Ultima Lucha

[ABMorales787]

It's the 2 hour season finale of Luch- Oh wait! It's actually a 2 week spectacular adding up to 3 hours of epic televised lucha libre glory! Starting next week, Lucha Underground sets in motion an event 10 months in the making, leading up to it's main card on August 5! Ironically, its the same week as parent company, AAA's biggest show of the year. Triplemania XXIII. But that's a topic for another thread. Lets recap Ultima Lucha and make our predictions.

Announced as the opening match of it all, The Mack has managed to upset the imposing Cage twice now. Feeling frustrated, the F'N Machine began to brawl with The Mack. Referees flew and only the suave voice of Dario Cueto ordering them to save it for UL could stop them. Who will win this ECW style brawl?

My Prediction: Cage is my pick. He's lost twice to The Mack. And he's also on the semi-main of Triplemania against Alberto. It may have been taped in advance, but Brian Cage is AAA/LU's investment. The Mack is not.

It's a non-title battle for the ages as the AAA Megachampion goes to war with fellow ex-WWE alumni Johnny Mundo. Alberto may be Mexico's hero. But he still can't shake that old arrogance. It would bring the worst in Johnny and after an extremely violent retelling of Shawn Michaels tossing Marty Jannety through the Barber Shop window, Alberto returned and cost Johnny the LU title. The bad blood runs deep as Johnny looks to prove he can get it done on the big stage.

My Prediction: I gotta go with Alberto for the big heroic moment. I mean, it's Alberto.

Kyle Hebert: Dario Cueto has gathered the 7 Aztec Medallions. Using it's great, wish granting powers, he has summoned the all-mighty Shenron!

Shenron: What is your wish?

Dario: I wish to posess a midcard championship that also poses as a Money In The Bank gimmick.

Shenron: That is within my power. *Red eyes glow* Your wish has been granted. Now I must go.

In a gimmick taken quite literally out of DBZ, 7 wrestlers look to capture the newly created Gift Of The Gods Championship. When all 7 medallions are gathered, it can be battled for granting the winner the opportunity to cash in the title (with at least a weeks notice because Dario wants to promote.... What a concept) in exchange for a shot at the Lucha Underground Championship. However others can challenge for this title if not cashed in quick enough. Once it is cashed in.... The medallions are scattered.

Kyle Hebert: Stay tuned to Lucha Underground Z!

My Prediction: Given the level of focus Fenix was just given, he seems the most likely. Though, King Cuerno is by far and away the one with the most pay off. So King Cuerno is my pick.

A running joke with Chavo Guerrero was that "Mexico" was after him. Always referred to as if it was just one person. Well that running gag turned into a bloody ordeal of honor, respect, tradition... No, no donuts. Blue Demon is the epitome of Lucha Libre history. But Texano is clearly the future. Now the 2 second generation stars hook it up with the winner claiming the right to be the embodiment of what Mexico, and Lucha Libre stands for.

My Prediction: Jesus Christ, please don't let that cunt Demon get his grimy booker hands on this. This should be Texano's match to take. The longest reigning and youngest AAA Megachampion, the man is still young and after the passing of Perro Aguayo, is their next top star. This should by all means be Texano taking the torch from the useless egomaniac.

Its everybody's favorite dysfunctional trio facing off against Mil Muertes' minions. The cohesive undead specters look to assist Muertes in his takeover of Lucha Underground and this may be the first step towards a Thousand Deaths. Can the high flying Angelico, the scrappy Havoc and the fiery Ivelisse come together once again to defy the odds?

My Predictions: I love Ivelisse, but its time for a title change. The dysfunction has played out.

The front runner for most ironic match of the year, Hernandez screwed Drago out of the main event of Ultima Lucha. Now the dragon wants revenge. But as Dario pointed out, the fans (and TNA) hate him too. So he's given them the chance to let the hate run loose. "Fans" will be at ringside armed with leather belts. Get out of the ring and God hel- Hey, wait a minute, where have I heard these rules before?

My Prediction: The LU/Hernandez relationship was very shaky before this was taped. Plus, Drago is where the money is. I mean, seriously. How can you not merch that mask?

An icon has been pulled out of retirement. His last match was in 2012. Ironically, the very same event where Pentagon Jr. made his pro wrestling debut. Now Pentago looks to impress his still unnamed master by sacrificing the legendary Lucha Libre figure. Can the old legend bring out the old tricks out of the bag to avoid a broken arm and soul?

My Prediction: I'm almost positive Konnan is Pentagon's "master". The feud between those two has been played up since day one of Lucha Underground and obviously Konnan can't wrestle. Though I could be wrong. Pentagon is a rising star. Plus, the last time Vampiro wrestled, he was in no good shape due to injuries. So Pentago is my guy. 0M.

The main event. The one for all the glory. Prince Puma has Death on his tail. The valiant warrior must face a Thousand Deaths in a one on one match with his Lucha Underground Championship on the line. Muertes has done nothing but destroy Puma for weeks. But Puma managed to stand strong on the final night and take out Muertes and The Disciples. So all is not lost. There is still a battle to be fought. And the Prince looks to keep his kingdom intact.

My Prediction: I grew up watching Mil Muertes (Ricky Banderas). He is a man I've idolized as a wrestling fan. Now he's on primetime TV in the US on the main event of a major show. September of 1999 was the first time I saw him when he debuted for IWA. His entrances were awe inspiring. His feuds were entertaining. Seeing him here now brings a very big smile to my face. Puma has been awesome but I have too much of a personal connection to Muertes to see him lose. This is his night. And mine.


That's the line up for a 2 week special. It feels every bit as big as a major WWE PPV. Maybe not Wrestlemania, barely Summerslam. But damn close. What are your thoughts on the card? What stories have you enjoyed leading in? Who do you think will steal the show? Are you ready?

And remember.
NO SPOILERS ALLOWED.

​

 

[MrHashasheen]

I will always be amazed at the level of talent in Mexican wrestling that Vince never bothered to touch. Even TNA tried to work with Hector Gaza and Ricky Banderas.

Thoughts on Garza, by the way?

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Mack vs. Cage

I think Cage takes it. Like you said, he is a product of AAA and in a big match against Alberto coming up at Triplemania. They have done a good job of making The Mack look like a credible challenger in the lead up, and he is one of my favorite characters in LU, but Cage is too big to AAA to lose this.

Mundo vs. Alberto

This is easily the match that will draw the most non LU fans. You have two former champions from WWE facing off in a very personal rivalry. Mundo is my guy, I loved him from day one and his heel turn was sublime. Just great stuff all around. Alberto was a very surprising mid season addition to LU, and I'm glad they used him in this capacity, feuding with another big name to draw in casual viewers. Both guys have had their moments in this feud, and both guys can go in the ring. This should tear down the temple, and I'm gonna say Alberto wins. It fits the narrative of the story too well. I'll cry when Mundo loses, but I just can't see Alberto losing days before his big match against Cage at Triplemania.

Gift of the Gods

Man, is this a fun mess of a match. Each of the seven competitors has been featured prominently this season. The build has been solid considering you have seven different people to showcase. The storyline with the seven medallions has been weird but fun, and I can't wait to see this match to wrap it up. The gringo in me wants to see Jack Evans win it, but I don't think he is big enough yet, so I'm gonna go with Fenix given the amount of time they have given to focus on him lately. I'll pick Cuerno as my second pick as he had the best cage match of the year with Mundo a while back and he won me over in that match.

Texano vs. Blue Demon Jr.

I've made my feelings about Demon known in the past, I feel he is past his prime and only gets featured due to his name value. In the world of pro wrestling, that isn't necessarily uncommon, nor is it a bad thing, but I'm just tired of him. Texano has had some interesting matches and has an interesting gimmick, so I hope to see him go over.

Trios Championship

Man the writing is on the wall in this one and it makes me sad. The champs have performed admirably over the last couple of months as champs, but the dysfunction is just too much. I think Muertes' goons take the belts in what is the first of a big night for Muertes. Too bad as Havoc is very underrated, and Ivelisse and Angelico can flat out go.

Drago vs. Hernandez

All you need to know is that Drago is a larger than life character. He is everything that makes wrestling great. He sniffed the main event but Hernandez (lol) cost him. I'm not super into this feud, mostly because I've never been a huge Hernandez fan, but it should be a decent brawl and propel Drago if they give him the rightful win.

Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr.

You know I have to give the Lu writers credit, they made me slightly invested in Vampiro with this storyline. Like you said old friend old buddy, since episode one they have played up the distrust between Vampiro and Konnan, and what better way to bring that full circle than to have Konnan be revealed as the master of one of AAA's hottest young stars in Pentagon. Pentagon has to go over in this match. I don't expect much as Vampiro is almost 50 and has been out of the ring for a few years, but Pentagon has to go over.

Puma vs. Muertes

So we have the match for all the marbles. Since episode one, Prince Puma has been a focal point for LU, and he has showcased amazing skills. He has had solid title defenses against both Cage and Fenix, but Muertes will be the guy who finally takes that title from I in my opinion. Despite being near the end of his career, Muertes (Ricky Banderas) can still put on very enjoyable matches. I expect this to play out with Puma giving it his all, but not being able to put Muertes away. I expect a Dagger in the Heart to put Puma away for good as we head into season two with both Muertes and his disciples holding gold.

 

[A11oftheLights]

Really looking forward to this, every match feels like it has some kind of importance to it (except maybe Cage v Mack) and has had a proper build towards it.

My predictions are
Cage
El Patron
Fenix
Texano
Disciples of Death
Drago
Pentagon
Can see the title match going either way but will guess that both will change hands because otherwise Puma will have been booked to be basically unbeatable, even though most of his wins haven't been clean.

 

[.]

Well my love for LU has caused me to shy away from the spam sections for a little while and go to non-spam. Goes to show what a show you're genuinely excited for can do. Let's get to it:

Cage v The Mack
This feud is weird. It's booked very run of the mill but why The Mack? There is quite literally dozens of others who have a better ranking and could probably pull off a better feud with Cage. I like Willie Mack but I'd even prefer Killshot to him simply based off Killshots moveset and being able to keep up with Cage. With the booking of the feud along with the AAA issues that Killjoy mentioned, Cage should by all accounts crush Mack and look dominant heading into the second season of this show.

Trios Title Match
Controversial opinion here maybe but I don't get Ivelisse, hell I don't get Sexy Star even more. Ivelisse has mic skills though and can be a great heel. Which is why it's hard to get into her as a face. I like son of Havoc and I fucking adore Angelico but its time to move on to better things. Give Angelico time on his own and hell, bring in PJ Black for a programme that could be enjoyable. I don't know how long the appeal of the disciples of Death can last, and seeing as their saddled with Muertes they'll most likely hold the belts for a while which is somewhat worrying. Simply being children of a lesser God wears off rather fast. Still though, the appeal of the current champs is kinda gone (Honestly I could see them go longer), at least for the baddest bitch who needs to be a heel.

Drago v Hernandez
At first this was a decent thrown together feud out of the fucking air but now I'm digging it. Getting the fans involved makes the match at least a little interesting albeit it will inevitably affect the quality of the match (Which is why I'm generally opposed to Lumberjack matches also). The recent TNA troubles shows signs of a troubled relationship and fuck Hernandez anyhow. Drago deserves the win. Now I'm gonna praise Drago here. In LU i knew of a few of the guys but never really cared for any of the "Actual" luchadors (Puma isn't "Actual" obviously and neither is Muertes, Son of Havoc, etc.) while I grew to love the likes of Angelico, Texano and hell even Big Ryck relatively quickly. Drago however stole my heart and came off as both a phenomenally looking wrestler and a great worker whose only major criticism is a shitty finisher, a modified roll up is an awful finisher. Drago wins and Hernandez should die on the way back to his home planet.

Gift of the Gods Championship Match
Such an amazing concept. Lucha Underground has managed to succesfully combine Jackie Chan Adventures and Dragonball Z into a wrestling company that is practically one giant B Movie. If you have any issue with that sentence then fuck you. Anyways I'm gonna run through each competitor and give my thoughts:
Sexy Star: I don't get it. She's not that good. She's a woman and that's great but despite my criticisms of Ivelisse, she is so much better than Sexy Star. Star is put in seemingly impossible situations that she wins. She's the Roman Reigns of Lucha Underground and it stinks. The Roman Reigns of anything is awful especially Roman Reigns. Star won't win this but she'll show a lot of heart and courage and still stink in the match and might even be the worst part which says a lot since the match also features Bengala. Oh look who's next.
Bengala: He stinks so far. He is a poor mans Drago simply put with a shitty body. Everything about the guy is uninspired and he was most entertaining when he was getting squashed with the midget. Why he is in the match as a guy who has no storyline beating Daivari, an equally dull guy who at least has a storyline and character, is beyond me. He won't win and hopefully he doesn't even factor. If the match is elimination then this guy goes first. If the actual Bengal tigers are in any way as dull and irritating as Bengala then I know why they're endangered because everytime I watch him wrestle I wanna go outside and kill something that looks like him.
Jack Evans: I'm digging Jack so far. There's definite talent there but he hasn't shown much else. I imagine he exists to eliminate or go into a prolonged fight with Aerostar since he was defeated by Aerostar. He should be a fun sight at least and be involved in the big points. He'll be fun if nothing else.
Aero Star: He'll be a good hand. As I've already stated I'm expecting him and Jack Evans to go at it throughout the match. Aero Star is a good worker as he demonstrated in that best of 5 series but not much else if I'm being honest. Plus he's noticeably short which shouldn't be as much of an issue as it is for him but I find it hard to take him seriously. not a fan of his attire either. He might be the only person in this match who I have complete indifference to.
Big Ryck: One of the biggest surprises of LU was how interesting they made the former Big Zeke. Big Ryck is a good monster to have and I'm happy they rid him of Daivari. He'll look like a thousand bucks because LU knows how to book monsters but as much as it pains me to say, he'll fall short(Or fall tall compared to Aerostar). Is it a shame though? Not really since Ryck's whole gimmick is that its all about the green and not the greyish belt...
King Cuerno: Always the hunter, never the hunted. Like Drago, I got into Cuerno relatively quickly but I could never care for Cuerno as much as I did Drago since nobody seemed to care for Cuerno. He had some good feuds early on but then soon everything went to hell. Hopefully he'll bounce back and continue looking great for LU's second season because he really was a standout at times especially since he's treated as nothing special on AAA half the time. If my heart could choose then it would go for Cuerno simply for him to pick me up with his belt, his nice beige pants, his beautfiul red and white shit and that bitching cowboy hat and take us to the big hunters sanctuary in the sky. However I doubt that will happen and my heart will fall to pieces.
Fenix: He's been given a large level of focus since the series began and set the standard for LU matches after his barn burner with Muertes. With the main event the way it is, the victory writes itself for Fenix. Really I should have no problem with it but it's so painfully predictable that it ruins the fun(some might say, the thrill of the hunt....). Fenix will win and probably have another great match with Muertes. It's fine but I'm beginning to get sick of Fenix. All in all, the match seems to be Fenix's to win.

Blue Demon v Texano in the battle of Mexico
Always assumed Mexico was a better way to refer to the Mexican Cartel who Chavo originally pissed off somehow (Lie, cheat, steal am I right?). In actuality it was something else. Who originally? I have no idea. But now Blue Demon is him. I couldn't get into Blue Demon, both his age and incredibly standard ring attire are immediate reasons to see him as "meh". I quite like Texano, quite a lot actually. He has a great look and the bullrope is a nice weapon. He should win as he's long and seemed to have been liked in AAA also and was brought in as a big deal whereas Blue Demon Jr. was brought in everytime Chavo was sick of just being a producer.

Jesus Christ, please don't let that cunt Demon get his grimy booker hands on this.

So does Blue Demon have a long history of being a bastard at putting others over? Mil Mascaras bad? With this revelation I hope Texano wins harder.

Johnny Mundo v Alberto El Patron
Man this feud got good fast. I remember it starting and getting pretty eye rolly over this. Mundo rocked it as a heel and is still rocking it. His performance in Lucha Underground makes him the show stealer as his recent match with Texano showed. His attitude is wonderous too. Best mic work he has ever done. Alberto has seemingly been revived since he came back to Mexico(The country not Texano or Blue Demon) and looked like a killer in LU. This match has plenty of appeal to non LU fans and should be a barn burner. Since Alberto originally beat Johnny, I'm gonna give Johnny the win even though Alberto should win.

Pentagon Jr. v Vampiro
Pentagon is a guy who got so much better as the show went on. It may have had something to do with him getting both a good storyline and not having to work with Sexy Star any more. He's been killing it, and by it I mean the arms of others. In general I wouldn't care about Vampiro at all but this show has made me like him. There's no way I can't cheer on the guy who flat out nearly got set on fire because he wouldn't fight some guy. Pentagon will win and it'll be a good win and it'll make the main event interesting particularly when Konnan is obviously revealed as the master. Pentagon is on a roll and should keep rolling like the shape he is named after.

Lucha Underground Championship
Puma is great. Muertes is a fucking presence and is so high on the LU power scale that he's essentially their Brock Lesnar. The disciples gimmick has made him interesting and it fits in with his lore. The best thing for Muertes though has been dropping the shitty black pants. Catrina works as a valet and is an amazing actress. There's no way in hell that Muertes doesn't win. He has decimated everyone and his power level is way too high. Puma has been an amazing champion but his whole reign has more or less been Konnan keeping the belt on him. If Konnan is Pentagon's master then where does that leave Puma? They've kept Puma from talking on LU for so long which I feel may, in part be due to the fact Ricochet isn't latino but where he will go after is a big question.

This has the makings of a solid wrestling show and an amazing storyline showcase. LU has that powerful fanbase and that great action and that mesmerising difference. Should be a good show and for the love of God, don't spare us on Dario Cueto's presence because that man is the kind of LU.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

So I watched day one of Ultima Lucha yesterday morning. Not too bad. Not great, but solid. Each match went the way I expected. Spoiler tags for those who haven't checked it out yet.

Spoiler

Cage vs. Mack was a hard hitting brawl with some brutal spots, as well as my favorite spot of the night.

The finish felt a little rushed, but at least getting his head put through a concrete block finished off Mack.

The Trios match dragged a bit due to them having to protect Ivelisse, but Angelico had that crazy dive to get the crowd popping. I'm a little sad to see the Disciples of Dysfunction lose, but the Disciples of Death have some potential if Muertes does indeed win the big strap.

 

[A11oftheLights]

Wow just wow. Only complaint is that there is a completely different story where Dario is basically a completely different person away from the ring.