Lucha Underground Review - July 22, 2015

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

El Texano def. Johnny Mundo by Disqualification

Every match in Lucha Underground serves some sort of a purpose, so this one felt random when it was initially announced. Even a brief backstage segment would have been beneficial in setting it up. It was well-wrestled while it lasted, but both are involved in feuds right now that will culminate at Ultima Lucha, so it was wise to protect Texano and Morrison with the non-finish. I didn't understand the involvement of The Crew (maybe I'm missing something?), but at least Alberto El Patron effectively furthered his feud with Mundo by making the save for Texano. Speaking of which, I appreciated the attention to detail by not completely ignoring the history El Patron and Texano have together.


The Mack def. Cage

I completely forgot about these two facing off a few weeks ago until this rematch. It did make storyline sense since they got in a fight backstage a one point a while ago, but it would have helped if viewers were reminded of that. This wasn't nearly as impressive of a rematch as their encounter, but it was logical to keep it short and sweet with the Falls Count Anywhere rematch next week. That's a stipulation that perfectly fits the styles of both competitors and should be a blast.

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Dario Cueto Revealed the Significance of the Ancient Aztec Medallions

The "Gift of the Gods" match/championship along with the ability to cash it in one week in advance (the slight dig to the Money in the Bank concept was hilarious) is pretty damn cool. I wish they would have told viewers that from the beginning so they would have cared more about the matches that were held to determine who would win them, but I understand the approach to save the "big surprise" for the end. The ceremony itself was well done and tied in nicely to the subsequent return of Fenix.


Fenix Won a 10-Man Battle Royal for the Final Ancient Aztec Medallion

One would ask why Fenix had to regain a medallion he already won, but with Cueto being a heel authority figure, it was in line with what his character would do. It was obvious he would win given the enhancement talent involved, but he had a fun little showing against the final competitors including Marty the Moth, Killshot and Daivari. Fenix is currently my pick to win the "Gift of the Gods" Championship at Ultima Lucha.


Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma and Mil Muertes Brawled

The tease of Prince Puma finally speaking was a good tease for the end of the show, and although he ultimately didn't speak, we were treated to a solid brawl from him and Muertes. It leaves me wondering whether we'll hear him speak next week or if they're holding off until the next season to have him cut his first promo. They've done a superb job of building up this bout and it will make for a great way to close the season.


Overall Show

With the first half of Ultima Lucha kicking off next week, this was an excellent "go-home show" of sorts. The three matches weren't given a ton of time, but they all progressed several storylines and were meaningful. The revealing of what the purpose of the medallions is made this episode newsworthy and the ending brawl succeeded in what it set out to do. Once again, this was an enjoyable hour of wrestling, though it makes me sad it will be taking an extended hiatus in two weeks.