Lucha Underground preview: 100

The epic saga of gods versus mortals in an underground fight club known as Lucha Underground continues tonight (Sep. 13) on El Rey Network at 8pm ET/PT. With only two episodes left until the month-long Ultima Lucha Tres, smaller feuds will get settled and larger ones will be cultivated for a clash at the season-ending extravaganza.

Tonight is a big deal. Episode 100. Huzzah!

The card has already been announced by Dario Cueto. Expect a buck wild episode. El Jefe knows when it is time to go balls deep.

Pentagon DARK vs El Dragon Azteca Jr. for an Aztec medallion

That matchup by itself is worthy to get the blood flowing for Believers. Add in the bad blood and it becomes an epic bout. To be honest, I completely forgot about their history until the tweet from the Lucha Underground Twitter account. Thanks to that reminder, I'm all the way in.

At Ultima Lucha Dos, Pentagon broke Azteca's arm because Pentagon is an assface. No other reasoning than that. Pentagon interrupted the Azteca vs Black Lotus contest to break each one’s arm. Pentagon wanted his title match then and there. It didn't matter a fight was already taking place in the ring. Azteca got payback in one of the best moments earlier in season three after the Black Lotus Triad guantlet. (Yes, it was season three. It feels so long ago that I had to double check.)

It will be interesting to see who is victorious, since it should provide a hint as to who will be the focal point of season four, assuming there is a season four. The Gift of the Gods bout is low on star power, so the winner of this match will be an overwhelming favorite.

If Pentagon wins, I'd put all my money on him winning the Lucha Underground championship. The Believers have desperately desired his ascension for far too long. It's gotten to the point that another major match loss would drive fans away. That's already happened with the loss to Matanza at Ultima Lucha Dos.

If El Dragon Azteca Jr. wins, it could be a commitment to the future direction. Azteca is being groomed for the big picture. If he can look outside his tunnel vision of vengeance toward Matanza, the lucha libre world is his oyster. The question will be whether or not he can grasp the pearl.

Atomicos action: Johnny Mundo vs Prince Puma

In a teaser of the main event at Ultima Lucha Tres, Dario Cueto announced an atomicos match. Johnny Mundo will be aided by his Worldwide cohorts, Taya, PJ Black, and Ricky Mandel. Jack Evans' broken jaw has prevented him from being in the ring but not from making his presence felt.

Prince Puma's squad has yet to be revealed. Sexy Star's feud with Taya probably makes her a given. Mack and Son of Havoc are other logical choices. I'm hoping Puma thinks outside the box to bring a big name to his team.

Whoever shows up, the match should be a smorgasbord of high-flying action. I don't expect the outcome to have much meaning, since the eventual fight between Mundo and Puma won't take place for another month or so. Nonetheless, expect a fun time.

Matanza vs Rey Mysterio

This feud has been a long time coming. Both debuted at Aztec Warfare II. Matanza pinned Rey to win the championship. At Aztec Warfare III, Rey was the first to pin Matanza. Ever since then, Matanza has desired vengeance. He'll finally get his chance at episode 100. Toss in extra spice of Rey desiring to crush the Cueto family legacy. Oh, and Matanza probably wants to literally kill Rey. Nothing to see here, other than the biggest match in Lucha Underground history.

Episode 100

Looking a little deeper beyond the fights, 100 episodes is a really big deal. They consider themselves more a TV show than a wrestling program. In that sense, 100 episodes is a major accomplishment. I believe it puts the show up for syndication. For a program desperately looking for revenue, syndication sales could provide seed money to guarantee season four is a go.

I know squat about the television industry. I'm only grasping at straws of hope. If anyone reading has more insight, please chime in in the comments. Thank you.

Putting on my detective spectacles, that tweet seems very optimistic about the future. Two more episodes plus Ultima Lucha Tres does not qualify as, “lots more to come,” in my book. Tonight would be a perfect opportunity to announce season four has the green light.

Are you picking Rey Mysterio or Matanza? Who will win the Aztec medallion? Who will be on Prince Puma’s team? What else do you want to see at episode 100? Enjoy all the action at 8pm ET/PT on El Rey Network.

El Rey is available via the cable and satellite providers list on their webpage here. If one of those is your hook-up and you can't find the channel on your box, reach out to them and ask for it. If you don't see your provider listed or you've cut the cord, you can find El Rey on the streaming subscription services Sling (here) and fubo.tv (here). Or you can order the episodes on iTunes here and on Amazon here. Seasons one and two are available on Netflix here.

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