Lucha Underground Season 2 Episode 10: El Jefe is Back

ER: Weird that Striker didn't point out that Chingon is Robert Rodriguez's band. You'd think he'd have all sorts of face slap worthy facts to spout. But I really liked Dario back in the temple, and liked him telling Pentagon that maybe he wasn't "champion material". Pentagon's reaction was understandable, but check out Cueto's awesome instincts when he clutches his arm in tight to his waist to try and prevent Pentagon from breaking it. How many times have you see wrestlers lock on something like a surfboard, and the wrestler taking the move willingly goes along with the sequence and just holds his arms up for his opponent? And here's a non wrestler who gets it.

1. Taya & Johnny Mundo vs. Mr. Cisco & Cortez Castro

ER: This seemed like a match long internal battle wherein Mundo tried to throw the worst clothesline possible. Castro had a nice kick on Taya to start, and then he had some meh kicks the rest of the match. Cisco had some nice moments with Mundo, really dug his big punch. Taya isn't that good when she's not taking big spills, her timing is all wonky and her moveset is loose. If we're going on the sliding Sexy Star scale then she's excellent. But in these matches she's not much. And why the hell were they already hinting at a "feuding tag partners" thing with Taya/Mundo. We don't even know who she is or why they're teaming, just that they've been affiliated since her debut. And now in their first actual tag together he's tagging himself in and stealing pinfalls. It seems like they not only skipped a few steps, but skipped steps to get to an angle nobody would want to see.

PAS: I like Taya's look and I think she fits well with Mundo as a pair of sleazy heel crossfit trainers, but she is really tentative and off looking in the ring. She takes huge bumps, she should probably just be a Sherri Martel like valet, not everyone has to be a wrestler. Mr. Cisco is my favorite under the radar guy in this fed, just so fun to watch.

ER: Man, Marty the Moth has a wildly punchable shitty face. He's like the Mark Teixera of LU. And look at that, we see Mariposa in action beating up unknown luchadors in suits. Hey good idea, guys!! Showing debuting workers beating up random luchadors is LU's "We know who that is!!!"

ER: I still don't know how they haven't gotten any bourbon or scotch companies to sign up as LU sponsors. Cueto would be so great at wedging the brand name into the sketches. "Oh Catrina, I didn't see you there. I was lost in my...Woodford Reserve" (Dario looks at camera before Catrina quickly turns his head toward her).

2. Elimination Match: Ivelisse, Angelico & Son of Havoc vs. Disciples of Death

ER: Oh god these scrubs are still around? Were there only two trios teams at this set of tapings? The gold one takes a cool fast bump through the ropes to the floor. Is that Argenis? He jumped into Angelico's flying knee nicely as well. The purple one was decidedly worse than the gold one. I think he fell over before even being hit by an Angelico flip dive. Angelico had a bunch of cool stuff throughout, dug his run up the apron, jump to inside middle rope knee. His knees usually look cool, though, so this isn't news. Son of Havoc's body presses land pillowy soft but damn him hopping on two DOD members off the top rope was neat. And then his two topes were the first time the match really felt any sort of real excitement or energy. What is the point of DOD again? Also, I assumed at the beginning of the season that they were building to a "Catrina loses her wig" spot, but now I'm pretty sure that she's too serious for that to happen. But it's getting really distracting seeing her holding onto her hair every time she has to take a bump.

PAS: Yeah there were occasional moments from the DoD but man what a nothing group they are. They need to cut bait on these guys, I like the idea of Muertes and Catrina having lackeys, but they need cool costumes and way better wrestlers under them, and they need to be built strong, not like goofball jobber scrubs. I liked Angelico in this too, can't believe he has turned into a wrestler I don't mind watching, his early IWRG days were a tire fire.

3. Sexy Star vs. Mariposa

ER: What the fuck was the point of this? So Moth and Mariposa held Sexy Star captive for some time, then we don't really hear about any of it, and then they just fight with no real build up, both women look bad, and then the match ends. It was mercifully short, but this feud and the Mariposa character are DOA. This violent kidnapper with her savage creep brother just kind of throws some goofy ass stomach punches and whiffs on a sloppy moonsault, while Sexy Star just does a bunch of bad rope running. This was all embarrassing.

PAS: I kind of like Marty the Moth, he is a total sleaze, but Sexy Star is a black hole of interest. Also I feel a little weird about them pushing her as this feminist hero the whole first season, only to have her kidnapped and presumably sexually abused in between seasons. Whole thing just rubs me the wrong way.

4. Pentagon Jr. vs. Matanza

ER:  Boy Matanza (btw "Matanza Cueto" sounds realllllly stupid. Let's just keep the monster on a first name basis, shall we?) is going to be a real tough character to book going forward. Will fans respond to a character in 2016 who sells no offense from anybody? Will he just operate at an untouchable level above every other worker? They have to create a weakness for him at some point, but what will it be without being something silly like Undertaker's urn? Are we going to have somebody melt down Dario's key to harness Matanza's powers? Cobb is a beast and his deadlift throws are awesome, we get our NOAH rail ride/LU guy tossed through chairs spot that I love, but I could see the Matanza character getting real difficult real fast.

PAS: It might be the end of great main event matches, but I thought that was a pretty impressive one sided beat down. Pentagon Jr. will be back I assume and this sure as heck gives him a incentive to come back strong. I liked Pentagon Jr. using the X arm signal, often that Russo break kayfabe stuff irritates me, but here it looked like a guy who was afraid for his life.

ER: Pretty flat episode after some very good ones. Maybe we need that breather episode so we don't get too spoiled. Or something. Dario's segments were a welcome return on this show, and that's really the only thing that kept this episode from being completely terrible. The Sexy Star feud would be a dud even if it was not Sexy Star in the feud, and the Disciples of Death still appearing on TV in any capacity - let alone still competing in matches where Striker talks about how evil they are - is a head scratcher. Famous B wouldn't even give these assholes his card. If anything though the episode set up a couple of future stories that could pay off down the road, with a new trios tournament and Vampiro potentially bringing back Monster Pentagon. But we shall see.


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