Lucha Underground recap & review (Oct. 10, 2018): Angry Taya is the best Taya

The eighteenth episode of season four (Oct. 10) for Lucha Underground featured the return of the Mundos, Mil Muertes and Fenix on the same team, Reklusa’s in-ring debut, thumbtacks, a barbwire bat, and a gas can.

I’m happy to report that there were no deaths for the second week in a row.

(Excuse the tardiness. Building construction knocked out my internet for a handful of days. I have set booby traps to prevent it from happening again. Not really. If I did though, my choice would be one of those giant hands that throws a cream pie into someone’s face. Pie fight!)

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El 43 played us into the Temple. Was that their first appearance? I don’t recall seeing El 43 before.

Sacrifice to the Gods: Taya vs Matanza

During the introduction, Vampiro mentioned that Taya went through, “6 weeks of intensive therapy and recovery,” after Matanza crashed her and her wedding.

Taya was in the ring for a promo. “Antonio Cueto, you piece of shit. Get your old ass out here right now.” She was under the assumption that it was Antonio who released Matanza. “Your son ruined my wedding, sent me and my husband to the hospital, and sacrificed two of my friends. And tonight, I’m going to sacrifice him.” Taya demanded a match with Matanza, and Antonio obliged with a Sacrifice to the Gods!

Matanza in the ring, ding. Taya charged him immediately. The story was Taya having bursts of berserkerness then Matanza springing back with power. Highlights include a cutter by Taya and a moonsault by Taya. Matanza kicked out at two from the moonsault, then he took control. Matanza held Taya in position for a Wrath of the Gods...

Johnny Mundo!!!

Johnny rushed the ring to save his wife. Jumping kick to Matanza’s face, ground and pound, another kick to the face, more ground and pound, Moonlight Drive, and End of the World. Johnny left the ring to be with Taya, and Matanza stood up huffing and puffing.

By the way, I guess the match was tossed out. It should be a disqualification win for Matanza, but I don’t think the final verdict was ever announced. The referee did call for the bell after Johnny hit the ring.

Nobody was sacrificed.

Mack & El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs Mil Muertes & Fenix

Tornado rules. That means no tags, all chaos.

The big story was bitter rivals, Mil Muertes and Fenix, tagging together for the first time ever. Due to the tornado ruleset, strategic tags were not a factor. That meant the two were not forced to be a cohesive team. However, they did pull off a few double team maneuvers. Evil Fenix seemed more accepting, while Mil flashed the stink eye at times.

Top highlights include Mil holding El Dragon Azteca Jr. up in a powerbomb position then Fenix running in for a European uppercut to the backside of Azteca which led to the next move of Mil powerbombing Azteca onto Fenix’s knees, Mack stunnering Fenix off a missed flying attack, an amazing DDTJ by Azteca, a three-pack minus Mil of high-flying to the outside, and Fenix accidentally knocking over the cameraman

The finish was a double pin. Fenix used the Muscle Buster on Azteca, while Mil preferred the Flatliner for Mack. The bad guys were victorious.

Mil Muertes and Fenix defeated Mack and El Dragon Azteca Jr.

Famous B, Beautiful Brenda, Ricky Mundo, & Rosa in-ring promo and impromptu match

Famous B was in the ring with a mic. He talked about how Matanza ruined the Mundo wedding and that B rehabbed to wrestling condition again. During his talk, B popped a funny sliding shuffle dance move. B signed an exclusive contract with... himself. B announced that he is coming out of retirement.

Enter an angry Ricky Mundo. A match was made. Before engaging, Ricky kissed his fingers and placed them on the lips of Rosa the doll. Um, okay.

Ricky mostly dominated B in the short fight. B’s big move was a Pele kick. Ricky won with a neckbreaker move so vicious that B’s body went over the top.

Ricky Mundo defeated Famous B.

After the match, Ricky grabbed a mic. “I heard those cowards, Johnny Mundo and Taya, already left the building. That’s too bad, because I really wanted to say this to their face. It was me who unleashed Matanza at your wedding!”

Ricky went on to challenge Taya. As long as she is around, Ricky thinks Johnny won’t respect him as he should. Ricky gave a taste of what’s to come for Taya by slapping a crossface submission on Brenda. Ricky went over to literally kiss his doll on the lips. Ewww.

Reklusa vs Pentagon DARK

Reklusa had a bikini style of wrestling gear. Her top had spider designs and the bottom had web designs.

Reklusa was perched on the top turnbuckle during Pentagon DARK’s entrance. Surprise!

Lucha Underground

A flying crossbody started this match off with a bang. Reklusa maintained momentum with punches, kicks, and eye gouging. It wasn’t until she attempted a running cannonball that Pentagon had his first show of force. He caught her then powerbomb tossed her onto the apron ledge. It made my tailbone flinch.

After some fighting, Pentagon caught Reklusa running the ropes and connected on a sitdown package slam. One, two, kick out! I thought for sure that was going to be the end of the match. Reklusa escaping truly surprised me.

A short while later, Pentagon used the apron ledge again for brutal pain. This time it was with a package piledriver. Pentagon rolled Reklusa into the ring for a two count. He argued with the referee, which allowed Reklusa the opportunity to kick him in the cojones. Canadian Destroyer by Reklusa. Two count.

Reklusa sucked up the crowd’s adulation. Pentagon quickly attacked from behind with a lung blower then a package piledriver with a little extra oomph off the ropes. That was enough to win.

Pentagon DARK defeated Reklusa.

Pentagon was getting ready to snap Reklusa’s arm but changed his mind. He went under the ring to retrieve a sack of thumbtacks. Pentagon had Reklusa up for a dangerous maneuver, but Marty Martinez ran to the ring to smash. The barbwire bat was Marty’s weapon of choice.

Krunch! Zlonk! Klonk! Marty battered Pentagon. Marty said something to Reklusa, so she went under the ring to bring out a gasoline canister. Reklusa poured the contents over Pentagon’s body, while Marty pulled out a lighter.

Flame on. Marty muttered some words that I couldn’t hear well enough to understand. Then, he blew out the flame.

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Thumbs up yet again for this episode of Lucha Underground. Fun action, fun returns, and fun reveals.

Angry Taya is one of my favorite things in professional wrestling. She has the reaction perfectly split between silly over-the-top and badass enough to pump me up for butt-kicking action. Seeing Taya issue a challenge to Matanza was fantastic. The match itself was okay as a means to advance the story and officially set up another match for Ultima Lucha Cuatro.

It never crossed my mind that a Sacrifice to the Gods match could end in disqualification. I sort of figured that Matanza would stalk his opponent until there is a finish. Will Antonio Cueto and Matanza make another attempt at sacrificing Taya?

The tag match was enjoyable. There were moves aplenty from Mil Muertes, Fenix, Mack, and El Dragon Azteca Jr. It will be interesting to see if any type of partnership forms between Mil and Fenix in the future. Whenever they stood face to face, it appeared as if Fenix wouldn’t look Mil in the eyes, like a canine’s behavior. I wonder if Mil will see some value in having Fenix as a pet threat of sorts.

Speaking of angry Taya, it is going to be so sweet when she kicks Ricky Mundo’s ass. It is highly unlikely that it will be the best match of Ultima Lucha Cuatro, but I’m most excited for their fight over any other at this moment in time.

Sooo, shall we discuss Ricky and Rosa? I never got a sexual vibe from Ricky and his doll before. In this episode, Ricky flat out kissed his doll on the lips. That relationship just took a very weird turn. There are so many gross questions I don’t want answers to.

In the preview, I was curious if the match would make Reklusa believable as a foe for Pentagon DARK. Was it entertaining? Yes. That is what is most important. Was I buying into it? Meh. Most of her impact offense was hurricanranas and spinning DDT maneuvers. Basically, stuff that needs assistance from your opponent. I’ll have to see more matches of Reklusa in the Temple before I form a solid opinion. Perhaps she wasn’t supposed to look that strong against Pentagon. One thing is for sure though. The performer is one tough person. She was tossed around taking physical bumps and didn’t skip a beat.

I haven’t put much thought into the Cero Miedo match at Ultima Lucha Cuatro. I figure it will be hardcore hardcore. But, I lose interest when items such as thumbtacks and barbwire bats are introduced. That stuff is not for me. It is a step too far. Wrestlers are already destroying their bodies for our entertainment. I don’t need them to do painful things on purpose. It becomes a point of diminishing returns, if I used that term correctly. Those types of matches are already crazy as is. Thumbtacks and barbwire bats don’t do much to make the match even better in relation to the potential for unnecessary pain.

That said, I was a bit giddy when the gasoline can entered the picture. It was a callback to one of my favorite scenes in Lucha Underground. Remember when Pentagon doused Vampiro with gasoline to goad him into the original Cero Miedo match? That was some grade A storytelling. I’m not sure why Marty decided to go to that well. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out if fire will come into play later.

Could this be the episode that starts the Vampiro and Pentagon story back up? The events with Vampiro from Ultima Lucha Tres have been completely ignored all season long. Vampiro has always been annoyed by Pentagon’s desire to play to the crowd, but he was extra snippy by calling Pentagon a fool. “I’m seeing that somebody who is not yet ready to be a master of his own destiny. He’s a fool, because he didn’t listen to his teachings. He thought he knew everything and he doesn’t.” If Vampiro does get involved, I have no idea which side he will take. Although, it would be rather lame if he cost Pentagon the match on purpose at Ultima Lucha Cuatro.

Ultima Lucha Cuatro update:

• Cero Miedo Match for the Lucha Underground Championship: Marty Martinez vs Pentagon DARK
• Death Match: Mil Muertes vs Mack
• 2 Out of 3 Falls: El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs Fenix
• Mask vs Mask: Son of Havoc vs Killshot
• Sacrifice to the Gods: Johnny Mundo vs Matanza

Matt Striker mentioned that the Sacrifice to the Gods match was announced during the commercial break. If that is true and not just a line, then I hope Lucha Underground releases an online exclusive video of that announcement. Surely, it would be entertaining.

Share your thoughts about the episode. What are the odds Johnny Mundo lives to see next season? What were your impressions of Reklusa’s wrestling debut? Do you have a line that is too much for hardcore matches?