Sometimes getting what you asked for is a blessing and sometimes it’s a curse. Unfortunately for all of us, we never know until it’s too late. For Mascarita Sagrada, having his request granted allowed him to get some much desired revenge. For Prince Puma, it cost him his life.

The show tonight was bracketed by these two matches, both of which delivered and made for a highly entertaining episode. There weren’t a ton of snowflakes to pass around by the end of it, but it was a solid hour that set the stage for Aztec Warfare next week.

The main event was a Grave Consequences match between Puma and Mil Muertes. Much like Mick Foley with the Hell in a Cell, Mil Muertes had become synonymous with the Grave Consequences match yet had not picked up a win in either of his outings. This episode reversed that trend, as Mil beat Puma as clean as can be after chokeslamming him through a table.

The match overall was pretty good with some standout spots, but finished rather flat. Puma, in particular, had some impressive moments including a handstand out of the Flatliner to counter it and a Showtime Kick off the ring post into a chair into Mil’s face. The man is just so talented, it’s crazy. Every time he’s out there, I’m reminded that he’s without a doubt one of the best workers in the world.

The finish was a little dull after Mil hit the choke slam. He grabbed a casket, which we were thankfully reminded was the same one that Konnan went out in, then he moved the casket around and finally put it on a stand and put Puma in it. It was a boring finish that had no suspense to it after a back and forth match that was engrossing. I probably would’ve thought more of the match afterwards had the finish been better. I suppose that’s every casket match’s challenge, though.

The opener was my favorite part of the show, a fun comedy brawl with all sorts of props and gimmicks. Mascarita Sagrada shined here almost as brightly as Puma did in the main event. This was his wheelhouse. It’s incredible how expressive he can be under a full body suit and mask. The way to get this man over is to let him do things like this.

From the very beginning I was laughing and smiling. The ladder spot, where Mascarita held out just enough of the ladder to tease it, only for it to be a step ladder was just so great. The punchline was obvious, but it didn’t even matter, I was bought in. It didn’t matter that some of the jokes were predictable, I just had so much fun with this.

The finish with Mascarita being given a mini biker vest to match his buddy Son of Havoc was just icing on the cake. How could anyone dislike this? Sure, a Tanahashi/Okada five star classic is better, but there’s room for this too and I loved it. They brought back Arrogance for crying out loud. It’s too bad they seemingly blew off the feud, because I’d kinda be down for a wacky blindfold match with these two.

The middle prepped us for Aztec Warfare. By giving us a glimpse of Matanza’s cell and allowing him to talk, as well as a ten-man tag to determine five entrants. That match may have ended up being pretty good, but we’ll never know because somehow Ivelisse managed to injure her ankle again. I felt so bad for her here. She knew it right away, too, as the camera captured her yelling, “Not again!” as she fought back tears. For it to happen again is heartbreaking for her, for it to happen on a run-of-the-mill hurricanrana is tragic. Hopefully the injury won’t end up having been too bad.

We also were informed that Pindar is alive and on his way. Who’s Pindar, you ask? Well, apparently he’s a god of some sort that rules over Kobra Moon’s tribe. A quick Google search will tell you that he’s part of the Illuminati and is a flying lizard monster. Does this mean Cage or Texano are going to sprout wings when their series is over? Or have we just introduced god number three making his way to the Temple?

The episode on the whole was a breeze to watch and kept me entertained. When I look back on season three, the main event won’t stand out to me, but the opener just might. If you’re a Chikara fan that has somehow not given Lucha Underground a shot, I feel like that match is your gateway in. When it was all said and done tonight, it got me ready for Aztec Warfare and I’m pumped for this year’s version.

Unfortunately, that brings me to some bad news. (Well, good and bad news, I suppose.) For over two years now, I’ve lived with chronic migraine, where I’ve had a migraine every day to some degree. This Monday, I go in for plastic surgery to hopefully fix that, which is the best news of all time for yours truly. The bad news is that it’s going to keep me away from writing these reviews for a couple weeks.

The timing of this could not possibly be worse as far as Lucha Underground is concerned, as Aztec Warfare is usually a pivotal event, but this year is even more so. I will be watching and following along, possibly making some notes if I’m able, and will be back late November or early December. When I come back, I’ll have a big recap of the weeks I was gone, then we’ll pick up weekly as usual. Thanks for being understanding.

The Matches

  • Believers’ Backlash Match: Mascarita Sagrada def. Famous B
    • So. Much. Fun.
    • Can we talk about how the weapon Melissa Santos brought was comically large scissors?
    • Perfect length, perfect tone.
    • Until the finish, that is, when some super dramatic music kicked in for no reason.
  • The Mack, Mariposa, Marty the Moth, Ivelisse, & Jeremiah Crane def. Killshot, Dante Fox, Argenis, Texano, & Cage
    • Was fine until it ended out of nowhere.
    • The ending being so awkward makes me think the injury to Ivie was definitely legit.
    • They kept saying Crane was in orange, but the color grading of the show pushed it to red. I didn’t see orange at all.
    • I will never not be impressed by the moonsault where the guy spins before he lands on the ropes.
  • Grave Consequences Match: Mil Muertes def. Prince Puma
    • This started with a bang and was really great in the beginning.
    • Striker tried to convince us that getting hit with flowers would hurt because roses have thorns. I laughed out loud.
    • At some point in the match, Vampiro started talking like he was doing a late-night commercial for a call line.
    • “You heard it, you saw it, you don’t need me to call it.” – Matt Striker has never said anything more true.