Lucha Underground Episode 16: Caged Animals Workrate Report

ER: Picture Vince Russo saying "Awright, we open da show wit' a hot piece of ass bound and gagged in da trunk of a car." I can see it.

1. Aerostar vs. Drago

PAS: Really enjoyed this I think it was better then their first match. Aerostar is completely nuts his first dive was indescribable, and I really like Drago too. Still think we could use some Fuerzas or some Dick Togos, but this was my favorite of the all out techinco sprints they have run. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

ER: These guys are complete lunatics. This was totally awesome with some totally unreal innovative flying. Aerostar pulled out a few things that just don't seem possible, yet he makes look easy. Springing off the middle rope in ring to the middle rope out of ring into a crossbody to the floor comes off complicated but with him it's fluid. Later he hits a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor by running up and over Drago's body. Drago has some wild armbars that begin looking like blown spots and end in all sorts of twisted limbs and/or roll ups. Too much cool stuff here. I look forward to seeing them try and top each other.

2. Prince Puma vs. Cage

PAS: This is really what their first match should have been, Cage hurling Puma around the ring with power moves and Puma hitting and moving with big high spots. Lots of cool shit in this match, that initial bump by Puma off the clothesline, the insane spaceman springboard shooting star, the power bomb combo into the flipping flatliner. I liked the finish in concept, but those grounded punches needed to look better for me to buy a towel being thrown in.

ER: Damn Cage is waiting in the ring after the commercial break, which usually means jobber as far as my wrestling history is concerned. I really enjoyed this match. Although I think it's really dorky that Cage is pushed as "hating lucha libre and all that it stands for!" because…well what the fuck does that actually mean? Is lucha libre really that much different than whatever Cage does? I work in governmental accounting and that would be like me saying that I hated private sector accounting and all that it stands for. "I like fiscal accountability, I hate Mexican culture, and I like setting and working within budget restrictions." Puma hits a spectacular double springboard shooting star press, a super impactful 450, and what makes his flying great is he also misses with gusto. He splats with the best of them. Cage's moonsault still feels wildly out of place for whatever his character is supposed to be, but his offense really peaks when matched up against these fearless flyers who not only bump like mad but lean way into the moves. Cage hits a discus clothesline at one point that just obliterates Puma. I liked the finish as although the punches from mount could have been tighter, I think the idea was that he was punching an unconscious Puma, so the towel makes sense. Fun stuff.

ER: Boy Sexy Star vs. Big Ryck sounds horrible. It can only logically end with her being snapped in half, and nobody wants to see that, and it wouldn't help either person. I assume it turns into a non-match with both of them deciding to unite against the Crew? But Ryck teaming with Star is not really interesting to me.

PAS: I am not sure how I would book Sexy Star but I am sure I wouldn't book her like this.

3. Vinny Massaro vs. Pentagon Jr.

ER: Ho hooooo!! Vinny Massaro finally makes his television debut 17 years after his wrestling debut. Jeez I've been watching this guy wrestle for literally half of my life. And although it was incredibly brief I really dug him in job duty here. Hit the ropes hard, threw himself into bumps, and dumped himself on his head for the finish.

PAS: As an old APW fan I was happy to see Massaro get a look. He was pretty great as a jobber and I would like to see them throw him under a mask and give him something more to do.

4. King Cuerno vs. Johnny Mundo

ER: So Mundo had an unreal dive during this match. I don't even know how his body fit through the ropes at the angle he was in, without getting hung up, but it looked amazing. Arguably the best dive on a show filled with great dives. But for the rest of the match Mundo was atrocious. His strikes couldn't even be saved by extreme wide angles, he took weird slow motion "missed move" bumps, and just looked generally bad. THANKFULLY, things got more interesting when things started breaking down. Mundo manned up and got plastered by two giant Cuerno topes and they brawled around in a cool reckless way for awhile. I really dug Mundo's weird tope through the ring corners. Mundo has seemed to excel in these kind of wild brawls, but I am really growing tired of Mundo in actual structured matches.

PAS: I didn't dislike the in-ring stuff as much as Eric did, and totally loved your post match brawl. Those Cuerno topes were spectacular, he is approaching young Shocker/Ciclon Ramierez level violence on them,  as was Mundo's dive, and the crowd brawling looked super dangerous when they were trying to chuck each other over the balcony. I assume this leads to a street fight, which is where Mundo is at his best.

ER: Fun bounce back show this week, with some of the most spectacular dives you'll see on TV (is that celebrity diving show still on TV?)