Csonka’s Top 11 Lucha Underground Matches & Ultimate Playlist

WELCOME back! This week’s column will look back at Lucha Underground’s three seasons and, providing, ultimate playlist of matches. I always hear a lot of people saying that they can’t decide what to watch because they do not have enough time to follow everything, so maybe this will help those of you short on time find some stuff to check out. Have fun, and always, thanks for reading. The more wrestling we share, the more fun we can have. Thanks for reading!; I hope that you enjoy, and feel free to share your thoughts. It’s wrestling, we love it and will disagree. The only rules are “have a take, be respectful of other’s opinions and don’t be a dick.”

SEASON ONE HONORABLE MENTIONS (***¾ – ****)
* Falls Count Anywhere Match: Cage vs. The Mack
* Johnny Mundo, Hernandez, Jack Evans, and Super Fly vs. Alberto El Patron, Aerostar, Drago and Sexy Star
* Lucha Underground Street Fight: Champion Prince Puma vs. Cage
* King Cuerno vs. Drago
* Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion Prince Puma vs. Fenix
* Fenix Jr. vs. Pentagón Jr. and Drago
* Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma

SEASON TWO HONORABLE MENTIONS (***¾ – ****)
* Last Luchadore Standing Match: Fenix vs. Champion King Cuerno
* Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr
* Gift of the Gods Title Ladder Match: Fenix vs.Champion King Cuerno
* Trios Tournament Match: Rey Mysterio, Prince Puma and Dragon Azteca Jr vs. Johnny Mundo, Taya and Cage
* Lucha Underground Trios Title Match: Jack Evans, PJ Black and Johnny Mundo vs. Champions Rey Mysterio Jr. Dragon Azteca Jr and Prince Puma
* Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion The Monster Matanza vs. Cage
* Prince Puma vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.
* Dario Cueto’s 4 A Unique Opportunity Tournament Semifinal Falls Count Anywhere Match: The Mack vs. Cage
* Gift of the Gods Title Elimination Match
* Death Match: Mil Muertes vs. King Cuerno
* Trios Title Elimination Match: Champions Ivelisse and Son of Havoc vs. Prince Puma, Rey Mysterio Jr and Dragon Azteca Jr vs. Joey Ryan, Cortez Castro and Mr. Cisco vs. Fenix, Jack Evans and PJ Black
* Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion Mil Muertes w/Catrina vs. Pentagon Jr vs. Prince Puma
* Six to Survive #1 Contender’s Match: Fenix vs. Pentagon

SEASON THREE HONORABLE MENTIONS (***¾ – ****)
* Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion The Monster Matanza Cueto vs. Son of Havoc
* Rey Mysterio vs. Pentagon Dark
* Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion The Monster Matanza Cueto vs. Prince Puma
* Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes
* Cueto Cup Tournament Match: Prince Puma vs. PJ Black
Lucha Underground Title Aztec Warfare Match
* Best of Five Series For The Ultimate Opportunity: Cage vs. Texano
* Lucha Underground ALL NIGHT LONG Title Match: Champion Johnny Mundo vs. The Mack
* Cueto Cup Tournament Match: Prince Puma vs. Dante Fox
* From Ultima Lucha Tres (Part IV) – Lucha Underground Career vs. Title Match: Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo
* From Ultima Lucha Tres (Part II) – Luchas de Apuestas (Hair vs. Mask) Match: Fenix vs. Marty The Moth Martinez

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Bloody from battle, @SexyStarAAA has vanquished her tormentor from the ring. #LuchaUnderground #NoMás pic.twitter.com/S9tnapv9Lu

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) May 5, 2016

11. No Mas Gift of the Gods Aztec Medallion Match: Sexy Star vs. Mariposa [****¼] (Season 2, Episode 15 – 5.04.16): This started really slow, and felt like it wasn’t going to go anywhere, and then completely turned it around and not only delivered a great spectacle, but also saved the show from being completely lack luster. The stuff with Mack and Moth bothered me a little, but it played into the angle well and they ended up being small and important additions, and not determining factors, so I can roll with it. I didn’t feel that it was a match of the year contender, but it was one of the stronger matches of season two.

10. From 9.14.16 – Weapons of Mass Destruction Match: Killshot vs. Marty The Moth Martinez [****¼]: In my opinion, this was a completely off the charts main event main event match, with an amazing effort from both that more than delivered on the violence that they promised; in my opinion, this was the first great match of the season and really help up on the rewatch. Marty and Killshot were really unsung heroes in season three.

9. From 8.23.17 – The Cueto Cup Finals: Prince Puma vs. Pentagon [****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.

8. From 11.09.16 – Grave Consequences Match: Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma [****¼]: This was an overall excellent effort a step below the matches with Fenix, but better than the one with Matanza. They did a great job of telling the story of Puma looking for revenge and to put Muertes in his past, while also looking to gain revenge for Muertes killing off Konnan. These two work very well together, they kept a great pace, it never felt slow and the audience was amazingly into it the entire time. This was not only one of the best main events of the season, but also one of the top matches of season three. Puma got a little too big for his britches, stepped up to a man who has been in three of these matches, and was just not as prepared as he thought he was. Muertes also takes out a top contender one week before Aztec Warfare, where he will look to regain the title in the same match he lost it in when Matanza debuted. Muertes needed to win this stipulation match, since he had lost the previous ones. Catrina can only bring him back so many times… in theory. They played to their history and to the stipulation very well.

Entering at #21, making his #LuchaUnderground debut accompanied by @RealDarioCueto… The Monster Matanza Cueto! pic.twitter.com/3dgtFHQSWA

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) March 24, 2016

7. AZTEC WARFARE II [****¼] (Season 2, Episode 9 – 3.23.16): The first year, they made a top star in Puma, the next year they made a new monster heel in Matanza as he rolled on the major players in his debut. They again delivered awesome action, and while there were some slow parts, they also backed up the in ring with the story telling, which was strong and set up a lot of things to continue (Muertes vs. Pentagon as well as other angles). Rey had a great run, lasting to the end and then finally losing to the muster after 50-minutes. Lucha Underground knows how to put on a big time match, and they have it down to a science when it comes to their specialty matches.

6. All Night Long Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo (Season One, Episode 32) [****¼] – It’s not easy to put on a long matches these days, as many wrestling fans are not conditioned to sit through them. Look at the divided opinion of the recent one-hour draw ROH did. Also, by announcing that this match would last the whole show, you can set yourself up for fans not caring in the early portions. They worked a bit conservatively early, but between the multiple falls (which were done well) and the pacing of the final half of the match and the placement of the big moves, I felt they succeeded in delivering a very good match. What also adds to the success is the play off of the established relationship between the guys from the very first show, the fact that Mundo was a great heel and Puma is so easy to root for along the integration of Patron. It all made sense, it all worked and we got a great match out of it. This is an example of doing a one-match show the right way.

Puma fought valiantly, but @ReyMysterio proves he’s still the king of Lucha Libre! #LuchaUnderground #UltimaLuchaDos pic.twitter.com/KekmL7Z0bg

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) July 21, 2016

5. The Prince vs. El Rey: Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio Jr [****½] (Ultima Lucha Dos) : This is an excellent match, and one that I feel the show needed. I loved the layout, the pacing and the work as it felt similar to the KUSHIDA vs. Liger match from earlier this year; the old lion going on the hunt one last time, but this time, the old lion won the day. I am not sure that was the best of ideas, but the main event delivered. Puma is great, but Rey more than held his own here. I am not sure how many more singles performances like this he has left in him, which made it pretty special for him and the show. Puma is so good, worked to Rey’s strengths and allowed the king to look like a legend one more time.

4. Aztec Warfare (Season One, Episode 9) [****½] – This was the first time Lucha Underground did a one match show, and it was a tremendous success. I thought that the match did a very good job of playing off of the storytelling that they did in the first eight episodes. Through out the match we constantly revisited feuds (Sexy Star vs. Chavo, Blue Demon returning to get revenge on Chavo, King Cuerno vs. Drago, Mundo and Puma vs. Ryck and the Crenshaw Crew) and played off of all of the groundwork that had been done. Over and over again I have discussed the storytelling of the promotion and the way that they have effectively produced quality episodic TV. By establishing these characters and feuds, and then revisiting everything here, I felt that the work paid off well as they worked to crown the first champion. The finish of the match was the real highlight work wise. By skipping the over the top rope rules, we were able to have all of the wild dives to make sure that this did not become another monotonous battle royal. As we weaved through all of the feuds and previous pairings, we ended up with Puma vs. Mundo, which is a revisit to the debut show’s main event. They had worked together (and against each other) through out, but it was their pairing that was able to finally pin Mil Muertes and leave us with the rematch from episode one. They worked a completely entertaining closing stretch, kicking out of the big moves, but also playing off of the first match that they had. In the end, Puma scored the pin with the 630 to become the first ever champion. This was tremendous action and some beautiful storytelling and another example of doing a one match show the right way.

ANIMO! #LuchaUnderground pic.twitter.com/wUBU8r2lgZ

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) March 17, 2016

3. Lucha Underground Title Match: Champion Mil Muertes vs. Fenix – [****½] Season 2, Episode 8 – 3.16.16: These two have been connected since early in season one, was one of the best feuds during the season and put on the best match in that first season. They have an awesome history, work well together and the audience is invested in their story. They did the anticipated power vs. speed match, with nods to their previous matches, including Muertes going after the mask of Fenix. Fenix overcoming to win the tile is sucha great moment, and this was simply awesome, easily on the level of their Grave Consequences match; these two can do no wrong together. The original remains just a bit better, as it felt fresh and original.

2. Grave Consequences Match: Fenix vs. Mil Muertes (Season One, Episode 19) [****½] – They did such a good job of avoiding the trappings of this kind of match, refusing to constantly go for the coffin and waiting until the end. Fenix hit a double stomp to send Muertes into the coffin; Catrina licked Muertes’ power stone and threw it into the coffin with him. That was insane, it won’t be for everyone because of the use of the blood, but this was an awesome fight that served as a tremendous conclusion to the feud at the time. The promotion did a great job of presenting the casket match, a match people stopped caring about eons ago, as something fresh and exciting. That’s an achievement in itself. After doing a re-watch, there is just a magic that this match has that edged it above the other matches, and after two seasons, remains the top match the company has produced.

1. From Ultima Lucha Tres (Part I) – Hell of War (Three Stages of Hell) Match: Killshot vs. Dante Fox [****½]: There is absolutely no other way to describe this match, other than absolutely fucking insane. This was an excellent main event, taking up the majority of the show, and allowing an angle that has been a featured part of the season, get a proper feature. There was absolutely no holding back from either man, they gave it their all, went well beyond what they needed to do to steal night one of Ultima Lucha Tres, setting the bad insanely high. The crowd was electric the entire time, only adding to the insanity in the ring. But be warned, this is the closest thing you’ll see to death match wrestling on US TV, and it’s certainly not for everyone. There are times where I am not a big fan of this style of match, but much respect and credit to these two, they pulled me in, made me care and they stole Ultima Lucha Tres on night one. This is not only a must see match, but the best match of season three and after doing some rewatches, the best Lucha Underground match of them all.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”