Segunda Caida: Lucha Underground Season 3 Episode 31: The Cup Runneth Over

ER: Did we know that Dario knew that Veneno was an undercover cop? I don't think we did. So Sexy Star gets another big stips match, though I doubt I'll be so offended by seeing Cortez Castro have to sell for her. This needs to end with Castro being unmasked, and the rest of the season spent with Dario holding him captive in some secluded shack, beating him with chains Vic Mackey style. This season feels like it has lacked Dario nefarious corporate takeover machinations. It is also revealed to us that we, the viewers, have lost a "Loser Still Has to Listen to Slapbak" contest.

TL: See, I again wonder why Cage just doesn’t do EVERYTHING with the glove on. Imagine him running the squat rack with that thing. Katrina doesn’t really convince me that she should have it, to be honest. And yeah, Sexy Star getting an apuestas match just seems like a giant trap to me. Like, they want me to care, but I have no reason to.

Fenix vs. Prince Puma

ER: I don't know if I really liked this match, but it felt like the exact big indy main event epic that they needed to have in this spot. It didn't really feel like an LU epic main event, definitely felt more like a modern indy big match epic, but "big match epic" felt right in this spot. I think it was more enjoyable than a lot of big match epics as it really only went around 10 minutes, even though these two can fit a lot of stuff into "just" 10 minutes. At minimum it was high energy even if it didn't totally add up to much, and I would have rather had Fenix get the big win. The crowd was going nuts through the whole thing and that added to the atmosphere (and Steve Agee fondling a large photo of Marty Martinez also added...something...to the atmosphere), and the speed they worked made played out spots like the (Mexican?) destroyer look really good. Naturally we get a standing strike exchange, but both guys were really laying it in and clonking each other in the head with hard elbows, and the double KO spot looked really good. Fenix hits a killer fast German suplex and a great kick to the back of the head, but hits Moth with a moonsault to the floor, allowing Puma to take over. Puma's finishing run all looked good, and lead to the huge nearfall where Fenix kicked out of a nasty captured leg driver.

TL: I’m all about this right here if they DON’T go the route of Puma/Fox, but we shall see. And 90 seconds after some neat chain stuff, they go right into the strike exchange that makes me want to turn off all indy wrestling. Just because both guys are over doesn’t mean you need to do a strike exchange. However, after that, things actually settle in and it really turns into a better match than the opening moments told for me. I'm getting really sick of Vampiro being a part of anything in 2017, and Muertes having to stare him down seems like an affront to everything Mil has become. Great finishing stretch, the Puma 630 where he pops up right after he hits it reminds me of all those times Barry Bonds stole a base and popped up after he slid. Just so athletic and smooth. Yeah, didn’t think I’d like this, but ended up being pretty fun.

Pentagon Dark vs. Mil Muertes

ER: Muertes is jumped by Cage backstage and gets his ribs smashed with a weight plate, which feels like both a great 80s angle and also like the only natural way that Cage can attack a man. If Cage were a video game boss you know you would have to dodge weight plates that he was throwing. So Muertes goes into the match with hurt ribs, which is good as I can't buy Pentagon as a threat to Muertes at this point. His stock has fallen way too much in my estimation, so giving him injured ribs to attack is a good use of Pentagon. I thought Pentagon looked pretty sloppy to start, stumbling into an armdrag attempt (which Muertes then refuses to go along with finishing the armdrag in an awesome spot) and throwing some slow kicks to the ribs (Pentagon may be the guy who the SMACK sound F/X are used most for). But his flip dive is nice and Muertes absorbs it all on the catch. Back in the ring and Muertes hits a great chokeslam and roughs up Pentagon on the floor. A fat Canadian stares down Muertes but Muertes still gets to spear Pentagon, powerslam him and continue roughing him up. Pentagon gets a comeback way too easily after all the damage he took, and he even superkicks Catrina from the apron (he looked more like he tried to shake toilet paper off his boot, but that sound F/X gunshot says otherwise) and hits the double stomp on those injured ribs for the win. I thought Pentagon looked mostly pretty bad here, and even with the rib injury I didn't buy him holding up through Muertes' offense. But, can't deny the crowd reaction for him. I just want more big deal Muertes main events.

TL: I agree that Cage using the glove to sneak attack Muertes was well done, although the weight stuff just makes me want to watch Enforcers matches. Cage as new-age Bill Kazmaier works to an extent. And yeah, I get what Eric is saying about Pentagon, but he’s basically done what all wrestlers who get over do: Minimize effort to their most over spots and only turn it on when the atmosphere dictates it. He’s been obviously coasting during this season, so the hope is that he turns it on in a big spot against Mil. I agree that Pentagon got a bit too easily back into the match, but I bought it a bit considering Mil came in hurt. At least more than I would have had Mil not been hurt. Sucks that’s Mil is not in the finals and that he’s onto a Cage match instead. Pentagon has phoned it in big time and it’s sad to see, to be honest.

ER: Dario says he wants Mysterio and Mundo out because he loves when guys talk shit about each other (his words), and Mundo gets some pretty good digs in at Rey ("Dominic must have gotten his size from his mother" is a pretty sick burn). Eventually we devolve into a pretty great locker room clearing brawl. Moth gets kicked down the stairs, Cage wrecks Mundo with a powerbomb, Vinny Massaro gets TV time by punching Joey Ryan around ringside, Rabbit Tribe eat carrots, Killshot and Fox look shitty while brawling, Puma hits the 630 onto 20 guys. I would have been fine with 10 more minutes of this.

TL: Absolutely howling that the security folks just let Rey not only knock Mundo out of the ring, but then LET HIM DIVE ONTO HIM, and THEN they go get him. And then one of them has to take a bump for Sexy Star. I’ve seen some bad professional wrestling security before, but that takes the cake. However, everything that happened after that was AWESOME. One of the best locker room clearing brawls I’ve ever seen. Just madness from start to finish and you get the pair-offs that will most definitely look towards Ultima Lucha III. Great stuff.