Lucha Underground: S1.E2.

Lucha Underground - Season 1, Episode 2

The Temple, Los Angeles, California

Episode 2 begins with a recap of Episode 1 (of course) - Cuerto's announcement that the luchadore that impresses him the most will win $100,000, Chavo Guerrero's shaming, Konnan's unveiling of Prince Puma, the debut of Cuerto's goons (led by former WWE flash-in-the-pan Ezekial Jackson).

Awesome - once we're in The Temple, Cortez Castro, Sisqo, and "The Boss" Big Ryck are in the ring and the show picks up almost exactly where the last one left off (though, Johnny Mundo's attire makes us clear this wasn't taped the same day - it was a full week later). Puma comes in for further support before Cuerto announces that we're looking at our next match - Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma vs. Sisqo and Cortez. Sisqo takes a nasty bump in the corner in an attempt to get the upperhand on Mundo, who is just effortlessly dazzling in the ring. Honestly, watching Mundo here, it really is remarkable that the WWE couldn't make more money off the guy. Big Ryck watching the match from the outside with a cigar in his mouth is the best thing any of the heels in this match do as Castro and Sisqo come off as the most basic workers ever, PG-13 with a touch more size and Homicide costumes on. Credit to all four, though - even with the zany aerial-heavy style and cartoonish characters, this match comes across as a legitimate fight more than almost anything I've seen in the WWE's midcard for years. Stereo 450s to finish a match? Yeah, that works. Fun match, though, again, the "That Was Awesome" chants seem at least two notches too far from what was essentially a showcase squash highlighting how great the faces are and are average the heels are. (2.5/5)

Konnan is backstage with Puma, warning his protege that he needs to stay away from Mundo. I love the seed-planting going on here.

Back in the Temple, Matt Striker explains that Mil Muertes will be debuting tonight, selected by Cuerto to take out Blue Demon Jr. (because Chavo Guerrero Jr. couldn't get the job done a week prior). Spooky video package to promote Muertes. I'm intrigued.

Its intergender wrestling time - Son of Havoc and Ivelisse already in the ring to take on the aforementioned Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Sexy Star. Guerrero starts things off and, though he starts off in control, falls prey to the heels' chicanery after awhile. He eventually gets a tag in to Star to get brief revenge on Havoc from last week, but just like what happened in their singles match, all it takes is one cut-off and Star is done for. Ivelisse comes in and lays on even more punishment before Havoc returns to finish her off. His cockiness costs him, though, and Star makes the tag, with Chavo coming in with a head full of steam. He lands a nifty rolling Liger kick to the corner and all hell breaks loose. Guerrero lands a frog splash, but its Star who wraps things up for her team. Son of Havoc can not be happy about this. An improvement from Chavo's first appearance. PAW - Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling - but nothing more than that. (2/5)

Backstage, Catrina, an associate of Mil Muertes, has something to say to Blue Demon Jr. She licks his freaking mask. He gets weirded out. I do too. (+1)

The same video package about Prince Puma from last week is replayed. Smart.

Mil Muertes (with Catrina) takes on Blue Demon Jr. in tonight's main event. Muerte takes control early on, viciously beating down Demon Jr. and hitting him with strike after strike. The commentators play up Muerte's size, but he doesn't seem that much bigger than Demon to me. Cool sequence when Demon finally gets some offense in and just lays in a flurry of big slaps to the chest and face, but Demon's offense doesn't last long and Muertes lands his Flatliner finish soon after. I'm not sure he earned a $100k pay day, but he's clearly positioning for it. Not much a match. (1/5)

And like the previous week, a post-match angle has me curious where the next show will go. After Muertes starts beating down Demon, Chavo comes in for the save...or does he? After chasing off Muertes Guerrero bashes Demon's head in with a chair, firmly establishing himself as his own man. He follows it up by taking out some refs while the crowd chants "Why Chavo Why?" in shock. Then we get a man-on-woman chair shot from Guerrero to Sexy Star! Shit just got real. That's something you just don't see every day or any day. Demon is taken out on a stretcher and put into an ambulance as Guerrero surveys the damage he's caused. (+1)


Like the first episode, the between-bells wrestling here isn't necessarily the draw. Sure, Prince Puma does some cool shit, Morrison's execution of parkour-inspired moves is impressive, and I really dig Son of Havoc (Matt Cross) and Sexy Star's on-going rivalry, but its the little things that make Lucha Underground addictive.