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Recap: Lucha Underground s4e17, "The Moth and the Butterfly"


The roller coaster of lucha continues this week as we get closer to Ultima Lucha, but on a more important note:

KILLER KROSS IS A MONSTER.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

… Oh, there’s some show before we get to the White Rabbit’s debut. We start with Aerostar and Melissa discussing their Fenix problem. Aerostar admits he messed up by bringing Fenix back to life, and says things won’t get better because he has seen The Bad End in the future. I thought he had some kind of endgame with Evil Fenix but turns out he just brought him back due to human feelings of friendship. Sadly, it’s backfired. Can Melissa fix him?

We’ll answer that another time. Now it’s time for The Rabbits to face off against XO Lishus, Ivelisse, and Joey Ryan! I love this team, they pretty much represent my local LGBTQ+ community (the hardfemme, the vogue dramatic, the creepy zaddy). It also helps that they work really well as a team, way different dynamic than Ivelisse’s previous trios. The Rabbits… are very creepy and Paul London is now sporting bunny themed corpse paint. I will say White Rabbit’s outfit is a little underwhelming. It’s Killer Kross with dainty white gloves. I would have liked to see something that kept the general gist of his look while still making him more cohesive to the general show aesthetic. But, it’s just a first match. People change.

What doesn’t change? War. The new Rabbits are daunting, but Team XO/Ivelisse/Ryan go in gallantly. Whereas XO Lishus, Joey, and Ivelisse get each other as a team, White Rabbit is implied to have some kind of psychic control over Paul and El Bunny. I’m impressed that they successfully conveyed that dynamic in the ring. I really enjoyed this match for its intensity and I think it’s worth watching. That ending, tho. White Rabbit catches Joey in a mandible claw (what!) and crushes the man’s windpipe. Visual of the night, wouldn’t you say?

Screen cap from Lucha Underground. The focus of the image is Killer Kross, a bald white wrestler, holding up a hand. He is wearing a white glove with the first two fingers soaked with blood. He looks mesmerized at his own hand while Paul London laughs in the background.

Next, we have the long awaited showdown between Killshot and Son of Havoc. I haven’t heard Matt or Vampiro this hyped up in a while. Seriously, they have disappeared so much into the background this season, for better or for worse. But they should be hyped up for this match, because it’s a banger. Killshot shows up in pants and combat boots and it looks weird, but he and Havoc immediately get to scrapping. These two could fight forever and I guarantee you it wouldn’t get boring. Dropkicks and shooting star presses for days!

You can feel the hatred radiating from Killshot’s ever move, but with Mack off fighting his own battle with Mil Muertes, the beef between Killshot and Son of Havoc becomes a bit “notice me sempai!” now. That’s not too bad, but unfortunately for Killshot, Havoc bests him again and pins him for the win. Pissed, Killshot attacks Havoc with dog tag-wrapped knuckles then does the unthinkable: he snatches Son of Havoc’s mask! That fiend! Hmm, Havoc looks a lot like that Matt Cross guy.

Papa Cueto comes out to stop the attack and declares that because Killshot and Havoc shield themselves with masks, their match in Ultima Lucha IV will be a mask vs mask! LU hasn’t had a lucha de apuesta since season 1, which is wild considering that most of the roster is enmascarado. Raises the emotional states. Which fighter will have to adopt the “Handsome” gimmick?

Melissa’s suddenly snarky announcing can only mean one thing: Marty is coming out to talk to us! Marty finally has his own Aztec tribe entrance: a cape with moth wing texture. Have to admit it looks cool. He’s giving me mid-period Raven vibes coming out with his new goth enforcer, known as Reklusa. Matt points out that recluses are spiders, which… yeah.

Marty had a long speech prepared, but the Temple Believers insist on messing with him throughout. But we learn some important things: 1) Marty is more focused now thanks to his sister. 2) Because of that, his first title challenge will be against Mariposa and not Pentagòn. 3) He sent Reklusa to torture and kill Sexy Star. WELP. There goes the answer to that begged question. It’s kind of awkward because I thought that was Mariposa’s job.

Mariposa’s creepy leitmotif means the match is underway. You know, even fighting, Marty and Mariposa still give me that creepy incest vibe like the Platonic Twins from Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer. Yes, I was too broke for a NeoGeo as well. Incest or no, this match is pretty messed up. Marty brutalizes his sister, busts her head open, and throws her against every wall in the temple while his enforcer/girlfriend gets off on it. If you thought Marty was just eccentric before, this will mess you up. Mariposa eventually comes back and hits Marty with the Thousand Chairs, my absolute favorite Mariposa spot. It’s short lived, though, as some Reklusa intervention means Marty pins his sis and retains his title. Man. Go out of your way for this one.

Marty then goes on another creepy rant and challenges Pentagòn Dark to a ciero miedo stipulation for their title match at Ultima Lucha. The ciero miedo match is Pentagòn’s signature, an all-out no DQ anything goes summon some dark shit match. If you haven’t seen his first Ultima Lucha match with Vampiro, make it a priority. Marty dedicates the upcoming match to his sister then… breaks her arm. What the BLEEP, Marty! In the chaos, Pentagòn runs out and chases Marty off with a chair. To save Mariposa? Hell no, just to say that he accepts Marty’s challenge and tell him that he’s going to kick his ass. Get your title back, Pentagòn!

Did you ever imagine you would root for the most sadistic dude in the temple to win against the other most sadistic dude in the temple? Me neither! Is Pentagòn officially a face now? I have no idea, but I like where this is going. Only a few more weeks left ‘til Ultima Lucha, how much more carnage can there be? Only one way to find out.

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