Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Ladder Match Review

This week's show opens with a recap of Sexy Star escaping Marty "The Moth", Pentagon Jr. vs Prince Puma from two weeks ago and the Fenix/King Cuerno rivalry.

Mil Muertes is unhappy with Catrina for not allowing him to wrestle. He lifts her by the throat, saying he wants Pentagon and Puma. She tells him no and disappears, just angering Muertes more.

Kobra Moon def. Sexy Star in 2:59
The unique girls faced off for the first time that I know of. The Mack, who tried to help Sexy Star against the Martinez family, walks out to ringside to take a closer look. Kobra looked better here than against Bengala a few weeks ago. Sexy Star locked in her pendulum surfboard submission but got distracted by the appearance of Marty Martinez in the crowd. That allowed Kobra to lock her in a guillotine choke and make her tap. Short match that furthered an angle and allowed Kobra to get another win. Acceptable stuff. **

I missed it last week, but this time around, I get to see the Famous B vignette. He gives a number, 423- GET- FAME, which will get you help from Famous B to become famous. This video is watched on a TV, which is cut off by Rey Msyterio. He doesn't want Dragon Azteca watching as he needs to train for "his destiny". Is Dragon Azteca Alberto Del Rio?

A vignette airs to hype King Cuerno and the main event tonight.

Pentagon Jr. and Prince Puma fought to a no contest at 4:56
Vampiro again played up the fact that talking about Pentagon is bad for him. Pentagon busted out the white Cero Miedo gear from Ultima Lucha last year. They played the match like two guys that didn't like it each other before breaking down into more of a competitive based match. At one point, they messed up a spot but seamlessly went back into it and fixed it. That's the mark of good workers. After some great back and forth, Mil Muertes strolls out. Pentagon abandons the package piledriver but is laid out by Muertes. Mil spears both men and looks to be recovered from his arm injury. He picks up both men and nails a double Flatliner. The match itself was fun and the post match angle worked very well. Lucha Underground has done a fantastic job in making the title the focal point of the programming. It's Booking 101. ***

Backstage, Mil Muertes tells Catrina that he wants to defend his title against both Pentagon and Puma next week. I love it because it shows that Mil hasn't been wrestling because he was hurt. He's healthy now and isn't ducking anyone.

Matt Striker brings us breaking news! In three weeks, Aztec Warfare II is coming! Last year's Aztec Warfare crowned the first LU Champion and was one of my favorite matches last year. It's like a Royal Rumble, but is no holds barred, features 20 luchadors and has pinfalls and submissions instead of over the top eliminations.

Gift of the Gods Championship Ladder Match: Fenix def. King Cuerno (c) in 16:41
I appreciate that the ladder got brought into play early because it shows how important victory is. Despite the match only featuring two competitors, there are bout five ladders involved. They used them as weapons because even though they wanted to win, their rivalry has been great and they want to go to war. Fenix front flipped off of a part of the Temple and over a ladder onto Cuerno in a sick spot. They fought all around the Temple and Cuerno came off as such a badass. He methodically picked apart Fenix. There was a bit of a poetic moment as the fight went back around the office, which is where their Last Luchador Standing match ended.They ended up both hanging from whatever holds the title above the ring. They got a great camera shot of a terrified fan as both men fell to the mat. Cuerno brought a table into play, looking for the Thrill of the Hunt off the top through it. Fenix escaped and gave him a double jump rana through it instead. With that opening, he climbed up and retrieved the belt. An excellent ladder match. These two work incredibly well together. This felt like the perfect blend of a fight and athletic contest while being a great capper to a great rivalry. The best match so far this season. ****1/4

Overall: 8/10. I really enjoyed that episode. The main event was spectacular and worth the entire show by itself. Pentagon, Puma and Muertes had great interactions and even though the opening match wasn't very good, it accomplished the job set out and furthered an angle. Throw in the announcements for next week and Aztec Warfare and a lot went down tonight.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!