it's one of my favorite times of the year. ULTIMA LUCHA! The first Ultima Lucha won my "Show of the Year" award in 2015 and, while 2016 wasn't as good, it was still a blast. I've been up and down on season three, but the lineup for this four part event sounds pretty damn good.
The episode opened with a recap of the Dante Fox/Killshot and Famous B/Texano storylines.
Dr. Wagner Jr. and Famous B w/ Brenda vs. Texano
Since Famous B had a broken arm, Dario Cueto allowed him to add a partner, and he chose his client Dr. Wagner Jr. Since this was taped forever ago, Wagner still had his mask. Texano and Wagner started, with Texano nailing a tope to the outside. Famous B nailed him with the cast, but it had no effect. Texano kicked his ass and removed the cast, before absolutely launching him from the middle of the stairs to the floor. Great visual. The trend of Wagner doing well and Famous B getting beat up was the theme of the match. Texano hit a powerbomb on Wagner, but Wagner wasn't the legal man. Brenda got on the apron, Texano kissed her, and Famous B rolled him up to steal it in 4:24. Fine little opener. It was the worst opener of any Ultima Lucha, but it wasn't meant to be a great match. Famous B is always fun. [**1/4]
The card for the rest of Ultima Lucha Tres was run down.
- Gift of the Gods Ladder Match: Pentagon Dark vs. Son of Havoc
- Steel Cage Match: El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Matanza Cueto
- Last Luchadora Standing Match: Sexy Star vs. Taya
- Gauntlet of the Gods 3-Way Match: Cage vs. Jeremiah Crane vs. Mil Muertes
- Lucha Underground Championship vs. Career: Johnny Mundo [c] vs. Prince Puma
Next week, these matches go down
- Catrina vs. Ivelisse
- Unique Opportunity Battle Royal
- Mask vs. Hair: Fenix vs. Marty Martinez
Hell of War: Dante Fox vs. Killshot
This was basically a Three Stages of Hell match. Fall one was held under First Blood rules. Ladders and chairs were brought into play in the opening minutes. Fox delivered an awesome looking ring post run up moonsault with Killshot laid on a ladder. Another great spot came when Killshot jumped back and kipped up to avoid Fox throwing a chair, but Fox knew it was coming and held the chair, hitting him after the kip up. Fox continually had Killshot well scouted and brought out violent offense. His leg drop from the crowd onto a Killshot who was sandwiched between two chairs was great. Things got taken to the next level, when a glass pane was set up across two chairs and they fought on the top turnbuckle. Fox back dropped him through it, leading to him winning the first fall at 10:20, as Killshot's back was bleeding. I love that finish because it was different from the typical First Blood match finish. And to think, that was only the first fall.
Fall two was No DQ. With Killshot's body covered in glass, everything hurt a bit more than usual. Fox continued the assault, hitting Lo Mein Pain onto an open chair and a 450 splash onto a ladder, but Killshot kept kicking out. Killshot started a rally and brought a barbed wire board into the ring. When Killshot went into a flurry that ended with his double stomp, Fox kicked out at one, bringing the crowd to their feet. Killshot then powerbombed Fox into the barbed wire board! Fox looked to be in a ton of pain. Killshot evened the score with the Storm Cradle onto glass at 16:32. These lads are insane and there's still another goddamn fall.
The final fall was Medical Evac, which was basically an Ambulance Match. Soldiers brought out the military ambulance, while they brawled. Fox spiked Killshot with a sick looking apron DDT, but Killshot came back with a DVD off the top onto the stretcher. A legitimate piece of Fox's skin was left on the stretcher. JESUS. Fox was strapped to the stretcher and got free, but still got hit with a huge double stomp that broke the stretcher. Because he loves violence, Dario had a strange structure of chairs and glass set up and brought to the aisle. They fought up to the band section, which was over that structure. Fox choked Killshot with a wire, but his need to stop and shout, "I'VE ALWAYS BEEN BETTER THAN YOU!" allowed Killshot to grab a glass bottle and whack him over the head. Fox took a HUGE fall off the stage and through that absurd structure. Killshot picked him up and put him in the ambulance to win at 25:13. My fucking word, that was the most violent match I think I've ever seen on television. It was pure insanity. It was a fitting end to a long storyline and rightfully personal and brutal. They set a crazy high bar for Ultima Lucha, having the best match of season three and my pick for the second best match in company history. It wasn't just violent, as it was story driven too. Their history came into play and you felt like they were doing things out of hatred, not just for the sake of it. An incredible match. [****3/4]
Overall: 9/10. Ultima Lucha Tres is off to an excellent start. We got a light, fun opening match before the rest of the show was taken up by a fantastic, must see match. When a majority of the show is focused on one match that delivers in spades, you're gonna have an episode that rules. I can't wait for the rest of the weeks.
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