Lucha Underground Review - August 15, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Matanza Cueto def. Saltador

Another week, another sacrifice to the gods from Matanza. They have actually become a fun weekly staple on the show because you never know who will be killed off next, and the matches are always short and sweet and aren't dragged out longer than they need to be. Meanwhile, poor Rabbit Tribe. They seemed to be poised for big things after finding The White Rabbit a month or so ago, but it led to nothing but losses and two of the members being erased from the roster.

Gift of the Gods Champion Dragon Azteca Jr. def. Trios Champion Killshot

As I've said in the past, I've never been a huge fan of Azteca, but he might actually win me over if he keeps up this "fighting champion" gimmick in the weeks (and possibly months) ahead. He and Killshot worked wonderfully together and had a very enjoyable outing, especially down the stretch when Azteca kicked out of his finisher. This also served to soften up Killshot before he was scheduled to defend the Trios Championship immediately afterward.

The Reptile Tribe def. Son of Havoc, The Mack and Killshot in a Tornado Match to Win the Trios Championship

These trios matches are always entertaining and this championship clash was no exception as all six stars shined at one point another. The pace was perfect, the crowd was into everything they did, and the storytelling was great with the ongoing issues between Killshot and his partners being what cost them the titles. He was technically a heel before, but his post-match attack on Havoc essentially cemented his status as a heel.

Lucha Underground Champion Pentagon Dark and Cage Brawled

Pentagon and Cage are set to meet next in a Last Man or Machine Standing match (clever name, by the way) and this brawl was basically a preview of what we'll be seeing in that bout. I feared they would give too much away by taking their fight all around the arena, but it was a hot angle that made me more excited for their rematch. Look for it to be completely crazy if this segment was any indication.

Overall Show

Lucha Underground is locked in and focused right now on several storylines, most of which are piquing my interest and are compelling. The in-ring action on this episode was above-average, another dude was slaughtered by Matanza, and Pentagon and Cage furthered their feud. Speaking of which, in addition to Pentagon vs. Cage, next week's show will also feature Mil Muetes vs. Mack in a Haunted House match, and I am certainly interested to find out what that will entail exactly.