the matches
Mil Muertes defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr. [DQ for chair usage, 5:35]
Ivelisse defeated Angelico [double leg cradle, 2:41]
Texano Jr. defeated Super Fly [reverse neckbreaker, 1:31]
Sexy Star, Mascarita Sagrada, Pimpinela Escarlata defeated The Crew (Bael, Mr. Cisco, Cortez Castro) [Sexy bodyscissors cradle on Bael, 7:41]
the devolpments
Catrina was not with Mil Muertes to start the match, but came down with the stone during the match. Catrina distracted Mil with the stone, allowing Chavo to hit Mil with a chair for the DQ. Mil no sold it and took out Chavo with flatliner on the chair. Mil pulled Catrina in and tried to force her to lick Chavo, but Catrina wanted no part of it. Mil choked Catrina, then teased the flatliner, but Fenix made the save. They escaped, and Catrina kissed Fenix while eyeballing Mil Muertes.
Dario was really happy with the Crew’s work this season. They have new jersies! Dario gave them a main event, but demanded they prove it by destroying their opposition so he’d know they would do that to anyone who defies him. Dario named “three freaks” who the crowd love – Sexy Star, Pimpinela Escarlata, and Mascarita Sagrada – in a no DQ match. Dario wanted the Crew to hurt the tecnicos so bad that they would never come back. Following those orders, the Crew dominated the match. Pimpinela was injured early and taken to the back by the medics. Poor Mascariata took a curb stomp on the chair. Sexy made a 1 on 3 comeback, then was able to hold it even when the Crew fought her 1 on 1. The Crew were about to finish off Sexy Star when Big Ryck appeared – and Sexy used the distraction to cradle Bael for a win.
Son of Havoc was supposed to face Angelico, but Ivelisse was sick of the SoH losing and demanded to take the match herself. Angelico did not want to fight here and was quite a jerk at times. Havoc snuck in a kick, Ivelisse got a schoolboy trip, and a cradle for the win. Ivelisse appeared to be unaware of the kick. Angelico hit on Ivelisse after the match.
Vampiro had a sit down with Texano! Texano objected to the idea of being called ex-champion. Texano says he beat everyone for two years and then Alberto stole his title. Texano says he’s only here to destroy Alberto and get his title back. Announcers put Texano over strong in commentary. Super Fly may not have gotten an offensive move in during the short Texano squash. Alberto calmly walked to the ring, chased Texano out of it, and got the best of Texano on the outside. Albert got the bullrope and attacked Texano in a replay of last week. Indy wrestling security broke it up. Alberto scattered them with the lasso.
Cage demanded to be declared as champion by Dario. Dario pointed out Cage lost, but gave Cage a non-title match again Puma next week where Cage could earn a title match if he wins. Cage was satisfied and threw the broken belt to Dario, insulting it and demanding a better one for when he wins. Cage left, and Chavo entered to announce he was quitting and going to El Paso. Dario (unconcerned): “Chavo, I wish you the wish the best in your future endeavors.” Chavo wasn’t thrilled with that line, but Dario amended to say Chavo was welcome back at any time. Dario looked at the broken belt and declared the gods would not be happy. On this show, he may have meant that literally.
Black Lotus searched around the temple and found the caged monster. Lotus explained that when she was little, all she wanted to be is the woman who killed “you” with my bare hands. A flash of movement or action obscured the view, and that was the last we saw of either of them.
There’s a Cricket Signature Move Of The Week now! It was Prince Puma’s 630 splash.
Vampiro declared Lucha Underground the #1 promotion in the universe. Take that, Mars Championship Wrestling!
thoughts
This was the weakest in-ring show so far. There were a lot of angles going on to distract from that, but none of them came across very strong. Maybe the new Cricket sponsorship was the most important thing to happen all night.
Mil Muertes lost one match and Catrina dumped him. She has some high standards. (They’ve never brought up Catrina taking that kick again.) Chavo vs Mil Muertes was a match I was out on early on. It was a spot they could’ve used a better match in given the rest of the show and it didn’t really happen. I guess they wanted to visual of Mil no selling a chair shot over having a clean finish. Not sure I would’ve done the same, especially with it being Chavo’s exit from the show. Catrina’s reactions indicated she may be just using Fenix to get back at Mil; she was saved, but the kiss was more for Mil’s benefit than a thanks.
Ivelisse/Angelico was all angle – was this the intergender wrestling Voices of Wrestling has been warning me about? It fit that template of a man not taking a woman seriously and a woman needing to prove something. It didn’t exactly fit the story they’ve been telling here: Son of Havoc keeps screwing it up on his own, but had no such problem when it came to gifting Ivelisse a win. Ivelisse doing what Son of Havoc could not makes sense in the story, but Ivelisse doing it because Son of Havoc suddenly found a way to win doesn’t really.
Maybe the treatment of Texano was the best thing on this show. They put over Texano so big on commentary, but in ways where it din’t feel like they were just blowing smoke. That’s kind of the debut he needed to have, though getting trashed by Alberto after the fact felt a bit too soon.
Main event was as good as a match with that layout is going to be, but it was just not a match layout that was going to produce something on the level of their usual main events. The punishment to Mascarita looked good, Sexy Star’s comeback spots were nice, it just wasn’t a match designed to get a lot of stars and that was missing on this show. It does appear to be designed to be the farewells for now Mascarita Sagrada & Pimpienla Escarlata, who have not appeared on the tapings since this show. (Chavo’s also really gone.)
Three women got in the ring on tonight’s show. Catrina got in trouble and was saved by Fenix. Ivelisse got in trouble and was saved by Son of Havoc. Sexy Star got in trouble and was saved by Big Ryck. That feels like a pattern, but sometimes things just align in unplanned ways. I’d be more concerned if I didn’t know how those stories turn out. Most people don’t know how those stories turn out. (Black Lotus probably didn’t need a guy to save her, but what happened we left her was very unclear.)
The funny thing is next week’s show has three matches which appear like they might have been the standout match on this show. It’s almost like a correction to this show, only it was actually just taped 20 minutes later. Maybe it’ll turn out that these matches had to be this week and others next week, but doing Cage/Puma this episode and saving The Crew match or Chavo/Muertes for next week might have been a better mix.
I’ll be the only one but I think current ep was pretty good. In a way, it is kinda AAAzing LU. They said there’s an ideological tug of war, and it is probably true: from going full on AAA as opposed to going on original course “wwe-indy-puro-verylittlelucha” They went from Vampiro and Konan subbed for Unimas, to Texano and Vampiro subbed for El Rey, so priorities seem to be changing.
People will complain and say that ladies are being saved… but compared to Hunger Games (first 2, didnt watch any further), Kantiss is being saved all the time (by a 10 y o in the first one) and goes to be just a pawn in the machinations of other parties in part 2. LU shits over it. Catrina wasn’t saved by Fenix, Catrina is the one moving pawns around!! She’s pretty much at the same level as Dario at delivering matchups for the temple. Ivelis was not helped by Havok, she was cheated from her victory so it opens some storylines there, and Sexy Star came out as the greatest female wrestler ever… so mission accomplished…
The problem is the style, its not lucha enough. They wanted to pull US fans in, so they went into the inferior US Indy style. Which is pretty much ripping off the “Strong” style from Japan. Intergender matches are very common in wrestling. Mostly because there are not that many female workers for a separate division to exist. They do it often in Japan, but for the puro “strong” style, it is about getting stiffed and kicked and punched in the face the hell out of it, and keep coming up for more, in the end, the lady will lose but will bow and thank the bigger guy for all those stiff strikes.
Peña came up with Relevos AAA which are a different story, they allow women (and at times minis) to work spots they cant work with their usual foes. Here Sexy Star did endure the Crew worst attacks, and kept going (living up to the indy puro lovers), and actually pulled some lucha spots (armdrag and headsicssors and surprise pins) at the crew that made her look as the real shit (as opposed to Iveliss that pretty much all her did was kicks and punches vs a guy whos pretty much a specialist at punches and kicks). Of course, Jennifer Blake would have killed it, she has a couple of amazing spots (that only talented men can take) and elaborate pins that would have blown the crowd away but they are not ready for it, yet… Sexy Star came off looking at her best, and Rick Fury didn’t eve (actively) interfere, she won by herself… so everything played out pretty good…