Viva La Lucha Libre
Lucha Underground 3/11/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
I was walking down the street in Beverly Hills just yesterday morning when what should I see, but a group of teenagers wearing gray and black "Lucha Underground shirts." Viva la Lucha Revolucion! Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark Adam Haggerty coming at you from the sunny and sandy beaches of Southern California where I am literally sitting on the edge of the Pacific Ocean with my feet in the water. I'm here with you as always to break down the comings and goings of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network, so without further ado, let's talk about the good and bad from this week's episode.
The show begins with a series of flashbacks to previous weeks involving several luchadors and their already established programs. Pentagon Jr. is still praying to an unknown leader; Ivelisse and Angelico prepare for intergender competition with Son of Havoc as referee; and King Cuerno is still on the hunt for his most sought after prize—Johnny Mundo. The crowd inside the Temple is just as electric as always, ready for some of the highest impact wrestling action in America. Amandititita is performing once again, getting the �Faithful psyched for the opening contest as Vampiro and Matt Striker introduce ring announcer Melissa Santos.
Pentagon Jr. enters the arena amidst a sea of fog and strobe lights. The crowd chants "Zero Fear" in Spanish, referencing Pentagon's own mantra. Argenis makes his way down toward the ringside area—we haven't seen much of Argenis since his initial debut with Lucha Underground, but he'll prove to be Pentagon's greatest challenge in over a month. Pentagon's highly impressive skill set gets the best of him when he immediately rolls into a kick by Argenis, allowing the smaller luchador the opportunity to send him spinning with an airplane head scissors. As is the name of the game in Lucha Underground, both men spill to the outside of the ring where Argenis capitalizes with a high-risk aerial assault. Argenis brings his opponent back into the squared-circle, where Pentagon Jr. jumps up to meet his attack. Back in action again, Pentagon turns the tables, only for Argenis to reverse into a hurricanrana from the top rope. The camera leaves the ring for a moment to show the most recent celebrities in attendance, including wrestler, MMA-fighter, and NJPW broadcaster Josh Barnett. Argenis fights valiantly but is bested by the ruthless Pentagon Jr. who achieves victory after employing a litany of offensive maneuvers, sealing the deal with his dreaded arm-hook submission. Following the bell, Pentagon reminded us who he is—he is "ZERO FEAR!"
Back from the break and Catrina is tip-toing around the locker room where Fenix is contemplating the current love-triangle threatening to end his career. She emerges from the shadows and warns Fenix what he's up against in a warrior like Mil Muertes. She claims the only way to defeat him—is to bury him. The backstage segments continue with another vignette highlighting the ongoing feud involving Konnan, Prince Puma and Cage. Konnan is working toward forging a solid steel cane that he then displays by breaking cinder blocks with a single swing.
Melissa Santos introduces the South African sensation Angelico who waits patiently for his opponent, the "baddest bitch in the building," Ivelisse. She enters the arena dressed like a boss, with a scarf stretched across her face, playing to the cameras and fans inside the Temple. Finally, Santos introduces the special guest referee Son of Havoc. Matt Striker and Vampiro both act as if this wasn't already announced, but I'll chock that up to bad broadcasting, not poor producing. Havoc enters the ring and right away tells Ivelisse that he's prepared to call this down the middle. The same as last time, Angelico is unprepared to deal with wrestling a woman, instead opting to duck her kicks and reverse the rest of her offense. Eventually they're both forced to engage in a meaningful way which leads both luchadors to an advantage. Ivelisse twists and turns from the top rope to the outside where Angelico is thrust into the front row of the audience. Ivelisse enters the ring, waiting for Angelico, and gives Son of Havoc—the referee—a high five. The fans grow angry with the heelish tendencies of both Ivelisse and the official, backing Angelico as he gains the offensive in whatever way he can. Angelico lifted Ivelisse into a suplex lasting a 5-count from the crowd until the former developmental Diva turned the momentum in her favor by applying a full body submission hold. Angelico gets out of the hold and signals for his finishing maneuver, a variation of the razor's edge, but Havoc drags Ivelisse out and to safety. Angelico kicked Ivelisse in the head, knocking her out and proceeded to make the pin in a very provocative way, forcing Havoc to make the count.
Mil Muertes is alone in the locker room staring into a mirror. He lifts his head and pulls his mask on. Catrina's voice is all that becomes audible, reminding Mil of his troubled past and promising a match with "grave consequences." Next week Fenix will go one-on-one with Mil Muertes in a "Coffin Match."
The main event is already set to take place with the first-ever cage match in Lucha Underground history. Melissa Santos explains the rules and three ways to win—pin, submission, or climbing out. King Cuerno enters the Lucha Underground Temple to a regal reception from the Temple Believers. He carries the buck head crown per usual, placing it on the corner turn post. His opponent is the former ECW champion Johnny Mundo, who can't seem to break away from his dumb "Shaman of Sexy" pose and fur coat, no matter how ridiculous they look. The cage is similar to the cages of old, used in the NWA and WCW, where the top only reaches 8-10 feet in height. Senior official Marty Elias is inside the steel cage as the action starts kicking up right from the bell. This match is quite different from the majority of bouts we've seen in LU since its inception; most Lucha Underground competition involves a number of high spots to-and-from the outside of the ring. Mundo is the first to leap from an elevated position, hitting the steel cage in its corner and spring boarding back onto King Cuerno. Johnny Mundo is far more experienced in this sort of match, but it doesn't take long for King Cuerno to find his bearings and gain the upper hand. Cuerno climbed the cage and stepped to the center, off of which he leapt onto Mundo with a vicious splash. Neither man is keen to escape the ring just yet as their feud is based on pure hatred, rather than competition. Johnny Mundo proceeds to take a header directly into the bottom of the cage, and Cuerno rakes his face across its grating. Cuerno is the first to try and escape, pointing toward the top of the cage and started his ascent toward victory. Johnny Mundo sprung back into action, stopping the "King" and struggling to keep the offense. Johnny tries for a series of pins—because why would a good guy escape the cage—but to no avail.
This show is phenomenal with booking these kinds of matches sans commercial breaks, and that's because the owner of the network—Robert Rodriguez—is heavily involved with the production of Lucha Underground. Cuerno continues trying to escape the ring while Johnny tends to rely more on pin falls or submissions to attain victory. When Johnny does try and escape, Cuerno comes back with a powerbomb off the cage and down to the floor. The crowd begins chanting "this is awesome," standing on their feet and competing with alternating rounds of "Johnny Mundo" and "Let's Go Cuerno." King Cuerno goes for the win, but Johnny stops him by attempting to pull off his mask. Cuerno starts to lose his mind, as King Cuerno's face has legitimately NEVER been seen—that's a shoot. They both fall from the top of the cage and Marty Elias begins the double count, reaching seven before they can get to their knees and begin to rise to meet the other's punches. Johnny switches from punches to forearms and sends Cuerno into the steel cage. They trade shots on one another, each using the steel as an inanimate tag team partner. A huge European uppercut by Cuerno and Mundo is on the ground, but not for long. Mundo hits Cuerno with a big Spear, leveling both individuals until Elias is forced to make his count again. Johnny hits his feet after the count of six, and starts to climb the cage in the same corner as the buck head mask. Vampiro points out the danger of the buck's antlers in such close proximity to the action; Johnny slams Cuerno's face into the cage, sending Cuerno down onto the mat below. Johnny is inches from victory by jumping to the outside but instead decides to jump INTO the ring, hitting King Cuerno with a variation on Jeff Hardy's "Whisper in the Wind" for the 1-2-3. Johnny Mundo closes out Lucha Underground by climbing the cage and raising his fist with the rhythm of the crowd's roar: "Lucha! Lucha! Lucha!"
Another excellent edition of a television series that appears to be growing by the week. After listening to several interviews with producers and talent alike, courtesy of "The Wrestling Compadre Slamcast" on the Afterbuzz Network, I'm more excited than ever to see what's in store in the coming weeks, months, and even YEARS ! Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat and to follow me on Facebook by LIKING "Mark Haggerty's Pro Wrestling."
