(Spanish for Last Fight Three) is the name of the final episodes of the third season of professional wrestling TV series
. The first part of
on September 27, 2017. The second part (episode 38) was shown on October 4, The third part (episode 39) was shown on October 11 and the fourth part (and Season 3 finale) was broadcast October 18 on the El Rey Network and later shown in Mexico with Spanish commentary on the
network. The episodes are the climax of several ongoing storylines that played out throughout the third season of Lucha Underground. As part of the season finale all three of the Lucha Underground championships were on the line. The episodes were taped on June 25 and 26, 2016.
As we roll towards the end of 2017, I revisited this event over the holidays and decided to do a proper write-up of my thoughts of this show from start to finish.
Results:
Famous B (w/ Beautiful Brenda) and Dr. Wagner Jr. def. Texano for his services
I have to wonder if there's any particular reason that they only manage to get Dr. Wagner Jr. to show up for these Ultima Lucha events instead of for a full season. That being said, this match was hella short to say that it was the kick-off opener for this card. I guess they just wanted to get this one out of the way to save the rest of this episode for the next match.
Hell of War Match - Killshot def. Dante Fox
Fox takes the first fall. Killshot took the second and the third. It was pretty much a Three Stages of Hell match. This match was borderline gruesome at points. The first fall was First Blood after Dante Fox dropped Killshot through a glass table. Killshot got the second fall after pulling off a Buckle Bomb into a barbwire table leaning into the corner and hitting his finisher for the pinfall. At this point, Fox was a bloody mess with his back covered in his own blood.
They kept doing spots at ringside since the last fall was a literally Stretcher Match and I couldn't help but cringe seeing pieces of Dante Fox's flesh was on the floor and on the stretcher along with his blood everywhere. The match ends with Fox falling from the balcony through a stack of tables and another glass pane, which allows Killshot to toss him into the evac unit to end this episode and win the match.
I humbly suggest watching this match just to see what these guys put themselves through in this match at the cost of their own physical well-being for our entertainment. Just holy fuckin' shit at this match at points...
Battle Royal For An Unique Opportunity - The Mack def. Vinnie Massaro, Argentis, Pimpinela Escarata, Mascarita Sagrada, Joey Ryan, Mala Suerte, Paul London, Saltador, Son of Madness, Cortez Castro, PJ Black, and Ricky Mundo
Nothing much to write home about on this one. It served as the opener to Part II of this four part event. There were a few comedy spots for laughs and athletic spots to get over the folks for their various ongoing feuds/storylines. Seriously, you knew none of these guys weren't going to win this thing, especially the ones who were mostly goons for the other various factions or acting as cannon fodder for the bulk of the season.
The shocker here was Dario's announcement that The Mack won a Trios Tag Title match on the next episode, but his partners would be Killshot and Dante Fox who just killed each other in the previous episode. Man, Fox is a better man than me to wrestle TWICE on this card after taking the beating that he took in that match.
Ivelisse def. Catrina (w/ Mil Muertes)
I don't know who idea it was for both ladies to come out here wrestling in what looks like lingerie for their ring gear, but I'm not complaining. This seemed like a typical WWE Divas match from the Diva Search era at first glance until Catrina retreated back into Dario's office and broke SEVERAL glass bottles over Ivelisse's head to bust her open. At this point, I was convinced that the Lucha Underground roster were determined to "out-bloody" themselves in each match following that Hell of War match in Part I. I honestly marked out to see Catrina bust out her old finisher from her days on NXT Redemption as Maxine. I don't care what anyone says, but Ivelisse is the marquee woman of Lucha Underground - NOT Sexy Star.
Nice way for Jeremiah Crane to garner heel heat by targeting Ivelisse's ankle after her history of injuries to that same limb over the past few seasons that sidelined her for the bulk of those seasons. Other than that, I really can't complain about this match. Sure, it was bumpy start, but the ladies served their purpose here and told a story, even if it was a brief exchange to determine who is Lucha Underground's "baddest bitch".
Mask vs. Hair - Fenix (w/ Melissa Santos) def. Marty "The Moth" Martinez (w/ Mariposa)
Mariposa bails on Marty within the first few minutes of this match, forcing him to take on Fenix on his own. Marty recycles a bit of what Mil Muertes did in Grave Consequences - biting and tearing into Fenix's mask before slamming him into the exposed turnbuckle to leave the luchador a bloody mess. Like I said during the previous match, it seems like this episode is deadset on "out-bloodying" the previous episode's Hell of War match. I can't really knock this match though. Fenix always has a knack for making these underdog babyface comebacks so compelling to watch after he's gotten the holy hell beat out of him.
I applaud Melissa Santos for her involvement in this feud/storyline too as I can't imagine her being comfortable having to be in the ring with so much blood on the canvas. If I may add, she did well in their tag team match a few episodes back, despite having so little in-ring experience. You guys know how much I mark for Cheerleader Melissa/Melissa Anderson, so you know I was all for Mariposa betraying Marty at the end.
Someone should've called Enzo and Cass for the moment where they were shaving Marty for spelling out "BAWLD" like they did for poor Marcus Louis on NXT.
Last Luchador Standing - Sexy Star def. Taya
In retrospect, I'm watching this match many months after Sexy Star's unruly behavior that caused her to legitimately dislocate Rosemary's arm during an AAA/Global Force/Impact Wrestling joint event (TripleMania if memory serves) and well after Taya's Impact Wrestling debut. I don't know what lightning/filter they use for their show, but it takes away a lot from Taya's beauty. I don't want to sound biased, but goddammit Sexy Star's ring work is damn awful here. Thankfully for her, the bulk of this match is ringside brawling and using the furniture within the Temple to their advantage, so it works to hide her shortcomings.
I know that I wrote a piece in the past about the significance of Sexy Star winning the Lucha Underground Championship, but now that I'm thinking about it, it would have meant more if Ivelisse managed to avoid her untimely injuries and won the title instead. Remember the pop she got a few seasons ago when she came so close to defeating Mil Muertes when he was the Lucha Underground Champion? It wouldn't have been a stretch if they had Son of Havoc and Angelico helped her pull it off only for her to lose it the week after like Sexy Star did, but the impact would have been the same.
Back to this match though... I can't help but feel that this match had an underlining message to vent Sexy Star's real life issues with non-Hispanic opponents. This match has Taya a bloody mess too when Sexy Star really didn't take much abuse here. C'mon, girl, you could've at least taken something in return if Taya was willing to do the job here.
In retrospect though, I honestly can't see Sexy Star popping up in the next season of this show at all due to her unprofessionalism over the past year. Seriously, who is going to trust her in the ring after what she did to Rosemary and allegedly against another opponent a few months after that?
Trios Championship Match - The Mack, Killshot, and Dante Fox def. The Reptile Tribe (c) w/ Kobra Moon
Dante Fox deserves a medal for even coming out here and wrestling again period. I'm surprised his back wasn't still a bloody mess coming out here for this match. I don't mind this storyline between Kobra Moon as the "queen" of the Reptile Tribe with her "brainwashing" Drago to serve her, but I hope her talents won't continue to be wasted at the sidelines when I know she's a formidable competitor in her own right. If I may add, every single member of the Reptile Tribe has a bloody awesomely designed costume. That's some shit straight out of a comic book and one of the main reasons I absolutely adore what Lucha Underground provides as a wrestling alternative.
I was surprised to see the Reptile Tribe drop the titles here, but I guess Kobra Moon's kingdom is about to come crumbling down around her in Season 4.
I'll say this much though... if they are looking for a replacement for Prince Puma, then put Dante Fox underneath the mask and let him play the part.
Ladder Match for the Gift of the Gods Championship - Pentagon Dark def. Son of Havoc
There were a few spots here that reminded me of El Generico (Sami Zayn) and Kevin Steen (now Owens) feud in Ring of Honor that ended in a death-defying ladder match. Doing a Package Piledriver on top of three ladders is just as bad as doing one while standing on top of four steel chairs. Hell, my neck hurt watching that spot even though I thought it was awesome at the time. I thought the table spot at the end was completely unnecessary when I would've ended it after that Package Piledriver spot.
Other than that spot, I can't say that I was surprised at anything else in this match. To be honest, this was pretty tame in comparison to everything that we have seen up to this point.
Steel Cage Match - Dragon Azteca def. Matanza Cueto (w/ Dario Cueto) via ring escape; Match restarted with Montanza def. Dragon Azteca w/ assist from Black Lotus
HOLY FUCKIN' SHIT at that cage break spot. If they planned that, holy shit that looked unsafe as hell. If not, thank god that Dragon Azteca wasn't hurt. I would have been fine with Dragon Azteca taking the win here from that cage escape bump as Matanza wouldn't have been pinned nor submitted as the assist from Black Lotus didn't make sense at all, especially when she was ready to confront Dario immediately afterwards. Like why do his dirty work?
In either case, I'm glad that they are continuing Black Lotus' storyline here. I believe that Angela Fong, who plays Black Lotus was pregnant during most of their tapings of this season so that explains her absence up to this point. As much as I liked their slow burn for her narrative in season one, I'm hoping that she becomes a regular character in Season 4. Her and Dragon Azteca Jr. should be working together instead of being at odds with each other.
3-Way Elimination Match for the Gauntlet of the Gods - Mil Muertes (w/ Catrina) def. Jeremiah Crane and Cage
They must've had a huge intermission between tapings of this episode and the previous three as the ring has been thoroughly cleaned of blood and we're treated to the lovely surprise of Catrina and Melissa Santos have had time to change their wardrobe. I know WWE must be kicking themselves for not hanging onto Jeremiah Crane (formerly Solomon Crowe on NXT). Dude took like the worst bumps in this match and pretty much in this match to get eliminated first. I can't even be mad as he always looks like a badass taking all of this punishment. That was like foreplay to the main course - Mil Muertes versus Cage.
In terms of the storyline, I'm anxious to see if Catrina is going to regain her mortality now that she has the Gauntlet in her possession for her mother... Well, once she and Mil Muertes regains it back from King Cuerno. I was wondering what happened to that dude after last season as I was under the impression that he was going to either Impact Wrestling or going to compete in the Cruiserweight Classic for WWE. It's the end of 2017 and we haven't seen him pop up in neither promotion, so no idea what's going to happen in regard of his future in Season 4.
Lucha Underground Championship Match - Title vs. Career - Prince Puma def. Johnny Mundo (c)
I have to applaud whoever did this short film (narrated by Taya) chronicling Mundo's creation of the Worldwide Underground stable and his training leading up to this match. This season has done a great job establishing Johnny Mundo as the top of the food chain in Lucha Underground. I don't blame the guy for wanting to continue working for them as well as Impact Wrestling. The guy is talented enough to juggle being in a top position in both promotions. Plus I'm anxious to see what they do with Taya as part of the Knockouts division if they are able to work out her work visa issues if Anthem plans to continue taping in Canada.
This match acts as a reminder of why these two men were positioned at the top of the card time and time again in Season One of this show. Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma have an answer for each other's offense and their levels of athleticism shown off here is simply uncanny. Don't forget that these are the two men who killed it in that All Night Long match before Mundo found himself lost in the shuffle until his rise to power here in Season Three. I couldn't think of a better opponent to act as the gatekeeper to his second championship win.
I wasn't surprised with the interference from the Worldwide Underground but the referee getting involved with the action along with Angelico's return certainly did. (Laughs) Why was Taya out here dressed like she was the lovechild of Misty from
Pokemon and Joy from
My Name Is Earl?
I think they screwed up the spot where Mundo missed the End of the World out of the corner then landed on his feet only to hit it again. I think that's where Puma was supposed to counter it on the second attempt and get his comeback to finish the match. Outside of that minor exchange, this match didn't disappoint.
Lucha Underground Championship Match - Career vs. Career - Pentagon Dark def. Prince Puma (c)
I have to come clean here on this one. I was reading stuff on Wikipedia earlier this year and stumbled onto the fact that Pentagon Dark won the Lucha Underground Championship. I just didn't know how. So when Dario made this last minute revision to the card, I instantly went "Oh shit..." at the time of watching this live. That's why he won Gift of the Gods for they could do a Money in the Bank style moment to end this event.
From a storyline perspective, I thought it was stupid to say that this was Career vs. Career as you already soured the mood for everyone going into this match as one of their favorites aren't coming back. Plus, on top of that I think everyone knew Puma would take the loss here as rumors of him going to WWE have been floating around since Season Two once his Lucha Underground contract expires. As of this writing, just about everyone under contract to Lucha Underground are free to go elsewhere after so much time has expired between taping Season Three and it airing on television, but after the announcement of Season Four was coming, Lucha Underground did reach out and requested that people come in for the tapings and at least humbly finish up storylines and drop titles out of respect. In my honest opinion, that's not too much to ask, especially given the popularity of some of these men and women have gotten as being part of this show.
What wasn't stupid about the story here was Vampiro's loyalty to his original pupil, Pentagon Dark, that served as the turning point of this match and was the nail in the coffin that cost Puma this match. He put so much stock into following Vampiro as his new master when Vampiro didn't have any stock into him at all.
Afterthoughts:
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| NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! |
Man, I hope they aren't killing off Dario Cueto for good. Give whatever money his actor wants and get him back ASAP. Let Catrina revive him with her magic or something. Wonder who is going to be taking over the Temple in his place?
Anywho... in typical Ultima Lucha fashion, we get a montage showing off what is to come. Prince Puma removes his mask and exits out of the curtain, seeming to never return to the Temple. He could be WWE bound and showing up in NXT by the time Season Four rolls around, so I wouldn't hold my breath on him sticking around. I do wonder why he of all people would be the one that Dario calls on his death bed.
Who would've thought King Cuerno would have been the one who ends up with the Gauntlet of the Gods after everything that transpired tonight? Mil Muertes is going to whoop that ass good next season, making that beatdown he got at Ultima Lucha Dos look trivial in comparison. I wonder how much Catrina is going to be involved in the next season after landing that movie role (which I have completely blanked on what it was at the moment...) since her story revolves around her "mother" going forward.
Like I mentioned earlier, I doubt Sexy Star is coming back so we can pretty much rule out this whole "spider" storyline with her. Sucks too as I was wondering where they were going with that since it was confirmed that Mariposa has nothing to do with that.
The Rabbit Tribe are off to meet the White Rabbit. I wonder who in the world could that be? Maybe this will make London's faction to be taken seriously in the future instead of being comic relief.
Melissa Santos and Fenix continue their budding romance. Santos is going to be another oddity for next season as she announced her pregnancy (she's dating Cage IRL in case you don't know...) earlier this year, so I would imagine they would want to wait until she's back on her feet afterwards before involving her into another physical storyline, especially if they want her to continue being involved in the ring.
Kobra Moon has taken Daga (who she's had her eyes on for the past season anyway) as her new "king" as Drago watches in horror while he executes the member of the Reptile Tribe. Can't say I could tell you what were the names of those two guys in the masks anyway, despite of how cool they looked. Daga was criminally under-used in Season Three, so I hope they remedy that in Season Four.
I'm dying to know who is Vampiro's new "master". This dude is looking like Shao Khan from Mortal Kombat from what I can see of his costume.
Rey Mysterio must have a death wish visiting Matanza in his cage. If they are intent on making Dragon Azteca Jr. as Rey's successor and student, then he really needs to stand on his own without Rey dragging his ass out of the fire. Jobbing to Matanza definitely ain't doing him any favors either.
As a season finale,
Ultima Lucha Tres definitely didn't skip a beat, even though I thought that they went a bit overboard with just about every match having color (read: blood) over the course of this show. I humbly suggest that you take the time to check this one out if you're a fan of Lucha Underground. I honestly can't recommend the entire card to everyone else as that much blood and high spots aren't for everyone.
As for the future of Lucha Underground after this cliffhanger, I hope they don't make us wait for long before Season 4 drops.
