Following a spectacular first season, Lucha Underground returns. However, things are quire different. Dario Cueto is no longer around so there's a new sheriff in town. Catrina, the manager of Lucha Underground Champion Mil Muertes and Trios Champions the Disciples of Death, is taking over for Dario. She literally holds ALL of the power.
Now, the best thing about Lucha Underground is the way that it blends great wrestling with the cinematography and general all around feel that makes films great. That was evident from the start with a video package showing Vampiro getting out of an insane asylum. He snaps and attacks the doctors, even biting one like a vampire. It was only a vision though and Vampiro gets out, meeting up with Matt Striker in the desert. They head out but Striker warns him the Temple is a darker place now. Vampiro gives a sly smile, which I absolutely loved.
Fenix, the current Gift of the God's Champion, shows up in Catrina's office. She doesn't allow him to cash in for a Lucha Underground title shot, instead saying he has to defend it tonight.
Gift of the God's Championship: King Cuerno def. Fenix (c) in 7:47
Last season, Lucha Underground started with Blue Demon Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero. Needless to say, this was a far better way to kick things off. Commentary put over the fact that this was the first ever meeting between the two but you would not have believed that. They worked at an incredibly fast pace, moving seamlessly from one move to another. They did some things that I had never seen before. Fenix found ways to innovate the diving double stomp, hitting one to the back of Cuerno's head while he was seated atop the turnbuckle, and a springboard 450 splash. He survived Cuerno's signature Thrill but lost the title when Cuerno hit a packaged Tombstone. Excellent match, perfect choice for the opener and the title change was a great surprise. ****
The former Trios Champions, Angelico, Ivelisse and Son of Havoc arrive. They instantly see Catrina and want their belts back. Catrina declines saying that Mil Muertes wants them to face each other. They initially scoff, but when they find out that a Lucha Underground title shot is on the line, they agree. That's such a great way to mess with the champions and keep them away from Mil.
Backstage, Catrina meets up with King Cuerno. They seem to have struck some sort of deal. I guess Cuerno won't be cashing in his shot.
Number One Contender's Match: Ivelisse def. Angelico and Son of Havoc in 6:07
I would like to add that throughout the night, Mil Muertes has been seated on a throne up where the band used to play in the Temple. It looks so fucking cool. I haven't seen Ivelisse fully healthy in a long time. This was one of those matches that was good but made better by the story involved. The three teammates played off of their strengths and chemistry together. It all worked very well. Havoc seemed like he would win but Ivelisse stopped him and rolled up Angelico to pick up the win. Well done stuff and the emotional reaction to realizing that Ivelisse now had to face a monster like Muertes hit me hard. Only Lucha Underground does that to me this often. ***
Some random dudes are 375 miles away from the Temple and they're looking for it. They find Black Lotus who will take them where they need to be.
Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) def. Ivelisse in 4:32
Before the match, the Disciples of Death showed up and attacked Son of Havoc and Angelico. Muertes and Catrina held Ivelisse and made her watch as they carried them off to the back, leaving Ivelisse all alone. Due to the obvious mismatch, this wasn't the greatest match ever, but it was expertly booked. They made sure to have Muertes look like an absolute monster, while having Ivelisse take advantage of any and every small opening. She applied some submissions but Mil was able to power out of each. Catrina got involved when Ivelisse had an opening. Ivelisse avoided a Muertes spear and he took out Catrina. Ivelisse then rolled him up for a near fall that I COMPLETELY bought into. Muertes planted her with the Flatliner to retain. Again, Lucha Underground totally pulled me into this and I was more emotionally invested in this than most matches in the past few months. ***
After the bell, Catrina seems to go for the lick of death but decides against it, wanting Mil to inflict more damage. Former Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma runs in, making his return to the Temple to save Ivelisse. He pulled Ivelisse away and had a stare down with Muertes. Then, unexpectedly, PENTAGON JR shows up and hits the backstabber on Muertes. The look on Vampiro's face was absolutely priceless. Pentagon continues to give CERO FUCKS when he breaks Muertes' arm! Holy shit what an ending.
Closing things out officially, Black Lotus brings those random dudes to Dario Cueto. Lotus beats one of the dudes up for calling her a chick. Dario asks each guy for $20 to enter the "underground fight club." They go in and we hear the sounds of Matanza basically killing them.
Overall: 9.5/10. Wow. I've waited almost five months for Lucha Underground to return and was incredibly hype for the premiere. It lived up to my expectations and then some. They focused on the people I love most in LU (Pentagon, Ivelisse, Mil, Puma, Fenix, Cuerno, etc.) All three matches were good, with Cuerno/Fenix being really great. The Dario angle is interesting and the ending of the show was insane. The cinematics and storytelling are still on point. Lucha Underground is back and it remains the best wrestling show on TV.
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 right here: https://goo.gl/P1r65m.
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