Lucha Underground S03E10 “Ready For War” Review

Location: Boyle Heights, California inside The Temple

Lucha Underground Review 11.09.16

This week, the opening video package recaps all the happenings between Mascarita Sagrada/Son of Havoc and Famous B/Dr. Wagner Jr., and Prince Puma challenging Mil Muertes to Grave Consequences!

We go backstage to Catrina telling Mil Muertes that he has defeated Puma before, but tonight, she wants him destroyed. If Mil loses, Catrina says she won’t bring him back to life!

We get some shots of all the weapons in the crowd. It’s Believer’s Backlash time!

Believer’s Backlash!

Mascarita Sagrada vs. Famous B w/ Beautiful Brenda

Winner: Mascarita Sagrada via Leaping Tornado DDT

A glorified Fans Bring the Weapons match here, and I can’t wait to see what these two are going to do each other. Sagrada grabs a helmet and a shoulder pads, and runs head long into Famous B’s crotch. He then pulls out a… stepladder. He sets it on the announce table, and nails B with a huge big splash! Brenda distracts Mascarita to allow Famous B time to recover, who then floors Sagrada with a superkick! Famous B grabs a big bag of popcorn from ringside, but Mascarita drop toeholds him into it. The fans are eating this one up with a spoon guys!

Famous B stuffs Mascarita into a trash can like Oscar the Grouch, but Sagrada fights back with the trash can lid. Famous B pulls “Arrogance” out of a toolbox! I’m marking out so hard guys!!! B goes to use “Arrogance” on Sagrada, but he fights back, and hits B with it! Sagrada pulls out a bowling ball, and introduces it to Famous B nether regions. THEY ADDED CHEESEY BOWLING SOUND EFFECTS GUYS! Here comes Dr. Wagner Jr., who goes to hit Sagrada with a painting, but Famous B stops as he finds the painting “clean”. Here comes Son of Havoc! He tosses Wagner out of the ring, and Sagrada hits B over the head with the painting!

TOPE CON HELIO FROM SAGRADA! Brenda takes a cream pie to the face! Famous B tosses Sagrada into the announce table, where Sagrada takes Matt Striker’s shoe of all things. He waffles B over the head with it, and puts him away from there. The live crowd made this surreal match so much better. It’s a blast, and certainly worth your time to find. ** and ¾ *

Son of Havoc comes into ring with a cardboard cut out of Famous B, and a pair of giant scissors. Sagrada takes the scissors, and cuts the head off! Son of Havoc gives Sagrada a leather jacket, and I guess they’re brothers in a biker club now.

We go backstage to AR Fox, called Dante here in The Temple, who’s confronted by Killshot. Dante has been given a job in The Temple, and Killshot understands why Dante attacked him, but he’s still just happy to see him. The bro hug, and seem to be on the same page. Oh, Dante’s got to be playing Killshot here right?

We go backstage to see Drago practicing with his nunchucks in the bathroom. Kobra Moon shows up, and brings up the tribe again. A quick kung fu fight between the two, and Drago says he was never a member of the tribe, only a slave. Kobra Moon brings up Daga, who seems to be taken out by somebody by the name of “Pindar”, who Drago seems incredulous at the fact that he’s alive. Kobra Moon says he’ll make Drago bow to her, and call her his queen. Turkey leg guy walks, and says he’ll just use the ladies room. Plots are afoot folks!

10 Man Tag! Winners Enter Aztec Warfare, Losers Are Not!

Marty “The Moth” Martinez, Mariposa, The Mack, Ivelisse, and Jeremiah Crane vs. Killshot, Argenis, Dante Fox, Texano, and Cage

Winners: Marty “The Moth” Martinez, Mariposa, The Mack, Ivelisse, and Jeremiah Crane

Well, this should be a chaotic mess of fun. Jeremiah Crane is Sami Callihan, Dante Fox is AR Fox, and we have teams full of feuds. Marty & Mariposa have beef with Ivelisse & Crane, who themselves have some simmering tension due to Ivelisse not wanting her personal and professional lives intertwined once again. Dante Fox was believed to be dead by Killshot, but came to The Temple to confront him, beat him up, and now they seem to be brothers-in-arms once again for whatever that’s worth. Texano and Cage are in a Best of Five series against each other, which Cage leads two victories to one, with the prize being only known to the audience that they are being targeted by Dario Cueto to be the host of an Aztec God. Argenis and The Mack just seem to be hanging out.

I’ll take a deep breath, while you guys talk all of that in. The action stays fast and furious, so I’m going to highlight the feuds, and the big stuff. First, Cage and Texano keep arguing with each other throughout the match. Their arguments on the outside setup the big dive spots. Next, Dante Fox and Killshot seem intent on one-uping each other. Ivelisse gets popped up into the air by Killshot! However, she does a flip in mid air, and takes Killshot down with a hurricanrana into the pinfall for a near fall! She rolls out of the ring, screaming “NOT AGAIN!” as she clutches her ankle. Oh boy…

Marty climbs the ropes, and says he’s going to kill Killshot. Dante Fox comes into the ring, and tells him to wait. He turns on Killshot, and floors him with his Cross Arm Fisherman Suplex! Marty takes advantage, and covers him to send his team into Aztec Warfare! This one was really too short to be anything more than the angle it was based around. Still, it has some fun spots. * and ½ *

Crane carries Ivelisse away from ringside. In brief, here’s who we know who’s in Aztec Warfare: Matanza Cueto at #1, Drago at #20, Rey Mysterio, Marty “The Moth” Martinez, Mariposa, The Mack, Ivelisse (although that’s in question now due to the seeming injury), and Jeremiah Crane.

We go backstage to Dario holding the Lucha Underground Title, who gives Matanza the rundown about what he needs to do next week in Aztec Warfare! Their father trained Matanza for one single purpose, WAR!

Grave Consequences!

Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina

Winner: Mil Muertes

So, Grave Consequences is a casket match with a Day of the Dead flair. Mil comes out at the top of the steps, but Puma ain’t waiting for anything! He pump kicks him into the stand, and takes him down with a huge leaping cross body! Mil takes advantage though, and tosses him into a bunch chairs, and then tosses him through a door! Mil takes a wreath of roses to the face. Puma grabs the casket, and hauls it over to the downed Muertes, but Puma ends up taking a powerbomb on it! Mil pulls out a table, and sets it up in a corner in the ring. Mil grabs a chair, and hits Puma with it across the back. He wedges it in between some turnbuckles. Mil ends up taking it, but he no sells it, and spears the bejesus out of Puma through the table!

Muertes unscrews the bottom turnbuckle, and floors Puma with it! Mil brings the casket into the ring, and Puma takes Mil’s head off with a huge kick. Mil finds himself draped over the casket, and PUMA CRUSHES HIM INTO IT WITH A 630 SPLASH! Puma shows off some fire, and smashes the casket down on Mil time and time again! He grabs the chair, and then smashes into the casket lid with Mil’s head under it. Puma pulls out two tables, and sets them up on the outside! Puma took too much time though, and Mil chokeslams Puma onto the casket. Mil stuffs Puma into the casket, and nearly closes it, but Puma fights him off!

PUMA HANDSTANDS OUT OF THE FLATLINER! Big kick floors Mil, and Puma collapses to the mat! Puma goes for a tope suicida, but eats a european uppercut for his troubles. Mil takes a chair shot to the head. Puma follows it up by crushing Mil’s head between the ringpost and the chair, and then eats a Van Daminator! Muertes gets laid out across the two tables, as Puma ascends the turnbuckles. Mil gets up though, and we they start trading blows on the apron! Some kicks rock Mil, but he fires back with a huge right that almost knocks Puma off the turnbuckles. MIL CHOKESLAMS PUMA THROUGH THE TWO TABLES!

Muertes goes toward one of the entryways, and pulls out the same coffin that Konnan ended up in! He hits the Flatliner on the outside, and looks to stuff Puma into the casket… and he does. Well, that was an anticlimactic finish. They told a great story with Puma’s fire and looking to hurt Mil more than win the match. Mil finally wins his first Grave Consequences match, but I’m left wanting so much more. This was still a great match, but that finish really leaves something to be desired. Maybe I’m expecting too much within the context of the story, but a bigger finish would have been nicer. *** and ¾ *

Next week, it’s Aztec Warfare III!

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 The energy in this episode was off the charts, and it makes each match so interesting. Even the 10 man, which wasn’t much of anything, had the crowd from the get go. Believer’s Backlash, and Grave Consequences both, were awesome. A breezy hour of television with great wrestling and story build towards Aztec Warfare. I can’t recommend this episode enough folks.