By John Moore
Lucha Underground on El Rey Network
Taped June 25-26, 2017 in Los Angeles, California at The Temple
This week’s intro teaser focused on the first two parts of Ultima Lucha Tres. It showed the lead up the trios championship match which was awarded to Willie Mack as a result of winning the “Unique Opportunity”. The Taya Valkyrie vs. Sexy Star as well as the Son of Havoc vs. Pentagon Jr. feuds were featured. This week’s episode was “Ultima Lucha Tres – Part III”…
Matt Striker and Vampiro checked in on commentary. Mariachi El Bronx were the house band. Striker hyped up the episodes that were happening on this episode… [C]
1. Taya Valkyrie vs. Sexy Star in a Last Luchadora Standing. Taya brought a baseball bat and knuckle dusters to the ring. Sexy Star wore her usual “Magical Girl” uniform pre-match. Taya taunted Sexy Star with the knuckle dusters. Sexy Star pulled a pair from under her bra. The two then brawled. Star took down Taya with consecutive huracanranas. Sexy Star sent Taya outside. Star went for a seated senton but Taya caught Sexy Star and slammed her against the barricade. Star caught Taya with a back kick. Taya came back with a strong boot to Star’s gut. The camera showed that Justin Borden was keeping track of knockouts.
Taya missed wildly when Sexy Star dodged a cannon ball. Taya and Sexy Star traded strong slaps to the face. Star tossed Taya through the closet door. Star also threw Taya against the grated fence. Sexy Star found a (sugar) glass bottle and steel chair. Taya bladed at this point. Star hit Taya with the bottle. Striker compared the blood on blonde hair to Ric Flair’s bleeding. Sexy Star found a table and set it up. Sexy Star gave Taya a boot and slammed her on the table. Taya turned the tables and started to slam Sexy Star on it.
Taya and Star brawled in the bleachers. Taya gave Star some stiff forearms and Sexy Star came back with strikes of her own. Taya dominated and got the knockdown. Taya brought out another table to set it on top as another level to the one Sexy Star set up. Sexy Star beat the ten count. Sexy Star and Taya had a roundhouse battle which became an elbow battle. Sexy Star backtossed Taya to the balcony area. They traded chops in the balcony section. Sexy Star gained the upper hand and pummeled Taya. Taya and Sexy Star brawled to one of the camera decks. They chopped each other and punched each other. There was a comical shot of a fan in the “just as planned” pose. Sexy Star and Taya took each other down through the table structure. Justin Borden then counted with both women down. Sexy Star beat the count.
Sexy Star defeated Taya Valkyrie in a Last Luchadora Standing 9:09.
Sexy Star rose and then fell right in front of Matt Striker who had a good reaction that sold being proud of Sexy Star’s effort… [C]
John’s Thoughts: Oh mah goodness! That was a fun match. First of all, let me tell readers to try to forget what Sexy Star did at TripleMania and think of Lucha Underground as a different dimension. Moving along from that thought, this was a fun as hell match. There was blood, I was afraid they were going to go violent overload to try to one-up Fox/Strickland and Fenix/Marty; but they didn’t! The story here was that both women had a lot of heart. Sexy Star, say what you will about how bad she was in season 1, has improved vastly to the U.S. style of pro wrestling and has put on great match after great match. Taya… Is a tough as nails star. She’s impressed me with her brawling ability since I saw her go the limit against Faby Apache a few years ago. This has me excited to see what Taya can do if given a real match against Ivelisse (unlike last year’s BS finish). This also indirectly has me excited to see what she can do with Rosemary or even Taryn Terrell in the not so distant future on Thursdays!
Melissa Santos introduced the Trios Championship match next. The Reptile Tribe of Pindar, Vibora, and Drago were already in the ring. Drago wore an acidic green version of his gear. Kobra Moon wore her royal attire…
John’s Thoughts: Live note, this is the part of the tapings I attended. Before this match, they had a Matt Striker birthday celebration, which I mentioned in Dot Net Weekly.
2. Drago, Vibora, and Pindar (w/ Kobra Moon) vs. Willie Mack, Dante Fox, and Killshot for the Lucha Underground Trios Championship. Mack started off against Pindar while Fox and Killshot were shown to be apprehensive about working together. Fox tagged himself in. He wore a Lucha Underground t-shirt over his battle scars. Fox was also limping. Pindar caught Fox with a spinning wheel kick. Fox sold this greatly by selling all-around body pain. Fox went for a whip but Pindar blocked it. Fox and Pindar then traded enziguris. Fox hit Pindar with a huracanrana but it hurt him more due to the Hell of War.
Killshot tagged himself in and the two argued. This allowed the Luchasaurus to tag in. Drago then tagged in and worked on Killshot with kicks. Drago dis his usual slick dodging moves. Drago then nailed Killshot with a tornado DDT. Pindar tagged in. Killshot went for a splash but Pindar caught him into a power slam. Pindar nailed Killshot with a popup cutter. Mack broke up the pin attempt. Fox distracted Pindar to help Killshot which Striker pointed out was odd due to him hating Killshot.
Killshot ran on Pindar’s standing body and then flipped over him to tag Willie Mack. Mack cleaned house with the hot tag. Mack had an amazing running splash spot to Pindar and Drago. Mack caught Pindar with an enziguri and a Samoan Drop on Drago. Mack hit a standing shooting star on Drago. Luchasaurus gave Drago a boot. Fox escaped a chokeslam and staggered Vibora. Vibora took down his opponents. Madness ensued, Striker couldn’t even keep track. Fox did his cool wall run moonsault. Drago did a Tope Con Hilo. Killshot was clotheslined before he could Tope. Mack blocked a Vibora tope with a Monty Brown Pounce! Striker said this was the first time Vibora was taken off his feet. Fox’s shirt fell off. Fox and Killshot did flip dives to the outside. They showed a zoom in shot of Fox’s totally wrecked and ripped back.
John’s Thoughts: Holy F’n shoot! Man, that back is nasty! His skin is ripped off and you can see the meat below the epidermis. So I guess that means they used real glass but I still go on and say, was it really worth the mutilation?
Fox sold pain as we saw the nasty scars and holes on Fox’s back. Pindar didn’t listen to Kobra Moon which striker pointed out. This allowed Mack to set up Pindar on the top rope and Fox hit his sitdown Spanish Fly. Killshot hit the killstomp on Pindar. Mack did a running splash into a pin attempt for the win.
Willie Mack, Killshot, and Dante Fox defeated The Reptile Tribe via pinfall in 7:58 to become the new Lucha Underground Trios Champions.
The crowd chanted “you deserve it” to the new trios champs. Mack, Fox, and Killshot all showed unity as they cut to commercial… [C]
John’s Thoughts: That was another fun match despite creative doing four of these guys no favors (Killshot and Fox were the only ones with stories). This was the match that told me to look out for how good a year Shane Strickland was going to have and I’m glad he lived up to the hype. This match as a whole shows how good a trios division could be if allowed to develop. This was nostalgic of the early trios matches of LU. It’s a shame we never got to see the reptile tribe do much because Drago’s one of their best wrestlers and Pindar has looked really good in the limited time we’ve seen of him. Mack really does “deserve it” given how the writers forgot about him too. This was fun and I’m glad we’re not getting guys trying to surpass the previous two nights and instead they are just going out there to put on good matches.
Striker ran though the remaining Ultima Lucha matches: EDAJ vs. Matanza Cueto in a cage match, Brian Cage vs. Mil Muertes vs. Jeremiah Crane for the magic glove, and Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo in a Career vs. Title match… [C]
3. Son of Havoc vs. Pentagon Dark in a Ladder Match for the Gift of the Gods Championship. Pentagon and Havoc shoved each other. Striker clarified that their version of the Money in the Bank has a one week invocation delay. Havoc did a flip onto Pentagon on the outside. Havoc tossed Pentagon into the “dirty” ladder. Havoc slammed a ladder into Pentagon. Havoc took a small ladder in the ring. Pentagon levered the ladder into Havoc’s face. Pentagon slammed the ladder into Havoc’s back. Striker compared this match to the Tower of Babel.
Pentagon tossed a bunch of dirty ladders into the ring. Pentagon put a ladder on all four corners of the ring. Havoc slammed Pentagon into a ladder and hit a splash followed by a pump kick. Havoc brought a steel chair in the ring. The crowd gave both men dueling chants. Havoc set the chair in the corner and caused Pentagon to run into it. Havoc then treated a the ladder and a chair like hammering a nail, just into the crotch of Pentagon. Strikers talked about how Pentagon’s crotch being “compromised” might hinder him from climbing a ladder. Havoc tried to climb up but Pentagon used a ladder to hit him off the ladder.
Striker pointed out that Havoc was nursing a shoulder injury. Pentagon found a table and put Havoc on it. Havoc recovered and gave Pentagon a back suplex. Havoc put the ladder on a prone Pentagon. Havoc did a shooting star press right into a Pentagon Jr. RKO which was reminiscent to Randy Orton hitting Matt Sydal with an RKO back in the day. Pentagon brought a pile of chairs in the ring. Pentagon went for a tope but was caught with a (protected) chairshot to the head. Havoc set up four chairs. The two brawled on top of the chairs. Pentagon hit a package piledriver on the chairs. Pentagon took his time setting up ladders and a table.
Striker and Vampiro rightfully pointed out that Pentagon was wasting time when he should be winning the match (nice attention to detail!). Pentagon stood on his ladder structure and then decided to go to get the belt (that was a bit odd psychology wise). Havoc recovered and met Pentagon on the structure. Pentagon and Havoc traded punches on the bridge that Pentagon set up. Pentagon simply tossed Havoc off and into the table. Pentagon retrieved the belt to become the new champion.
Pentagon Dark defeated Son of Havoc in 14:00 in a Ladder Match to become the Gift of the Gods Champion.
Pentagon celebrated with his belt as the crowd erupted in Cero Miedo chants. The credits rolled…
But Wait! There’s More! Prince Puma was shown meditating in Vampiro’s creepy dojo. Zombie Vampiro showed up (no clue on why he’s suddenly a Zombie clown). Vampiro said it all ends next week. Vampiro said this is the last step of their journey. Vampiro said Puma will not let Mundo take his career. Vampiro said Puma will take the title and the “circle will be complete” (so we’re quoting Star Wars now?). Vampiro said Puma was ready and it was time to go. Vampiro replaced Puma in the circle as he left. A “spirit” spoke to Vampiro. Vampiro said “Thank You… Master!”…
John’s Thoughts: Oh, there’s a higher power!!! Eh… As Long as it isn’t Vince McMahon. Backtracking back to the match, that was another fun match. Props for both guys for not going overboard and putting on a fun hardcore match. Havoc and Pentagon put in some good work and hard work as well. The most valuable component of that match, was the fans! They were on fire for both men, especially Pentagon (proving that Lucha Underground dropped the ball on capitalizing on Pentagon’s popularity).
This episode was one of the most fun Lucha Underground episodes top to bottom. There have been a few good ones this year but some episodes seem to be directed to more of a sadistic and bloodthirsty viewer. This episode had good fights, the thrill of victory, and some hard work that got rewarded. This one of the better episodes for me to review dating all the way back to Fenix vs. King Cuerno in Season 2. I’m probably overblowing how good this was, but it’s because they didn’t try to go overboard that it was fun. The only thing wrong in this show was the Trios match having a lack of backstory with four of the wrestlers. I’ll have more thoughts in my Lucha Underground Audio Review.
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