The Cueto Cup continues! The show started in the back, where Fenix pulled into the Temple. It reminded me of when he drove off at the end of Ultima Lucha in season one. Anyway, they have the hots for each other and she said she's putting her money on him to win the tournament, so he said he'll win for her. Smooth. Marty Martinez watched because he enjoys creeping on Melissa and he wasn't happy. I'm all for a short Marty/Fenix feud.
Cueto Cup First Round: Cage vs. Vinnie Massaro
Cage literally killed a dude with a punch last week, so Massaro has no chance. Unfortunately, Cage had to remove the gauntlet before the match. Massaro talked smack and slapped Cage, so he got his ass handed to him. Massaro did get in some offense to give a tease of an upset, but failed at using the gauntlet as a weapon. Cage then won with the screwdriver at 3:28. Mostly a squash, but Vinnie did get in a few hope spots and the crowd was into this. [*3/4]
Post-match, Cage destroyed Vinnie with the gauntlet.
They ran another excellent video package to hype the upcoming Johnny Mundo/Rey Mysterio Jr. Lucha Underground Title match.
Cueto Cup First Round: Marty "The Moth" Martinez vs. Saltador
Saltador is part of the Rabbit Tribe for those who don't remember. They're barely on TV, so it's understandable if you forgot. This was weird in the best possible way. Both guys are strange and used it to their advantage. There were strange exchanges and mannerisms throughout, including Marty banging his own head on the mat. He had several interactions with Melissa Santos, who was less than thrilled. Saltador stopped to dance, so Marty hit him with a modified gut buster to win at 7:23. I liked how different this was and both guys played their characters well. It did go a bit long for what they were going for though. [**1/4]
In the back, the other two Rabbit Tribe members came up to Mascarita Sagrada. They bowed to him and believe he's the "Rabbit King." A weirded out Mascarita left.
More backstage stuff, as Marty stared at photos of Melissa. He also has a music box containing her hair. Mariposa arrived to remind him that family comes first. She believes that his obsession with Melissa made him weak and when she beats Fenix tonight, she'll beat Marty in the next round. They finished by slapping each other.
Cueto Cup First Round: Lucha Underground Trios Champion Pindar w/ Kobra Moon vs. Mascarita Sagrada
The sadist in me wished this was the bigger member of Kobra's group against little Mascarita. Pindar tossed him around with easy anyway, until Mascarita started using his speed. STICK AND MOVE! Still, his size disadvantage was too much and he got thrown around some more. Kobra even got in a cheap shot. Mascarita came back with some hope spots. Pindar ultimately won with a wild facebuster type move at 5:55. This was fun at times and the crowd loves Mascarita. However, Pindar gave up a bit too much for me to take him seriously. [**]
Cueto Cup First Round: Fenix vs. Mariposa
If the Cheerleader Melissa I know and love shows up, this could be excellent. Fenix played the gentleman early, but he should've known better. Mariposa wanted no part of a handshake and brought the fight to Fenix. Once they got into the back and forth, the action picked up. We got some nice offense, like a German suplex and code red, leading to near falls for both. In the end, Mariposa blocked Spanish Fly, only to fall to the Fenix Driver in 5:50. A good sprint, but I wanted more from it. It was one of the matches I was most excited for when the bracket was revealed. [**3/4]
After the match, Marty Martinez showed up to attack Fenix, but the babyface sent back the siblings to close the show.
Overall: 6.5/10. The Cueto Cup has been largely underwhelming thus far. However, like the CWC, I think it'll pick up in the next round. What I do like is that it gives a chance people we don't often see. Names like Pindar and Saltador got some shine and whether they impress a ton or not, it does allow for something different.
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