Lucha Underground Review - September 6, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trios Champion Drago def. The Mack for an Ancient Aztec Medallion

Drago turned on his tag team partners Fenix and Aerostar a while back and that storyline largely hasn't been furthered since then. Although the Reptile Tribe are the current Trios Champions, it doesn't look like they will be defending those titles at Ultima Lucha 3 seeing as how Drago is now in the Gift of the Gods Championship match. Nevertheless, this was a nice opening match from Drago and Mack with the commentators emphasizing that Drago had to cheat to win.

Dario Cueto Called Out Rey Mysterio

I had no idea next week was the big 100th episode of Lucha Underground, so it was cool to hear Dario announce so much for the show including Pentagon Dark vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., an Atomicos match, and Rey Mysterio vs. Matanza. Speaking of Mysterio, he did well with this promo here in standing up to Dario before Dario threatened to fire his protege Dragon Azteca. This was just another opportunity for Dario to get under Mysterio's skin before he battles his brother next week.

Cortez Castro def. Joey Ryan in a 5-O Street Fight for an Ancient Aztec Medallion

Of course, there are no disqualifications in a 5-O Street Fight, but it's police-themed, hence the name and the security guards with riot shields around ringside. I didn't have high expectations for this match on paper, but between the doughnuts, the coffee and the taser, this ended up being a fun little match that the crowd was into. I assume Castro's definitive victory means the end of the feud, but will Castro continue to pursue Dario?

Matanza Cueto def. The Rabbit Tribe in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match

I believe this was Matanza's first match on Lucha Underground in many months (at least since the season started back up again), so it was a treat to see him decimate The Rabbit Tribe with ease. They scored more offense than I thought they would, and Matanza was also made out to look like a babyface in having to overcome the odds, but as a match, I enjoyed it. It was weird timing, though, considering The Rabbit Tribe hold ancient Aztec medallions and will be vying for the Gift of the Gods Championship at Ultima Lucha 3 soon.

Prince Puma Agreed to Put His Career on the Line Against Lucha Underground Champion Johnny Mundo

The original purpose of this segment was for Puma to pick his partners for next week's Atomicos match, but I like that it will be a surprise instead. I appreciated that Puma and Mundo alluded to their history as rivals in this verbal exchange and that Puma will be putting something on the line in their Ultima Lucha 3 match as well: his career. It's been rumored for a while now that Puma is on his way out of the company, so that definitely makes their match all the more compelling.

Overall Show

As a show, this wasn't the most exciting hour Lucha Underground has produced in recent months, but it was effective in building toward next week's stacked 100th episode as well as Ultima Lucha 3 in just three more weeks. From an in-ring standpoint, the only match to stand out was the 5-O Street Fight, and as ridiculous as it was, it was better than expected and provided the show with one memorable matchup.