. **½
Up next, we are shown another sweet vignette for a new masked female. She kicks the asses of a bunch of dudes before her name, Kobra Moon, is revealed. She debuts next week.

I’d like to point out that I absolutely LOVE the constant shots of Mil watching over everything.

Non-Title Match: Pentagon Jr. and Prince Puma def. The Disciples of Death w/ Catrina in 7:31
All three members of the Trios Champions are competing tonight. I also love that Melissa Santos still announces Pentagon in a somber tone after he attacked her last season. CONTINUITY! Vampiro did a great job on commentary trying to avoid talking about Pentagon and their connection, while also defending him at every turn. Puma and Pentagon played the uneasy partners, with Pentagon even allowing Puma to take a beating at times. There is a coolness factor about Pentagon that not many other guys in wrestling have. Puma hit the 630 but Pentagon blind tagged himself in and stole the win. A solid match, made better by the story of Puma and Pentagon not getting along. ***¼

Pentagon Jr. and Prince Puma come to blows and Pentagon sets up to break his arm. Puma slips free and Pentagon heads outside to end the Temple portions of the show.

The final thing we see is a man in a hood and El Dragon Azteca’s mask. Another man is speaking, saying that it was his destiny to take that mask and become El Dragon Azteca but he took a different path so this new guy will do it. The man speaking reveals himself to be Rey Mysterio.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground and don’t get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It’s a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. Get Fubo.TV here!

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

As is usually the case with a lot of shows, the season premiere is hot and the follow up episode slows things down a bit. That's what this one did but that's not a bad thing. This episode worked to set up some things down the line. We got three enjoyable matches, the Cage/Mundo build, more people coming for Muertes and the seeds planted for Pentagon/Puma down the line. Throw in Vampiro being great in his commentary role and the appearance of Rey Mysterio and you've got a good show.