Csonka’s Lucha Underground Review 8.23.17

Csonka’s Lucha Underground Review 8.23.17 (The Cueto Cup Finals)

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Mask vs. Mask: Sexy Star defeated Veneno @ 0:50 via reasons[NR]
– The Cueto Cup Finals: Prince Puma defeated Pentagon @ 9:30 via pin [****¼]
– Lucha Underground Championship Match: Champion Johnny Mundo defeated Rey Mysterio @ 18:14 via pin [***½]

---

– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

Mask vs. Mask: Sexy Star vs. Veneno: Sexy Star took Superfly’s mask in Lucha Underground, this is her second mask vs. mask match for the promotion. Star attacks at the bell and runs wild. Joey Ryan runs out and rips off Veneno’s mask, revealing Cortez Castro. They brawl, Ryan low blows him and runs away. Sexy Star defeated Veneno @ 0:50 via reasons [NR] Well that was stupid, how did Star win? technically when someone attacks like that, the person attacked gets the win via DQ. Fuck if I know. Way to completely shit on a marketable gimmick match. Sure it continue Ryan and Cortez’s feud, but it was just poorly done.

– Dario meets with Johnny Mundo. His agent is with him and claimed Dario doesn’t appreciate Mundo. Mundo is upset about the big brawl from last week, because he could have been injured. Mundo claims he has other offers and could walk. Dario has banned everyone from ringside tonight and if anyone gets involved, they will be fired. That includes World Wide Underground. Mundo doesn’t like it, but Dario talks him into it. Mundo threatens to leave Lucha Underground if anything ruins his night. Really interesting timing on those comments from Mundo, all things considered.

The Cueto Cup Finals: Prince Puma vs. Pentagon: The winner gets a shot at the Lucha Underground championship at Ultima Lucha Tres. No messing around here as they brawl at the bell. Puma cuts off Pentagon and sends him to the floor and wipes him out with a tope. Back in and Pentagon hits the backstabber, and then the senton and double stomp. Pentagon follows with chops, but Puma fires back with strikes and chops. He then kicks Pentagon in the face and follows with a running knee strike. The superkick follows, and then the 619 and springboard high cross gets 2. Pentagon manages to cut off the tornado DDT with a back breaker. Puma a spin kick, northern lights suplex and then transitions into the dead lift suplex for a near fall. Puma up top, Pentagon rolls out but Puma catches him with a bicycle kick. Pentagon then hits the pump handle driver for a great near fall. The crowd is insane here. Pentagon hits the superkick and the destroyer. Puma rolls to the apron and slingshots in and he hits the destroyer and both men are down. They beat the count, and trade strikes once again. Pentagon looks for the package piledriver, but Puma counters out. Pentagon up top and Puma rolls into a palm strike. Puma up top with him and they battle for position. Puma sent to the apron, but fights back up top and hits the SUPER TOP ROPE RANA! Vampiro gives the thumbs down, and Puma hits the 630 for the win. Prince Puma defeated Pentagon @ 9:30 via pin [****¼] This is easily one of the very best sub-ten minute matches you’ll see, and one of the very best matches of the season. These two guys are simply great, and work extremely well together. The action was insane, it was clean and built perfectly to a climax with Puma picking up the win after his master Vampiro gave him the final instruction to do so. This is really interesting because it confirms Puma’s turn to the dark side. He’s given in to Vampiro and did everything to kill the ghosts of his past to get another title shot, while also taking out Vampiro’s former protégé along the way. The crowd only added to this, creating an absolutely insane atmosphere that you can’t find anywhere else on US TV. This was an absolutely awesome sprint.

– Vampiro celebrates with Puma post match.

– Dario congratulates Puma and awards him the Cueto Cup.

Lucha Underground Championship Match: Champion Johnny Mundo vs. Rey Mysterio: Dario has banned everyone from ringside for this match, and if anyone gets involved, Dario will fire them. Mysterio attacks at the bell, looking for revenge following Mundo’s attack on Dominic a few weeks back. Mysterio takes it to the floor, Mundo tries to crawl away but Mysterio keeps the attack going. Back in and Mysterio hits a springboard high cross for 2. Mysterio up top and Mundo cuts him off and follows him up. Mundo goes to the Malenko playbook, hitting the gut buster off the ropes. He then grounds the action, working a rear naked choke with the body scissors. Mysterio battles back, and uses his speed to counter into a European clutch for the near fall. Mundo quickly cuts off Mysterio, hits the running knee strike and works a camel clutch variation. Mundo then tosses Mysterio to the floor and misses a corkscrew dive. Mysterio then hits the head scissors on the floor. Mysterio then hits dive into a RANA on the floor. Back in they go, but Mysterio springboards into a superkick, and Mundo covers for 2. Mundo tries to drag him to the corner, but Mysterio gets a rollup for 2. Mundo follows with the draping neck breaker, covering for 2. They work up top now, Mundo goes after the mask, ripping it open and exposing most of Mysterio’s face. Mundo drops Mysterio into he tree of WHOA, but misses the dropkick and Mysterio escapes. Mysterio blocks the Alabama slam and hits the destroyer for a near fall. Mysterio now works the octopus, they work into a series of counters, Mundo blocks the 619 and hits a back breaker for a good near fall. Mundo looks for the end of the world, we get an odd edit, and then see Mysterio breaking it up, and covering for 2. Mundo to the floor, but Mysterio hits the seated senton to the floor. Back in and Mysterio hits the seated senton in the ring and follows with a tornado DDT for a good near fall. Mundo then cuts off the RANA, and Mysterio then sends Mundo into the ref. Mundo then kicks Mysterio in the balls. Mundo then hits a suplex into a lumbar check, and grabs the title belt. Dominic is here and takes the belt from him. he then double legs Mundo and security is out to get rid of him. Dominic escapes. Mysterio hits 619 and the springboard frog splash but Dario pulls the ref out. Dario hits Mysterio and talks shit to him. Mysterio fights back and hits Dario with the 619. Mundo lays out Mysterio with the belt shot and follows with end of the world to retain. Champion Johnny Mundo defeated Rey Mysterio @ 18:14 via pin [***½] These two were on their way to having a great match, but once again, Lucha Underground’s over reliance on overbooking/interference/run-ins ruined that for me. I could have let it go if it was JUST the Dominic run in to get revenge, but the Dario stuff was so rushed, and only set up about 5-minutes before the match following the meeting with Mundo’s agent. I am absolutely sick and tired of ref bumps and bullshit finishes running potentially great matches.

– We get chants of “this is bullshit” to end the show.

– Who Holds Aztec Medallions?
* Paul London, Saltador, and Mala Suerte

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

Tonight’s “Cueto Cup Finals” episode of Lucha Underground has so much potential, but I felt ended up a frustrating and disappointing show overall. It started off poorly with the bullshit pretending to be a mask vs. mask match with a result that made no sense. Prince Puma vs. Pentagon was absolutely awesome and worth your time, because you had two guys out there who know how to work with each other, busting their asses and no one ruined it with any bullshit. But the good times wouldn’t continue on as Lucha Underground’s new season three toy, overbooking, ruined what could have been another absolutely great match. I have not been a fan of all of these run-ins and bullshit finishes this season, they never abused it like this in the past, but it’s been bad this season.