ZWI: Breaking Down LAX vs. Lucha Brothers 2

It was following an incredible six-man tag pitting Taurus and The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon and Fenix) against Daga and LAX (Santana and Ortiz) that we would see the challenge made. The Lucha Brothers, still hurting from coming up short against the Impact Tag Team Champions at Homecoming, wanted another shot at the gold. Since they were part of the winning team of this six-man tag, and since they won the match after hitting a spiked Fear Factor to Ortiz, the challengers felt like they had proven themselves and earned a rematch.

Pentagon would point out how Ortiz had basically mocked the Lucha Brothers in the wake of their victory and challenged his words, noting that if he really felt like LAX could destroy the Lucha Brothers at any time, then surely they’d have no problem granting the rematch.

Konnan would take the mic and accept the challenge, with Santana and Ortiz nodding in agreement. The fans in attendance went crazy, and the entire wrestling world could rejoice, because we were going to see the rematch that many hoped would be made in the wake of such an incredible encounter a little under a month ago at Homecoming.

And yes, on paper, we should all be celebrating. This Friday night promises to bring us more insane aerial attacks, hard-hitting strikes, and fantastic counter wrestling as the four men battle for the gold. However, this columnist wonders if, perhaps, the champions have played right into the hands of the challengers. Moreso, has Konnan been an unwitting pawn in this entire scheme by The Lucha Brothers?!

Look, it’s been made clear in these pages that we here at ZWI don’t trust Konnan, and feel like LAX made the wrong choice when they stayed loyal to him over King months back. But that’s all in the past, and it should be stated that this is not some lingering bitterness about that. However, looking at the past few weeks, it’s hard to not put some of the onus on Konnan, either.

The first match was great, but let’s not forget the circumstances that led up to it – Konnan was basically begging LAX to pass on the match. He seemingly didn’t want to rock the boat with Pentagon or Fenix, and appeared quite worried that his crew was biting off more than they could chew. And hey, with the accomplishments that Pentagon and Fenix have racked up these last couple of years, that’s a fair feeling to hold. But to state it, repeatedly, for all to hear? To constantly question your charges, to make them question themselves?

That LAX was able to walk into that first encounter sure of themselves is a testament to their mental strength. That they were able to shake off the doubts of the man to whom THEY stayed loyal, and turn it into an incredible performance against quite possibly the toughest team they’ve had to face during their time in Impact, and that’s saying quite a bit.

And in the immediate aftermath, the duo absolutely deserved to bask in the glow. They deserved to be proud, and they deserved to celebrate. Unfortunately, it became evident that the win didn’t just make them believe in themselves; they had instead gotten a little cocky, too. And again, there’s nothing wrong with a little arrogance in pro wrestling. If you don’t think you’re the very best, then why are you even stepping into the ring in the first place?

No, the difference here was that instead of openly touting their abilities, it seemed like LAX was starting to downplay the abilities of their opponents. Like Pentagon referenced in the challenge, Ortiz had said that LAX had “manhandled” the Lucha Brothers. Anyone who watched that match knows that’s the furthest thing from the truth, but it’s not uncommon for those with a No One Believed in Us! mentality to come out of a victory feeling like nothing on this planet can touch them.

And when you think you’re untouchable, you tend to make mistakes.

In the opinion of this columnist, accepting the rematch when they did was an absolute mistake. For starters, their first meeting was only about a month ago. Neither team has really had the proper time and opportunity to rest up and heal. Both have kept active schedules since that match, and both are undoubtably still feeling the effects of the first match.

On top of that, The Lucha Brothers cunningly used a brief moment where LAX was down, and would thus be fueled by their own pride to accept the challenge. They didn’t ask for the rematch immediately after the loss, and they didn’t ask for it a week or two later. Instead, they waited until they had just finished pinning one half of the tag team champions, and then pointed out that the man they had just pinned was bragging about how he felt his team could manhandle theirs. Trapped by the combination of his braggadocious words and being the one who came up short, it was no secret that Ortiz absolutely wanted to tangle again. And Santana is the type that if his brother wants something, he wants it, too, so of course he was down.

But the smartest part of all of this was how Pentagon directed the callout, including Konnan in his plea. That wasn’t an accident, that was a calculated move by one of the most evil men in wrestling when he wants to be. By including Konnan in the challenge, Pentagon was also calling out Konnan’s past stance: Do you still think your boys can’t hang with us? If Konnan had turned them down for a rematch, it would have looked like, even in victory, LAX hadn’t quelled his fears.

In one simple challenge, The Lucha Brothers managed to corner Ortiz and Konnan with their own words, and forced Santana to abide due to his loyalty. There was no other choice. And now, this Friday in Mexico City, the Impact Tag Team Champions will walk into what will be hostile territory against two of the very best in the world today.

Look, I’m a fan of LAX. I do think they’re the best tag team in the world today, and I don’t have a problem with their thinking so. But when you’re on top of the mountain, you have to know that everyone is gunning for you, and people are going to come up with schemes to knock you down. This time, they were too busy singing their own praises, and couldn’t see the set up coming from so far away.

More importantly, Konnan – the man who likes to pretend he’s the brains behind everything – was so obviously played into this spot, that you almost have to wonder if he’s been a willing accomplice to it all. We know he’s got connections to Pentagon in other promotions, and we know that he’s not above selling anyone out at any time. Maybe he feels the gravy train is with the Lucha Brothers, and this is how he takes LAX out?

Or maybe Konnan just isn’t as smart as he thinks he is, and now LAX has been backed into a rematch that they have very little time for which to prepare. That’s slightly on them, but it’s also mostly on the back of the man who claims to be their manager.

That’s why I don’t feel so good about the champions’ chance this Friday night. It just feels like the forces are aligning, and The Lucha Brothers have finally got LAX exactly where they want them. I’m expecting to see new Impact Tag Team Champions crowned Friday. And while I’m looking forward to the reign of The Lucha Brothers, I’m also intrigued to see what becomes of LAX if I’m indeed right, and this whole thing blows up in their face.

Do they turn on Konnan? Does Konnan turn on them? Do they turn on each other? Do they go back to the drawing board and come back better than ever?

So many questions. Guess we’ll have to wait and see the anticipated matchup this Friday night!