Lucha Underground: Ultima Lucha Dos Review - July 6, 2016

By Graham "GSM" Matthews​

The Mack def. Cage in a Semifinal Falls Count Anywhere Match in the "4 A Unique Opportunity" Tournament

These two had a hell of a match to kick off last year's Ultima Lucha event, so there perhaps wasn't a more fitting way to open this year's installment than with a Falls Count Anywhere rematch between them. They once again electrified the audience with their awesome chemistry and took the fight in fantastic fashion all over the temple. This wasn't a case of the crowd not having an incentive to cheer one guy over the other because they are both so damn over. I loved the finish with Cage aiming to put Mack through a cinder block for the second straight year only to come up short. That was exceptional storytelling and nice attention to detail, which Lucha Underground is known for.


Son of Havoc def. Texano in a Semifinal Boyle Heights Bar Fight in the "4 A Unique Opportunity" Tournament

Texano does absolutely nothing for me as a wrestler or as a character and he simply bores me to tears, and as much as I enjoy Son of Havoc, this match was in desperate need of a stipulation of some sort. It was cool that they settled on something we hadn't seen before, and as Dario Cueto pointed out, the bar fight was perfect for who was involved. They took each other to their respective limits and put their bodies through total hell, so props are certainly in order for them both. Needless to say, Son of Havoc was the right winner, but Texano looked good here as well.

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Son of Havoc def. The Mack in the Falls Count Anyhwere Finals of the "4 A Unique Opportunity" Tournament

Another Falls Count Anywhere match? Really? I assumed this match would fall flat because it had to follow two such great gimmick matches, so I'm not entirely surprised this was another hardcore match, but doing two of the same stipulation in one night was slightly disappointing. That said, the match itself was a ton of fun. Not quite as good as the previous two bouts, but still solid. They could have benefited from a bit more time, but it was entertaining, nevertheless.


Dr. Wagner Jr. def. Son of Havoc For a Unique Opportunity

It was undoubtedly "unique" for Havoc to be offered a Lucha Underground Championship match one year in advance, but you had to know Dario Cueto had something else up his sleeve and Havoc's title shot wouldn't come so easy. The crowd popped for the debuting Wagner, and although I'm not familiar with him in the slightest, them recognizing him was all that mattered. It was pretty obvious Wagner was winning, but they put forth a decent effort, anyway. Basically, the tournament was for nothing, but at least we got the arrival of Wagner out of it and I look forward to see what Season 3 has in store for him.


​Overall Show

The tournament was a last minute addition to the card, so I guess I can't call its conclusion a disappointment because it barely received any build. Based off how the commentators were playing him up, he is a major addition to the show, so his debut piqued my interest. As for the tournament matches, each of them were excellent in their own way, specifically the first two, so Part 1 of Ultima Lucha Dos gets a thumbs up from me for above-average in-ring action.