By @RobbieRadford.
This week’s episode of Lucha Underground offered a lot to the viewers that would tune into The Temlple. The believers were hyped to witness Cage demand a match against Matanza Cueto which only furthered the trend that Kayfabe Today started (Looking at you Noelle Foley!).. Pants off! We were also made aware of the new trios champions (Johnny Mundo, PJ Black and Jack Evans) were also going to be defending their newly won championship titles.
The show started with its usual pleasantries, some lovely music provided by the band that seem to live within the temple, and a quick recap of last week, and then we were thrown straight into match number 1.
Match 1: Son of Havoc vs Daga (Son of Havoc Def. Daga)
So Daga, the new comer, squared off against the Lucha Underground vet, Son of Havoc. A quick back and forth with Daga showing his unique skills reminding Vampiro fondly of Dynamite Kid. Some great athletic ability shown by both competitors and some near falls provided the normal opening match with some added excitement. Given that last week we had Joey Ryan vs Mascarita Sagrada, this opening contest proved to be a little more evenly matched. Some great strikes kept the audience hot, with the crowd cheering for Daga, which looked to unsettle Havoc a little. Daga was in control of the match for the most part, when we saw Kobra Moon slither down to the ring looking fairly suspicious. After a few distractions from Kobra Moon, and a great back and forth opener, Son of Havoc picked up the victory with his shooting star press. **½
After the match, Kobra Moon attempted to initiate fellatio in an attempt to woo Daga. He forced her off him, in what proved to be a slightly bizarre few moments, but that’s the Lucha Underground we know and love!
Followingthe break, we saw a segment between Dragon Azteca and Mysterio, with Azteca telling Mysterio he’s found where they can find Matanza. Azteca was looking for revenge as Matanza killed their mentor and he was trying to persuade Rey to take him down. Just as a mini skirmish looked to be breaking out between Dragon Azteca and Mysterio, Prince Puma arrived and reminded them both that they had a match tonight. Onto the trios tag match, it would be interesting to see any hint of issue between any of the 3.
Match 2: Trios tag championship match: PJ Black, Johnny Mundo & Jack Evans © vs Rey Mysterio, Dragon Azteca and Prince Puma (Black, Mundo & Evans Def. Mysterio, Azteca & Puma Via DQ)
These trio tag matches never disappoint. Ever. PJ Black started the match with some new found confidence and it showed in the earlier stages of the match, getting the better of Mysterio, right until The King of Lucha Libre hit a sweet modified hurricanrana to wipe the smirk from PJ blacks face. After some distraction to the ref, Mysterio was grounded with a low blow. To which Matt Striker and Vampiro gave us an elaborate explanation as to how that feels!
Mundo tagged in and began where Black left off, a sweet tilt-a-whirl backbreaker kept Rey grounded for a little while longer. Soon after Prince Puma tagged in, a notably quiet Temple erupted as Puma began his impressive offence. The Temple broke out into “holy shit” chants when Puma had superplexed PJ Black onto the rest of the competitors outside of the ring below. After some more impressive spots, PJ Black looked to defeat Puma with his own move, the 630 splash, but a kick out from Puma kept this fantastic match in full swing. All 6 competitors look to have outstanding chemistry with each other, each move flowed perfectly, such as Dragon Aztecas incredible DDT onto Mundo which kept everyone invested in this match.
Mundo took charge of the match after another low blow to Puma destroyed any momentum from their team. Prince Puma lost his nerve and after he recovered, welcomed Mundo to “dick kick city” but it was straight in front of the referee, who disqualified Pumas team as a result. ***½
After another break, we were treated to a scenario where Dragon Azteca Jr confronted Matanza Cueto who, for Dragon Azteca’s benefit, was locked in his cage. Another interesting scene developed, where it transpired that Matanza killed El Dragon Azteca Jrs trainer. Some very interesting developments to stay invested in the ongoing story backstage.
Match 3: Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) vs Cage (Matanza Def. Cage)
On to the hotly anticipated showdown between the Machine and the Monster, a match which I personally had been anticipating ever since the match was announced last Wednesday. There is a reason why these matches excite and never fail to disappoint. They book Monsters to wrestle like Monsters and to dominate like monsters, and when you have more than one monster in your company, when they collide…
After some early test of strengths, in which neither man refused to budge an inch, Cage gained momentum by combining his Godly speed and skill to outwit Matanza after he realised he wasn’t going to outmuscle him. These two went to war with each other, using every square inch of the temple as a weapon. I found myself in awe of every maneuver these two men had, the atmosphere assisting the match had you not wanting to even blink throughout. We’ve had Mil Muertes vs Matanza which was superb, but Cage and Matanza really brought their A game for this one. Both men were giving it all they got, even improvising moves that hadn’t been seen before. Dario Cueto (El Jefe/ The boss) had a concerned look on his face for the duration of the match, not even Mil Muertes was matching Matanza for strength, but Cage had a game plan.
However, after a series of kicks, Matanza Cueto countered Cage with a Wrath of The Gods and picked up yet another victory to keep the Mean Machine Matanza rumbling on. ****¼
By @specficluchador
Kayfabe Today 