Lucha Underground: Catrina vs. Melissa Santos (E13 S4) | Here We Are

Can we take a second and talk about how awesome that introduction scene between Catrina and Melissa Santos was from this week's episode of Lucha Underground was?

Even though fight cinematography where it's cut to hell from reaction shots back and forth usually drive me nuts in full-length films, I was fine with it here. This was the pay off to the storyline between Catrina and Melissa Santos that began once Fenix lost his Grave Consequences Match against Mil Muertes. Catrina then took his life force and restored her own, causing the Man of 1000 Lives to "die" for good. This left Melissa Santos struck with grief over the course of the last few weeks/months (I forget how the timeline works here in Lucha Underground) until things came to a boil a few weeks ago in Mil Muertes match against The Mack where Melissa refused to even call ring announcements. This sparked a brawl between her and Catrina that was pretty one-sided after Catrina left her laid out. This sequence is Melissa Santos' means of getting revenge on Catrina taking who she loved the most in the world out of her life.

While I'm sad to see Catrina "killed" again it seems, but I'm anxious to see how Mil Muertes functions on his own. We saw the chains come loose on Matanza this season after Dario's father ordered him to destroy the key that symbolized the last of his humanity. We saw the fruits of that labor last week during the wedding of Taya and Johnny Mundo, so I'm sure the shit is about to hit the fan with Mil Muertes on his own and off Catrina's leash.

I have no idea what to make of this "time displacement" nonsense with Aerostar though. That goes double with the soul-stealing/manipulation he was performing like Shao Khan in Mortal Kombat. I'll just wait and see on that one.

OPINION --- The Significance of Sexy Star's Lucha Underground Championship Win

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, Sexy Star made history in the Lucha Underground Temple, becoming the sole survivor in Aztec Warfare III to become the new Lucha Underground Champion, making her the first female wrestler to hold the title.

I know that I'm two weeks late to comment on this matter, but goddamn I have wanted to talk about this since hearing the spoilers unintentionally on Jim Cornette's podcast a few months back. I'm honestly proud of myself for not spilling the beans on this matter as I wanted to see first-hand if it was executed as moronic as Cornette described it from the source that he got the information from during the tapings earlier this year. As much as I thoroughly enjoy Cornette's podcasting and his occasional rants on professional wrestling, in this case I have to say that he was absolutely wrong on how this matter was handled. That being said... he's notorious for his negative opinion on the Lucha Underground product as a whole, so there's that too.

Back on the premiere episode of Lucha Underground, Sexy Star was defined as hero and icon for women. Most AAA fans already recognize her as such, but with this being her first mainstream appearance, it was important that Lucha Underground took great care to hammer this point home in her backstory. Throughout Season One, Lucha Underground established her as a rising star that female viewers could identify with and idolize. She wasn't the flashiest luchador on the roster, but time and time again she proved that she belonged with the best that Lucha Underground had to offer. She stood up to the likes of Pentagon Jr. and Chavo Guerrero before having to face her former friend Super Fly and deal with Marty the Moth by the end of Season One. She faced shortcomings along the way, coming up short on capturing the Gift of the Gods Championship at Ultima Lucha - a mistake that was remedied at the end of Season Two at Ultima Lucha Dos.

Sexy Star winning the Gift of the Gods Championship at Ultima Lucha Dos

When Sexy Star won the Gift of the Gods Championship at the end of Season at Ultima Lucha Dos, I was a bit skeptical as that match was a pretty lackluster affair, especially after how Mariposa and Sexy Star drove themselves to hell and back in their No Mas Match (see below). Like I said in my write-up of that event, that match was one of the weaker matches on that stacked card and Sexy Star's performance in that match left a lot to be desired. At the same time, she's not the flashiest competitor but her merit as a symbol is what makes her continue to out shine on this show over the other women in Lucha Underground.

Catrina is the seductive puppet master, commanding the forces of darkness and death at her beckoning. As of this writing, she hasn't had an in-ring match out of the three seasons of Lucha Underground, even though she is set to face Ivelisse at Ultima Lucha Tres. Ivelisse is the "baddest bitch in the building" - no pun intended, focused on proving that she's bad as - if not more - than her male counterparts, but a string of injuries over the last few seasons has derailed her from being at Sexy Star's level of being an icon for women's wrestlers in this promotion. Don't get me wrong. Ivelisse is definitely a prominent star in terms of women's wrestling in terms of this modern era, but she hasn't hit that point in Lucha Underground - yet. Despite being the most important character in Season One, Black Lotus (former WWE Diva Search contestant Angela Fong) has been reduced to being another one of Dario Cueto's many pawns and haven't had much in-ring time outside of a match against El Drago Azteca at Ultima Lucha Dos that was cut short by Pentagon Jr. Taya Valkyrie, or simply Taya as she's known in the Temple, is merely another cog in the machine known as the Worldwide Underground faction, consisting of Johnny Mundo (former WWE Superstar John Morrison/John Hennigan), PJ Black (former WWE Superstar Justin Gabriel), and long-time indie sensation Jack Evans. Then there's Kobra Moon, who seems to be more fixated on stalking Daga and Drago more than anything else right now.

I don't want to sell any of the women in Lucha Underground short, but Sexy Star stands above the rest as an icon in this product.

Sexy Star sets herself apart from the rest of the women on Lucha Underground is that she is willing to go above and beyond, even going as far as being a martyr to show what women are capable of with compassion and determination to fulfill their dreams. Whereas WWE are currently banking on a boss (Sasha Banks) or some flair (Charlotte) to carry their women's division, it is sad to see that they have lost sight of what simple factor could make the masses care about women's wrestling - a powerful narrative. Lucha Underground didn't set out to revolutionize women's wrestling - instead, they wanted to honor and respect women's wrestling by showing them as equals to their male peers.

The No Mas Match wasn't great because of the blood and the extremes that these women went to destroy each other in this match. No, it was because of the extremes that Sexy Star was able to endure, physically and emotionally leading up to this match. For months on end in the storyline break between Season One and Two, Sexy Star was kidnapped and tortured by Marty "The Moth" Martinez and his psychotic sister, Mariposa (the "future legend" herself Melissa Anderson/Cheerleader Melissa). The bulk of Season Two followed Sexy Star somehow escaping the Moth tribe's confines and getting back to the Temple where she coped with the PSTD of that experience. All of Sexy Star's encounters with Marty and Mariposa led to this moment where even Dario Cueto himself urged her to fight back and don't allow herself to be a victim ever again to these psychotic siblings. The narrative of this match was a thing of beauty. It symbolized all of the horrors that Marty and Mariposa inflicted on her physically and mentally until Sexy Star summoned the strength and determination to fight back with a powerful cry of "FUCK YOU MARIPOSA!!!" to show that she wasn't going to take shit from anyone - not from Mariposa, Marty the Moth or anyone else for that matter.

When it came down to the finale of Aztec Warfare III, Sexy Star wasn't the one who toppled the unstoppable monster that is known as Matanza Cueto. Contrary to popular belief, Matanza only fell after falling victim to a barrage of finishers and signature moves from multiple luchadors in that match before being rolled up with Rey Mysterio's old school springboard hurracanrana that could defeat even the mightiest of foes in WCW. In that respect, I could buy into Rey being the one to put the monster down even though Matanza destroyed him afterwards. People may have an issue with Sexy Star enduring the punishment and abuse from Mil Muertes but at the same time, remember that this is a guy who is tamed by the female embodiment of death that is over 500 years old (in kayfabe anyway...). That being said, it's not that much of a stretch to believe that he would fall against a woman. Matanza himself had a moment of weakness in this match so it's not hard to believe that Mil Muertes could fall as well. It seemed like he was off his game a bit after beating the holy hell out of King Cuerno (what the fuck happened to that guy anyway?) at Ultima Lucha Dos. Sure, Mil won Grave Consequences against Prince Puma a few weeks ago and fought Matanza to a stalemate a few episodes prior, but Mil hasn't hit his stride since losing the Lucha Underground Championship last season.

Besides, wrestling fans saw Brock Lesnar job to a 50+ year old man in less than two minutes at Survivor Series the week before Thanksgiving so anything is possible at this point. I honestly don't see what's there to complain about.

Sexy Star proved herself time and time again that she belongs here among the best in Lucha Underground. She captured the top prize of the promotion, bringing a happy ending to what has been a horrifying chapter to her life. Despite the fact that she would lose the title on the following episode to Johnny Mundo and the antics of the Worldwide Underground's Taya, no one can take this accolade from Sexy Star. She is the first and only woman to hold the Gift of the Gods and Lucha Underground Championships.

What makes this moment unique and special that it wasn't done as part of a "women's revoluntion" for publicity like WWE has been doing for the past year with their women that was forced down our throats. This moment was a natural progression for the evolution of her character throughout the three seasons of this show's storyline. I applaud that Lucha Underground gave Sexy Star this chance to shine with this opportunity while at the same time, making her a cornerstone of role model women in this sport to look up to for fans and non-fans alike.

Sexy Star's story is one of perseverance and determination as she continues to be the cornerstone of Lucha Underground's ensemble of lethal femme fatales.  

Lucha Underground Presents: Ultima Lucha Dos -- Results & Afterthoughts

Ultima Lucha Dos (Spanish for Last Fight Two) is the name of the final episodes of the second season of professional wrestling TV series Lucha Underground. The first part of Ultima Lucha Dos, episode 24, premiered on the El Rey Network on July 6, the second part, episode 25, will premiere July 13th on the El Rey Network, and the third part (and Season 2 finale) will premiere July 20th on the El Rey Network and later shown in Mexico on the UniMás network in a version with Spanish commentary. The episodes were the climax of several ongoing storylines that played out throughout the second season of Lucha Underground. As part of the season finale all three of the Lucha Underground championships were on the line.

The Mack def. Cage in Falls Count Anywhere

This was pretty much the same fun match that they had at the original Ultima Lucha last year, but with a few additional spots and surprises. They went for the same cinder block spot for the finish, but Mack avoided it to roll up Cage for the win. I really hope Cage gets some gold in Season 3 as I'm tired of him coming up short in Season 2.

FYI THE Mack is not to be confused with Da Mack from WWE's CWC tournament. Two completely different wrestlers.

Son of Havoc def. Texano in Boil Heights Bar Fight

Texano started off in control but the odds quickly tilted into Son of Havoc's favor and didn't let up. Texano took a lot of nasty bumps into glass scattered throughout the Temple before ultimately falling to the bad ass biker. I have to wonder what is Texano's future with Lucha Underground when he hasn't had a noteworthy storyline since his strong debut in the promotion in the first season. His rivalry with the Chavo Guerrero and Blue Demon Jr. was just swept underneath the rug completely and he was left to wonder around aimlessly in this season while Son of Havoc manages to take every setback that his team with Angelico and Ivelisse suffer into a golden opportunity.

Son of Havoc def. The Mack for "An Unique Opportunity"

I felt that this was a pretty straight forward match, but you could tell that fatigue was settling in. If Son of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Angelico are going their own directions in singles careers going forward, then I'm all for it. Every member of that team is a future champion in the making - yes, I'm aware that Ivelisse is the reigning and defending SHINE Champion.

Dr. Wagner Jr. (w/ Famous B & Beautiful Brenda) def. Son of Havoc

This is one hell of a surprise for Famous B's new client and the one who took up the new "opportunity" for the cash that Havoc turned down. I'm all for more Beautiful Brenda (Holly Meowy) on my TV anyway. Famous B is a trip too. This was pretty much a squash match at the expense of Son of Havoc. I would complain about a squash on Ultima Lucha Dos' card, but Havoc can bounce back from this since him, Ivelisse, and Angelico are the arguably the biggest babyfaces in the promotion.

I'm dying to see what they do with Dr. Wagner Jr. and Famous B's "partnership" in Season Three (Tres?) though.

Sexy Star wins a 7-Way Match to become Gift of the Gods Champion

This match was pretty awkward at times as everyone was just randomly placing themselves around the temple to catch each other for spots left and right. Daga, Killshot, Night Claw and Mariposa were the standout performers in this match, but unfortunately, not one of them came close to picking up the win. As much as I have enjoyed Sexy Star's push throughout this season, I have to admit that this wasn't one of her best performances. After seeing her go to hell and back against Mariposa to pitting her against Marty the Moth made things a little awkward and you could tell that the fans in the temple were conflicted on what was going on. I don't have an issue with men fighting women in this promotion, but it just was odd to see that these were the final two competitors when you got several MUCH more talented wrestlers who were eliminated earlier in this bout - too soon if I may add.

I remember watching this match and reading comments online criticizing Sexy Star's "lackluster" performance but I didn't see it as that. It's hard to judge her matches when it's female vs. female compared to female vs. male. In the latter, the storytelling is more important there as this was Sexy's comeuppance from being tormented by Marty and Mariposa in the time between the end of Season One to the start of Season Two. I was willing to overlook her performance in that aspect in favor for the payoff to the storyline.

If this leads to a Lucha Underground Championship win for Sexy Star then I won't frown on it as Sexy Star deserves the recognition in mainstream wrestling since this is her last hurrah in professional wrestling since she already announced her retirement a few weeks ago and will transition into the world of combat sports. That's no secret as she's made that news public in a few media outlets that saw her unmasked publicity for the first time - at least to most fans.

Mil Muertes def. King Cuerno in a Death Match

This was brutal - nothing else needs to be said. It was so one-sided that I actually felt sorry for King Cuerno but at the same time, Cuerno brought that beating onto himself for picking a fight with Mil and even going as far as trying to mess with Catrina as well. After Mil's match with Matanza a few episodes back, I didn't feel like this match lived up to the hype that his match at last year's event lead to. This match just felt like filler - much like the bulk of this card, which is ultimately the problem with this season finale as a whole.

You gotta be crazy to be taking bumps onto steps or anything made out of steel if you ask me, but that's the wrestlers' own choice if they want to have back problems later in life.

Is Cuerno out of the door or something? That's the only reason I can justify the beating he took during this match. I remember hearing about he was interested in signing with WWE at some point but damn... I remember hearing rumors about him being interested in being picked up by WWE when Lucha Underground was making media rounds to promote the start of Season Two but nothing else after the fact.

Drago, Aerostar, and Fenix def. "Darewolf" PJ Black, Jack "Dragonslayer" Evans, and Johnny Mundo (c) for the Lucha Underground Trios Championship

Please note that after this match, Fenix is now the first ever Lucha Underground Triple Crown Champion after holding the Gift of the Gods Championship, Lucha Underground Championship, and now the Trios Championship.

This was a fun match to watch as everyone got some fun spots in and there were a few false finishes/near-falls, but the real finish didn't occur until the injured Angelico (Ivelisse, Son of Havoc, and Angelico have the shittiest luck when it comes to getting injured during the height of their pushes...) came out to help Drago, Aerostar, and Fenix pick up the win. I thought it was rather strange to see Angelico aid the masked luchadors when he is known to team up with Jack Evans outside of Lucha Underground, but if this leads into a feud between the two factions, then I'm all for it, especially after Ivelisse already kick-started the tension between the two trios teams with her feud with Taya Valkyrie.

I personally found this match to be a strong candidate in the conversation of match of the evening out of all 3 episodes of Ultima Lucha Dos.

Black Lotus vs. El Dragon Azteca end in No Contest

After the arguably the best storyline for a female wrestler in a mainstream promotion in a VERY long time in Lucha Underground's first season, former WWE Diva Angela Fong - now dubbed Black Lotus, finally makes her in-ring debut against the sensational El Dragon Azteca, who's been turning heads all season with his in-ring work and athleticism. Black Lotus is no push over either as she even one-upped Azteca a few times during this match. I was genuinely surprised that she improved this much since her departure from WWE.

Sadly, this was another match that fell flat. It was cool to see Pentagon Jr. come in and break the arms of both competitors but I was hoping to see some kind of resolution to the conflict between Azteca and Black Lotus. Instead, both competitors are taken out in a huge WTF moment to act as filler/lead-in to the next match on the card.

Monster Matanza Cueto (w/ Dario Cueto) def. Pentagon DARK to retain the Lucha Underground Championship

Pentagon Jr. is no more and is reborn as Pentagon Dark after recovering from his injuries and overcoming his personal demons in his quest to confront Matanza Cueto. Pentagon had this match in the bag until his own master's intervention caused him the win after Matanza got his hands on the weapon instead. It was shocking to see Matanza get dominated in this fashion from bell to bell, but it played up to the narrative that Pentagon Dark is a much more powerful entity that he was ever before. Even Dario Cueto played up the fact that he could sense something terrifyingly new about Pentagon and that his brother's precious title was at risk of being taken away from him. It goes without saying that Dario plays one hell of a manager on top of his brilliant persona as the el hefe (boss) of this promotion.

Taya def. Ivelisse

Props to the guy in the crowd to help Ivelisse get her footing right before that dive over the railing spot. Pretty rad to see Catrina in her Maxine remix ring gear to bust out her old finisher on Ivelisse. I'm dying to see where this goes in Season 3. Outside of the brawling outside of the ring, I wasn't too crazy about this match itself, but it came together by the end of the bout.

I have to wonder why this was this high on the match card. I guess the ladies were the cooldown match before the "dream match" main event between Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio.

The Rey vs. The Prince - Rey Mysterio def. Prince Puma

At first, I didn't think it was in good taste that Puma lost, but after thinking about it after the fact a few hours later, I have to say that Rey winning was the right decision. Mysterio was moving around the best he has in YEARS, even busting out some moves he hasn't done since his days in World Championship Wrestling - the REAL WCW, not Woman Crush Wednesday...

Out of all of the shortcomings on this card, this one match made up for everything else wrong on this show in terms of the in-ring competitive aspect. This match was essentially the definition of a dream match as people have been clamoring for Rey Mysterio to join Lucha Underground and face Prince Puma since Ricochet donned the mask and exploded onto the scene of Lucha Underground at the start of the first season.

Closing Thoughts

Compared to the original Ultima Lucha event last year, Ultima Lucha Dos has some high points and low points but ultimately - no pun intended - fails to live up to the hype and high standard that the original blockbuster event left last year. Outside of a few standout performances, Dos comes off as a mere bridge or filler episode (or rather episodes...) to set the stage for Season Three rather than wrapping up feuds and blowing fans away like we were last year.

That being said, don't allow my comments to deter you from checking out this season finale. The "Unique Opportunity" series, the Trios Championship match, and the main event are well worth your time as you will get more bang for your buck watching those matches, but the rest of the show isn't bad - just merely isn't able to hold a candle compared to the rest of the card.

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.