This week’s Lucha Underground episode was the kind of show any wrestling fan can get into. The matches were solid, the angles were straightforward, and the whole episode breezes by. Some questionable decisions aside, this was one that anyone could enjoy.

The episode was wrapped around three matches and everything that happened served either those matches or built one title match for next week. It was simple, logical booking. That’s not to say that all of the quirkiness that I’ve come to appreciate from Lucha Underground was missing, but it was more subtle than usual.

The first match was Killshot and Argenis. Argenis made an appearance in Aztec Warfare, but this was his first match otherwise this season. Well, as Argenis, anyway. He does play another character on the show and I like him much more here as Argenis. He’s never mind blowing, but is a solid, reliable lucha worker.

Killshot seems to have a whole new gimmick now, fresh off the video package from last week. His darker mask is now his go-to and he brings the dog tags from his military service to the ring with him. It feels like they just hit reset on this guy and expected no one to notice. Surely, they could have found a way to ease into this character or explain the transition in some way. Instead, now he’s super into his military service even though we’ve seen a lot of him before now and that was never important to him in the slightest. It’s a little weird, is all.

They had a match. It served fairly well as a showcase for this new Killshot and gave him a solid win to get rolling. It seemed like he has two finishing moves now, with a double stomp and some sort of cradle driver. Perhaps superfluous when he clearly had Argenis beat with the double stomp alone, but they wanted to show everything new about him.

We met a new luchador, Daga. I’ve never seen this guy before, but they did a good job of hyping him up going into the match. He sat down with Dario and talked about the match and Dario put him over as an exciting new signing. Then the commentary put him over as a big deal in Mexico. Is he? I have no idea, but I was totally believing it here.

Unfortunately though, as has been the case with several other Lucha Underground debuts, Daga lost his Aztec Medallion match against Texano. I’m puzzled by this decision, honestly. If you’re going to tell us that he’s a big deal, have him be a big deal. The story they told about this guy was that everyone thought he was a big deal, but they were all mistaken. The problem is, I don’t think that’s the story the writers believe they are telling.

I give Lucha Underground a heaping amount of good faith with the writing direction on the show. Decisions like this really cause me to second guess that, though. It would be one thing if we hadn’t seen them turn PJ Black into a nonentity after losing his debut earlier this season. I really hope this promotion is not becoming yet another where you want to see how it plays out, but can never trust that it will actually make sense in the end.

But enough about the bad, we had one final match in the show and it was far from. The next match in our trios tournament pitted Rey Mysterio Jr., Dragon Azteca Jr., and Prince Puma against the wacky team of Johnny Mundo, Taya, and Cage. I liked the skit at the top of the show where Dario booked the match and told Mundo, Taya, and Cage that they would be teaming. His sleazy rationale of, “Look how well it worked out for Ivelisse, Son of Havoc and Angélico!” was a nice touch. Luis Fernandez-Gil is just so great in this role.

The match itself was spectacular. You really need to go out of your way for this one. The técnicos team really shined with all sorts of fun, flashy offense. Cage got a great spot or two, particularly with a simultaneous fall-away slam and samoan drop on Puma and Azteca. They really made the crowd wait for the Mysterio hot tag and when it finally came, they went crazy for it. Everything about this match clicked.

Whether you’re a Lucha Underground fan or not, you owe it to yourself to see this match. Everyone in it was great, the action picked up and then never stopped, it was a joy to watch. I always find myself being a bit down on trios matches before they happen and this one was a stark reminder that sometimes a lucha trios tag can be pretty awesome.

The match in its entirety can be watched on the Lucha Underground Facebook page.

The one other thing on the show was a build to next week’s Mil Muertes battle with Matanza. So far no one has been able to get the monster as much as off his feet. It will be interesting to see if Mil has any more success than the others have. Muertes prepared himself at his swanky candle altar, while Catrina warned him that Matanza may be even more powerful than the earthquake that turned young Pascual Mendoza into the Man of 1,000 Deaths he is today.

Meanwhile, Matanza prepares for this match in his cage, where he normally is. It seems as though he’s growing tired of his cell, though. Dario tried to reassure him that he is locked up because he is valuable. That in order to keep people from trying to steal him, Dario must lock him away like a prized diamond. It’s unclear whether Matanza is buying it, though. Or if he even has the mental capability of understanding his brother’s actions. One thing is for sure, next week will be a war.

The Matches

  • Killshot def. Argenis – Solid showcase for Killshot. Not a complete squash, but a good little back and forth that went down smooth. Thumbs Up
  • Aztec Medallion Match: Texano def. Daga – Baffling booking here, with Texano picking up the win. I know he’s a decent worker, but I just could not care less about the guy. Hopefully they’re able to rehab Daga after this. Thumbs Up
  • Trios Tournament Match: Rey Mysterio Jr., Dragon Azteca Jr., & Prince Puma def. Johnny Mundo, Taya, & Cage – This match was great. Lots of fun flips and dives. Dragon Azteca really impressed here. I’ve never seen him outside of Lucha Underground, but he shows a lot of promise. Watch this match. Thumbs WAY Up

Random Thoughts

  • Dario’s reaction to Taya blowing him off was spectacular.
  • Black Lotus maybe still has some sort of conscience left, but Dragon Azteca Jr. will not be happy when he finds out what she’s done.
  • Again with the garbage lightning, guys? Really?
  • Why does the rock glow backstage but never at ringside?