Lucha Underground
June 1, 2016
Los Angeles, CA
The Temple

The current Lucha Underground champs are as follows:
Lucha Underground Champion: Matanza (3/23/16)
Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Champion: Cage (5/25/16)
Lucha Underground Trios Champions: Johnny Mundo, Jack Evans & PJ Black (5/25/16)

In case you missed last week, here are some highlights:

NOW ONTO THIS WEEK:

HIPSTER BAND OF THE WEEK: Voodoo Glow Skulls.

Your hosts are Matt Striker and Vampiro.

WOW! No backstage segments, we just go straight to the ring here.

• Son of Havoc vs. Daga
  

It doesn’t take long for these two to head to the floor here. Looks like my copy of this show cuts out about a minute here though. Havoc sends Daga into the ringpost and shows off his planking abilities as he uses the post and drops an elbow on Daga. Back inside, Havoc trips and moonsaults onto Daga for two. Daga catches Havoc though with a back suplex into an X-Factor. Couple punches and kicks to the head of Havoc. Daga locks in a Tequila Sunrise submission when Kobra Moon comes down to ringside. When Havoc makes the ropes, he starts a comeback on Daga with the handspring elbow and a springboard crossbody block for two. The springboard double stomp misses, but Daga rolls out to the floor and takes the tope suicida. Back in, Kobra Moon stops Havoc when he’s on the top rope. When he kicks her down to the floor, Daga jumps up and enziguri kicks Havoc. He tries a suplex, but Havoc sends him down in place for the SHOOTING STAR PRESS to pick up the win. (6:07 shown) Good for Havoc. He needed a singles win if that’s the direction they are taking him now. Afterwards, Kobra Moon tries flirting with Daga and it doesn’t go well. **¼

In the locker room, El Dragon Azteca Jr. comes up to Rey Mysterio and tells him he’s found the cage that holds Matanza – the monster who killed their mentor El Dragon Azteca. Rey tells him that their mentor did not want them seeking revenge and should focus on getting their trios titles back, but El Dragon Azteca Jr. points out that Rey hadn’t talked to him in years so how would he know what their mentor wanted. Prince Puma pops up and says whatever is going on between Rey and Dragon Azteca Jr concerns him since they are a trios team. Rey drops the subject and gets his boys focused back on the match at hand. TROUBLE IN PARADISE~!

• Lucha Underground Trios Championship: Los Tres Man Buns (c) (w/Taya) vs. Los Dream Team
  

Our trios champions are wearing Lucha Underground bandanas and shades to go along with their cocky personalities. Mysterio starts out coming back on PJ Black with head kicks and tilt-a-whirl headscissors. He sits up on PJ’s shoulders though and while Evans and Mundo distract the ref, Black drops Rey to the mat and kicks him straight in the balls. Once that’s accomplished, Los Tres Man Bans deliver a triple-team Reverse 3D on Mysterio. Evans does a standing moonsault off Rey’s chest for two. Tag to Mundo, he delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Mysterio counters a powerbomb with a DDT and reaches Puma for a tag. He’s dropping both Evans and Black with dropkicks. In comes Mundo, Puma gives him the suplex combination. Evans is stuck down in the corner and eats running dropkicks from three different directions. After we see a couple dives, Puma superplexes Evans onto the pile out on the floor. Awesome. In the ring though, Mundo and Black pull Evans away from a 630 SENTON by Puma. As a strong FU to Puma, Evans gives him the 630 SENTON that he more than likely invented a long time ago. Puma kicks out at two though. He catches Evans trying a handspring back elbow into the BENADRYLLER. Tag to Azteca, he avoids a charge in the corner by Mundo and lets Black get wiped out. Azteca does that crazy tilt-a-whirl DDT move on Mundo for two. Taya hops up on the apron to allow Mundo to kick Azteca in the balls. IT’S WHAT THEY DO. It’s what they do. Puma finally has enough of this ball kicking stuff and lets Mundo have it square in the globes for the DQ. (9:43) GET IT? Because his name translates to Johnny World and globes are round model of the world. Anyways, Puma has let his anger get the best of him here. Intending to superkick Mundo, Puma goes off and superkicks Taya instead. Whoops. Mysterio tries holding him back from yelling at the other trios champs, but he’s not very successful at it.

We see that El Dragon Azteca Jr. has gone to confront Matanza. Before any words are spoken or actions carried out, the Black Lotus appears and tells Dragon Azteca not to do whatever it is he’s about to do. When he tells Black Lotus that Matanza killed her parents and his mentor, she tells Dragon Azteca that it was his mentor who killed her parents and not Matanza. He doesn’t want to believe that, but Black Lotus tells Dragon Azteca that sometimes the truth hurts. El Dragon Azteca Jr. walks away probably more confused than he’s ever been in his life.

• Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza (c) (w/Dario Cueto) vs. Cage
  

Vamp suggests that shiny things seem to distract Matanza. Hmm. Cage starts off with a VERY unexpected offensive strategy by taking down Matanza with traditional LUCHA LIBRE moves. He even busts out a somersault plancha and moonsaults onto Matanza down on the floor. Now that Matanza is thoroughly confused, Cage brings back the power moves by throwing him into the barricade. Matanza comes right back though and smashes Cage’s head into that same barricade. He unloads on Cage with his VINTAGE gutwrench suplexes and even throws in a release German suplex all happening out on the floor. In the ring, they take turns controlling the ground and pound. Cage clotheslines Matanza a bunch in the corner, but Matanza fires right back with an exploder suplex for two. Wrist clutch suplex gets two as well. He chokes Cage a bunch, but Cage comes back with a pumphandle X-Factor for two. Both guys come at each other with strikes. It takes a while for them to both go down. Now they get into a release German suplex battle like we’re watching some puroresu now. Eventually, Matanza wins that exchange being the more dominant suplex guy. Cage however avoids Wrath of the Gods powerslam and drills Matanza with a discus clothesline for 1-2-NO! Superplex and flying elbow gets two. Cage counters a powerbomb and Alabama Slams Matanza down for a standing moonsault! Cover, 1-2-NO! Matanza slips away from Weapon X and Batista Bombs Cage for 1-2-NO! Cage blocks Wrath of the Gods a second time and inside cradles Matanza for two. F5 to Matanza gets two. DOWN COME THE STRAPS! Cage stuns Matanza with more kicks and looks for a second discus clothesline, but Matanza catches him and delivers WRATH OF THE GODS for the three-count. (13:30) It just seemed like nothing Cage could do would beat this guy. WHO WILL BE ABLE TO STOP THIS MONSTER? Loved the gameplan Cage had to start the match, but he abandoned it way too quickly. I think he should have kept coming at Matanza with the Rey Mysterio style closer to the finish to throw off Matanza instead of trying to overpower and break down the guy, which doesn’t seem to be working for anybody who faces him. Not even Mil Muertes! That would have been a much better story and a more convincing second half of the match at least for me. Still a good match in my opinion, but I would have just booked it a tad different. ***½

NEXT WEEK: Nothing announced.

Until next time, so long for now.