Lucha Underground Review - January 27, 2016

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

King Cuerno def. Fenix to Win the Gift of the Gods Championship

Did these two previously have history from the first season? For some reason, I feel like they did. I definitely have to watch the Season 1 Recap they put up one of these days. At any rate, this highly entertaining matchup was a great way of ringing in the new year as there never seemed to be a dull moment. The title change took me by surprise considering Fenix captured the championship at Ultima Lucha and has a ready-made feud with Mil Muertes given their past, but they could always get the belt back on him at some point. Plus, it established that anything can happen when you least expect it in Lucha Undergrund. If you're new to the promotion, expect much more of this throughout the season.


Ivelisse def. Son of Havoc and Angelico in a No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat Match for the Lucha Underground Championship

It seemed strange at first to pit three former tag team champions against each other, but they set it up nicely with Catrina promising the winner of the Triple Threat an immediate shot at the Lucha Underground Championship that same night. Intergender wrestling may bother some, as it does me at times, but Ivelisse is so fluid and fun in the the ring that she doesn't feel out of place whatsoever in the ring with the men. Everyone involved was able to get their signature spots in before Ivelisse scored the shocking win, which undoubtedly built intrigue heading into the main event.

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Lucha Underground Champion Mil Muertes def. Ivelisse

Again, if you aren't a fan of intergender wrestling, odds are this match isn't for you. I wasn't too high on the Pentagon Jr. vs. Sexy Star feud last season because it was completely illogical to think Star could beat Pentagon on her own, but the way this match was structured was beautiful and the crowd was engaged in the action every step of the way. Muertes dominated most of the match as he should have, but whenever Ivelisse scored a hope spot or two, the crowd went nuts! There was a part of you that actually thought she was going to win the title, so that dynamic worked perfectly. Not to mention Prince Puma making the save afterward means we're in for a rematch from Ultima Lucha pretty soon, and the show couldn't have closed out any better with Pentagon Jr. snapping the arm of Muertes. Pentagon was technically a heel for most of Season 1, so it was wise of them to turn him face (apparently, anyway) because of his incredibly popularity with the fans.


Overall Show

Why couldn't Lucha Underground have returned sooner?! It has been five months too long! Words can't describe how excited I was for it to return and it feels so great for it to be back at long last. This was an excellent season premiere featuring two title matches, one title change and an ample amount of exceptional wrestling. Furthermore, the seeds were planted for future storylines, which Lucha Underground has always excelled at. I look forward to continuing to cover Lucha Underground once again this season!