By: E. Young
BrightNightmares.weebly.com
After running through all our big ticket shows (free pay-per-views, if you will), Lucha Underground returns this week with a… normal episode?
As LU is just as much (if not more) television show as it is a pro wrestling program, it’s appropriate to discuss character development and story progression. You can do that with regular wrestling too, but it matters far less on those shows because what is consistency! That being said, while this episode comes off a little slow in comparison to the adrenaline rush of a Grave(est) Consequences match, Aztec Warfare, and the kick off to the Gift of the Gods tournament, appearances can be highly deceiving.
We kick off the episode with a recap of Catrina’s plot to steal Fenix’s life force to restore her own life, bringing back in the plot points introduced in the latter half of season 2 and the bulk of season 3… including the dreaded love quadrangle between Catrina, Mil, Jeremiah, Melissa, and… Fenix. The bird that launched a thousand ships indeed. But never accuse Catrina of being sentimental, because it appears that Fenix is, indeed, really dead this time so that she may live. She sucks out Fenix’s soul Prince of Darkness-style and switches into a red dress somewhat evoking the image of “la calavera catrina”. Seems fitting. She taunts Melissa a bit more and passes on the pendant that she (and her “mother”, Captain Perez of the LAPD) wears that allows her to walk between life and death.
Poor Melissa has to go back to work announcing the first match of the night between Big Bad Steve (who, as it turns out, is a re-purposed Pindar aka Steve Pain) and Jake Strong. Jake came back with a better haircut but his attitude is just as nasty; Vampiro and Matt mention that Famous B is in the hospital after Jake broke his leg in the ring, and he may even need it amputated. But fear not, because he’s still taking calls at (423)-GET-FAME!
This match is nothing to write home about, starts off as a hoss battle and ends in a squash with Jake snapping Steve’s leg like a twist cap. But they’re really setting up Jake as the leg day counterpart to Pentagon now that Pentagon is a legit champion. I can only hope they have a match soon. Also it’s a little weird, but neither Vampiro nor Matt have been that involved with the story lines… yet. The season is still young!
Meanwhile in the Cueto office, Antonio demands the gauntlet back from Cuerno. But Cuerno doesn’t have it. It’s… been stolen? He hid it? Which is the truth, Cuerno?! I love that King Cuerno has gone full tweener mode here and is clearly playing both sides, it makes his character a lot more interesting in a world of god-mode heels and eternal babyfaces. Antonio knows he’s getting played too, and sets up a deal with Cuerno: the gauntlet for a shot at the Deer tribe medallion (because cuerno = deer)… and a match with the man that eliminated him in Aztec Warfare, Chavo Guerrero!
If that wasn’t enough, Cage busts into the office demanding a match with Pentagon. Antonio politely declines, but offers Cage something better: a match with Mil Muertes, AND a revenge match with the one that holds the gauntlet currently. Presumably that would be Aerostar, but who knows?
Next match of the night is a mixed tag team match. Kobra Moon and Daga versus Taya and Johnny Mundo bring us to the first steps in the war between the Reptile Tribe and Slamtown. Kobra Moon hasn’t seen much ring action in the new temple but she does a great job here, showing off vast improvements and holding her own against three of the best people we have in freakish athletes Daga and Taya and the incredibly entertaining Johnny. Johnny and Taya pick up a win here, but their celebration with PJ Black is interrupted when Vibora jumps them yet again. Vibora is looking unstoppable these days with a much better mask and standing shooting star presses for days. Johnny better hope Jack gets over his snake phobia soon because when Vibora finally takes WWU on in a match, he’s going to need the Dragon Slayer for sure. Let’s also take a moment to Johnny heeling it up ‘til the end by totally feeding his girl to Vibora to save himself. True love, that.
For our next match, Mr. Pectacular aka Jessie Godderz comes out and strikes some poses in the ring. Unfortunately, Mr. Pecs can’t catch a break; Antonio comes out and announces that this is no regular match. This match demands a sacrifice… to the Gods! And Pecs is the sacrifice! And the sacrificer is Matanza!
This match should have been big-time main event material, and I’m not sure why it wasn’t the main event. But it turns into a squash with new Soulless!Matanza easily overcoming Mr. Pectacular and sacrificing him in an underwhelming cut scene. Interesting concept that will surely be back, but for now the actual main event is the revenge match between Cuerno and Chavo.
Chavo’s our resident coward and is on his second (?) banishment from any temple, but with new owners come new rules. And never count him out as a threat. He and Cuerno put on a great main event that makes Cuerno look strong and conniving without sacrificing anything from Chavo. This furthers Cuerno’s tweener status and the development of his character arc and I wouldn’t be shocked that he plays a much larger role later on. Cemented when he wins the medallion which means he is surely en route to face Pentagon Dark… assuming someone else doesn’t get to him first.
Overall, an action-packed breather episode from the utter chaos of the first three episodes and a good chance to lay down some concrete foundation blocks to build onto as the season progresses. Will Cage vs. Mil undo the universe? Who really has the gauntlet of the gods? Where does Vampiro get his hair cut? This and more as Lucha Underground continues!
BrightNightmares.weebly.com
After running through all our big ticket shows (free pay-per-views, if you will), Lucha Underground returns this week with a… normal episode?
As LU is just as much (if not more) television show as it is a pro wrestling program, it’s appropriate to discuss character development and story progression. You can do that with regular wrestling too, but it matters far less on those shows because what is consistency! That being said, while this episode comes off a little slow in comparison to the adrenaline rush of a Grave(est) Consequences match, Aztec Warfare, and the kick off to the Gift of the Gods tournament, appearances can be highly deceiving.
We kick off the episode with a recap of Catrina’s plot to steal Fenix’s life force to restore her own life, bringing back in the plot points introduced in the latter half of season 2 and the bulk of season 3… including the dreaded love quadrangle between Catrina, Mil, Jeremiah, Melissa, and… Fenix. The bird that launched a thousand ships indeed. But never accuse Catrina of being sentimental, because it appears that Fenix is, indeed, really dead this time so that she may live. She sucks out Fenix’s soul Prince of Darkness-style and switches into a red dress somewhat evoking the image of “la calavera catrina”. Seems fitting. She taunts Melissa a bit more and passes on the pendant that she (and her “mother”, Captain Perez of the LAPD) wears that allows her to walk between life and death.
Poor Melissa has to go back to work announcing the first match of the night between Big Bad Steve (who, as it turns out, is a re-purposed Pindar aka Steve Pain) and Jake Strong. Jake came back with a better haircut but his attitude is just as nasty; Vampiro and Matt mention that Famous B is in the hospital after Jake broke his leg in the ring, and he may even need it amputated. But fear not, because he’s still taking calls at (423)-GET-FAME!
This match is nothing to write home about, starts off as a hoss battle and ends in a squash with Jake snapping Steve’s leg like a twist cap. But they’re really setting up Jake as the leg day counterpart to Pentagon now that Pentagon is a legit champion. I can only hope they have a match soon. Also it’s a little weird, but neither Vampiro nor Matt have been that involved with the story lines… yet. The season is still young!
Meanwhile in the Cueto office, Antonio demands the gauntlet back from Cuerno. But Cuerno doesn’t have it. It’s… been stolen? He hid it? Which is the truth, Cuerno?! I love that King Cuerno has gone full tweener mode here and is clearly playing both sides, it makes his character a lot more interesting in a world of god-mode heels and eternal babyfaces. Antonio knows he’s getting played too, and sets up a deal with Cuerno: the gauntlet for a shot at the Deer tribe medallion (because cuerno = deer)… and a match with the man that eliminated him in Aztec Warfare, Chavo Guerrero!
If that wasn’t enough, Cage busts into the office demanding a match with Pentagon. Antonio politely declines, but offers Cage something better: a match with Mil Muertes, AND a revenge match with the one that holds the gauntlet currently. Presumably that would be Aerostar, but who knows?
Next match of the night is a mixed tag team match. Kobra Moon and Daga versus Taya and Johnny Mundo bring us to the first steps in the war between the Reptile Tribe and Slamtown. Kobra Moon hasn’t seen much ring action in the new temple but she does a great job here, showing off vast improvements and holding her own against three of the best people we have in freakish athletes Daga and Taya and the incredibly entertaining Johnny. Johnny and Taya pick up a win here, but their celebration with PJ Black is interrupted when Vibora jumps them yet again. Vibora is looking unstoppable these days with a much better mask and standing shooting star presses for days. Johnny better hope Jack gets over his snake phobia soon because when Vibora finally takes WWU on in a match, he’s going to need the Dragon Slayer for sure. Let’s also take a moment to Johnny heeling it up ‘til the end by totally feeding his girl to Vibora to save himself. True love, that.
For our next match, Mr. Pectacular aka Jessie Godderz comes out and strikes some poses in the ring. Unfortunately, Mr. Pecs can’t catch a break; Antonio comes out and announces that this is no regular match. This match demands a sacrifice… to the Gods! And Pecs is the sacrifice! And the sacrificer is Matanza!
This match should have been big-time main event material, and I’m not sure why it wasn’t the main event. But it turns into a squash with new Soulless!Matanza easily overcoming Mr. Pectacular and sacrificing him in an underwhelming cut scene. Interesting concept that will surely be back, but for now the actual main event is the revenge match between Cuerno and Chavo.
Chavo’s our resident coward and is on his second (?) banishment from any temple, but with new owners come new rules. And never count him out as a threat. He and Cuerno put on a great main event that makes Cuerno look strong and conniving without sacrificing anything from Chavo. This furthers Cuerno’s tweener status and the development of his character arc and I wouldn’t be shocked that he plays a much larger role later on. Cemented when he wins the medallion which means he is surely en route to face Pentagon Dark… assuming someone else doesn’t get to him first.
Overall, an action-packed breather episode from the utter chaos of the first three episodes and a good chance to lay down some concrete foundation blocks to build onto as the season progresses. Will Cage vs. Mil undo the universe? Who really has the gauntlet of the gods? Where does Vampiro get his hair cut? This and more as Lucha Underground continues!
