September 12th, 2018
Matt Striker and Vampiro welcome us to the show. Great news comes our way because Fenix reunites with Aerostar and Drago to challenge for the Trios titles in tonight’s main event. Before that, Ivelisse receives a title shot, and that happens RIGHT NOW!
Gift of the Gods Championship: Dragon Azteca Jr. (c) vs. Ivelisse
This ended up being a solid match, once we got past the dead crowd and slow start. Dragon hasn’t defended his title since the August 15th episode, so it was great to see him get some time to work. Like I said, this one started off slow, and the moves seemed forced and the crowd didn’t care. Thankfully we got past that, and the inexperience of Dragon almost costed him, as his big dive to the outside resulted in his face smashing off the railing for the steps. From here, the crowd really got behind Ivelisse and wanted to see her win so badly. After a few great near falls, Dragon hit a big legdrop to finish the job. Pretty flat finish, but the closing stretch was well done.
Winner: Dragon Azteca Jr.
Match Rating: ***
XO Lishus and Joey Ryan come out to congratulate Ivelisse after a great performance. XO and Joey both want some gold, and they know Ivelisse has been known for weird trios in the past. XO, Ivelisse, and Joey will be the next challengers for the Trios Championships. What an interesting trio.
Antonio Cueto is out after Cuerno’s entrance. He admires how Cuerno seeks out what he wants, however there is someone else in the Temple who deserves a Lucha Underground title shot. The winner of tonight’s match gets to face Pentagon Dark next week for the title. The opponent IS NOT Matanza… Instead someone who hates Cuerno even more… MIL MUERTES!
#1 Contenders Match: King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes
As soon as Muertes was announced for this one, I expected a no contest, and it’s exactly what we got. Muertes is out by himself for the first time, as he pretty much killed Catrina last week. Cuerno and Muertes have feuded before, so they had fine chemistry, but this was more of an extended angle than a match. The fight eventually escalated to the outside, when referee Marty Elias told the two to bring the fight back into the ring, they shoved Marty down, and he called for the bell. The fight would continue up the stairs until Antonio came out. This was done perfectly.
Winner: No Contest
Match Rating: **
Antonio Cueto doesn’t punish violence, he rewards it, therefore Muertes and Cuerno will both challenge Pentagon for the title NEXT WEEK!
As Aerostar, Drago, and Fenix make their way out, Jake Strong follows behind. He says hello to all three men, and then announces that if those three win the titles, they’ll be defending against HIM. Just Jake Strong… Alone. Strong says a wrestler defeats a luchador every single time, and he’ll snap their ankles because he can, and because it makes him STRONG. Please leave Jake Strong…
Trios Championship: The Reptile Tribe (c) vs. Aerostar, Drago, and Fenix
This was a fine match, but the main goal was returning Fenix and his new attitude… Which is definitely something I didn’t see coming. Fenix didn’t have the typical pep in his step, and just seemed off. When Fenix slapped Aerostar on the chest instead of tag him normally, you knew things would go downhill from here. Drago and Aerostar would later go on to hit their big dives to the outside, as everyone in the temple tried to convince Fenix to do the same. Aerostar was hyping Fenix up, but Fenix decided to SUPERKICK AEROSTAR! Jeremiah Snake capitalized, and pinned Aerostar in the center of the ring. As for the match, it was average, but the angle was very well done, and something that gives us tons of questions moving forward.
Winners: The Reptile Tribe
Match Rating: **1/2
After the match, Melissa Santos tries to talk some sense into Fenix. She grabs him by the shoulders, but Fenix turns around real quick and shoves her down! Dragon Azteca Jr. then comes out to check on Melissa.
Antonio Cueto is in his office, as Marty the Moth creepily knocks on his door. Marty slams some money down onto Antonio’s desk as he raises his eyebrows at Antonio. Cueto wants to know what Marty exactly wants, and Marty tells him he wants a shot at the Gift of the Gods, because his sister got a shot. Antonio makes the match official for next week, so it’ll be Marty vs. Dragon Azteca. Marty then creepily laughs and says there’s something else he wants as the show goes off the air.
Final Thoughts:
While nothing in the ring was spectacular, this was a great story telling edition of Lucha Underground, which is always something they thrive at. We kicked off the show with a pretty solid Gift of the Gods title match, which saw Dragon Azteca rack up another win. After the match, we had a new Trio join forces, that being XO Lishus, Joey Ryan, and Ivelisse. Moving on, King Cuerno and Mil Muertes reunited their rivalry, only for it to end in a no contest, giving them BOTH a shot at Pentagon Dark for the Lucha Underground Championship next week. Then Jake Strong came out… Whatever. The main event was all about Fenix. His big return to the Temple, but he didn’t come back as the same man. Fenix turned on his Lucha Friends, and pretty much everyone that ever believed in him. To use the words of Matt Striker, “The #FlyFenixFly has turned into the #WhyFenixWhy?”. This was another super easy hour to sit through, and we have two big title matches set for next week.
Final Rating: 7.0/10