Grave Consequences Match (Casket Match)
Mil Muertes vs Rey Fenix
March 16, 2015
Lucha Underground

A lump of coal this isn’t!

I shall be honest, I am lucha novice. I do enjoy the Latin American take on professional wrestling; the wonderful masks, the rapid sequences and the totally outrageous high-flying spots; but admittedly I don’t get to watch a whole lot of lucha.

I did however catch a fair bit of Lucha Underground. How could you not? Wrestling fused with telenovela-style storylines was right up my alley and it was for the most part an easy watch. The betrayals, the feel-good stories and the absolute nonsense; it was all here!

I was kind of hoping for a dud of a match, you know the type, something so bad it’s good. So, I was thinking I’d be a little disappointed if I received some 5-star classic as my present. Thankfully, there was no disappointment as I received a nice piece of LU nostalgia.

In this match we have a current AEW highlight reel in Rey Fenix taking on the legend that is Mil Muertes and while I am familiar with the match, I never actually saw it, so kudos Santa (My guess is that Santa is Jeremy Sexton, but I really have no clue).

The man of a thousand lives takes on the man of a thousand deaths. The immovable object meets the unstoppable force, but in Mexico. What a setup!

The match begins with a ceremonial casket entrance, which really sets the tone and adds get pantomime-like bollox that WWE tries but mainly fails at these days. Love it. Then, the voice of commentator Matt Stryker is heard, reminding me that he was everywhere during this time frame. I don’t mind Stryker, unlike others in the Voices of Wrestling slack, so I’m happy so far. 10 on 10 for presentation.

Muertes enters, barges his way to the ring like a true comic book villain. Think Bonesaw from the Spiderman movie, but with a mask. He holds the sacred rock; more panto bollox that I can’t get enough of.  I forgot how much I loved the presentation of Lucha Underground. Excellent Wrestling meets campy Z-List acting. It’s wonderful.

The crowd favorite Fenix makes his entrance and it’s evident that this match has a huge, big final boss versus plucky underdog hero vibe; how can you not love it? With 17 minutes left on this YouTube clip, I feel I am in for a true Christmas treat.

The match is nothing short of excellent, with some great spots, brutal visuals and utterly entertaining from start to finish. Fenix bleeding like a boss is a visual that apps up the hate for Muertes throughout, while simultaneously making you root for the battered underdog.

Muertes played is role as a seemingly unstoppable boss to a tee, disrespecting Fenix at every turn by tearing his mask, biting him repeatedly and making him gush blood like a wounded dog. Muertes is bad ass here.

Fenix, to be fair, played his part to perfection also. He had so much babyface fire throughout that he could burn down a forest in seconds., while also springing up occasionally to nail some of the sweet fast-paced moves he’s known for.

In the end, it was Muetres who has not long for this world. He entered the casket after a nice top rope stomp and the match would end when his former valet closed the lid on his motionless body and the sacred rock (Which did Muertes no favors at all.). The casket was then carried off as the show end in cheese, over-the-top fashion and I was thoroughly entertained this Christmas season.

Seven years on, this match still holds up and I would recommend seeking it out if you fancy some excellent wrestling mixed with camp theatrics. It had heart, brutality and top notch in-ring action. Thank you, Santa.