Finally, Ultima Lucha Dos is upon us! I know I’ve been looking forward to this week for quite some time. Believers everywhere have been anticipating Ultima Lucha Dos since, well, Ultima Lucha Uno. Two wrestlers will be making their in ring debuts, all three titles are up for grabs, and the Prince looks to dethrone El Rey. We’ve got a big 3 weeks ahead of us!
Now, look, I know the results are already out there because this got taped back in like February or something. I have somehow remained unspoiled like an innocent summer child and my previews are going to reflect that. You all have the opportunity of mocking my predictions not just in hindsight, but in real time! Let’s dive in.
Unique Opportunity Tournament
Son of Havoc vs Cage vs The Mack vs Texano
We have no idea what this is even going to be. Somehow I doubt we’re getting a simple one on one tournament. Dario Cueto’s Unique Opportunities do not come easy or without some sort of catch 22. I do know that this will take place on the first of three shows. We already have a Death Match and a title match (which not only features Matanza and Pentagon, but all Lucha Underground title matches have “relaxed” rules) so this might be an opportunity to get some plunder in for hour one, leaving the Death Match for hour two and title for hour three. This should be chaotic and violent. Who could possibly pass that up?
What to Watch For: Last year’s Ultima Lucha included a match where Cage smashed a cinder block with The Mack’s face. Surely The Mack will be out for revenge this year. What plans do they have for Texano? Seems like this is their opportunity to either get behind him or slot him right in the middle of the card.
Predictions: I don’t know the brackets or if there even are brackets, but I see The Mack coming out of this victorious. They seem to really like him and some comeuppance of Cage for last year is due. As for the Unique Opportunity, I expect something similar to what Drago was given: win the title or lose your job.
Taya vs Ivelisse
Glad to see these women get a chance to shine on this show. If I’m not mistaken, this will be Ivelisse’s second singles match of the season, the first being against Mil Muertes on the first episode. I like her chances in this match a lot more. This will be an opportunity for these two to go out and impress. Ivelisse has looked pretty good in a lot of her matches and Taya was trained by Lance Storm, so she at least has a solid set of fundamentals. I’m optimistic on this one. I don’t think it will steal the show, but I expect it to be pretty good.
What to Watch For: Does Ivelisse have a finishing move? We’ve never seen it that I can recall. Will Johnny Mundo be at ringside to shift the odds in Taya’s favor? If so, is this a spot for Angelico to make his return and even the odds?
Predictions: It makes way more sense for Ivelisse to win here and I think that’s what they will do. Shenanigans wouldn’t surprise me here, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say she wins clean, either by mitigated interference or by done at all.
Black Lotus vs Dragon Azteca Jr.
This match has the longest build of not just any match on this show, but in any company in the world. On October 29, 2014, the very first episode of Lucha Underground began with Dragon Azteca saving Dragon Azteca Jr. and explaining the ancient roots of lucha libre to him. Four weeks later, Black Lotus shows up and begins scouting the Temple, looking for signs of Matanza. This leads to Dragon Azteca abducting her and training her to avenge the death of her parents at the hands of Matanza.
Black Lotus leaves Dragon Azteca before her training is complete and sets out to kill Matanza. She ends up captured by Dario and is told that Dragon Azteca killed her parents, not Matanza. When Dragon Azteca arrives to save Black Lotus, she kills him and runs away with the Cuetos. Dragon Azteca Jr. takes on the mask of his mentor and vows to avenge him. These two star-crossed protégés have been on a collision course from the first episode of this show.
What to Watch For: Can Black Lotus wrestle? This is the first debut we’re getting on this show. Not since Fandango have we seen a character’s in-ring debut on the biggest show of the year, this show brings us two. We’ve never seen Black Lotus before and Dragon Azteca Jr.’s offense seems to require someone strong enough to be a base for his flipz. This match is huge for the story of the show, but I don’t expect it to be very good as a match. Hopefully they’ll structure it accordingly.
Predictions: Dragon Azteca Jr. has to win here. He’s a guy who has a bright future (in this company or any) and it seems like a waste to beat him here. Black Lotus warned that if she found out Dario was lying to her, the whole Black Lotus Triad would be at his doorstep. I think we get more seeds for that here.
Death Match
Mil Muertes vs King Cuerno
The last time Mil Muertes lost a Grave Consequences match, he came back to a Death Match against Fenix. That match ended, if you recall, with Mil Muertes powerbombing Fenix through a roof, presumably killing him. (It may also be the only time in Lucha Underground history they have shown a live replay, unless I’m forgetting something.) It wasn’t the best match the two had, but it was huge on spectacle. There’s no reason to think that this Death Match won’t live up to expectations.
Thankfully, Muertes and Cuerno have no other, classic match to live up to. Their battle a week ago was a perfect setup for a big match. This is a sleeper for the best match of Ultima Lucha Dos with a floor of insanity. Get hype!
What to Watch For: They’ve already used a flatliner through a roof, so what is the big spot here? They are fortunate in that they can gimmick basically anything in the building to do something insane as safe as possible. Where do they go with this one? What will the big bump be? This time will Mil Muertes be on the receiving end?
Predictions: This one is a toss-up. Nothing has been setup for either guy past this match, so a win either way isn’t spoiling any plans. Matanza has already dispatched of Mil Muertes and did so with a degree of finality, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see King Cuerno walk away with this one. Perhaps the Hunter moves on to even bigger game. That’s my prediction.
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Prince Puma
Look, if you’re a wrestling fan and you’re not excited for this match, check your pulse. Since coming to Lucha Underground, Rey Mysterio has looked revitalized. His weight is back down, he’s moving well, and he comes across as every bit the superstar he is. Prince Puma is one of the most exciting workers in the business right now. The combination of these two is basically guaranteed to produce a great match.
What else do you want me to say? This match is going to be great!
What to Watch For: Last week, Prince Puma sent ever so slight heel vibes as he took down Dragon Azteca Jr. Was that a one-time thing or might we be seeing a darker side of the Jaguar tribe’s favorite son? Who will the crowd get behind? Will they want to see the legend retain his status as the King or will they want to see their hometown Prince capture the throne?
Predictions: Man, this is a hard one. I can see this going one of two ways. I can see them telling the story of Rey Mysterio still being a legend so that one of their monsters can destroy him down the road. I can also see them elevating Puma even higher with a win here. It’s a tough call, but I’m going to go with Prince Puma.
Gift of the Gods Title Match
Daga vs Killshot vs Marty the Moth vs Mariposa vs Sexy Star vs Siniestro de la Muerte vs Night Claw
We have our second debut on the show here with Night Claw. Unfortunately this isn’t Brian Cage going back to his old FCW gimmick. Night Claw here is played by Flamita, who I’ve not actually seen before, but have heard great things about. A big seven-way like this should be a great opportunity for him to shine in his debut. He also looks like a G.I. Joe character with an overbite, so he’s got that working for him as well.
This should be fast-paced, chaotic, and a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it, even though a few of these guys don’t do much for me. Siniestro de la Muerte hasn’t impressed me much, Mariposa has been downright awful in everything but the No Más match, and who could possibly be invested in Daga who has blown every opportunity that hasn’t been against a mini? Still, this should be a fun spot fest.
What to Watch For: Dario warned Night Claw that the Jaguar tribe was destroyed because of their arrogance. Does that play into this match at all? How do Marty and Mariposa coexist when they both want the same thing? Does Marty defer to his sister?
Predictions: Look, none of these competitors are really championship material right now. Can you picture Marty the Moth against Matanza? There have been a couple hype trains this season based on commentary and vignettes and those have been behind Daga and Killshot. I could potentially see this as an opportunity to put Sexy Star on the top tier, but I don’t think they’ll go there. Night Claw is a possibility, too, of course. I see Killshot winning here, because I think they have bigger plans for him.
Trios Title Match
The Worldwide Underground (Johnny Mundo, Jack Evans, PJ Black)© vs Aerostar, Fenix, Drago
Speaking of wild spot fests… This match should be a doozy. All six guys are athletic, high flying, and fearless. Anything less than a four star match is going to be a gigantic let down. The ref is going to lose control quickly, there’s going to be a flip a minute and it’s going to be a lot of fun. I don’t think this will be the best match on the show, but it certainly has a chance to be my favorite. I love me some flippy dives.
What to Watch For: Just try to keep up with the action! Will Johnny Mundo continue to put Taya in harm’s way to save his own skin? Will she finally call him on it? Will we get some nunchaku action? Will the match devolve into a “who can top this” contest with aerial moves?
Predictions: I think the técnicos go over here. Aerostar, Drago, and Fenix are going to walk away with the belts after some sort of communication breakdown from the champs. They’ve been too friendly for too long and there are too many egos on that team for them to continue to coexist. I also think they’ll want to balance the main event…
Lucha Underground Title Match
Matanza© vs Pentagon Jr.
The last time these two fought, it was a complete squash. Pentagon ended up doing the Professor X gimmick by the time the monster was done with him. This time, I think things might go a little bit differently. We’ve built to Pentagon coming back darker and more evil, this is an opportunity to pay that off.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the champ. Last time, Cage brought him right to the edge, but couldn’t get the job done. Between a more human Matanza and a darker Pentagon, this should be a pretty good back and forth.
You have to wonder if we get the appearance of Lorenzo Lamas and his employer in some way here. Do they make their presence known at the Temple? Or do we get that story moved forward purely via vignette?
What to Watch For: Last time, Pentagon was not able to get Matanza even off his feet. Will he have better luck this time? Will we truly see the darker Pentagon the show has been promising us? Will Vampiro get involved? Will Matanza need to be rescued from Pentagon this time?
Predictions: There’s a disconnect between what I would do here and what I think they will do here. I think you’ve built this story with Pentagon for months, you pay it off here with a giant win. Having the biggest moment on consecutive Ultima Luchas go to Pentagon puts a nice bow on things and would be a huge moment. However, I don’t think they’re going that way. The lore of the show and the story they’re telling necessitates that Matanza hang on to the title until either this other powerful being shows up or the Black Lotus Triad makes their way in to wreck shop. I don’t want him to, but Matanza doesn’t care what we want. He’s just here to kick ass and chew faces… and he’s all out of faces.
