Lucha Underground Review - June 21, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cage def. Vinnie Massaro in a Cueto Cup First Round Match

I believe Massaro has competed in Lucha Underground before, but not many times. In fact, you see him much more in random segments backstage than you do in the ring. Thus, while the average viewer doesn't have any incentive to care about Massaro, he had a handful of hope spots against Cage here. In the end, though, Cage emerged victorious in dominant fashion as he should have and continued to look ruthless during the post-match attack on Massaro.

Marty "The Moth" Martinez def. Saltador in a Cueto Cup First Round Match

It's been a while since we last heard about The Moth's obsession with Melissa Santos, but it's cool that's his motivation for wanting to win the tournament. Saltador has hardly been established by this point, but after this outing, we now know he's an extremely strange individual. That said, it was obvious he wasn't winning, so it wasn't necessary for the matchup to drag on for as long as it did.

Pindar def. Mascarita Sagrada in a Cueto Cup First Round Match

I realize Pindar is probably the guy with the least amount of focus in his stable with Kobra Moon, but there was no reason why Sagrada should have gotten in as much offense as he did. He's a comedy character, and while he plays that role very well, he should not have gone toe-to-toe with his much larger opponent. This bout would have been better off being several minutes shorter and much more one-sided in favor of Pindar.

Fenix def. Mariposa in a Cueto Cup First Round Match

This was a bit of a random match on paper (no different than most of the other first round matches in the Cueto Cup), but I liked how they set it up with the pre-match backstage segment with siblings The Moth and Mariposa teasing facing each other in the next round. The matchup itself was the best of the evening yet still not above average. Fenix advancing was logical and he will now face The Moth in the next round.

Overall Show

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed last week's first round matches far more than this week's. Cage vs. Massaro was a glorified squash, Martinez vs. Salador overstayed its welcome, Pindar vs. Sagrada could have been booked better, and Fenix vs. Mariposa wasn't all that memorable. I still love the idea of the Cueto Cup, but here's hoping the next round of matchups are a bit more exciting.