Lucha Underground: Ultima Lucha Cuatro Review - November 7, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Fenix def. Dragon Azteca Jr. in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match​

Needless to say, these guys know each other extremely well, so I expected them to have the chemistry that they did here and their match to be a ton of fun. They made excellent use of the 2-out-of-3 Falls stipulation and managed to keep the audience engaged throughout. The added element of Melissa Santos at ringside showing compassion for Fenix and that actually inadvertently costing Azteca the victory was a terrific touch. Santos walked out after that, so Shaul Guerrero called the action from that point forward and even laid out Famous B with the Three Amigos.

The Mack def. Mil Muertes in a Death Match

I've enjoyed past encounters that Mack and Muertes have had, but this might have been my favorite to date. It felt more like a hardcore brawl rather than a true "Death" match, but it was a a blast nonetheless and the crowd was into everything they did. After all the crap he's had to take from Muertes this season, Mack finally overcoming the dominant competitor made sense, and it further proved that Muertes isn't nearly as strong without Catrina by his side.

Johnny Mundo def. Matanza Cueto in a Sacrifice to the Gods Match

Matanza has always been a one-man wrecking machine in Lucha Underground dating back to his debut in Season 2, but he has especially been an unstoppable monster this season. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised that this was as competitive as it was and that Mundo came across like a true threat to Matanza. This was along the same lines of every other match on this show in that it wasn't your typical one-on-one affair, but it also managed to be different as well with Mundo and Matanza telling an outstanding story. I thought Mundo was done for when Matanza put him through the top of the structure, but Mundo ended up resurfacing with the all-powerful gauntlet and beating his arch-rival.

Pentagon Dark def. Marty "The Moth" Martinez in a Cero Miedo Match to Win the Lucha Underground Championship

It's amazing how quick of a transformation Martinez has experienced this season, going from just another guy on the roster to a certified main event player. I wasn't sold on him in the role initially, but he won me over following his breakout performance against Mariposa a few weeks ago. This match was fantastic as well and it was an equal effort from both men. They went to extreme levels to inflict punishment on each other and it paid off wonderfully. This was everything you could have wanted from these guys and so much more. Following Pentagon's victory, he was ambushed by his mentor Vampiro, who revealed he too had a master (whose identity was never revealed). Their brutal beating on Pentagon paved the way for what would happen next...

Jake Strong def. Pentagon Dark to Win the Lucha Underground Championship

You could see this coming from a mile away as soon as Antonio Cueto established earlier in the season that the Gift of the Gods Champion could cash in their guaranteed title shot at any time and not have to announce it one week in advance. We saw the same ending to last year's Ultima Lucha, though Pentagon won the title and didn't lose it, so that was an interesting twist.I don't love the idea of Strong as the Lucha Underground Champion (what is this, 2010?), but we'll see where it goes in Season 5. If nothing else, Pentagon put up a hell of a fight on this show before finally succumbing to defeat.

Overall Show

Say what you will about how Season 4 of Lucha Underground didn't match up to past seasons (which is true to an extent), but the show never ceases to deliver with these Ultima Lucha specials. This was another amazing season finale that featured a cool mix of memorable matches and moments as well as the culmination of many angles and storylines that have been building all season long. That extended video package that aired at the end teasing viewers for what we could see in Season 5 was produced phenomenally well, especially with that huge cliff hanger about how the former Wade Barrett has apparently been the "higher power" this entire time. Season 5 couldn't premiere soon enough.