The Lucha Libre Thread

[patiirc]

Enjoyed Aztec Warfare, some great spots and visuals and lots and lots of storytelling and nods to and continuing stories. The drummers as time keepers was weird, but got used to it as time went on. Great match and show. I wonder where Lucha goes from here and who was Dario talking to when the show opened regarding destroying pretty things?

[reychampion]

Still no Brian Cage yet, maybe him.

 

Was a cracking match, didn't let up at any point. Puma and Fenix both looked like stars. I thought the crew would have lasted longer.

[patiirc]

Still no Brian Cage yet, maybe him.

 

Was a cracking match, didn't let up at any point. Puma and Fenix both looked like stars. I thought the crew would have lasted longer.

Cage, AEROSTAR! and two others have been announced for this weeks episode. AEROSTAR <3 

Could well be a debutant this week from that Cueto speech then

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Loved the Aztec Warfare match. Got me thinking, imagine if they did this for the Royal Rumble in the 80s? Imagine some of the shitty Survivor Series style finishes you'd get? I just keep thinking of Sgt Slaughters elbow drops and clotheslines in the 1990 Survivor Series.

 

One thing I fucking hate is Matt Striker doing this:

 

"Rock Bottom, Book End, Mr One Arms Jumping Slam - CALL IT WHAT YOU WILL". He will smugly list off a load of different names for moves and ends it with "call it what you will". He does this at least twice every week. Just ... no. Its up there with JR's "in my view" and "this is unique".

[Undefeated Steak]

Well, what an awesome show that was. By far the best episode of LU so far. Cage looked like a STAR. Seriously impressed with him, he could easily be the next Goldberg if he's booked right. Some of those moves he pulled off were mind blowing and he looks like Brock Lesnar.

 

There was a couple of ace matches, a huge dive through a table, Chavo cutting the promo of his career, a Dario Cueto segment, a title defense, and a new star made. All in under an hour. It's what keeps you looking forward to the next show.

 

NXT might pip Lucha Underground as the best all-round show but no wrestling show looks as good as Lucha Underground. The whole product is just so much fun. We've got Seth Rollins going for the WWE title, Tanahashi as king of Japan, Sami Zayn as NXT champion and Prince Puma as Lucha Underground champ. What a time to be a fan. 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

The NXT specials are the best things going, but Lucha Underground is a far better TV show, for me. Shame you cant have the best of both worlds. Lucha Underground would benefit from a 2 hour special every few months.

[patiirc]

Well, that was intense LU shows the way forward, all three matches were excellent,  Cage looked like a beast, Aerostar was amazing (I'm slightly biased) Drago vs Cuerno has much more to come and Puma vs Fenix was compelling from start to finish.  I fricking love this show.. 1 hour and does more than many others without the need to over do it. 

Not sure I agree with the specials, as with a small roster, doesnt need them and the feuds etc can get their blow off now. I'm sure I read somewhere that that is the plan along the line, dependent on how it does though 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

The last two weeks of Lucha Underground have been a thrill. Probably the best two episodes of the whole run. All these different wrestlers doing thilling things. Brian Cage is hardly a secret either. He impressed everyone and his dog in that Gut Check he did with TNA, and they never hired him. Outside of the blatant steroid abuse, I have no idea why he isn't in WWE right now. He's got the lot. He looks great and can actually work. Great to see Aerostar as well. He pulled out all his great hits.

 

I think I had my fill of Vampiro on this episode. For what Vampiro lacked in likability, Blue Demon made up for with his blue shirt with the top 2 buttons undone.

[PunkStep]

The NXT specials are the best things going, but Lucha Underground is a far better TV show, for me. Shame you cant have the best of both worlds. Lucha Underground would benefit from a 2 hour special every few months.

Absolutely, I think King Cuerno VS Drago alone deserves a big-feel conclusion. Such a simple feud, very back-to-basics and it works a treat. It's not over-complicated, they're not feuding over one of them getting a gig for a Japanese shampoo commercial they both wanted- they both want to be better than the other.

 

So, is Cage the hidden guy Cuerto has been taking to backstage? I'm guessing not as they made no reference to it this week. My money is on Alberto El Patron. There is a bit of a top heel void in LU at the moment, especially now Big Ryck has lost momentum, and I can't think of a more prefect fit for that spot than Alberto. Dare I say, it's his destiny?

[Undefeated Steak]

Another thing I forgot to mention - that opening video where Puma was hitting his flip and the camera panned mid-way to Mundo's face. Haven't seen that in wrestling before, looked top notch.

[pgi86]

By the way, when asked about it on Twitter yesterday, Alberto Del Rio said he's not going to Lucha Underground, which is interesting since until a couple of months ago he was talking about how he'll be working there in 2015. Something must have changed. Shame. I was looking forward to the vignettes they'd do with him.

 

In other Lucha Underground news, they'll be doing an 8-episode online reality show where 8 wrestlers compete for a Lucha Underground contract. Casting is next week, and shooting starts on March 1st.

[PunkStep]

Another thing I forgot to mention - that opening video where Puma was hitting his flip and the camera panned mid-way to Mundo's face. Haven't seen that in wrestling before, looked top notch.

I thought that, too- brilliant bit of production. It's little things like that which really set Lucha aside from everyone else.

[Linus]

Hey, it's Lucha Underground! And I am STOKED!

 

Last week's show was fantastic. It did everything you'd want a one-hour wrestling Tv show to accomplish: it finished stories, started others, crowned a champ with a clean pinfall, and featured more in - and out of - ring action than you could shake any stick you could find at. Even Papa Shango's stick.

 

This week's shot started in Dario Cueto's office where he was sitting down with Fenix. Fenix did not have a whiskey. He told Fenix how impressed he has been with him in Lucha Underground so far, especially when he dived off of the top of Cueto's office - a feat all the remarkable when you consider that office's Brigadoon-like qualities.

 

Cueto noted that Fenix had pinned Prince Puma in the epic 10-men two weeks ago and wondered if Fenix would agree to take out Puma tonight, as part of Cueto's war with Konnan. Fenix said that he fought for himself, not for Cueto, but when Cueto made it a title match, he agreed to fight.

 

In the background, looking in through a window like Barry Windham, was Angela Fong. Who is she working for?

Hey, its Melissa Santos! She told us that the upcoming lucha was a 4-way elimination match. Matt Striker said that all the competitors would be making their debuts tonight. Aces.

 

First out was Argenis, who is a AAA regular and the younger brother of the first Mistico/Sin Cara. He was joined by Areostar, who is one of the standouts in AAA right now, and billed as coming from "the cosmos"! Third out was Angelico, a South African working in - yes, you guessed it, AAA, who was trained by Booker T. And, finally, CAGE! came to the ring. This man is a freak. It can't be natural but if he's okay with it, then so am I. I think.

 

They did six minutes of freaky lucha stylings. But first he DESTROYED all of the smaller men, until they ganged up on him, and forced him to the outside, where - sensibly - he spent most of the match so that the luchadores could do their stuff, although he did have arguably the spot of the match where he caught Aerostar in a stalling suplex. I don't mean "caught" as in "performed", I mean he actually CAUGHT him. In that position. And then did the suplex. Tops.

 

They all did big dives, with Angelico (Arn-hell-eecoe) stealing the show with a dive over the top turnbuckle onto the other three on the floor. He rightly took a bow afterwards.

 

Cage won the match after eliminating all three men in BRUTAL fashion. He then told us he was called Cage because he is not a man, he is a machine. That makes absolutely no sense but whatever: a star is born. Screw that, four stars were born...

 

After the break, Chavo Guerrero was in the ring with two chairs. Usually he hits people with them but tonight he wanted to sit down and have a talk with his nemesis, Blue Demon. The fans were already on his back, chanting, "culero" - asshole - at him.

 

Blue Demon came out wearing his mask, a pair of slacks, and a shirt with the top two buttons undone. He is nothing if not swank. They sat down for a chat, and Chavo told Demon he wanted to apologise. He wanted to apologise for not exposing him as a fraud, and for not ripping his mask off and replacing it with a mask of blood.

 

While he was saying this, the camera caught a close-up of Chavo slipping brass knuckles onto his hand and he tried to hit Demon with them but Demon blocked it, and punched and kicked Chavo like a suave boss. He grabbed a chair and waffled Chavo in the head, and across the back, before leaving the ring and flipping off the fallen Guerrero.

 

Hey, it's Melissa! She introduced the competitors for the next lucha, starting with King Cuerno - the Horny King! - and his reindeer headdress. The announcers put it over big but it's really very silly.

 

He's fighting Drago, and they've been having quite the feud. They had a bit of a to-do in the Aztec Warfare rumble last week, and they're picking it up again tonight.

 

Drago got the first licks in but Cuerno kicked him to the outside and did a flip dive onto him out there. While Drago was down, Cuerno went to the other side of the ring, pulled out a table, and then dragged Drago back into the ring.

 

Drago found some FIGHT and dropkicked Cuerno to the outside, and corkscrew dived onto him. He superkicked Cuerno onto the table and then climbed to the top of Dario Cueto's office at ringside, before splashing down on Cuerno - and the table - from TWENTY feet in the air.

 

The referee took a look at the wreckage, decided both men were NOT going to return to the ring, and called a double count-out. I really can't blame him.

 

The announcers then hyped the main event, and threw to a Fenix vignette. In this we learned that Fenix may die, but he'll be reborn stronger. They illustrated this by having a man beat him down into some flames only for Fenix to come back and KICK this man. I liked it.

 

Hey, it's Melissa and it's our main event! Its a Lucha Underground title match between Fenix and our champion, Prince Puma! Fenix came out first, in a natty blue mask, and awaited his opponent.

 

Out came Prince Puma and offered his hand to Fenix. This was a fight with Honour! They did a ton of stuff, going 12 minutes with nary a rest hold. Suicide dives, springboard neckbreakers, a standing Shooting Star Press... these guys rock.

 

Prince Puma got the win with a piledriver and a 630 Splash after Fenix had gotten a near fall with his own 450 Splash. It's those extra 180 degrees that count.

 

After the match, Cage stormed the ring and hit Puma with a HUGE clothesline and THREE ouchy powerbombs. Sucks to be Puma.

 

This was a Great Show again. They do the simple things so well, and add in their own little touches - like in the recap of last week's finish where they zoomed into Johnny Mundo's face right before Puma's 630 Splash hit home. I love this show.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

By the way, when asked about it on Twitter yesterday, Alberto Del Rio said he's not going to Lucha Underground, which is interesting since until a couple of months ago he was talking about how he'll be working there in 2015. Something must have changed. Shame. I was looking forward to the vignettes they'd do with him.

Never believe a wrestler on twitter.

[Linus]

By the look of that picture, his shoes grew longer when he told that lie...