Post by Slade on Feb 17, 2019 16:45:45 GMT -5
Season 3, Episode 11
From the Temple in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Commentary Team: Matt Striker and Vampiro
Ring Announcer: Melissa Santos
***
The lights to the Temple begin to turn on in bunches. We see Dario Cueto standing next to a bank of light switches. He walks into the Temple past the timekeeper’s position to where the ring is, then around the corner next to the broadcast announce position and then sees Cortez Castro outside his office, laying in shards of broken glass. He notices the window has been busted out. He whispers, “What the fuck?” under his breath and quickly approaches. He bends down and checks his pulse. Then he shakes Castro, who wakes. Cueto asks him what happened here. He tells Cueto that Nikki Cross broke into his office, that he and Mr. Cisco found her in there, and that she defended herself and fled.
Cueto opens his office door. And sees Mr. Cisco laying on his desk. There is a pool of blood that has spilled out from his head. He also notices the telephone laying on the floor, with the receiver off the handle, and it’s making that annoying alarm sound that signals that the receiver is disconnected. Cueto sees that papers have flown all over the place and then he notices an open metal briefcase. He panics, walks out and asks Castro if Cross left with anything. He says he doesn’t think she took anything, but she was wearing a large gauntlet on her right hand. “Damn it! I need to get that gauntlet back!” Cueto shouts out of frustration, before telling Castro that he needs to help him clean up this mess right away.
***
VS. VS. VS.
Juventud Guerrera vs. Will Ospreay vs. PJ Black vs. Taya Valkyrie
Juventud Guerrera vs. Will Ospreay vs. PJ Black vs. Taya Valkyrie
Will Ospreay defeated Juventud Guerrera, PJ Black, and Taya Valkyrie by pinfall to win this fatal 4-way lucha. The opening minutes of this match were as fast as lightning, but as luchadores fled or fell out of the ring, the action slowed down as we were treated to a series of mini one-on-one contests between Guerrera and Black, then Black and Taya, then Taya and Ospreay, then Ospreay and Guerrera. The action spilled out to the floor, where Ospreay took out all his opponents with a Sasuke Special (cartwheel into an over-the-top-rope suicide corkscrew moonsault)! There was a bit of brawling on the outside. Taya and Guerrera passed by the outside of Dario Cueto’s office and it was noticed that his window had been boarded up with plywood. Taya didn’t hesitate to use it as a weapon by slamming Guerrera’s face into it. Striker and Vampiro had no explanation for the boarded-up office and they made a point to mention that their boss hadn’t been seen all day. Back in the ring, Taya looked to win the match with a sit-out facebuster on Guerrera, but Black broke it up and after an exchange of offence with Taya, he nailed a springboard 450-splash on her, but Ospreay broke up the pinfall. They had an exchange of moves that ended with Ospreay giving Black the OsCutter. However, before he could pin, Guerrera tried to attack him. Ospreay evaded the superkick attempt and then gave him a roundhouse kick before picking him up and executing the Storm Breaker and pinning him for the win.
***
We go to a seen in the Lucha Underground lockerroom where we see Johnny Mundo checking his out-of-this-world body out in the mirror when suddenly he hears some noise and arguing. He turns around and sees PJ Black and Taya Valkyrie arguing about which one of them would have won their match tonight if the other one hadn’t got in the way. Mundo interrupts them, asking his best friend, PJ Black, how his match went. Taya says that he lost. Mundo notices her for the first time, says he doesn’t believe they’ve met, and introduces himself. After taking about the results of the match, Mundo tells Black that he had a meeting with Dario Cueto that ended with him getting a trios match the week after Aztec Warfare III, so he has to form a team and he wants his best friend in it. Black accepts the invitation to join the team. Mundo says they need another member, and says Taya looks like the right fit for him – er, his team – so he asks her if she’d like to join. She says, “sure.” Mundo and Black turn and go the other way. Black thinks inviting her onto the team is a bad idea. Taya goes the other way and she looks happy about what just happened.
***
VS.
El Mariachi Loco vs. Sexy Star
El Mariachi Loco vs. Sexy Star
Sexy Star defeated El Mariachi Loco by submission. These luchadores began the match slowly, exchanging holds with one another until El Mariachi Loco stunned Sexy Star with a reverse enzuigiri kick. After that, he picks up the pace, taking Sexy Star down with a series of headscissor takedowns, a hurricane, and a springboard spinning crossbody into a lateral press for a 2-count. After sending Sexy Star into the corner, El Mariachi Loco ran in and got a boot to the face followed by a bulldog takedown. Sexy Star took over from there, but couldn’t keep El Mariachi Loco down for a 3-count. An attempt at a frankensteiner was blocked by Sexy Star who held onto the top rope, then stood up and nailed El Mariachi Loco with a missile dropkick. Moments later, following the execution of a floatover DDT, Sexy Star applied the cross-arm breaker to get the submission. She didn’t relinquish the hold, keeping El Mariachi Loco stuck in the hold until well after he screamed in agony. When she finally let go, she celebrated her win, apparently tone-deaf to the booing of the Believers. Medics came out to check on El Mariachi Loco, who appeared to be complaining about his shoulder.
***
Dario Cueto exits into the back alley behind the Temple. He walks over towards the one street light in the alley and stands there waiting until Nikki Cross shows up in the alley wearing the gauntlet that she found in Dario Cueto’s office, and that she used to kill Mr. Cisco. Cross tells him that she got the message and says that she wants to see “it.” Cueto pulls the key to Matanza Cueto’s cell, which he wears around his neck, out from under his shirt and says all she has to do is give him back the gauntlet and the key is hers. Cross says that she could kill him now, take the key, and keep the gauntlet. Cueto says he knows that she could, but he is confident that she won’t because the gauntlet is not meant to be worn by her and when it is warn by someone for whom it is not meant, it tricks their mind into thinking they are invincible while it slowly consumes their mind and soul, first rendering them feeble and weak until the life has been completely sucked out of them. Then, he reasons with her that, if she keeps the gauntlet and goes to Matanza, it will end in heartbreak because they both know that it is in Matanza’s nature to sacrifice the feeble and weak to the gods. She ponders this statement for a moment before removing the gauntlet. They approach each other and exchange the gauntlet for the key.
***
VS. w/
Gift of the Gods Match
Son of Havoc vs. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina
Gift of the Gods Match
Son of Havoc vs. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina
Mil Muertes defeated Son of Havoc by pinfall to retain the Gift of the Gods. Son of Havoc was the clear underdog in this match, but he had the firm support of the Believers, who cheered him on throughout the contest. Son of Havoc showed that he had the heart of a champion and the will to win as he withstood a great deal of punishment from the Man of a Thousand Deaths, whose power and penchant for brutalizing his opponents in any brawl was second to none. Son of Havoc kicked out of several pinfall attempts, including those that came immediately after a snap powerslam, a sit-out powerbomb, a spinebuster, and a spinning chokeslam. Son of Havoc had a late rally that culminated with him climbing the ropes to go for the shooting star press. However, Mil Muertes sat up, met Son of Havoc on the top rope and launched him across the ring with a double-underhook superplex. Then, Mil Muertes waited for Son of Havoc to rise to his feet to drive him hard into the mat with his Reaper’s Trident spear. He probably could have pinned him right then and there, instead he took him to the centre of the ring and delivered a vicious Flatliner to end the match. After the match, Catrina entered the ring, crawled across Son of Havoc’s body and gave him the lick of death on his face and mask. Then, she took the house microphone and announced that Samoa Joe is the only champion that isn’t afraid to take on all challengers. She says that Mil Muertes will defend the Gift of the Gods any time, any place, until Ultima Lucha Tres, where she says he will turn it in to Dario Cueto to take the Lucha Underground Championship away from Samoa Joe.
***
“Macho King” Randy Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri are partying it up in a stripper bar. In a scene reminiscent of one we’ve seen before, Savage excuses himself and goes to the men’s room. When there are no other men in there, he takes off his sunglasses, looks into the mirror and asks, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the greatest king in lucha libre now?” He waits for a moment before seeing his reflection respond, “Rey Mysterio Jr. is still the greatest king in lucha libre.” The intensity skyrockets in Savage’s eyes, but he composes himself and pleads, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me what I must do to be the best!” His reflection responds, “First, you must defeat Rey Mysterio Jr., then you must defeat Prince Puma. Only then will you have proven that you belong to the greatest royal bloodline in all of lucha libre.” After a moment, Macho King puts a serious look on his face, then puts his sunglasses back on and says, “Then I will.”
***
VS.
Lucha Underground Championship Match
Samoa Joe vs. Awesome Kong
Lucha Underground Championship Match
Samoa Joe vs. Awesome Kong
Samoa Joe defeated Awesome Kong by submission. These two former-TNA stalwarts are as tough as they come and they proved it by showing each other no mercy in this contest. Joe and Kong punished each other with stiff jabs, stinging chops and clubbing blows. Their brawl went out of the ring where it took Joe a pair of tope suicidas to knock Kong off her feet. While on the outside, the furniture was rearranged with Joe getting whipped into a seat of wooden seats at ringside. Joe responded by wrapping a seat around Kong’s neck and smashing it with another chair. They eventually brawled into the bleachers on the other side of the ring. There, Kong gave Joe a chokeslam and Joe gave Kong a Samoan drop onto the hardwood! Late in the match, after exchanging several powerful moves, Kong climbed the turnbuckle. Joe tripped her up and gave her a few headbutts. He looked like he was setting up for the Muscle Buster, but Kong successfully resisted and then pushes Joe far enough away for her to get up and perform a diving crossbody on him! She held him in place with a lateral press, but he kicked out. She set up for an Awesome Bomb, but Joe countered with a back body drop, gave her a dragon suplex, and then locked her into the Coquina Clutch. Kong didn’t actually submit, she passed out in the hold. But that’s all Joe needed to get the decision and retain his championship.
***
We go to a scene inside the room where Matanza Cueto is held inside a cell. It dark except for the sliver of light shining through the small window near the ceiling. The door opens, letting light into the room from the hallway. In walks Nikki Cross. Matanza moves away from the wall and to the bars. He is excited. Cross shows him that she has the key again and this time, when she releases him from his cage, they will never be apart again. Matanza reaches out at Cross takes his hand and puts it on her face. After this tender moment, she takes the key from around her neck, but goes to put the key into the lock, out from the shadows of the dark corner behind her steps Samoa Joe, who violently pulls her back and away from the cell. Matanza starts to furiously shake the cell bars as he witnesses Samoa Joe choking out Cross with the Coquina Clutch. Then, he notices the key on the floor. He reaches through the bars for it, but it is just beyond his reach. Joe picks up the key and mocks Matanza with it, saying that he’ll never step foot outside this cell again. Then, he grabs the unconscious Nikki Cross and carries her out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them. Matanza is left inside the cell, shaking the large iron bars while letting out a furious growl of anger.
***