09th Nov2018

‘Lucha Underground’ Review (Nov 7th 2018)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s Lucha Underground review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the second half of Ultima Lucha Cuatro, so don’t you Lucha-go any-where! Wait… that sounded… aw, $#!&. Well, at least the matches are good. By the way, I’m not Peter Pan.

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Match #1: Fenix defeated El Dragon Azteca Jr. – Two Out Of Three Falls Match

My Take: 4 out of 5 – Well, this was $#@!*&$ cool. This whole thing was classic lucha libre that felt like it was right out of CMLL/EMLL. It was EMLL originally, right? Any-way, this was fast and furious… but not like number eight… this was much better than eight. These guys were all over the place from the start, going for every big move they could stuff into this bad boy. These guys worked this whole match like it was Pay Per View, which is fitting since Ultima Lucha is meant to be the big show for Lucha Underground. Every slam looked like it hurt and every dive will take your breath away… and piss off Randy Orton. The dominant story for this bout was that Fenix is still possessed, which means that Poltergeist is getting a better remake than it did with Sam Rockwell just a couple years ago. I like seeing Fenix being a bit more aggressive, but since Fenix has a natural charm to him that makes him very likeable, I’d be hesitant to keep him heel for too long. El is becoming more of an attraction all the time and had a turning point in his career with this match, as he performed like a main eventer in a way he hasn’t yet done in Lucha Underground. El reminds me a lot of Ultimo Dragon and it’s not just because he has similar attire. In the final act of the match, we even get a Falls Count Any-Where stipulation thrown in by Antonio Cueto to beef up the action. Well, I’m tired of talking about this match, so just go watch the thing and leave me alone.

Match #2: The Mack defeated Mil Muertes – Death-Match

My Take: 4 out of 5 – This was some great stuff. Mack and Muertes had a different bout from the opener, yet they were just as daring and brutal. This felt like the kind of match you’d get from the classic days of lucha libre, when big burly men went at each other like balls to the wall was a virtue. If you thought these guys were tough before, just let a minute of this match crack you upside the head and you can tell me if you think either one of them could ever go soft. For a sport that is fake, it sure as hell can give you one hell of reason to think otherwise. There are even a couple of spots in this match that I thought they might actually die, so that means that the stipulation of “Death-Match” was picked pretty damn well. Okay, I’m done talking about the corpse on a stick match. This is great and you’ll have a heart attack watching it.

Match #3: Johnny Mundo defeated Matanza Cueto – Sacrifice To The Gods Match

My Take: 4 out of 5 – It’s getting fun writing this review, which is probably due to all of the great wrestling. This is what it looks like when it all goes according to plan… and your plan isn’t ape-$#!& stupid, like Vince’s always is. These guys beat the hell out of each other. If you were to bet any one that these guys were nursing an entire freezer’s worth of ice after going into the back when the match ended, I bet you’d win yours. What can be said about this match that hasn’t been said about watching Swan Lake on an open high-way? The match was built on both men trying to get the Gauntlet, with Matanza choke-slamming Mundo through the roof of Antonio’s office. I hope they had one hell of a mat in the bottom of that thing to break Mundo’s fall. Mundo used the power of the Gauntlet to Jerry Lawler Matanza’s ass into Jabroni Boy Boulevard for the finale of the match. Okay, go watch the damn thing.

Match #4: (Main Event) Pentagon Dark defeated Marty the Moth – Cero Miedo Match For The Lucha Underground Championship

My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was more like a classic ECW match from 1996, but that is a compliment this time. This was bloody and grisly and nasty and… these guys needed some Band-Aids after this match was over. They brawled and bled and ripped each other to pieces like it paid real good… like it pays better than this! Wait for me you sick &#@!$! I want the money, too. Also, Trevor Noah is a lousy replacement for John Stewart. There’s a reason why only three of the guests that appear on Trevor Noah’s Daily Show are people you know about… and I don’t know what that is. Oh, hell, I like Trevor Noah too much to mean any of that, just like I mean it when I say that this match ended up looking like the wrestling equivalent of a menstrual cycle. If you want blood, then you got it. Over-all, these two needed a good shower after this and maybe a nice bagel with a bit of cream cheese and some peaches on the side. What a great brunch they could have. Oh, go watch the match.

Match #5: (Main Event) Jake Strong defeated Pentagon Dark – Lucha Underground Championship Match

My Take: 3 out of 5 – Short but to the point, this match gave Jake the title, thanks to the Gift of the Gods strap he still had from a few weeks back.

News Of The Night:

  1. Taya was possessed by the evil doll and is now a God.
  2. Taya, now possessed by the spirit form the evil doll, attacked Taya’s husband, Johnny Mundo.
  3. Black Lotus killed Matanza Cueto after she revealed to him she knew he killed her parents.
  4. Aerostar said the tribes need to merge to fight the Gods.
  5. Jake Strong attacked El Dragon Azteca and stole the Gauntlet.
  6. Stu Bennett (Wade Barrett) was revealed as the leader of the mysterious syndicate that wants to destroy the world.
  7. Aerostar was revealed to have resurrected Dario Cueto, one year ago, at his own funeral, once his father, Antonio, left.
  8. Melissa Santos left the Temple after Fenix brutalized El Dragon Azteca.
  9. Shaul Guerrero replaced Melissa Santos as ring announcer for the night and was revealed to have been signed to Lucha Underground.
  10. Shaul and her uncle, Chavo Guerrero Jr., beat the $#!% out of Famous B after the he interrupted Shaul.
  11. Johnny Mundo was possessed by a God when he wore the Gauntlet, so it stands to reason that anyone else who wears the Gauntlet will be possessed as well.
  12. After Reklusa attacked Pentagon Dark, Vampiro ran her off, but attacked Pentagon himself and brought out his master, who was a luchador that dressed similarly to Pentagon.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Whew, boy, this was a good one. Hey, I got to say “Whew Boy” in the review. When you have a card of great matches and story stuff that is actually interesting, how can you give it all a bad review? I hope Lucha Underground makes it to another season, because this league is worth the time, even when it is a big mess.

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