Lucha Underground
June 29, 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: Vacant (6/1/16)
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: El Conjunto Nueva Ola.

Your hosts are Matt Striker and Vampiro. Striker announces that Dario Cueto has signed another match for Ultima Lucha Dos: PJ Black, Johnny Mundo, and Jack Evans will defend their trios titles against Drago, Aerostar, and Fenix.

• Mil Muertes (w/Catrina) vs. King Cuerno
  

Looks like Muertes has a little different look to his outfit. There’s more designs to it or something. He’s got those intense red eyes going on too. He looks awesome. Anyways, he is in total control beating the crap out of Cuerno to start. He hits a nice LARIATO on Cuerno for two. An awesome chokeslam gets another nearfall. Cuerno fires back with knees and kicks to send Muertes to the floor for the VINTAGE tope suicida. For some reason, the ref is outside the ring standing behind Muertes and gets knocked out. Back in the ring, Cuerno blasts a chair over Mil’s head and he NO-SELLS the shot. Cuerno goes to hit him again and eats a right jab. He drills Cuerno across the back with the chair and wedges it in the corner. He goes to throw Cuerno into the chair, but Cuerno puts on the brakes and avoids a charge as Muertes spears himself into the chair. Cuerno then schoolboys Muertes and cheats like crazy using the ropes as the beaten down ref all of a sudden appears and counts the pinfall on Muertes. (4:33) WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LUCHA UNDERGROUND? These two should not have touched until Ultima Lucha Dos. That’s where the match is. Do an angle or something, but don’t have Mil Muertes lose like this. **

Meanwhile in Dario Cueto’s office, he meets with Taya and Ivelisse. He offers them a drink. Taya shakes her head no, but Ivelisse asks for a “double”. Dario puts them both over as top Lucha Underground stars, but says there can only be one baddest *bitch* in the building. He makes a match for Ultima Lucha Dos between the two of them. May the baddest woman win. Taya walks out and Ivelisse puts the whiskey glass down hard on the desk. As Ivelisse leaves, the always wonderful Catrina walks past and into Dario’s office. She wishes Ivelisse good luck. Ivelisse warns Catrina that she hasn’t forgotten about her. So what does Catrina want? She wants a rematch for Mil Muertes against King Cuerno. Cueto laughs at her coming into his office and demanding things after all she has done to him. Since Dario won’t give in to her wishes, she tempts him with a death match stipulation. Cueto hates her, but says she knows just what to say to him to get him excited. He grants Catrina the death match. And just like that, she was GONE. I love it.

• Prince Puma vs. El Dragon Azteca Jr. (w/Rey Mysterio)
  

Vamp considers Mysterio’s support of Dragon Azteca Jr. as a slap in the face to Puma. Puma lays in some chops, but then they start flipping and nobody hits anything until they come to a stalemate. Another athletic stalemate where nothing happens. Azteca and Puma shake hands and they trade slaps. To the floor they go, Puma catches a tope suicida on his shoulders and tosses Azteca into the ringpost. In the ring, the crowd starts up with the dueling chants. Azteca comes right back with fancy headscissors and a dropkick. Puma gets crotched on the top rope to set up a springboard headscissors from Azteca for two. More swings and misses from both guys. Azteca hits the DDTJ (or tilt-a-whirl DDT) for 1-2-NO! Puma fires back with a Blue Thunder Bomb followed by the northern lights suplex and the vertical suplex from the mat for two. It could be 630 SENTON time, but Azteca stops him up top. I don’t know what you call what Azteca just did, but it was like a super wheelbarrow driver. CRAZY. Anyways, Puma kicks out at two. Azteca charges Puma and takes a throw into the corner. Puma lands the VERTIGO for 1-2-NO! IED sets up the 630 SENTON. Puma covers and gets the three-count. (8:45) Really good match once it got going. I hate the stalemate bullcrap where nothing happens. It’s fine if you do one sequence I suppose, but not several of them back to back like was done here. It’s not next level grappling, it’s just nonsense. After the bell, Puma and Rey talk a little PG smack to one another. ***¾

Dario Cueto comes out to get us all hyped for Ultima Lucha Dos starting next week. In the ring, we have Son of Havoc, Texano, the Mack, and Cage. All of them will be entered into the first ever “Unique Opportunity” tournament. What do they win? Why, a unique opportunity of course. In fact, it will be the greatest unique opportunity he has ever offered. Give it all you got because the victor will receive the spoils. Cueto encourages them all to get a head start – right now. The ring gets cleared with Cage being the last man standing as we go to break. If I know Lucha Underground, those three matches will be all we will see as part one of Ultima Lucha Dos.

When we return, Matt Striker runs down the card for Ultima Lucha Dos.

• Johnny Mundo (w/Taya) vs. Fenix
  

HERE WE GO FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. They disrespect each other to start. Fenix goes for the quick win though and Mundo backpedals to the corner. He fires back with a superkick and a running knee for two. Fenix unloads on Mundo with chops in the corner and gives him one big running chop. Fenix runs into a C4 though as Mundo gets two. Mundo grounds Fenix with a spinebuster for two. As the ref backs Mundo away from boot choking Fenix in the ropes, Taya gets involved. WHERE ARE DRAGO AND AEROSTAR? Fenix monkey flips Mundo to the floor, but he lands on his feet. He celebrates with Taya. Back on the apron, Fenix kicks down a springboard attempt and does a fancy plancha to wipe them both out. Back inside, there’s some blocks and counters between the two until Fenix drills Mundo in the corner with a running kick to the mouth. A springboard reverse kick in the corner staggers Mundo into a CODE RED for 1-2-NO! Fenix heads up top, but Taya holds his leg until Mundo can kick him down. Springboard corkscrew bodypress by Mundo gets two. Time for the END OF THE WORLD. Meanwhile, Taya sneaks a trios title belt into the ring. Fenix avoids the End of the World and delivers a double-jump solo SPANISH FLY! Taya gets in the ring to prevent the pinfall. Mundo grabs the belt and whacks Fenix. And that’s all she wrote. (7:48) A fine TV match where both guys had serious motivation behind what they did. I even liked the finish as it sets up some extra heat going into their trios titles match in two weeks. If I watched these last two matches again, I could maybe make the case that this was the better match tonight. ***¼

Afterwards, PJ Black and Jack Evans come down to join Mundo and Taya to beat up Fenix. Aerostar and Drago run out to help their partner, but the numbers don’t add up. Ivelisse sneaks into the ring and jumps Taya. Eventually, good prevails as Team Man Bun and Taya are tossed out to close the show.

This is how the next three weeks of Ultima Lucha Dos is scheduled:

ULTIMA LUCHA DOS: 7/6
The “Unique Opportunity” tournament including the Mack, Cage, Son of Havoc, and Texano

ULTIMA LUCHA DOS: 7/13
Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods championship elimination match: Sexy Star, Daga, El Sinestro Del Muerte, Marty the Moth, Mariposa, Killshot, and Night Claw.
Death Match: Mil Muertes versus King Cuerno

ULTIMA LUCHA DOS: 7/20 – TWO HOUR FINALE
Trios titles match: Team Man Bun (c) versus Drago, Aerostar, and Fenix
El Dragon Azteca Jr versus Black Lotus
Lucha Underground championship: Matanza (c) versus Pentagon Jr.
Taya versus Ivelisse
Dream Match: Rey Mysterio versus Prince Puma