ULTIMA LUCHA DOS – DAY ONEFrom the Temple in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Commentary Team: Matt Striker and Vampiro
Ring Announcer: Melissa Santos
***
VS. BOYLE HEIGHTS STREET FIGHT
Pentagon DARK vs. Bad News Brown Pentagon Jr. is no longer. He is Pentagon DARK. The transition to what we can only assume is a meaner, nastier, and darker luchador was a consequence of the embarrassing beatdown he received at the hands of Bad News Brown, who bloodied him to a pulp and showed him the ultimate disrespect in ripping open and trying to remove his mask. Brown did it because he blamed Pentagon Jr. for ruining his opportunity to compete against Braun Strowman for the Mash-Up Wrestling World Men’s Championship at this very event.
As this is a street fight, pretty much anything goes, and pinfalls or submissions may take place anywhere. Everything is legal and pretty much anything you can think of can be used against your opponent, including a kitchen sink. Brown found it laying around in the storage closet located behind Matt Striker and Vampiro’s announcing position. He used drive it into the small of Pentagon’s back, then placed it over his head and busted up a steel chair by delivering multiple chair shots to it. Later in the match, Pentagon found his own unusual weapon in the form of a hot pot of coffee, which he splashed at Brown’s face and chest, scalding his skin, and leaving him open to receiving a superkick and a frog splash that nearly won Pentagon the match.
You can’t have a street fight without tables. Everyone’s favourite prop came into play a few times with Pentagon sending Brown crashing into a table propped up against the corner turnbuckle with a spinning spinebuster, which he used to defend against his charging opponent. Later in the match, following a tense exchange of blows, blocks and teased offensive maneuvers, Brown kicked Pentagon below the belt and then knocked him out cold with a sit-out piledriver delivered from the ring apron through a table set up on the floor! The move was devastating and probably would have won Brown the match had he been able to make the cover right away. Both competitors being exhausted by this point, it took Brown a while to sit up and get himself over into a lateral press. It was long enough to enable Pentagon to shoulder out of the pinfall attempt.
Once again, Brown showed Pentagon disrespect by ripping his new mask open through the eye holes. He stretched it out enough to expose his forehead and smash some beer bottles into it, busting him open the hard way. Pentagon retaliated after an uppercut low blow, by giving Brown a pumphandle slam onto a bed of thumbtacks located on the floor. Brown had dozens of little thumbtacks stuck into his back and the back of his arms. Tables also figured into the end of this match, when Brown had stacked up a pair of tables below the staging platform where the house band plays. While choking out Pentagon with a microphone cord, Brown received a drumstick to the eye from Pentagon, who then grabbed a tambourine and put Brown’s head through it. While he was still wearing it around his neck, Pentagon pulled him in for a package piledriver and stepped off the platform, delivering the maneuver through the stacked tables! After that, Pentagon made the cover. 1…2…3!
WINNER : PENTAGON DARK ***
VS. LUCHA UNDERGROUND TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
SaNiTy vs. The Rabbit Tribe The Rabbit Tribe earned this championship title opportunity by winning a #1 contender’s match against the lucha libre trio of Fénix, Drago & Aero Star. Meanwhile, SaNiTy defeated Health Slater, Son of Havoc & Ultimate Warrior way back on Episode 19. Their victory may have been surprising to some, but they were on a tear leading up to it. Unfortunately, they’ve not been challenged very often since winning the championship. A victory here would reconfirm that SaNiTy is a deserving championship trio. On other other hand, The Rabbit Tribe becoming #1 contenders seemed to come out of nowhere, as they didn’t have an impressive win-loss record before hand. A win here could do wonders for the trio.
The champions looked strong out of the gate, showing everyone in the Temple why they held the Trios Championships. Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain made it difficult for Mala Suarte to accomplish anything. It took a miscue from Young and Wolfe and a smart double-team by Paul London and Saltador on Dain to give Mala Suarte the chance to tag out. Saltador’s speed helped him to capture the advantage for his squad, who then took turns working over Wolfe until a springboard hurricanrana attempt by Saltador was countered into a sit-out powerbomb by Wolfe.
The Rabbit Tribe are good at psyching out their opponents, but SaNiTy is so off-kilter that intentional or unintentional psyche out tactics don’t work on them. For instance, the Rabbit Tribe links hands and dance in a circle around Young, who breaks the link and joins in. Eventually, all six of them link hands and do the Rabbit Tribe’s weird dance. When it stops, however, a brawl breaks out with Wolfe leveling Mala Suarte with a lariat and London nailing Young with a superkick. Eventually, everyone ended up brawling with bodies flying out of the ring onto those on the outside. The biggest difference maker was the large Beast of Belfast, who ran from the ring apron and dove into the pile of five brawling luchadors with a sommersault senton.
While SaNiTy appeared to be destined to retain their titles, especially after Young landed a diving elbow drop on Saltador, the Rabbit Tribe were not to be denied. Mala Suarte would break up what was almost the winning pinfall, and then knocked Dain off the ring apron with a front dropkick. As chaos seemed to break out once again, London made a blind tag and entered the ring to deliver superkicks to Young and Wolfe, who weren’t expecting them, and then climbed the turnbuckle to go Down the Rabbit Hole with a shooting star press on Young that won his team the match and the Trios Championships.
WINNERS : THE RABBIT TRIBE ***
VS. GIFT OF THE GODS MATCH
The Miz vs. Awesome Kong The Miz won the Gift of the Gods on the tenth episode of this Lucha Underground season. That means he’s been the Gift of the Gods for half a year, and for half a year, he’s done everything in his power to avoid defending it against Awesome Kong, who declared she was going after it from the very beginning of the season. Finally, she gets her opportunity and she doesn’t intend to waste it.
However, The Miz didn’t intend to give it to her. When the bell rang and the match began, its early stages largely consisted of The Miz entering and leaving the ring and running away from his slower but more powerful opponent. When “Classy” Freddie Blassie created a distraction that grabbed Kong’s attention, The Miz attacked her from behind. After knocking her out of the ring, The Miz used his manager’s help to turn the brawl into a two-on-one situation. Any time that Kong battled back, Blassie got involved by either taking the ref’s attention and allowing The Miz to do something underhanded like yank on Kong’s dreds or gouge out her eyes, or he hit her across the back with his cane or choked her out with it.
Because The Miz was content to take a countout victory, he left Kong on the floor after a long brawl around ringside, which turned out to be a mistake as she beat the 10-count back into the ring. The Miz tried to get right back on the attack but his charging attack was countered into a Samoan drop that shook the entire ring. Kong came back with a series of powermoves that included a sidewalk slam, spinebuster and sit-out two-handed chokeslam. The match turned back into the favour of The Miz when Kong attempted an Awesome Splash, trying to end it too early. The Miz rolled out of the way and then executed an implant DDT on his kneeling opponent that nearly won him the match.
It took three tries, but eventually The Miz was able to apply a figure-four leglock in hopes of securing the victory by submission. Kong eventually got to the ropes, but Blassie wrapped her knuckles with his cane, allowing The Miz to drag her back into the centre of the ring and reapply the hold. This time, Kong turned it over, reversing the pressure onto The Miz. When he tried to crawl to the ropes, Kong used her power to bring him away from the ropes. Recognizing that his client’s grip on the Gift of the Gods was quickly slipping away, Blassie didn’t try to hide his help any longer. He climbed into the ring. The referee got in his face, and therefore missed seeing The Miz frantically tapping out. Kong broke the hold and chased the old man out of the ring. This was one person should could run down.
When she caught up to him, she grabbed him in a chokehold, but as he threatened to lift him into a chokeslam, The Miz knocked her away with a baseball slide. The Miz picked up Blassie and told him they were leaving. They walked around to the other side of the ring, and grabbed the Gift of the Gods from the timekeeper. Then, they headed for the stairs. Kong caught up to them half way up the stairs and knocked The Miz down. Blassie swung his cane at Kong and she caught it under he arm and then shoved him and he went tumbling down to the stairs! Then, The Miz walloped Kong across the head with the Gift of the Gods so hard that she and title belt when down the stairs.
The Miz went down and pulled on Kong to roll her over, just to get her body off his championship. As he picked it up, the referee grabbed it and got into a tug of war with him. The Miz finally punching him out to win it. However, that lasted long enough for Kong to get behind The Miz and deliver an uppercut low blow from behind and a chokeslam on the floor. She rolled the referee into the ring and then did the same to her opponent. She went in and gave him an Awesome Bomb! Then, she went to the top rope and landed the Awesome Splash! 1…2…3! Just like that, Awesome Kong won the Gift of the Gods!
WINNER : AWESOME KONG ***
VS. GRAVE CONSEQUENCES MATCH
Ultimate Warrior vs. Mil Muertes This match was added to Ultima Lucha Dos at the request of Catrina, who wants to see Ultimate Warrior pay the ultimate price for stealing or attempting to steal the magical stone that she carries with her to the ring during Mil Muertes matches. Ultimate Warrior’s obsession with the stone baffles commentators and seems to make little sense to the Believers. Of course, trying to take that which seems to be integral to the life-blood of the Man of A Thousand Deaths from him was to draw his ire and was asking for him to seek retribution. These two have had a few hard-hitting brawls in the weeks leading up to Ultima Lucha Dos. Now, they will have partake in the ultima(te) brawl for survival. The winner of this match will be the one who places his opponent into a coffin and shuts the lid down on him. The loser will be shut in a coffin and carry about to his grave. This match comes with Grave Consequences!
This match was a slugfest from the moment the opening bell rang. Our two luchadores hit each other with punishing blows both in and out of the ring. Most of the biggest damage took place out of the ring, with both combatants taking their fight all over the Temple. At one point, Ultimate Warrior sent Mil Muertes tumbling down a flight of concrete stairs. At another point, Mil Muertes and Ultimate Warrior fought in one of the high-rise stands and Mil Muertes clotheslined Ultimate Warrior over the railing to fall 8-feet to the floor below.
The coffins became weapons. Each luchador had a coffin painted with his likeness on it, the idea being that the luchadors were to be placed inside the coffin bearing his likeness. There had to be some doubt that either of them would fit inside of their coffin as they become dented and disfigured. For instance, Ultimate Warrior brought Mil Muertes’ coffin into the ring and propped it up in the corner against the turnbuckles and countered the Reaper’s Trident Spear into a hip toss that mangled the lid of his coffin. Later on, Mil Muertes and Ultimate Warrior fought on the ring apron next to Ultimate Warrior’s coffin. The Warrior closed the lid to his coffin so he wouldn’t end up inside it, and Mil Muertes slammed his face into it with a Flatliner! Unfortunately for him, Warrior fell off the coffin to the floor.
As the match progressed, attempts to get their opponents into the coffins grew increasingly more violent as exemplified by Mil Muertes giving Ultimate Warrior a modified urinage slam into his coffin, and Ultimate Warrior dropping Mil Muertes into his coffin with a gorilla press drop. However, even when these high impact maneuvers were executed the luchadors couldn’t close the lid on their fallen opponents. The Believers were also sent into a frenzy whenever the luachdores teased the use of tables. Mil Muertes wanted to use the hardwood broadcast position table as a weapon, but Ultimate Warrior defended against that by blasting Mil Muertes in the abdomen and across the back of the head with viewing monitors. A table was later introduced into the match by Ultimate Warrior, who set it up in the ring, but Mil Muertes avoided going through it when he rammed the Warrior into the coffin inside the ring with a running tackle.
Mil Muertes upped the ante when he began to disassemble one of the bottom turnbuckles. He didn’t only expose the turnbuckle, but he removed it from the ropes and post that held it in place and stalked the Ultimate Warrior with it. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Warrior had learned that Mil Muertes was a greater combatant than he may have anticipated, and so he stalked Catrina to take the mystical stone from her. Ultimately, this resulted in both luchadores delivering simultaneous knockout blows with their respective weapons. Although they were knocked out, the match could not end here, as a referee’s decision was overturned by Dario Cueto, who exited his office to remind him that the only way this match could end was for one of the luchadores to have the life sucked out of them when they were shut in a coffin.
The luchadores eventually began to stir and continued their fight. They made more attempts to get their opponents into a coffin, with no luck, which led to ever greater high-risk, high-reward situations that culminated with the Ultimate Warrior laying Mil Muertes down on a table with Mil Muertes’ coffin placed beneath it. Ultimate Warrior took the unusual step of climbing the turnbuckles. Catrina, who had been knocked unconscious for a long time, rose at the right moment, with her mystical stone and lifting it high in the air. Mil Muertes got off the table and grabbed Ultimate Warrior in a chokehold. He climbed the turnbuckles from the inside. Closed fist punches and headbutts were exchanged, both luchadores nearly losing their balance. The dramatic moment ended with Mil Muertes grabbing Ultimate Warrior around the waist and pulling him off the top turnbuckle with a super belly-to-belly suplex through the table and onto the coffin!
That proved to be the decisive blow. Mil Muertes drug the Ultimate Warrior’s lifeless body across the ring and out to the ring apron as Catrina walked over and over the lid on Ultimate Wariror’s coffin. There, Mil Muertes lifted Ultimate Warrior up and drove him face-first into the coffin with a Flatliner. Then, he closed the lid shut, and the coffin bearing the Ultimate Warrior’s body was taken away.
WINNER : MIL MUERTES ***
VS. ULTIMA LUCHA DE APUESTAS
Control of the Temple vs. Careers
Rey Mysterio Jr., Prince Puma, Fénix, Drago & Aero Star fighting for Dario Cueto
vs.
Alberto El Patron, Eddie Guerrero, Perro Aguayo Jr., Daga & Héctor Garza Jr. representing the Latino World Order Unusual alliances are often forged when individuals are faced with a major threat from a common enemy. In Lucha Underground, this edict holds true for a group of técnicos and the sadistic owner and promoter of Lucha Underground who share a common enemy in the Latino World Order, a lucha group that seeks to take over Lucha Underground and reshape it to reflect its ideals and beliefs about the art of lucha. If it were up to the LWO, there would be no more non-Mexican lucha purists out of the fighting sport that we have all come to love. That includes the likes of Alberto El Patron, Prince Puma, Fénix, Drago, and Aero Star, who believe that lucha is open to anyone, not just those who belong to
la raza. Dario Cueto, of course, does not wish to lose control of his underground fight club, but he’s willing to put it on the line in order to make his biggest headache go away. He’s gambling that this group of técnicos can help him end the careers of the rudos from the LWO, who view the prospect of gaining the title to the Temple as too attractive a deal to pass up.
This match is the culmination of a year’s worth of fighting over control of the Temple. It hasn’t been a constant battle, but the war has been ongoing since the first Ultima Lucha when Dario Cueto fled the Temple as Alberto El Patron arrived on the scene. El Patron promptly took control of the book and began working towards making the Temple a place where Mexican luchadores would prosper at the expense of all other luchadores, while benefiting himself most of all. However, when he stacked the deck against Ultimo Dragon, the Lucha Underground Champion at the time, in Aztec Warfare II, Dario Cueto took it as an opportunity to surprise El Patron by returning to the Temple. Not only did he thwart El Patron’s plan to become champion by having his brother Matanza Cueto show up at the end, but he took back his office, in the process regaining control of the Temple. The LWO has been eager to get its revenge ever since. Now, it has the chance.
This Ultima Lucha de Apuestas match could only be won once one of the team captains was pinned. Mysterio and El Patron were the captains for their respective teams. All other members of a team could be eliminated from the match at any time by pinfall or submission. That said, should a captain be pinned to the count of three without any of his teammates having been eliminated, his team would lose the match. In that sense, this was not your typical 10-man tag team match fought under WWE Survivor Series rules. This match could be won or lost at any time, no matter how many luchadores were still in the mix.
With that in mind, it was important for each team to protect its captain and not to allow him to stay in the ring as the legal man for too long. Both teams were good at keeping their captains away from trouble until Aguayo, Daga, and Graza ran a distraction play that ended with Aguayo kicking Mysterio below the belt, thus enabling the LWO to isolate him from his corner. They quickly wore down Cueto’s captain while making many quick tags. It looked like Mysterio was in serious trouble as he was forced to kick out of pinfall attempts and expend a lot of energy to get out of submission holds. By the time Guerrero looked to put him away with his frog splash, it looked like the match might be in the bag, but Mysterio rolled out of the way. He crawled towards the corner, but then Los Perros del Mal jumped into the ring to cut him off. A brawl ensued and Mysterio’s tag to Prince Puma went unseen by the referee, who forced him back to the ring apron. That looked like bad news for Cueto’s team, as El Patron gave Mysterio a backstabber and then applied the cross-arm breaker.
Mysterio looked to be in a bad spot, but Prince Puma broke it up and another brawl ensued. This time, when Mysterio tagged out, the referee saw it, and as the brawl was dying down, it was Drago who nearly won the match by executing a blockbuster reverse DDT on El Patron and pinning him for a long 2-count. Now, El Patron was getting worked over while Mysterio recuperated on the ring apron. The other four técnicos took turns wearing down El Patron until Aero Star gave him an imploding 450 splash! He covered El Patron, but his teammates came in to make the save, again leading to an all-out brawl. While the brawl was taking place, nearly everyone took turns executing some death-defying high flying maneuvers from the ring to the floor, finishing with Aero Star’s springboard trust fall to the outside of the ring, after which he picked up El Patron and rolled him into the ring to make the cover, but he was no longer the legal man. Garza superkicked him, tagged Aguayo and then gave Aero Star a crucifix bomb, which Aguayo followed with a diving double-foot stomp. Aero Star was promptly pinned, marking the first elimination of the match.
The técnicos were then at a disadvantage, but they fought valiantly against the odds. Even when the rudos were fighting dirty, then refused to give up. Whenever they seemed to be down for the count, they seemed to find new life thanks to the cheering and chanting of the Believers. This will not to give up served them well as they scored the next two eliminations on the Latino World Order. First, it was Fénix executing a meteora and pinning Héctor Garza Jr. for the 3-count after Drago planted his head into the mat with a reverse-rana. Then, it was Daga who was eliminated after giving Fénix a double underhook sitout powerbomb. His pin was broken up when Drago gave him a shining wizard. Fénix promptly tagged in Prince Puma, who executed the 630-degree senton bomb to eliminate him.
Down four-to-three, the Latino World Order had to work extra hard to try to bring them back to even. However, their efforts were going nowhere fast as Team Cueto isolated Aguayo, the last remaining member of Los Perros del Mal, and worked him over. They wore him down with fast offense and double team maneuvers that were made possible by constantly making quick tags. However, they were unable to double their advantage. Mysterio had Aguayo set up for the 619, but Guerrero blocked it in mid-execution and turned it into a deadlift release German suplex off the ring apron! Meanwhile, El Patron distracted the referee as Guerrero pulled Aguayo out of the ring and entered. He claimed he made a tag, but the referee didn’t buy it. However, this was but another distraction, as El Patron got out a chair and hammered Mysterio across the back with it and then rolled him into the ring. Puma, Fénix and Drago tried to interject, but the referee cut them off one-by-one. As this went on, El Patron continued to attack Mysterio with the chair before sending him into the ring where Guerrero placed him on top of the chair and then gave him the frog splash! Aguayo got up and into the ring to make the cover. 1…2… Prince Puma broke it up, barely saving the match for his team, and the Temple for Dario Cueto!
A three-on-three brawl ensued. While everyone brawled and again went flying over the ropes and out of the ring onto one another, Mysterio crawled over to his corner and tagged out to Drago who then ran straight out of the ring and hit Guerrero with a topé suicida. When he got up, Aguayo tried to hit him with a chair, but he ducked. Then, Drago tried to spit mist into Aguayo’s eyes, but he ducked and the mist ended up in the eyes of Fénix. Aguayo got Drago with the chair and then rolled him into the ring where El Patron forced him to tap out to the cross arm breaker. Moments later, Fénix was thrown into the ring and made to submit to the same maneuver after blindly walking into a backstabber and then taking a thrust kick to the chin while he was on his knees.
The rudos had quickly turned a deficit into an advantage, and while there were still two members of Team Cueto in the match, the Latino World Order had effectively turned the match into a 3-on-1 situation after they had brutally beaten Mysterio. Prince Puma fought valiantly against his three opponents. He started out strong and rallied often, but his opponents were always quick to regain the advantage. Several pinfall attempts were made, but none of them worked. Then, Puma caught a lucky break. An attempt by Aguayo to execute La Lanza was missed when Puma rolled out of the way. Then, he gave him a rolling thunder DDT. A running clothesline attempt by El Patron was ducked and then a missile dropkick attempt by Guerrero was avoided. The missile dropkick hit El Patron. Meanwhile, Guerrero was given a thrust kick and a pele kick. Then, Puma executed a Benadryller on Aguayo and pinned him to eliminate him from the match.
As soon as Puma got back to his feet, Guerrero jumped onto his shoulders and gave him a hurricanrana for a 2-count. Then, he picked up Puma and gave him the three amigos. As he was climbing the turnbuckle to go for his finisher, El Patron slapped him on the back to make the tag. Guerrero was not impressed. El Patron came into the ring and applied the cross arm breaker. Puma refused to submit and he could see Mysterio finally coming back around. El Patron shouted at Guerrero to cut him off, but Guerrero didn’t seem too bothered. Mysterio broke up the submission move. El Patron was pissed off and went over to confront Guerrero. He was heard telling Guerrero to follow his orders, and Guerrero saying he’ll do what he wants to do. El Patron asserted he was the leader of the LWO, but before it could escalate any more, Guerrero pointed out that Puma was crawling towards his corner. As El Patron turned, Guerrero made the tag. Still, El Patron ran over and gave Mysterio a front dropkick to send him flying off the ring apron. Then he put Puma in a tree of woe and gave him a double-foot stomp off the top rope. He pinned, but the referee told him he wasn’t the legal man, and he looked upset. Guerrero ran over and drug Puma out of the corner, then climbed the turnbuckle and executed the frog splash! 1…2…3!
Now, Team Cueto had only its captain left. Mysterio came in to face his long time on-again-off-again friend and rival. However, Guerrero had other plans. He went back to his corner and slapped El Patron on the arm, telling him that now was his chance to win the match. El Patron got in the ring and locked up with Mysterio. He quickly overpowered his smaller opponent, but Mysterio rallied with a series of rapid fire offensive maneuvers that had El Patron dying to get out of the ring. After he countered a tilt-a-whirl headscissors into a backbreaker, he crawled towards his corner to make the tag. Guerrero was reaching over the ropes and extending his arm as far as he could until he pulled it back and jumped down from the ring apron. El Patron looked on in dis belief, as if he’d been lied to and cheated. His anger made him crawl further over into the ropes as he shouted at Guerrero in a fit of rage. However, he responded by smiling at him and doing his Latino Heat shuffle, which made him even more mad. Leaning through the ropes was a huge mistake, as Mysterio got up, ran to the far ropes and came back to hit the 619! Then, he executed the West Coast Pop! 1…2…3! Team Cueto’s captain pinned the Latino World Order’s captain, ending the match and their careers!
WINNERS : REY MYSTERIO JR., PRINCE PUMA, FÉNIX, DRAGO & AERO STAR (and DARIO CUETO) ***
VS. MUW WORLD MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH
Braun Strowman vs. Cesaro Braun Strowman is the “Monster Among Men,” a special luchador unlike any seen before. He possesses a rare combination of exceptional size, exceptional power, and exceptional speed. Cesaro is the “Swiss Superman,” a special luchador in his own right. While looks like David to Strowman’s Goliath, he isn’t necessarily a small man. He, too, possesses exceptional power and exceptional speed. He is a gifted athlete known for feats of strength expected of monsters and men in Strowman’s weight category. Impressively, Strowman holds the BCCW Heavyweight Championship in addition to the Mash-Up World Men’s Championship. Cesaro has risen to great heights during his Mash-Up Wrestling career. He is a former Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling International Heavyweight Champion and former co-holder of the AGPW North American Tag Team Championships with Taz. Plus, he is the first Lucha Underground Championship, having held the championship for the entire duration of Lucha Underground’s first season, only losing it in a triple threat match in which he was neither pinned nor submitted.
You would be hard pressed to find any luchador in MUW who has had as impressive a career over the last five years as Cesaro, who now stands on the precipice of the highest honour in the Mash-Up Wrestling Universe. To get here, he had to outlast 31 other luchadores in a tournament, and no one had a more difficult slate of opponents than he did. Former Lucha Underground Champion Ultimo Dragon, “Macho King” Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Mil Muertes, and Prince Puma were his five opponents. I dare you to try stringing together a 5-match winning streak against those luchadores. Your chances of succeeding are next to none. The ultimate question now is whether he can extend the streak to six and win the MUW World Men’s Champion. There is no taller task than trying to do that against Braun Strowman.
The early part of this match featured Cesaro trying to match up with Strowman but having his attempts at offense rebuked by the larger and more powerful World Champion. While the “Swiss Superman” may be the strongest luchador in wrestling on a pound-for-pound basis, he isn’t the strongest man in lucha. There are bigger, stronger, and more powerful luchadores, and the “Monster Among Men” happens to be one of them. He easily swatted Cesaro around like an annoying housefly. Although defending against Cesaro’s attempts at offense was easy, Strowman’s own attempts at offense didn’t work out well in the early going. Strowman was quick, but Cesaro was quicker and would evade his larger opponent’s attacks. This portion of the match concluded when Strowman attempted a running splash in the corner only to end up slamming into the turnbuckles. Cesaro then hit him with a running European uppercut and attempted a cross-corner whip but was in turn whipped into the opposite corner and then crushed by the running freight train that is the “Monster Among Men” with a running splash.
After that pivotal move, Strowman began to dominate. He used his power to punish the “Swiss Superman” with devasting forearm blows, lung-bruising slams, and even a standing dropkick that looked like Cesaro was getting smashed by a transport truck. The dropkick hit with such force that Cesaro flew across the ring and out to the floor. Strowman went to the outside to keep up the fight, but Cesaro demonstrated a scrappiness usually reserved for much smaller luchadores. He blocked a meeting with the turnbuckle post with his foot and then dodged a running attack so that Strowman would slam into it, and then dropkicked the “Monster Among Men” so that his spine made solid contact with the turnbuckle post. Cesaro continued went into his big-risk, big-reward playbook by connecting with a rarely seen suicide dive European uppercut and an over-the-top-rope diving senton bomb!
It took everything Cesaro had to power Strowman off the Temple floor. When he finally did, Strowman lifted Cesaro into a military press and dropped him on the floor. Taking Cesaro back into the ring, Strowman looked to finish him off, but Cesaro slipped down off his shoulder and dropkicked him in the back, sending him into the turnbuckles. Cesaro continued with quick-hit offense, nailing half-a-dozen running European uppercuts in the corner before popping the crowd by executing a vertical suplex on the ”Monster Among Men.” He went for the first cover of the match, but Strowman threw the “Swiss Superman” clear off him after the count of one. Cesaro continued to work quickly to hit Strowman with a series of maneuvers that would knock him off his feet again, culminating with a diving European uppercut. Then, he popped the Believers once more by giving Strowman the Cesaro Swing, which he finished off by transitioning into a sharpshooter. However, that maneuver didn’t seem to phase Strowman, who instantly pushed up and dragged Cesaro across the ring while going for a rope break.
Cesaro tried to keep the big moves coming by going for another diving European uppercut off the top rope, but this time, Strowman caught Cesaro in the mid-flight and delivered a snap powerslam! He went for his first pinfall of the match, but Cesaro kicked out at two, something to which the World Champion is not accustomed. After that, he continued to pummel Cesaro with more powerful blows and a running big boot, which also didn’t win him the match. Strowman picked up Cesaro to go for his finisher, but again, Cesaro slipped free, and when he did, he attempted a European uppercut, but Strowman blocked it and then dropped Cesaro with a headbutt. Then, Strowman, lifted Cesaro onto the top rope and appeared to be going for what would be the world’s most devastating superplex. However, Cesaro blocked and did everything in his power to fight back, eventually knocking Strowman down to the mat. Then, Cesaro went out of his playbook to try something new and landed a 5-star frog splash! He covered, but Strowman kicked out. After that, he acted quick to prevent Strowman from getting to a vertical base and gave him the Neutralizer! He rolled the “Monster Among Men” over and pinned him. 1…2… kick out!
Cesaro waited for Strowman to start to get up to set up for another Neutralizer, but Strowman used his power to send Cesaro over into a back body drop, which Cesaro attempted to turn into a sunset flip to no avail. Instead, Strowman pulled Cesaro through his legs with a choke grip and delivered a powerful chokeslam! Then, he picked up Cesaro and threw him across the ring with a gutwrench suplex, before finally lifting him over his shoulder and giving him his running powerslam! Strowman hooked a leg for the pin. 1…2…3!
Cesaro gave it everything he had, but it was not enough to crown a new MUW Men’s World Champion. On this night, the champion retained his title with a hard-fought victory, and proved that the “Monster Among Men” is the premiere talent in all of Mash-Up Wrestling!
WINNER : BRAUN STROWMAN ***
Dario Cueto stands in his office peering through the blinds. The Temple has gone silent now that the matches are done and the Believers have left. All that remains are a few custodians left to clean up the mess and get it ready for Day Two. He walks over to his small liquor cabinet and poors himself a glass of tequila. He sits down in his leather chair, leans back and puts his feet up on the desk as he down the tequila. When he looks up, the door to his office opens and in walks the Mash-Up Wrestling Women’s World Champion Charlotte Flair. Cueto is shocked to see her and asks her what she is doing here. She opens her dazzling robe to reveal the championship title belt around her waist. Flair tells him that Chyna won’t be coming to Ultima Lucha Dos. She will. And when she does, she’s going to take pleasure in beating the luchadora that pinned her to end her time in Lucha Underground and shattering her dream of becoming the best luchadora in Mash-Up Wrestling.
The new Trios Champions, Paul London, Mala Suarte and Saltador are seen in a strange, irregular-shaped, black and white checkboard room. They appear to be having quite the party. Smoke clouds fill the room. A small tea set and a hookah pipe are seen on a small round table in the centre of the room. Each one of them grabs a cup of tea as London toasts them while proclaiming that they now have the key to unlock the door to an alternate universe. They cling their tea cups together and let out a cheer.
The Miz can be seen exiting the Temple. As the door shuts behind him, he walks across the dark alley to where a stretch limosine waits for him. As he does, a few Believers approach him for autographs and he shoves them away. When he reaches the limo, he opens the door to see “Classy” Freddie Blassie seated there. The Miz, visibly upset, tells Blassie to get out of his car. Blassie notices he’s upset but tells him that he’s made a grievance on his behalf to Dario Cueto and is lobbying him for a rematch. The Miz grabs Blassie by the collar, pulls him out of the car and tells him he shouldn’t a rematch because he should still be champion. That he isn’t the champion is Blassie’s fault. He accuses him of being a useless, old man and shoves him to the ground, his face splashing into a dirty pothole puddle. The Miz gets in the car, then rolls the window down and tells Blassie he’s fired before throwing his cane out the window at him.
Fénix, Aero Star, and Drago run into each other at the exit to the Temple. They congratulate each other one last time for a job well done in their ULTIMA LUCHA DE APUESTAS match before wishing each other well during this off-season. Fénix suggests that when they come back to the Temple in the next season, they should keep working together and maybe go after the Trios Championships. Aero Star and Drago both like this idea. They see it as an opportunity to build peace and trust between the heavens, the Earth, and the underworld. Then, they each exit the Temple. Fénix climbs into a corvette as a bright flash of light eliminates the night sky. As he drives off, he looks into his rear view mirror and sees a large ball of flames rapidly appear and then disappear.
Pentagon DARK walks into a dojo and kneels down in the centre of the room. He looks down at the floor and asks his master what he thinks of his performance. Vampiro, dressed all in black and looking kind of like Emperor Palpatine of the Star Wars Universe, walks up to him, tells him to look up and says that and says, “Now you are ready to become the greatest champion of all-time!”
In the Lucha Underground locker room, we see Eddie Guerrero cleaning out his locker into a gym bag. He zips up his gym bag and shuts the locker door. When he looks up, he sees Rey Mysterio Jr. there. Mysterio tells him that he made the ultimate sacrifice when he turned his back on Alberto El Patron. Guerrero tells him he started to realize a few weeks ago that he made the wrong choice in joining the LWO and acknowledges that Mysterio was right about El Patron – that he wasn’t doing it for the latinos, he was only doing it for himself. Guerrero apologizes and extends his hand, but then Mysterio pulls him in for a hug instead. When he lets him go, he asks Guerrero what he will do now. Guerrero tells him that he’s going to lie, cheat and steal his way to the World Championship.
Standing in a dark grave yard, we see the coffin of the Ultimate Warrior. Mil Muertes opens the coffin and we see the Warrior’s body resting in it. Catrina walks up to the coffin and gives him a close look. She leans in and gives him the symbolic lick of death, licking his face from his chin to his forehead. Then, she rips off a band of his arm tassels and closes the lid shut. A group of men and women who look like Mexican Day of Dead festival goers takes the coffin and drops it down into a grave. Catrina tells Mil Muertes to bury him. He grabs a shovel and starts throw dirt from the pile down the hole, onto the coffin.
Prince Puma is seen sitting on the roof top of the Temple in front of a large billboard that has the Lucha Underground lucha mask logo on it. He is looking out at the city skyline, then looks down and notices Cesaro dressed in a tuxedo and black aviator sunglasses walking over to an Aston Martin parked in the back alley. Cesaro opens the trunk of his car and throws a small briefcase and a large gear bag into it. After he slams it shut, he looks up at the Lucha Underground logo and sees Prince Puma there. He removes his sunglasses and asks what he’s doing. Puma tells him that he’s keeping watch over his city. Cesaro says that’s good because it needs someone to look after it. Puma says he thought that was his job. Cesaro says it isn’t anymore. Puma asks if that means he’s leaving. Cesaro says he’s done everything there is for him to do here and that there are other places that in need of a “Superman.” Then, he says, this is your home and tells him that he must look out for it, his last words being, “The Temple is yours. Take care of it.” Then, Cesaro throws his shades back on, climbs into the driver’s seat and speeds off. Puma gets up, throws the hood of his hoodie up and disappears into the dark night.
***