Lucha Underground Season 3 Episode 14: The Bulls of Boyle Heights

Well ladies and gentlemen, you all know what time it is. That’s right, it’s time for yet another installment of the wrestling sensation sweeping the nation, Lucha Underground.

This week, we open in Dario Cueto’s office where a pissed off Angelico wants a piece of Johnny Mundo, and he doesn’t care if it’s for the title of not. Dario would love to give Angelico a shot at Johnny, but Johnny’s lawyer won’t allow it. However, the vengeful Angelico isn’t about to take no for an answer as he threatens both legal action and physical violence against Dario if he doesn’t get what he wants. Dario tells Angelico that he may yet get his chance to take on Johnny Mundo as he’s been entered in a match next week in what Dario calls the “Battle of the Bulls Tournament” in which the winner will receive a Lucha Underground Title match. Angelico says that he can work with that and gracefully leaves the office.

Match #1: Cage vs. El Texano Jr. vs. Doctor Wagner Jr. vs. Joey Ryan: Battle of the Bulls first round match

Here’s how the tournament is going to work. Over the next two weeks, there will be a series of fatal-four-way single elimination matches. The four winners of said match will compete in a fatal-four-way elimination match to name the next number one contender to Johnny Mundo’s Lucha Underground Title. Considering the unique talent in this match, this contest was nothing short of spectacular. Before the match could start, Famous B, as he is one to do, stole the microphone from the lovely Melissa Santos and announced his client Dr. Wagner. But before the agent to the stars could finish, he ate a devastating clothesline from the machine they call Cage. From then on it was fast paced action that showed off the incredible talent of all four men involved. Texano got in a lot of strikes with his trademark bull rope, Wagner showed off his decades of skill and experience, even the sleazy Joey Ryan showed that he belonged in the temple by holding his own against the big guys. However, the real star of the match was Cage. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Cage is one of the most valuable talents in all of Lucha Underground. He is the total package, plain and simple. What man in wrestling today can execute a perfect moonsault off the top rope, and then turn around and then suplex three men off the same spot. Speaking of Cage, the match came to an end when Cage punched his best of five series rival, Texano, with the bull rope wrapped around his fist and then stealing the pin on Joey Ryan.

Winner: Cage

Next up, we once again visit Dario Cueto’s office, and this time, he’s joined by the one person who has a grudge against Johnny Mundo and the World Wide Underground than the last person who came to Dario’s office, Sexy Star. Dario says he’s always respected Sexy, as like him, she has a troubled past. Dario tells Sexy that tonight, she has a match against PJ Black, and if she wins, she gets Johnny for the title next week inside a steel cage. However, if she loses she’ll never get another shot at the title ever again. Sexy departs Dario’s office with a warning to El Jefe. He may have a troubled past, but if he’s not careful, Sexy will make sure he has a very troubled future.

Across town, we finally see Captain Vasquez once again. Cortez Castro, arm in a sling, walks into her office and says that Dario knows he’s a cop, meaning that the investigation is over. Vasquez has another idea however. She pulls a Lucahdor mask from out of her desk drawer and tells him that when his arm heals he’ll return to the temple as a whole new man.

Match #2: Sexy Star vs. PJ Black

This was actually a really fun match. It was clear from the start that PJ wasn’t taking Sexy very seriously, as he used his superior size and strength to toss her around. However, the biggest mistake that anyone can make is underestimating their opponent, especially if that opponent is a warrior the caliber of Sexy Star. That having been said, PJ still managed to look very impressive, even hitting a really nice Styles Clash, the signature move of the current reigning WWE Champion, AJ Styles. (It’s just now hitting me how strange it felt to write that sentence and wrestling fans know why) However, if the World Wide Underground is known for one thing above all else, it’s fighting dirty. As such, Jack Evans comes down to the ring armed with a baseball bat to distract the ref. However, the distraction backfired and actually allowed Sexy to take advantage and get the win with a sunset flip.

Winner: Sexy Star

After the match, we go to what appears to be an Aztec throne in the shape of a giant snake. Naturally, sitting upon that thrown is our favorite sexy serpent of several s-words, Kobra Moon. Kobra explains that a millennia ago, her tribe was home to the fiercest warriors in existence. The army was lead by three of the most venomous and bloodthirsty generals ever to walk the earth. The army was ultimately defeated when one of the generals, Drago, deserted the tribe, but the other two, Pindar and Vigora (and I apologize if I got that wrong, I couldn’t quite make out the name), survived and have served the snake tribe loyally ever since. Kobra has had enough of slithering in the shadows and thinks it’s high time her tribe returned to prominence, and in order to accomplish this, she’s sending her generals to bring her the man who was once a Dragon so that he can be made to kneel before his queen.

Back in the temple, Matanza is still flipping out inside his cage. Dario asks his brother if he’s sure he doesn’t want his Lucha Underground title back and Matanza replies by shouting Rey Mysterio’s name. Dario assures Matanza that once Rey returns from the injuries that Matanza inflicted upon him, he will have his chance to destroy the king of lucha libre. Dario then warns his brother not to end up like Rey’s protégé, El Dragon Azteca Jr. who’s quest for revenge nearly destroyed him. There’s a nice little moment when Matanza reaches through the bars and rubs his brother’s face in a loving way, but just as Dario lets his guard down, Matanza knocks him unconscious and steels the key to his cage.

Main Event: El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. The Mack vs. Marty “The Moth” Martinez vs. Mil Muertes: Battle of the Bulls first round Match

Like the other fatal four way match this evening, this match was a total blast. Surprisingly, bitter rivals Mack and Marty worked together quite a bit in the early goings. However, alliance like that almost never last, especially in the temple. From bell to bell, all four of these guys brought their a-game. I give big props to Azteca, who, despite a smaller guy in the ring with three muscle-bound brutes more than held his own. I particularly liked Azteca’s satellite DDT on The Mack. However, Azteca’s dominance came to an end with the arrival of an unexpected visitor, the Monster, Matanza who proceeded to decimate Azteca with extreme prejudice until a bloodied Dario Cueto came out and brought called Matanza back with the power of the key. After the Monster left the arena, Mack took advantage of the distraction and hit Marty with a stunner for the pin.

Winner: The Mack

Awards: Remember, it’s almost been another five episodes, which means next week we’ll be revealing our current frontrunner for the award of Wes’s Blogs and reviews Lucha Underground MVP.

Match of the Night: I literally had to flip a coin on this one as either of the fatal-4-way matches could have taken it, but I think ultimately, the first one featuring Cage, Texano, Dr. Wagner and Joey Ryan was more intense and exciting. Like I said, regardless of how you may feel about Cage, the guy is really talented and a ton of fun to watch. Also, knowing that Cage will go at it with one of his biggest rivals, The Mack, yet again in a few weeks is really exciting to think about.

Spot of the Night: Unlike the match of the night, this one was easy to call. I have to give it to PJ Black countering the off-the-top-rope rana from Sexy Star into a Styles Clash. The Styles Clash is a cool looking move as it is, but the counter was just the cherry on top it needed to get the spot.

Segment of the Night: Without a doubt in my mind, we’re giving this one to the Kobra Moon segment. Kobra kills the scene with her dialogue and the two generals look super cool. It’s like we’ve stepped into a reality that’s one part Power Rangers and one part Mortal Kombat. This storyline between Kobra and Drago continues to get more and more intriguing my the minute and I love every second of it.

Final Thoughts: Unsurprisingly, we once again have a fantastic episode. The Battle of the Bulls tournament is a great concept and is likely to give us more great matches. We have the promise of a steel cage title match, that’s always nice. Finally, there’s the continuing of the storylines, be it the promise of a new identity for Cortez Castro, the reveal of Kobra’s forces or the implication that Dario may be losing control of his brother. What will come of these plot threads? Only time will tell.