Lucha Underground Review - July 12, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jeremiah Crane def. Taya in a Cueto Cup Second Round Match

As I've said before, the inter-gender stuff isn't for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed this match, personally. Taya isn't your typical female competitor; she can legitimately hang with the men and looks like a badass. Thus, she was a believable threat to Crane and they beat the holy hell out of each other here. There were several suspenseful nearfalls and the distraction from Sexy Star costing Taya the contest was logical considering Taya did the same to Star a few episodes ago. I continue to wonder whether Star's obsession with the brass knuckles will lead to a heel turn for her.

Mil Muertes def. Paul London in a Cueto Cup Second Round Match

This should have been a total squash match on paper, but they actually made audience members believe down the stretch that London had a remote chance of winning with his back-to-back Shooting Star Presses, so that was well done. London's wacky in-ring style was an interesting contrast against the dominance of Muertes, and it turned into a much more fun matchup than I expected it to be. Of course, Muertes advanced as he should have and he'll now face Crane in the third round. Given Crane's history with Catrina, I'm really looking forward to that bout.

Fenix def. Marty "The Moth" Martinez in a Cueto Cup Second Round Match

As we get deeper into the tournament, more stories will be in play in these matches, and the ties Fenix and Martinez have had to ring announcer Melissa Santos made this more meaningful. This was a very well-wrestled matchup with good work from both men. As excellent as Fenix is, Martinez proved he can hold his own as well. I could have done without Martinez hitting Fenix repeatedly with a fork in his forehead, but I can understand that was done to give him an added aggressive edge as well as allow him to maintain his heat.

Overall Show

The first round matchups may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but the Cueto Cup is heating up now that we're in the second round and that was apparent with these three contests. Each of them had something special to offer and it was an entertaining night of in-ring action as a result. Next week's tournament matches will feature Cage vs. Pindar, Prince Puma vs. PJ Black, and Son of Havoc vs. Dante Fox.