Lucha Underground - Season 1 Finale: Ultima Lucha Part I & II - Results and Afterthoughts

Ultima Lucha (Spanish for Last Fight) is the name of the final episodes of the first season of professional wrestling TV series Lucha Underground. The first part of Ultima Lucha, episode 38, premiered on the El Rey Network on July 29 and the two hour final episode Ultima Lucha, episode 39, is scheduled to premier on August 5, 30 on the El Rey Network. The show will later be shown in Mexico on the UniMás network in a version with Spanish commentary. The episodes will be the season one zenith of several ongoing storylines that has played out throughout the first season of Lucha Underground. As part of the season finale all three of the Lucha Underground championships were on the line in a match, including a match to determine the first ever Gift of the Gods Champion.

Backstage: Show opens with Dario dressed to kill in terms of celebrating Lucha Underground's one year anniversary event as he visits Black Lotus in her cell. The exposure to Dario's brother and solitude has made her deranged and more focused on extacting revenge on her parents' murder. Dario informs her that it wasn't his brother who killed them - it was El Drago Azteca himself. He leaves her to dwell on this new revelation.

 Street Fight - "The Machine" Cage def. The Mack

What an excellent way to kick off Ultima Lucha with a lot of crazy spots and fan-interaction. Cage and The Mack went all over the crowd during this match and doesn't end until Cage curbstomps The Mack's face through a cinder block for the win. This was definitely my personal favorite match on Part 1 of Ultima Lucha.

Trios Tag Team Championship Match - The Disciples of Death (w/ Catrina) def. Angelico, Son of Havoc, and Ivelisse (c)

We knew this was coming but everyone played their parts here perfectly. From Son of Havoc making a stand on his own, Angelico putting his body on the line (literally and figuratively) for the sake of the team, and Ivelisse's courage - throwing down with ALL of the Disciples and even fighting off Catrina too made this match still a joy to watch. We even almost had a potential wardrobe malfunction with Catrina's top coming undone from her catfight with Ivelisse. This was the beginning of the dark cloud that would cover the entire Lucha Underground landscape by the end of this event.

If I had any complaint about this match, it was that it felt too "short" and a little rushed.

I can't be mad at Son of Havoc, Angelico, and Ivelisse losing the titles here as they play the part of unorthodox underdogs so well that I'm sure we're going to love to see them climb back to the top next season.

Belivers' Backlash Match - Drago def. Hernandez

This was a clever way to bring back TNA's defunct match-type, "Fans' Revenge", but underneath lucha libre rules. We've seen these guys go at it several times now and while it's not much different than their last few encounters, it's good to see Drago pick up the win this time. Hernandez is allegedly out of the door after this since his deal with resigning with Impact Wrestling didn't pan out like he wanted.


Backstage: El Drago Azteca arrives to the temple, ready to rescue Black Lotus, but he's stopped by a hooded individual who challenges his abilities. The hooded man warns him of the prophecy if he enters the temple, but Azteca doesn't care about his own life - only rescuing Black Lotus. The hooded man steps aside and allows him entry as Part 1 ends.

Johnny Mundo def. Alberto El Patron

This match serves as the show opener for Part 2 of Ultima Lucha and much like the opener for Part 1, Mundo and El Patron brawled all over the temple before returning back to the ring to excite the fans in even more ways. After multiple near-falls and ropebreaks, neither man could seal the deal. Former WWE Diva and Mundo's on/off again real-life girlfriend Melina Perez made her debut at the end of this match after using the AAA Mega Championship to break El Patron's hold to allow Mundo to finish him off for the win. As great as the actual match was, it was the aftermath that was the true highlight that saw El Patron toss Mundo through the office doors like a lawndart just like Mundo did to El Patron a few months ago. I hope Johnny Mundo's alright because he was a bloody mess after that spot.

Cero Meido Match - Pentagon Jr. def. Vampiro

I had my predictions for months now, but when Vampiro showed up for this match dressed like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars crossed with the Pope Anti-Christ, I KNEW he was Pentagon Jr.'s beloved "master". The first half of this match serves as an endurance contest to see how high is Vampiro's pain threshold while the later half is Vampiro returning the favor to Pentagon Jr. If you love the "deathmatch" style of hardcore matches then you're going to love this bloodbath. Thumbstacks, multiple light tubes, and even a flaming table are all part of the action in this crazy match. Both wrestlers end up a bloody mess by the time it's all said and done.

As predictable as the reveal was about Vampiro being Pentagon Jr.'s master was, the live crowd bought into every second of this match all the way up to the point where Vampiro refered to Pentagon Jr. as his "son". I'm VERY anxious to see where they go from here with this angle.



Backstage: El Drago Azteca arrives to free Black Lotus from her prison but Dario Cueto stops him in his tracks as he prepares to unleash his brother on Azteca. Instead, Black Lotus grabs Azteca from behind and slays him herself, extacting the revenge that she has craved for so long. Dario warns her of the war that she started and offers to protect her as they motion to flee the temple as Dario mentions a "new temple".

7-Way Match for the Gift of the Gods Championship - Fenix def. Jack Evans, Big Ryck, Bengala, Aerostar, King Cuerno, and Sexy Star

I'm not saying this was a bad match, but if you've seen a lot of these matches with a ton of people in them throughout the season, you know what to expect - lots of high-flying spots, some occasional teamwork, and a flashy finish. One thing I do give Lucha Underground major props on in these kinds of matches is that they make sure EVERYONE (no matter how high or low on the totem pole) gets a chance to shine.

No Disqualification Match - Blue Demon Jr. (w/ The Crew) def. Texano

If anything, this was the only "bad" match on this card as it was a complete "throwaway" match. I would've had this on that show "before" Ultima Lucha and gave more time to some of the other matches on the undercard, especially the Trios Tag Team Match. Texano jobs to Blue Demon Jr. and the Crew in a promptly fashion in a means to establish Blue Demon Jr.'s new-found partnership with Chavo Guerrero.

It seems like Lucha Underground is establishing some more trios teams and more forces at play to challenge Dario Cueto in the next season. That's the other reason I can justify this match being on the card.

Lucha Underground Championship Match - Mil Muertes (w/ Catrina) def. Prince Puma (c)

From bell-to-bell, this was the match of the evening and definitely lived up to the hype. Prince Puma (Ricochet) put up a valiant effort but Mil Muertes wouldn't stay down. I loved the how Catrina kept raising the stone up into the air and that would symbolically help Mil keep kicking out of Puma's offense that would have usually put most of his challengers away in the past.

Backstage: Cliffhanger teaser showing several luchadors leaving the temple

• Black Lotus, Dario Cueto, and his brother flee the temple together in a van
• Fenix riding off in a Firebird sports car with the Gift of the Gods Championship followed by an unknown figure wearing a cowboy hat driving a pick-up truck
• Sexy Star tied up to a chair after being kidnapped by Marty "The Moth" Martinez, taunting her that he won't be a laughing stock after she meets his "sister"
• Drago and Aerostar respectfully depart the temple, both agreeing to meet again in honorable combat 
• Angelico and Son of Havoc vow to reclaim the Trios Tag Team titles. Ivelisse and Son of Havoc agree to ride together one more time
• Pentagon Jr. asks his master what shall they do next, only for Vampiro (dressed even more like Emperor Palpatine as he stood next to his apprentice) to reply that they will go to an even "darker" place.
• A new luchador picks up and dons the mask of the fallen El Drago Azteca and spraypaints a "?" onto the Lucha Underground billboard looking over the city.
• Scene ends with a shot of Dario Cueto leaving the temple behind as all of the lights go out and fade to black with the words "To be continued..." left on the screen.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

(Sobs uncontrollably) Why do the things that I love in professional wrestling always have to go away? As it stands with current posting date of this article, there's no signs of Lucha Underground being picked up for a second season anytime soon. This is mainly due to the allegedly 20 million dollar budget they spent on the premiere season and if you ask me, it was money well spent. The problem with Lucha Underground is that they aren't a traveling wrestling promotion but simply a television show, so they can't garner any additional revenue, unless AAA wants to continue just funding them to continue garnering additional exposure for this new outlet to introduce non-Mexican fans to their product.

As for the event itself as a whole, I'm glad that Ultima Lucha was split up into two parts. The undercard was pretty much the bulk of Part 1 with all of the high-profile matches in Part 2 (save for that Blue Demon Jr. vs. Texano match that really didn't seem to live up to the hype IMO but we needed something as the piss break match before the main event). Even if this ends up to the only season of Lucha Underground, Ultima Lucha stands as the reward and payoff point for a year's worth of stellar wrestling matches and masterful storytelling of this narrative.

Whoever cooked up Black Lotus' storyline deserves a raise and a standing ovation as she has one of the best wrestling storylines (especially for a woman in this sport) like EVER to say that she hasn't even wrestled one match at all for the company. The way how this first season played out in terms of storylines being slowly hinted at and sprinkled along throughout the entire year reminded me of back the WWF years (Hogan's glory years) to Attitude Era, where WWE built major feuds over the course of a year before having them come to that climactic finale at WrestleMania. In this case, that WrestleMania was Ultima Lucha and I crave for wrestling as a whole to go back to this style of booking. I know that most promotions nowadays don't do this in fear of injuries or anything else major happening over the course of a year, but this style of storytelling allows fans to invest more emotion into the feuds and story over a long time instead of rushing to build a major feud in 2-3 weeks between Pay-Per-Views.

As for the teasers, I have a few predictions on what the closing tidbits may mean for the possible second season. First of all, Black Lotus' story will continue but I think we will see her transform into a heel character after being corrupted by Dario Cueto that would be similar to Karai in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lore that is only "bad" due to the circumstances of her upbringing and her own code of honor and loyalty to what Dario has done to protect her. I think that Fenix is being pursued by the hunter, King Cuerno, the man who hasn't managed to catch his prey all season. I think he will have a fruitful hunt in the second season with his eyes on Fenix's newly won title. With Sexy Star being kidnapped by Marty the Moth, I think his "sister" is going to be Cheerleader Melissa since it was reported that she reportedly signed a deal to work with the company. As a HUGE fan of Melissa, I'm more than happy at that news. My other guess for the identity of Marty's sister would be Mercedes Martinez but that would be a stretch to say that she hasn't ever been in a mainstream promotion despite her stellar work on the indies for the last decade. With Son of Havoc and Ivelisse riding together "one more time", I think that they are going to iron out their differences and emerge as a couple and a stronger team again in the next season. Angelico might be the third wheel but it seems like the trio like hanging around each other. Vampiro and Pentagon Jr. leave together to conquer new plateaus from the realm of darkness - without a shadow of a doubt, I'm sure that they will have their eyes on title scene next season or even possibly join forces with Mil Muertes to cause even more suffering to the individuals in Lucha Underground. Last but not least, a new El Drago Azteca will be hunting Dario and Black Lotus throughout next season as they will flee to a new temple as Dario left nothing behind of his former glory. The ideal situation would be to film the next season on the road at various live events to garner more revenue and don't settle on a new locale until the end of the season.

As it stands, I have my fingers crossed that Lucha Underground gets the greenlight for another season. There's so much more that Lucha Underground can do for the wrestling industry today - it was the best hour long weekly broadcast, with matches and storylines that blew their competition out of the water on a consistent basis. Sorry, NXT and ROH, but Lucha Underground made them look pathetic in comparison. If this is the last we see of Lucha Underground, I want to say "adios mi amigo" it was a splendid ride with you guys from start to finish.

OPINION -- Why You Should Be Watching Lucha Underground

Next THIS week, Lucha Underground starts their two week season finale event, dubbed "Ultima Lucha", that is essentially their version of WrestleMania. New Japan has Wrestle Kingdom, Ring of Honor has Death By Dishonor, TNA/Impact Wrestling has Bound for Glory/Slammiversary (take your pick but both are pretty much their WrestleMania's in my book), WCW had Starrcade, and so on...

Lucha Underground is no different in that regard, but in their premiere season of wrestling, they have managed to prove on a weekly basis that they are the best weekly wrestling product on TV today. Why you ask? It'll be pleasure to explain why.

*** WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!!! ***

IN-DEPTH STORYLINES

Lucha Underground is approximately a hour every week per episode, but there's more plot development and advances to their stories here than in the 4-5 shows on WWE's weekly programming of that 12+ hours of content that they release on a weekly basis. All of Lucha Underground's storylines have started since the premiere episode and have continuously built upon up to this climatic finale that is Ultima Lucha. Fans (like me) are on the edge of their seats to see how everything will pan out in this 2-part finale.

BRILLIANT CINEMATOGRAPHY

Filmmaker and acclaimed director Robert Rodriguez is backing Lucha Underground in more ways than one and his fingerprints are all over the cinematic style of Lucha Underground. Every backstage segment and vignette is shot like a feature film. Never before professional wrestling has been presented in this fashion. It's an exciting breath of fresh air and adds to the compelling drama that Lucha Underground has created with their universe. The cinematography alone definitely sets them apart from the rest of their competition on the market today.

During the opening episodes of the season, video packages and vignettes introduced fans to the characters of this universe in a way that were so visually appealing that it even influenced WWE to make chances to their own vignettes. Want proof? Check out the recent video packages WWE released on NXT for Finn Balor and the NXT Divas after Lucha Underground came around.

COMIC BOOK STYLE APPROACH TO NARRATIVE & CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Perfect example to this. Black Lotus (formerly WWE Diva Angela Fong) hasn't wrestled a SINGLE match in Lucha Underground but her background and storyline has been hinted at and sprinkled throughout this season that she hasn't had to even wrestle for people to be invested into her character.

Without in-depth spoilers, Lucha Underground actually "killed" off a character over the course of the season to further their narrative. Whereas wrestling fans have criticized both WWE and Impact Wrestling for "insulting their intelligence", the comic book style approach to the narrative here is presented in a way that fans of this product see this form of wrestling as a sort of a graphic novel/comic book and it's not as ridiculous to see something like that happen.

In the vein of that concept, Mil Muertes is a character that actually grows (along with many others within the first season) and actually evolves into a new entity (almost to the level of being this promotion's own version of The Undertaker to a much extreme degree) over the course of the season.

At simple glance, one would think that a trio of losers who just can't get a break at winning won't amount to anything great on Lucha Underground. Instead, they end up becoming the promotion's biggest babyfaces to cheer for by the end of the season. Unlike most other mainstream wrestling promotions on TV, the characters on Lucha Underground actually show progress and don't stay the same.

I remember being frustrated after watching the first two episodes, thinking that it wasn't anything different from what I've been used to on mainstream wrestling outlets, but I'm glad I've stuck along with the show from beginning to end. There have been twists and turns that would make even Chris Claremont or Stan Lee blush.

Lucha Underground may be a shorter broadcast than it's competition but that adds to their episodic weekly format.

NO LONG WINDED PROMOS TO OPEN THE BROADCAST

Dario Cueto acts as the on-screen authority figure on Lucha Underground but his appearances are minimal at best and only essential to furthering the ongoing plot for the season. Outside of that, he appears in minor vignettes, but you won't have to tuning in and enduring a whooping 20-30 minute promo from him at the start of every broadcast like those other wrestling companies.


I have to be honest. As I'm looking back at footage and segments throughout this initial season of Lucha Underground, Dario Cueto has to be my personal favorite authority figure in professional wrestling right now. Before Stephanie McMahon held that spot currently, but she has to move down to second place out of my new found respect for Dario.

SUPERB WRESTLING

Actions speak louder than words. Lucha Underground focuses more on WRESTLING instead of talking. This is the purest form of lucha libre that you're going to get on TV on a weekly basis unless you're living in Mexico and/or can watch AAA or CMLL regularly without any issues or without pirating them online.

Gotta love Angelico...

Lucha Underground utilizes top talent from Mexico (including talent from AAA and Pro Wrestling Guerilla), along with a few notable faces from the independent scene. As a result, they have one of the most diverse rosters in wrestling today. It may seem crowded at times but Lucha Underground finds a way to utilize and make you care about just about everyone on this roster in some shape or form. Every character is presented as a threat and has the potential to win a match. There's no throwaway characters or "jobbers" that you would see in mainstream wrestling. Well there's Marty the Moth, but that's a totally different story altogether...

Well, that's one way to meet your new boss.

If that's not enough, Lucha Underground manages to take a lot of American concepts that were popularized in mainstream wrestling and especially in WWE, and finds a way to make those tired and true match types exciting again. For example, the first Lucha Underground Champion is crowned in a Royal Rumble-style (Aztec Warfare - full match is linked above) match that included every single member of the roster (male AND female) that allowed the use of weapons. If that's not enough for you, Lucha Underground revitalizes the Casket Match and even takes the traditional Ironman Match to new heights.

One of MANY reasons why I love Pentagon Jr...

The roster is includes Prince Puma (Ricochet to those familiar with his work in New Japan as part of the Super Jr's tournament), Johnny Mundo (former WWE Superstar John Morrison/Johnny Nitro), Brian Cage, Big Ryck (former WWE Superstar Ezekiel Jackson), Chavo Guerrero, Blue Demon Jr., Sexy Star, Ivelisse (former Tough Enough alumni and NXT's own Sofia Cortez), Catrina (formerly NXT Redemption's Maxine/Karlee Perez), Son of Havoc (Matt Cross/M-Dogg20; former Tough Enough alumni), Jack Evans, King Cuerno, Angelico, Argenis, Aerostar, Fenix, Mil Muertes (Ricky Banderas/El Mesias or TNA/Impact Wrestling's Judas Mesias), The Mack, Drago, Pentagon Jr., Texano, and even more introduced throughout the season, such as Hernandez, Killshot, and Alberto El Patron (former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio).

A perfect demonstration of Mil Muertes taking out the trash...

If that's not enough, Lucha Underground held several strong contenders for Match of Year (for both 2014 and 2015) for FREE on their program over the course of this premiere season. If they are pulling out all of the stops for their normal episodes, I can't imagine what they are going to do to end the season with.

GREAT COMMENTARY

While the beautiful Melissa Santos handles the in-ring introductions, Matt Striker and Vampiro are scholars in their craft in more ways than one as they call the action like professionals instead of arguing and belittling the talent in the ring during the action. They are just excited about what is going on in the ring as the fans watching at home and within the temple.

WOMEN'S WRESTLING MATTERS

The #1 thing that sets Lucha Underground apart from it's mainstream counterparts and other miscellaneous alternatives to WWE is that men and women are treated as equals in this promotion. That means that women can wrestle men and vice versa without any silly inter-gender/mixed tag team rules. This continues to be the topic of HEAVY criticism among fans of professional wrestling in terms of making this believable, but I'm like this - if men and women can coexist and fight each other in comic books without any problems then I don't have a problem here as long as the matches serve a purpose in the narrative.

The women of Lucha Underground are beautiful, but they won't hesitate for a second to put their bodies on the line in the spirit of competition.