Lucha Underground 4×2: Darkness and the Monster

Matches

Son of Havoc, Killshot and the Mack beat Big Bad Steve, Sammy Guevera, Jake Strong for the Lucha Underground Trios
(5:28, Killshot shooting star press Big Bad Steve, good)
– first defense

Dragon Azteca beat Drago for an Aztec Medallion
(6:08, casadora bomb, good)

Pentagon Dark beat Matanza for the Lucha Underground Championship
(7:44, package piledriver, good)
– second defense

Status Check

Champion: Pentagon Dark

Gift of the Gods: vacant
Medallions: Dragon Azteca + 6 more
Trios Champion: Killshot, the Mack, Son of Havoc

Happenings

No one’s gone in and out of an Aztec Warfare as champion. No one’s beaten Matanza in a singles match. Pentagon Dark has done both in back to back weeks. Matanza remains a force but maybe a more beatable opponent with Dario around. Antonio Cueto only got involved after the match was over, seemingly preventing Pentagon from getting his arm broken by bringing in the key. Antonio was very upset by Matanza’s performance, saying Dario had spoiled Matanza and made him weak.

In one of the lingering questions from last week, King Cuerno does NOT have the Gauntlet of the Gods. Catrina found this out the hard way, sneaking in Cuerno’s lair only to discover the gauntlet glass case empty. Cuerno revealed he knows how strong the gauntlet is – “it could strike down the descendants of the 7 Aztec tribes” – so he’s keeping it safe and out of reach. Cuerno gave it to someone else – “I don’t where or when he hid it” – which sure points the finger at a time traveling Aerostar.

Catrina wasn’t pleased. She wants the gauntlet to get her full life back. Apparently, she has multiple ways of achieving that: she proposes a Grave Consequences match with Mil Muertes and Fenix. This plan involves Catrina getting Fenix’s life force when he’s put in the casket. I’m not sure how that worked, and Antonio was surprised to find out Catrina really was a ghost but decided it was violent enough to go with. Antonio was also surprised to later find Jeremiah Crane demanding to be added to the match. Crane explained he really wanted to impress Catrina, because Catrina is really hot. Antonio bought that as reasoning an added him. That match will take place next week.

This week, the matches included Famous B getting his guys a trios title match. His guys are not Wagner and Texano; they’re written off as working for him in Mexico. Famous B’s new trio is Big Bad Steve (a mechanic who also happens to be Steve Pain, no longer masked as Pindar), Sammy Guevera and Savage Jack Strong. Jake Strong is ex-WWE’s Jack Swagger, which they carefully point out. He’s a cut above the rest of his teammates, and has the titles won with an ankelock on Killshot. Unfortunately, the referee is busy arguing with Famous B (who had been trying to help but lingered on the apron too long.) The trios champions really to beat Steve. Strong savagely attacks his teammates and his now ex-manager, breaking Famous B’s ankle.

The middle match on the show saw Antonio Cueto returning the seven Aztec Medallions back to play. As with Dario, the seven holders of the Medallions will battle for the Gift of the Gods championship, and that gives the winner a shot at the Lucha Underground Championship when they want it. Dragon Azteca pulled a slight upset over the Kobra Moon controlled Drago for this Medallion. Kobra Moon was upset with Drago over the loss. She was probably more upset after Taya attacked him from behind, thanks to a distraction from Johnny Mundo. They’re still upset about Vibora and Kobra costing Mundo Aztec Warfare last week.

In a statement seemingly for only existing for the most obsessed, Striker goes out of his way to say Dragon Azteca Jr. is part of the Eagle tribe. I need to go mark that one down.

Thoughts

This was a better episode than the last week. The match quality was a lot better than the first half of the Aztec Warfare even without having a standout match. Aztec Warfare wasn’t great for starting new feuds; the limited time means you had to know what was happening already or you’d get lost. Issues got more time to breathe this episode and came off stronger for them.

“Strong” is a good word because that’s how they put over the former Jack Swagger. He nearly won the trios titles single handily and destroyed his partner. That match gave me the same vibe as the first couple episodes of the first season – same visa issues, same people being thrown in odd places just because they needed to find a way to make it work with some people MIA. It didn’t feel like Strong was ever meant to be a Famous B guy, because Strong was immediately established as a top contender for the top title and that’s not where Famous B normally dwells. Sammy Guevera fits the expected Lucha Underground style better and did well even though he was slotted in the midcard. Big Bad Steve also existed. The makeshift nature of the trios champions was way downplayed, probably because getting over the new guys was the priority, but the match flowed pretty well.

Drago/Dragon Azteca seemed intended to be a proper lucha libre match on a show that hasn’t had many of them (and might not have any soon.) They pulled out a lot of flashy moves and kept up a good pace. I thought they meshed pretty well, though Drago could’ve used showing a bit more of a rudo side. I’m not sure who I’m supposed to be rooting for in this Taya/Johnny vs Drago/Kobra feud, though team Worldwide Underground has the cooler jackets.

Pentagon’s match kind of showed how much had changed since he won the title two years ago – it was less of an adventurous match and more his indie showcase bit for a long way. It got more competitive in the last third, and Matanza suplexes were pretty cool. Still, this didn’t feel like an epic rematch of an Ultima Lucha main event as much of the challenge of the week. They tried to explain it by Matanza powering up once Antonio showed up with the key, but the character felt less scary than in years past. Penta feels completely different, having beat nine people in two weeks. I guess the answer to “how do you book Penta?” is you have him just beat everyone. Crowd seemed to like it and it’s a pretty decent idea.