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Tope 10: Lucha Underground (Mar. 16, 2016)

By Manolo Has Pizzazz

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Lucha Underground on Instagram

Each and every episode of Lucha Underground features maneuvers, quotes, outfits, props, scenes, and stories that deserve recognition. That is where the Tope 10 come in. This list shows appreciation for the moments which are more exciting than a flying tope.

If you are new to the Lucha Underground scene, you can catch it Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT on the El Rey Network or buy season one and season two on iTunes. See if El Rey is available in your area. If you haven't had a chance to watch this week's episode yet, then check out the Noche de la Muerte preview, results & open thread, recap, highlight video, and the championship main event between Mil Muertes and Fenix.

For those interested, Lucha Underground has released some new merchandise in their store and partnership for those that need overseas shipping.

10. Rey Mysterio and El Dragon Azteca Jr. are coming to Aztec Warfare

A cool little scene. As Rey poured tequila from an El Rey bottle, we find out that both he and his protege will be participating in next week's affair. I'm not even that big of a Mysterio fan, but there will certainly be a special feeling in the air when he debuts. It will be very interesting to see how Rey stacks up against the other competitors. Equally intriguing will be to see what El Dragon Azteca Jr. is all about in the ring. I've never seen him wrestle, and I'm excited to find out.

The invitations with a wax seal are one of those cheesy little details that makes the show amusing. It is reminiscent of many a movie with secret underground fighting tournaments. The invitations also add to the mystique of the Temple.

9. Texano reeling in Chavo

After Cortez and Cisco abandoned Chavo, Texano slyly shortened the rope between himself and Chavito. The highlight was Chavo's reaction to his arm being pulled and Texano's wide grin. That set the fun tone of the match. There were some brutal aspects like Texano getting choked then executing an Electric Chair to escape, but there was also plenty of goofiness. One of which allowed Matt Striker to deliver the silly line, "Chavo riding the sandpaper pony." One of the more peculiar moments was a fan rubbing his chest in sympathy for a Texano chop then the fan suddenly turning it into a sexy nipple rub.

8. Matanza revealed

Dario decided it is time to take back his temple. After so many months of curiosity, we finally got a look at the monster, Matanza Cueto. It didn't disappoint. Let the good times roll, homeboy.

7. "This year, I'm taking you straight to Slam Town."

Just Johnny Mundo being Johnny Mundo. While Prince Puma was training in the gym, Mundo was hamming it up with humorous quips, such as, "You're going to have to take your little giraffe tights and get to the back of the line." To make the scene even better, Puma let out a couple of growls and punched through a heavy bag. I love those puma purrs. This was the first of many moments that built excitement for Aztec Warfare.

6. Rag doll Flatliner

This was my favorite maneuver of the main event. Such ferocity. Mil was aggressive throughout with a spear here and a spear there, but the whirlybird Flatliner was on another level. It even topped his actions earlier in the night when he stomped the stuffing out of the Disciples of Death.

5. Fenix ripping the mask of Mil Muertes

Talk about turning the tables. Mil has shown no regard for the mask of Fenix by ripping it more than once in their matches. It was an arousing surprise to see Fenix get payback. This is another fine example of how Lucha Underground uses the little things to enhance the emotion in the match.

4. New Trios champions

Hip hip hooray for Son of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Angelico. This was a nice feel-good moment. I enjoyed how they evolved into having their peak performance from a teamwork perspective. The rotating corner smashes, triple aerial assault, and tandem maneuvers by Angelico and Havoc for the win were all excellent.

3. New Lucha Underground champion

This gets on the list due to the surprise factor. I was not expecting Fenix to pick up the win. Despite delivering amazing maneuvers such as a flying crossbody off the upper railing, bridging German suplex, and springboard 360 splash, I still had my doubts. Just when I think I have all the answers, Lucha Underground changes the language. And I commend them for it.

2. Mil Muertes pushing Fenix onto fans

This made me giggle way too hard.

1. Aztec Warfare for the Lucha Underground championship

In an episode that built tons of anticipation for Aztec Warfare, they saved the best for last. While Fenix celebrated, a frustrated Catrina threw down the bombshell to honor tradition. Fenix enters first and Mil enters last. As if Aztec Warfare wasn't going to be awesome enough, now the stakes are that much greater as a title match. So many possibilities. So many scenarios. I'll be having dreams of sugar plums and luchadores dancing through my head all week long. One thing I know for certain is that I'll be refreshing iTunes all night waiting for the moment Aztec Warfare is ready for download.

In last week's poll, 58% of 155 votes were rooting for Mil Muertes to retain his championship. Unfortunately for Mil's cohorts, a whopping 89% supported Team Havoc to regain Trios glory. To be honest, I wrote that question with the intent of discovering if there were any Disciple of Death fans out there. Turns out that there are. Cheers to them! Also turns out that Vampiro is a DoD fan as well.

How does this week's Tope 10 stack up to your list? Any favorites not included? If you were late to the viewing party, feel free to share your thoughts about anything in the episode. Lucha! Lucha! Lucha!

*Non-Twitter GIFs are courtesy of the Lucha Underground Imgur profile.

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