Lucha Underground Roundup: Melissa & Cage’s engagement, Mariposa being risque, Inside the Ring with Fenix

In the Lucha Underground off-season, sometimes bits and pieces of information pop up. So, let’s go through some old and new items in the Lucha Underground Roundup.

Melissa Santos and Cage’s public engagement

For most Lucha Underground fans, it has been no secret that Melissa Santos and Cage were dating and had a baby.

The story of the happy couple has been revealed over the past few months. In an interview with, “Women’s Wrestling Weekly,” Melissa told how their first date came about.

It was Taya’s, actually, fault. She left him (Cage) in my hotel room at Austin Warfare. And, she left him in there and I was like super vibing with him. And she knew. Johnny and Taya had just started going out too. And they’re like, “Let’s go out,” and Taya goes, “Let’s go back to your room.” And then like two seconds after we were in my room she goes, “Okay, me and Johnny are leaving.” And I’m like, “(Death stare) I hate you.” I was so shy, because I was so into him. And I’m like, “I hope you’re not getting any crazy ideas, Brian.”

And then we just started going out. We share a lot in common. The love of food is part of how we, he definitely eats a lot more than me, but I enjoy it so much. It’s just fun. We have a lot in common and he motivates the hell out of me.

In an excellent video from Impact, Cage told his version of sparks with Melissa. Seriously, the Impact video is very good and I recommend watching. It provides a way to connect with Cage on a personal level. He discusses being a big fan of Chris Kanyon, meeting Melissa, finding out she was pregnant, how having a little girl has softened him, and the dream of winning a top championship in a major company.

Back to Cage’s telling of events.

The original, like the very beginning, conversation that like showed any interest was when they pulled us aside for the interviews at Lucha Underground, and they asked who my favorite luchador and luchadora was. And then I came out and you (Melissa) were over by the catering area. And I was like, “Oh, so uh, I heard I’m your favorite, huh?” I was just totally joking and you’re all (wide-eyed). You looked embarrassed. “They told you?” And I go, “Nope, but you just did.”

Smooth. They ended up bonding over sweets, like pies and donuts, and working out.

In December 2018 at a Bar Wrestling show, Cage publicly proposed to Melissa.

If the timeline confuses you as much as it did me, Cage clarified the situation. The original proposal happened in April 2018 before Melissa found out she was pregnant, then baby stuff took over.

Congratulations to the happy couple. That briefly sums up their relationship to this point, and we’ll be sure to bring you news of when Melissa and Cage officially become a married couple.

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Ivelisse update, sort of

Earlier this week, Ivelisse tweeted about her frustration in trying to secure her release from Lucha Underground. It appears that Ivelisse has now deleted that tweet. Either she has adopted the strategy of the Big Guy, Ryback, by tweeting and deleting or maybe there has been headway in one direction or the other. Time will tell.

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Mariposa’s risque photo shoot

Mariposa, known as Melissa Deadrich in real life, has been indulging in artistic photos lately. I wonder if her brother, Marty, was the photographer. They definitely have a Lucha Underground vibe to them, but that may be pure coincidence.

I’m not sure what the deal is with this next photo, but it looks like a pretty cool costume to use, with slight alterations of course, for Mariposa if she ever levels up in the Temple.

Observe Mariposa’s attempt to infiltrate the Rabbit Tribe.

Tick, tock. The White Rabbit, Paul London, and El Bunny better beware.

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Inside the Ring with Fenix and Marty Elias

Lucha Underground has posted two new episodes of Inside the Ring since the last roundup.

First, Fenix takes the seat to discuss past events and his mindset in regard to wrestling and high flying. For a surprise, Fenix speaks in English. He’s not as fluid as King Cuerno, but he is easily understandable. This was obviously filmed prior to the dark Fenix storyline, so don’t expect any drooling.

The most interesting part, in my opinion, is Fenix discussing his catchphrase, “Animo!”

Animo is like a positive. It’s like a go. This is the real A (hand sign), but I do it like a triangle or like diamond. You know? But, it’s more like the door. It’s the door I want to break. When I say animo, I push to front.

I figured that was the gist behind animo, but it is nice to hear the reasons straight from his mouth. I shall now shout animo whenever I enter a doorway. To the grocery store, to the library, to the taqueria, to the bathroom, it doesn’t matter. Animo!

Next up is señor referee Marty Elias.

Elias discussed his career and goals of the job.

“The job of the pro wrestling referee is to be there but not be there. Be invisible. You think of those matches and you remember those matches, but you don’t know who the referee was because he was that good.”

He closed with saying that the Believers know it will be a great match when Marty Elias comes out. If Lucha Underground ever does a referee storyline, I could get behind something with Elias being a mark for himself. He doesn’t have to go full Hijo de Tirantes, but something funny would suffice.

Where do you rank, “Animo,” on the catchphrase rankings? Have you ever wanted to become a professional wrestling referee?