matches
Ivelisse, Son of Havoc, Angelico [O] defeat Disciples of Death (Siniestro de la Muerte [X], Barrio Negro, Trece) to win the Lucha Underground Championship (4:54, Havoc Shooting Star Press→Angelico pin, good)
Texano Jr. defeated Chavo Guerrero in a bull rope match (6:02, powerbomb, OK)
Fenix defeated Mil Muertes for the Lucha Underground Championship (13:32, back bridge cradle, great)
developments
Every Lucha Underground championship changed hands. The Gift of the Gods championship is vacant and the Aztec Medallions should be handed out again soon. The Trios championship changed hands to the first champions, and the Lucha Underground championship went to a new champion. Even the Aztec Warfare match changed.
The show started with the trios title change. Ivelisse, Havoc and Angelico, with their LU careers on the line, were more on the same page than every and pretty much demolished the Disciples. The DoD got in some offense, and had one near victory on a surprise switch, but it was pretty clear who was the better team with both teams healthy. Both teams might not be healthy after this match: an angry Mil Muertes destroyed his subordinates in the locker room after the match, and might have straight up killed Sineistro had Catrina not stopped him.
If Mil was angry after the first title match loss, his rage must know no limits after the main event. He probably wouldn’t be pleased to know Catrina and Fenix were making out early in the show, with Catrina telling Fenix she had regrets about dumping him last season. Catrina called Fenix the man of a 1000 lives, and said one of those lives might be able to bring her back. Yea, she’s dead – and yea, this might have either been some mind game or Catrina laying the foundation of getting back with Fenix if Mil doesn’t have the belt. Fenix’s reaction this didn’t show in the match, as he and Mil destroyed each other. Fenix bled first, Mil ripping his mask, but Fenix rallied back to the same to Mil when he wasn’t jumping off high places. Mil was more vulnerable than previous match (Mil’s first back from the dead), but Fenix best shots weren’t keeping him down. It was a bridging cradle which shockingly beat Mil – not far off from what we saw with Puma & Pentagon, only Fenix was able to bridge up. Catrina & Mil were shocked, but Catrina rallied quick: next week’s Aztec Warfare would now be for the Lucha Underground championship, Mil will get #20, and Fenix will be #1.
A couple more people were confirmed for Aztec Warfare: Rey Misterio revealed both himself and Dragon Aztec received invites. Another vignette confirmed Prince Puma and Johnny Mundo are in the match. The other 14 spots are yet to be revealed.
There are others coming to the Temple. Dario decided Matanza was ready and it was time to take his Temple back. Dario opened the door to Matanza’s area, and we saw him for the first time – or the second time if you saw the comic book, because this was pretty much the same scene, down to the first look at Matanza. Matanza seemed a lot bloodier on TV. It was unclear if they’re meant to be in Warfare (doesn’t seem like Catrina would invite Dario back) or if they’re just on their own schedule.
FWIW: I finally found a place that’d map 375 miles from a location. Phoenix, a city near to the heart of the lead writer, seems to be in the right place to be Dario’s hangout these many months.
The other match on the show appeared to be an ending, at least now. Texano cleanly beat Chavo in a bullrope match. Chavo put up a fight – more than the Disciples, really – but was in trouble from the start when the Crew walked out on him. (Mr. Cisco was in a shoulder sling, which might explain why he was the guy pinned in seconds in the gauntlet match a couple of weeks ago.) Texano whipped Chavo with his own bullrope after the match.
I think that’s it! Vampiro claimed he was on his meds, which I’m not sure I believed and may or may not count.
thoughts
This was a really good show. Just doing Fenix versus Mil Muertes sets the expectations really high, because Grave Consequences set the bar so high and the other matches were nearly as crazy – it’s a challenge to maintain that standard. This was up there with those other matches, maybe not at the time, but a great part of an epic feud if you can string all the matches together. It’s been like nothing else.
The crowd desperately wanted Fenix to win this one, but I’m not sure they totally believed he would until he pulled it off. The flash pin, reversing out of a Flatliner when Mil took took much time and might have already had the match won, protected Mil a bit. It’s also that Fenix has Mil’s number like no one else. I wasn’t as much as fan of the “first/last” reveal – Catrina has been a bit over the top evil too similar to people in certain other promotions, and it’s actually kind of a repeat from the first Aztec Warfare. Remember, Mil and Fenix first met in the seeding decision match, and Mil won that time to get #20 in the last match.
Fenix limping during in this match reminded me: this is the end of the Sunday taping, he and Cuerno had their painful looking ladder match just 24 hours before. I have no idea how he could manage to do what he did. They taped out of order on this day to give Mil extra time between last week’s main event three way match and this week’s title match, but even that must’ve taken an immense amount of effort. Luchadors, wrestlers have two matches on the same taping or back to back days all the time, but these were not any ordinary matches.
Fenix’s fight for a German suplex late in the match was awesome.
The Matanza reveal was surprising; I didn’t think we’d see him until he set foot in the real Temple. They shot him from underneath and they framed him to full up the screen. The blood made him see intimidating, but his first appearance in the ring is going to be the test.
The other two matches were kind of slight. Chavo versus Texano was OK, but it was also better than I thought it would be and more definitive than I would’ve guessed. Texano won completely – that’s the best decision they could’ve made but not the one which always is made. The trios title match was really fun while it lasted, even while being one sided, and I could’ve gone for something twice as long easily. Still, if the tradeoff was more time for the main event, that’s fine, I’ll see the trios guys another day.
Once you notice Striker is avoiding saying the individual names of the Disciples of Death, it becomes hard not to notice. They’re tough!
Next week is going to be something. Aztec Warfare I was built off a lot of feuds from the previous episodes coming together, and you can see the same thing being set up here. There’s also a question of who exactly is in this match. We know of six, leaving fourteen spots for twenty four people who’ve been around this season so far: Angélico, Barrio Negro, Bengala, Cage, Chavo Guerrero, Cortez Castro, Drago, El Siniestro De La Muerte, Ivelisse, Jack Evans, Joey Ryan, Killshot, King Cuerno, Kobra Moon, Mariposa, Marty Martinez, Mr. Cisco, Pentagón Jr, PJ Black, Sexy Star, Son of Havoc, Taya, Texano, and the Mack. The Disciples looked like they may need a week off and/or a hospital bed and Bengala may have returned to the jungle, but that’s still a lot of people for not enough spaces – and that’s if no one unexpected shows up.
