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5/27 LUCHA UNDERGROUND REPORT

By Nathan Favel on 2015-05-28 07:52:19

Original Air Date:  5/27/15

This week's card may be the biggest yet in LU history, with a Death Match, a World Title Match and an opener that will rock you to your core!  Let's get to the action, inside the Temple!

Match #1: Johnny Mundo (John Morrison) vs. Aerostar

Well, these two didn't stay put for more than a minute!  It is quite astonishing how much a change of scenery can do for someone like Mundo, or even Aerostar.  The wrestling here was pure lucha libre, with every risk taken, no matter the cost.  The pace was just right for a match that fluidly moved from stunt to stunt in a bout that defied gravity like an insolent child would defy a nagging mother. If the card had ended here, I would have felt satisfied.

Winner: Johnny Mundo

Match #2: Co-Main Event - Prince Puma [Ricochet] (Lucha Underground World Heavyweight Champion) w/ Konnan vs. Hernandez - Lucha Underground World Heavyweight Championship Match

This was an excellent match that gave Puma a chance to work with someone who is the polar opposite of a luchador, in Hernandez.  The wrestling was a strong-arm slug-fest that never let up and never slowed down.  Puma was booked to fight like an underdog who valiantly won't give up his territory, now matter how gnarly and vicious the other dog may be, or how sadistic. From slam to splash, these two warriors pushed each other to constantly keep the action boiling red-hot.  I think you can see what I'm getting at here: go watch this match.

Winner:  Prince Puma

Match #3: Co-Main Event - Mil Muertes vs. Fenix - Death-Match

This, surprisingly, was a squash match, in favor of Muertes.  Fenix was able to fend off the attacks of Muertes every now and then, but before the deed was done, Muertes actually power-bombed Fenix through the roof of Dario Cueto's office!  Man, I thought wrestling was trying to become a safer venture?  It's hard to watch spots like these, but not giving them credit for doing it properly is in bad taste, so I'll just say that this stunt was so well done, that I never want to see anyone attempt it again.

Winner: Mil Muertes

News of the Night:

#1:  The bookers have decided that Chavo Guerrero was present when Black Lotus's family was murdered.  Evidently, I am now watching "Kickboxer".

#2:  Black Lotus's trainer was named this week: Dragon Azteca.

#3:  LU became a snuff film when Castro was fed to Dario Cueto's "monster" brother, who remains unidentified.  By the way, I believe Castro is now meant to be dead.  What happens if I see Castro working in another wrestling promotion? Does that mean that Castro is an "Immortal", like in "Highlander"?  Can you tell I'm failing at impersonating a smart-ass?  You can?  Well... shit.

Final Verdict:

This card is the perfect example of what is right and wrong with Lucha Underground.  On one hand, we have three terrific matches that are a wonder to behold; on the other, we have telenovella material that, while perfect for fictional broadcasts, seems woefully misplaced in a fake sport that has only made money off of the supernatural on a few, select occasions:  The Undertaker, Kane and Abyss.  What makes LU's successful pairing of wrestling and soap opera (WWE is a failed attempt to merge the two together) so volatile is that when you make such staunch booking decisions, such as those that pertain to life and death, you put a certain stigma on those who are thrust into these wild angles and story-lines.  How can Castro include his work with LU into his overall continuity, when he has been killed on national television?  Look at Ron Killings (R-Truth) in 2010 WWE:  he was blown up by Will Forte with a bomb one week and returned, whole and unaffected by being blown to smithereens, to wrestle the next week.  Ron's appeal was never quite the same, even when he got his momentum back from a retconned death, which occurred on live television.  LU needs to be very careful with how far they go with these ideas, because they just might hurt a wrestler's appeal to the international circuit, depending on how many people will eventually see this footage.  Also, how can any other promotion feel comfortable with talent sharing with LU, when the continuity of LU is seemingly happening in an alternate universe from everyone else?  ECW was its own universe as well, but Paul was considerate enough to not alter anyone or anything to the point that his promotion would need to be forgotten in the wide span of things in order for wrestlers to be able to justify taking a booking with Heyman's independent juggernaut in the first place.  Overall, I still recommend this card, but I would hope that Lucha Underground would focus on the wrestling part of their promotion, instead of the telenovella.

Next Week: 

Sexy Star vs. Pentagon - Submission Match

Until Next Time...

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