Paid Members Linus Posted December 4, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 4, 2014 Yeah, it's Lucha Underground!Show starts with a re-cap of the last few weeks. There's been a lot of stuff so I don't mind them doing this. Besides, it's soap, right?Dario Cueto is meeting with Big Ryck in his office. He's pouring champagne like a bawss. Ryck signs his exclusive contract. Because you can't have him shitting things up by appearing in TNA.Out in the ring, Son of Havoc and Ivelisse are out. Ivelisse gets on the mic and demands respect for Son of Havoc. She says he's had to fight women (Sexy Star) and half a man (Mascarita Sagrada), and says they didn't sign 7 year deals for this and that they could have gone to Nashville! Son of Havoc challenges anyone in the back with BALLS to come out and fight him.Out comes PIMPINELA ESCARLATA! Yeah, she's got balls, alright! Pimpi was awesome back in the day - the first of the modern exoticos (wrestling transvestites) - and bringing in the exoticos is a brilliant move. Unfortunately, Pimpi is 45-years old, and her 26 years in lucha have taken their toll.Still, what they do is fun, if slow. Havoc does a great job of carrying the match, with Ivelisse playing her part and, while it was never going to be a **** match of the year candidate, it's a ton of fun. Crowd love Pimpi, so I think we'll see more exoticos before long here.Pimpi wins when Mascarita Sagrada comes out and distracts Havoc with a kiss (!) and Pimpi gets the roll-up.Dario Cueto is in his bathroom. Johnny Mundo comes in and threatens him, saying he wants his $100,000. Cueto agrees, but only if Mundo doesn't hurt him. Mundo takes Cueto's KEY OF MYSTERY with him as insurance.Back in the ring, this week's Area Jobber - Fabulous B - is introduced, and he'll be fighting Mil Muertes!Inspired by this show, I've been watching AAA the last few weeks, and Mil Muertes appears there as Mesias. He's no better there - even worse, in fact, because he has to do more. Frustrates the booker in me that they'd give this ace role to such a chump.Anyhoo, Catrina is with Muertes, as usual, and is smoking hot, as usual. He DESTROYS Area Jobber B, hits the flatliner, and then Catrina licks B's face for the insult to follow the injury. It's really not an insult but it would lead to an uncomfortable swelling.Drago versus King Cuerno, the horny king, is up next, and we get a Drago video package. It's the kind of nice stuff they do here. I want one for Son of Havoc.Hey, it's the horny king! He's wearing his goofy deer-head hat, the dork! I wasn't impressed with him first time out, but he's a lot better here. He and Drago have a good little match that advances their feud, with ol' Horny getting the win with the Thrill Of The Hunt.Oh, that mystery woman from last week came out again. Given that she's Chinese, and she's watched the last two Drago matches, I smell dragon-related shenanigans down the line...Back from commercial, Johnny Mundo is in the ring. He's going to count to 10 and wants his money. Half way through, Konnan comes out and says some old catchphrases. He tells Mundo not to count on any support from Prince Puma, and Big Ryck uses the diversion to jump Mundo. Guess who makes the save? Yeah, Puma!BUT~! Puma and Mundo trade punches before Cueto comes out of his ringside office and says, ENOUGH! He'll put the money in a briefcase above the ring next week - and Mundo, Puma & Ryck will have a ladder match for it! Good set-up. Love Cueto's ringside office.Hey, it's the main event! It's Sexy Star and Fenix versus Chavo Guerrero and Pentagon Jr. They built this well - Chavo is hated by everyone in Mexico, and even Pentagon Jr doesn't really like him, but is teaming because he hates Sexy Star and Fenix. Or something. Reasons! For! Fighting!Star has taken some criticism lately, but she works really well here, and Chavo and Pentagon Jr make her look good. Fenix does what Fenix does, and if you like that kind of thing you'll like this.The crowd chant, "CULERO!" at Chavo, which means asshole in Mexican. The finish is good, and innovative, and the good guy & gal win, and everybody is happy.The match quality was superb this week, and the various storylines are moving along with few - if any - headscratching moments. The only thing that stops this being the best wrestling show on TV right now is NXT being so good. My friends, we're living in a golden age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undefeated Steak Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Great write up as per Linus. Ivelisse cuts such a good promo. Looking forward to the ladder match next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Kat Von D Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I'm becoming a big fan of Lucha Underground. They are doing so many things right. Everyone has a clear character, I already know more about Mundo than I ever did about Morrison. He looks like a star in this setting along with Big Ryck, who I never thought much of before. Puma is just pure money in my eyes as well. Chavo was in a fucking main event and it was amazing. Never thought I'd say that, let alone in 2014. I can't wait to see what they can do with Del Rio in this setting. Is there going to be a Title or any big events for the promotion? Does anyone know how the show is doing ratings wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undefeated Steak Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Is there going to be a Title or any big events for the promotion? I can't see them not introducing a title.They've been wise not to introduce one straight away, it's giving them time to build up a roster and a following. I also think it would make sense for them to stay away from doing PPV's but there's no harm in doing two hour specials every few months. They need something to build towards afterall. The first episode drew around 8,000 viewers but from what I've read El Rey were quite pleased with that number. According to ewrestlingnews, the third episode drew 21,000 viewers and the fourth drew 16,000 viewers. The thing is, the El Rey network isn't yet Nielsen approved so the reported ratings could be way off. That's about all I know regarding the LU numbers so don't look too much into them. It's obviously a different business model than other groups and I'm expecting/hoping they have a long term plan and will be patient enough to let it play out. It is amazing how much Lucha Underground and NXT manage to fit into one hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted December 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 7, 2014 The Spanish-language version of the show has also been doing around 200,000 viewers each week on Unimas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgi86 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Yes, there's going to be a title and it's being introduced fairly soon (the episode where it was introduced was taped a while back, but it hasn't aired on TV yet). Right now LU is a TV show only. There are no immediate plans for PPVs or house show touring. That said, originally their long-term plan was to eventually do both PPVs and house shows, but it remains to be seen when (or if) they'll do that. The Spanish-speaking version of LU, which airs Saturday afternoon on UniMas, has been doing around 200,000 viewers. That's the version of the show that most people are watching since El Rey isn't available in a lot of households. I've no idea if that viewership number is good or bad for the timeslot and the network they're on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Kat Von D Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I'm not usually too fussed about ratings, but they seem good with a decent amount of growth. The important thing is if El Rey are happy with it so far, because I really don't want this to be a Wrestling Society X type deal. They do mention that people are former champions in other promotions, so I imagine they will at some point go that route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted December 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 7, 2014 Don't read their Wiki page if you don't want the Championship spoiling for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted December 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 7, 2014 The important thing is if El Rey are happy with it so far, because I really don't want this to be a Wrestling Society X type deal. I think somebody mentioned that Roberto Rodriguez owns El Rey, and this show is his baby (well one of two of his babies along with another show), so there's a very good chance this will be given more of a chance than your average show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Linus Posted December 11, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 11, 2014 Hey, it's Lucha Underground, and it's a MASSIVE week!Show starts with a "previously on", which is cool because we have three big storylines going on right now: Cuerno and Drago, Chavo versus Mexico, and the Mundo-Puma-Ryck three-way.First match is King Cuerno - the Horny King, remember ( and I'll NEVER forget) - taking on Super Fly. Cuerno comes down with his goofy headgear, which they HAVE to have Drago destroy at some point.Super Fly is up next, and I've been watching him the last few weeks on AAA. He's a flip-flop-fly guy, although he's spent the last few weeks ripping Aerostar's mask off.They start out slow but soon get it into it. Cuerno is good at being the base for Fly's more elaborate moves - Fly even does the Space Flying Tiger Drop at one point. One thing I've loved the past few weeks is Stryker's explanation for the lucha body bump - that it's used to create space. Simple and effective.Just like Cuerno did the other week when Drago took on Mil Muertes, Drago comes out to watch Cuerno. His tongue still freaks me out. No sign of the Chinese woman this week.Cuerno gets the win with the Samoan Driver, and points up at Drago, who does the thumb across the neck thing that Benoit used to do (until he actually did it).We get a whacky little promo video about Pentagon Jr next, talking about his search for Japanese flair to add to his lucha base moves. This was goofy as hell but perfectly in fitting with a show which has Machete sitting in the front row, like this one does this week.Pentagon Jr comes to the ring with Chavo Guerrero - Vampiro says it's so he can get a rub from him, but don't even think about that - who is taking on Fenix. Fenix is accompanied by Sexy Star and he looks like Ultimo Dragon this week, although he sadly doesn't work like him.They sell Fenix as being a rookie, which is true if you count an eight-year career as a rookie period. This was okay. They did a weird fakeout dive spot which looked at first like it was a fuck up but it really wasn't.Finish came when Sexy Star accidentally distracted the ref from seeing Pentagon Jr tripping Fenix so he could fall victim to the frog splash. Afterwards, Sexy Star got on the mic and told Chavo that "he" is coming back. Stryker confirmed our worst fears by pointing out that "he" is Blue Demon. Oh joy.We get another promo video next, this time about Cage. I thought he might be who Cueto had locked away the other week, but that wouldn't work now we've seen him, surely? He's a big dude.Hey, it's the main event! And there's LOTS of TV time left so this is going long. It's Big Ryck versus Johnny Mundo versus Prince Puma in a ladder match, with $100,000 suspended above the ring. That money is claimed by Johnny Mundo for winning the best match on the first show, by Puma for being a part of that match, and by Big Ryck because, well, Cueto gave it to him.This was cleverly done. Big Ryck was there to act as a base for moves, and little else. The work was done by Mundo and Puma, and by Ryck's Choloons. This meant it was a Very Good Match.They did some really wowey stuff, and at one point broke a ladder like you usually break a table. Owwwwww. There was some shenanigans half-way through when a "fan" in a mask hit the ring and took out Mundo. That guy - although not identified by the announcers - is B-Boy, although I always like to call him by his real name of Benito CUNTAPAY for obvious reasons.CUNTAPAY directs Cortez Castro & Cisco to climb the ladder, so he's one of the Choloons. Can you say trios?Mundo wins the match by taking out Ryck and the Choloons - Puma hasn't been seen for ages at this point - and claiming his $100,000.Cueto hits the ring demanding that Mundo "be a gentleman" and give him his GIANT KEY back. Mundo thinks it over before decking Cueto and throwing the key on his prone body. He is not a gentleman, it seems.This was a great show. I don't usually like ladder matches and their ilk but this pushed all the right buttons. This show is fantastic entertainment. Watch it get cancelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undefeated Steak Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Best show in weeks and they even did it without Katrina or Evelisse. Some cool spots in the ladder match, Puma diving through the ladder being the highlight. Also, Puma standing there while the ladder fell over him was like something out of Looney Toons. Quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Linus Posted December 11, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 11, 2014 It's here if anyone wants it... http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cb2ja_johnny-mundo-vs-prince-puma-vs-big-ryck-ladder-match-lucha-underground-10-12-2014_sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syl Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Just seen this on Wrestlezone: According to a new report by The Wrestling Observer, Lucha Underground will not be airing new episodes on 12/24 and 12/31. The show will be pre-empted on 12/24, and on 12/31 El Rey Network will be airing all episodes of the show starting at 4pm up the most current episode. As for the future of Lucha Underground, ratings for the show are not moving as the network had hoped, which could be a big problem given how expensive the show is to produce. Each taping is said to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but national ads which air while Underground is on are only selling for $150-$300 for a 30 second spot (commercial).Furthermore, El Rey recently canceled “El Matador”, which was supposed to have a commitment for a second season, because the show was not catching on as hoped. This could be a bad sign for Lucha Underground, as it shows El Rey is not as committed to first-run programming as producers might think. The hope with Lucha Underground, which has had positive word of mouth along with ads running during Raw, was that the show would help put El Rey Network on the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undefeated Steak Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Can we get a kickstarter going to buy some ad spaces on there? We can't lose Lucha Underground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted December 11, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted December 11, 2014 Fuck this shit. Really started to get into this over the past couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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