Post by Slade on Aug 20, 2020 10:31:18 GMT -5
Season 4, Episode 23
From the Temple in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Commentary Team: Matt Striker and Vampiro
Ring Announcer: Melissa Santos
***
In some dark alley in Boyle Heights a white Cadillac comes to a stop. Inside, it is the car that El Santo, Dario Cueto and Matanza Cueto have been traveling in. They are back in the city. El Santo says that they are ready to bring the Temple out of the dark and put the light back into it. Tonight, we enter The Temple and we let their father, Antonio, and the dark lord, Blue Demon Jr., know that evil will no longer rule over the Aztec World. Tonight, we begin the campaign that will bring peace and good fortune to all who Believe. He wants to know if they are ready. They say they are. They open their car doors. Dario checks the glove box and then the floor. He begins to panic. He gets out and tells El Santo to open the trunk. He does and Dario feels around everywhere. The Gauntlet of the Gods is gone. This is not good. El Santo agrees that it is not good but says that they can worry about finding it later. They do not need it and it is better to fight this war without it. As long as it hasn’t fallen into the wrong hands, everything will be fine. They shut the doors and the trunk and begin the last leg of their trip on foot, through the back alleys of Boyle Heights. Passing by a homeless man nearby, El Santo tosses him the keys and nods at him, and it is understood that the car now belongs to him.
***
VS.
STEEL CAGE MATCH
Dominik Dijakovic vs. Mike Awesome
STEEL CAGE MATCH
Dominik Dijakovic vs. Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome was accompanied to the ring by Famous B, who was still wearing a neck brace and sitting in a wheelchair with his heel up in an ankle support, but who now sported a large gauze bandage around his head following last week’s failed wedding ceremony. He stayed out on the floor was tended to by his assistant, and part-time sexy nurse, the Beautiful Brenda. When Dominik Dijakovic entered the cage, the door was shut and locked because the cage was meant to keep them in the ring.
As soon as the bell rang, Awesome attacked with a running big boot attempt, but Dijakovic got out of the way. Right off the bat they were punching, kicking, and chopping the crap out of each other. They hit each other with hard big boots and stiff clotheslines, and used the cage as a weapon, giving each other biel throws into the side of the cage and ramming each other’s faces into it. Awesome went to the top rope and executed a diving clothesline. Later, Dijakovic used the top rope to land a springboard corkscrew leg drop. A few times, they were fighting on the top turnbuckle, with Dijakovic knocking taking Awesome down to the mat with a two-handed seated chokeslam, and later Awesome executing a sit-out Awesome Bomb from off the top rope. They also fought while standing precarious on the top rope nowhere near the turnbuckles. From there, Awesome executed a high-angle belly-to-back suplex, and Dijakovic executed a float-over vertical suplex. Incredibly, all these big power moves failed to win the match.
They fought up on the top turnbuckle again, throwing punches and headbutts at each other. Awesome tried to slam Dijakovic’s face into the cage, but he blocked, threw a back elbow at him and then slammed his face into the cage. Then, Dijakovic sent Awesome to the mat with a release vertical suplex from the top turnbuckle. After that, he decided to climb up the cage. Sensing something terrible was about to happen for his client, Famous B got out of his wheelchair, ran around the ring and started climbing the cage from the outside, leading Matt Striker to think aloud that his various injuries and ailments were dubious. Famous B met Dijakovic at the top of the cage and immediately regretted his decision to go up there. He panicked and pleaded as Dijakovic pulled on his necktie to bash his face into the side of the cage a few times. Famous B was teetering on the edge of a big fall, but then Diajkovic helped him out with it by grabbing him around the neck brace with both hands and holding him out from the side of the cage. Famous B flailed his legs and grabbed onto Dijakovic’s arms, but it was no use. When Dijakovic let him go, he took a large fall to the floor, knocking him unconscious.
Dijakovic finished climbing the cage and attempted an insane corkscrew moonsault from up top, but he landed flat on the mat like a pancake. All the time he was held up with Famous B allowed Awesome time to recover and move as soon as he jumped. That failed high risk proved to be a difference maker as Awesome got up and executed an Awesome Bomb. He wasn’t satisfied doing just that. He picked up Dijakovic, lifted him over his shoulder and gave him a release Awesome Bomb into the side of the cage. The chainlink panel that he threw him into gave way and Dijakovic ended up taking a nasty fall onto the floor. Awesome left the ring and decided to do more damage by bringing a table out from under the ring and putting Dijakovic threw it with an Awesome Bomb. Finally, he tossed Dijakovic back into the ring, climbing to the top turnbuckle and landed an Awesome Splash on him. 1…2…3!
WINNER : Mike Awesome
***
VS.
ATOMICOS MATCH
Mil Muertes, Johnny Mundo, Mustafa Ali & Fénix
vs.
Damien Priest, Andrade Cien Almas, King Cuerno & Angel Garza
Most of the luchadores in this atomicos match haven’t had a match in quite some time. Mustafa Ali won a fatal fourway just last week, but other than Johnny Mundo, none of them made it past the second round of the Antonio Cueto Luchadores Cup tournament, which meant that there have been few opportunities for them to get in the ring lately. Andrade made a big impact last week by ruining Johnny Mundo’s wedding. Andrade and Zelina Vega felt insulted after Mundo proposed to Taya Valkyrie following his win over Andade in the tournament. It wasn’t long before Vega interfered on Andrade’s behalf. Taya, who was at ringside, took the fight to Vega after she and Andrade got out a table. Eventually, Taya put Vega in a double-chicken wing while on the ring apron and executing the Road to Valhalla (sit-out double-chicken wing facebuster) through the table on her.
Despite the long absence of Mil Muertes and Damien Priest, the Believers hadn’t forgotten the intense hate and animosity between them. They were among the first luchadores to book a spot on the card at Ultima Lucha Cuatro. Competing in this match reminded the Believers that their Grave Consequences match is going to be brutal. Mil Muertes reminded us how dominating and dangerous he can be by giving Andrade, King Cuerno and Angel Garza the Reaper’s Trident spear. Damien Priest showed his penchant for punishing opponents when he picked up Fénix and gave him a crucifix bomb from the ring to the outside onto a coffin bearing his name and an image of his likeness painted on it. Later, when Mil Muertes lined up Priest for the Reaper’s Trident, he sensed Catrina’s presence, turned and blocked her from hitting him in the back of the head with Priest’s nightstick. Mil Muertes wrapped his hand around Catrina’s throat and gave her a chokeslam. He dragged her out of the ring and took her over to a coffin with her name and a painting of her likeness on it, but Priest saved her by executing an over-the-top-rope topé suicida on Mil Muertes, after which he threw the coffin onto the ground and gave Mil Muertes the Reckoning onto the coffin lid. Then, he opened it and shoved his body into it.
Mustafa Ali and King Cuerno seemed pre-occupied with fighting each other and quickly took to brawling with one another while Matt Striker and Vampiro were dumbfounded by the bitterness and nastiness they displayed towards one another. When they were in the ring together, Ali applied submission holds, which was not in keeping with his normal style. Striker and Vampiro picked up on the fact that he appeared to be conducting an interrogation as he applied the holds, as he repeatedly asked him questions like, “Where did you go?” “How do you know VKM?” “Are you working for him?” “What did he pay you to do?” It was all too strange to them. Eventually, King Cuerno was able to tag out to get away from Ali, but he had no interest in fighting anyone else, so when the opportunity stuck, King Cuerno shot himself through the ropes and made a direct hit with the Arrow From the Depths of Hell. After that, King Cuerno found a rope under the ring and tied Ali’s hands and feet together, then bent down next to his face and said, “I’ll never tell.” Then, he walked out of the Temple, abandoning his team.
Fénix and Angel Garza were the only two luchadores that didn’t appear to have an intense hatred towards each other, and such, they eventually ended up competing in what appeared to be a singles contest for the last few minutes of the match, as Cuerno left, Ali was tied up, Mundo and Andrade had brawled out of sight, Mil Muertes was shoved into a coffin, and Priest left with Catrina after she had been chokeslammed. At one point, Garza appeared to be on the verge of getting a breakthrough victory as he landed a frog splash, but Fénix kicked out at the last moment. Then, he set up Fénix for the Wing Clipper, but he managed to escape with something that looked like a bridging northern lights suplex. After another minute of back-and-forth action, Fénix was able to execute the Black Fire Driver and hook Garza’s leg for the 1-2-3!
WINNER : Mil Muertes, Johnny Mundo, Mustafa Ali & Fénix
***
VS.
Aero Star vs. Drago
Aero Star vs. Drago
The stipulation for this match, which was set up just last week, was that if Aero Star won, Drago would be freed from the Reptile Tribe. However, if Drago won, Aero Star would have to join the Reptile Tribe. While Aero Star and Drago were old friends and were part of the longest reigning Trios Champions in Lucha Underground history, it wouldn’t be easy for Aero Star to defeat his friend and him his freedom. Drago wasn’t going to allow himself to be freed because he had been brainwashed.
The match had a quick pace, even during the portions that are inside the ring and kept down on the mat. There were many arm drags, leg whip and headscissor takedowns, and both luchadores worked each over with a variety of holds, which they countered several times. Drago was good in the air, executing a missile dropkick, diving crossbody, diving hurricanrana, and a topé suicida. Aero Star was arguably better, executing his own missile dropkick and diving crossbody, but going the extra mile to execute a corner-to-corner rope-walk springboard moonsault DDT and a second rope springboard corkscrew topé con hilo. As the match reached the 10-minute mark, they traded quick pinfall attempts with crucifixes, small packages, la magistrals, roll-ups, backslides, and jacknife covers, ending with Aero Star getting Drago in a victory roll and holding on long enough to get the 3-count and earn the win.
WINNER : Aero Star
After the match, Jake Roberts came out with a burlap sack, which presumably contained a snake. He and Kobra Moon entered the ring. Kobra Moon hit Aero Star in the back with a chair and Roberts gave him a DDT onto the chair. Kobra Moon, put the metal leash around Drago’s neck and handed him one to put around Aero Star’s neck. Roberts opening his sack and dumped a King Cobra out onto the Ancient Aztec crest. With this poisonous snake slithering near an unconscious Aero Star, it looked like he was going to be enslaved anyone.
But then, the Rabbit Tribe came out in full force. Paul London and El Bunny chased off Kobra Moon, while The White Rabbit stalked Jake Roberts until he left ringside. Drago remained standing in the ring. The cobra was closing in on Aero Star when Drago finally stepped on the tip of its tail. The cobra turned around and lunged at Drago, but he jumped out of the way and then sprayed red mist at the cobra, disorienting the dangerous snake. Drago picked up his friend and pulled him out the ring. They hugged and celebrated Drago’s return to freedom.
***
Before our main event, Antonio Cueto exited his office to address the Believers. He reminded them that the winner of the next match will win the Antonio Cueto Luchadores Cup – a large trophy standing on a pedestal next to where Melissa Santos sits while matches are taking place – and will go on to challenge AJ Styles for the Mash-Up Wrestling Men’s World Championship at Ultima Lucha Cuatro. This will be our last match before Ultima Lucha Cuatro, which will be a 2-night event packed with matches. He told everyone in attendance the list of matches already announced, but then had a few more to tell us.
Since the GIFT OF GODS was vacated last week, seven lucky luchadores will compete for this prize in a LADDER MATCH! Who are the lucky luchadores? Dr. Wagner Jr., Fénix, Aero Star, Drago, Angel Garza, Paul London, and Kobra Moon!
After what happened last week and seeing them continue to fight earlier this evening, he has decided that Johnny Mundo and Taya Valkyrie will compete against Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega in a LAST DUO STANDING MATCH.
Also, after getting all tied up in the atomicos match, Mustafa Ali came to see him and begged for an opportunity to get King Cuerno alone in the ring. Having witnessed the intense hatred they seem to have for each other, and having space for one more match at Ultima Lucha Cuatro, I decided to grant him his wish – but it might cost him something he holds dearly. At Ultima Lucha Cuatro, it will be Mustafa Ali vs. King Cuerno in a LUCHA DE APUESTAS: HAIR VS. MASK!
Finally, since Famous B has complained nearly every day for the last month that Mike Awesome doesn’t have a match at Ultima Lucha Cuatro, and Dominik Dijakovic has requested a rematch because he isn’t happy with what happened earlier tonight, and because they have one win each against each other, they will battle one last time to decide who is the better luchador in a HELL OF WAR MATCH!
***
VS.
FINALS OF THE ANTONIO CUETO LUCHADORES CUP TOURNAMENT
Samoa Joe vs. The Fiend
FINALS OF THE ANTONIO CUETO LUCHADORES CUP TOURNAMENT
Samoa Joe vs. The Fiend
The winner of this match will face AJ Styles for the Mash-Up Wrestling Men’s World Championship at Ultima Lucha Cuatro. Both luchadores have strung together an impressive slate of wins in the tournament to get to this point. Samoa Joe earned victories over King Cuerno, Damien Priest, Jake Roberts, and Braun Strowman to get to the finals. The Fiend won matches against The Godfather, Fénix, Pentagon DARK, and Chris Jericho to get to the finals. One more win is needed against arguably each other’s toughest opponents yet.
Having seen how The Fiend allows his opponents to come to him, Joe takes his time and is more cautious than usual in going to lock up but never quite gets there with The Fiend just staring at him, tilting his head and looking at his hand extension. Joe backs away and offers again, sliding behind The Fiend to get a rear waistlock. The Fiend easily breaks the hold and turns around but gets taken down with a snap mare into a chinlock. Joe works over The Fiend on the ground for the next few minutes. The Fiend doesn’t look like much of a threat, but he also doesn’t appear to be trying at all. Eventually, Joe gets The Fiend’s shoulders onto the mat for a pin, but he kicks out at one, pops up to his feet and throws some haymakers and throat thrusts at the Samoan Submission Machine until he has him backed into the corner. A cross-corner whip is reversed. Joe charges in and takes a boot to the mush and then a hard clothesline to bring him down to the mat. The Fiend scoops up Joe and gives him a bodyslam. He goes for a senton splash, but Joe slightly turns his body to catch The Fiend in the Coquina Clutch. The Fiend is motionless, but when the referee raises his hand a third time to see if it will drop, he comes to life and fights out of the hold with ease.
The Fiend gives Joe some plam strikes to back him into the corner. This time, his cross-corner whip works and he follows in with a body avalanche and then tosses Joe out of the corner. When Joe gets up, The Fiend flips over, belly to the sky, and walks on all fours towards him, his head upside down. This might be the first time Joe has ever appeared unsure of himself, but he shakes it off and when The Fiend gets up, he attacks with several stiff kicks and a series of backhand chops that back The Fiend into the corner. He goes for a cross-corner whip, but The Fiend counters and charges at him. Joe gets out of the corner and The Fiend hits the turnbuckle post with his shoulder. When he pulls himself out of the turnbuckles, Joe peppers him with shots to the body and kicks to the legs, finishing off the sequence with a CCS Enzuigiri kick to knock him off his feet, then he runs to ropes and returns with a full had of steam to give him a boot to the face. Joe drags The Fiend out of the corner and tries to pin him, but The Fiend still kicks out at one. Joe executes a series of suplexes, including vertical, snap, release German, side belly-to-belly, and side belly-to-back. He attempts another pin and still The Fiend kicks out at one.
Joe seems unsure of what to do next. He opts to slow things down by applying a camel clutch. The Fiend eventually breaks the hold. Joe gets him back on the mat and applies a Boston crab. The Fiend gets to the ropes. Joe knocks him back down and applies the STF. When The Fiend gets close to the ropes, he pulls The Fiend back into the center of the ring and inverts it. When The Fiend gets near the ropes, he pulls him back again, and this time applies a crossface. Finally, The Fiend reaches the ropes. What does Joe have to do to win this match?
When The Fiend gets up, Joe backs him into the corner with a series of strikes. He lifts him onto the top turnbuckle. He appears to be setting up for a Musclebuster, but The Fiend stubbornly blocks, so Joe strikes him, and climbs up on the bottom rope, but The Fiend applies the mandible claw. Joe is unable to escape, but being on the ropes, he cannot lose. The Fiend eventually relinquishes the hold and takes Joe down to the mat with a ura-nage slam off the ropes!
Both luchadores are down on the mat for a while. They get up at the same time and thrown down! The Fiend gets the better of the exchange, knocking Joe down with a big uppercut. He goes for the running senton, but Joe moves out of the way. He attempts one of his own, but The Fiend gets out of the way. They get up and thrown down again. This time, Joe gets on a roll with his chops and backs The Fiend into the corner. He whips him into the opposite corner and starts charging but The Fiend hits the turnbuckle and immediately charges back out, and they collide when The Fiend nails a flying cross chop. With Joe down on the mat clutching his ribs, The Fiend once again pops up in an inverted crab walk. When he gets to within inches of Joe, he flips over and climbs to his feet but then he’s thrown across the ring with an Athletic-plex by Matanza Cueto!
Matanza pummels away at The Fiend, throwing him overhead with an exploder suplex and then scooping him up and giving him The Wrath of the Gods! Joe grabs Matanza by the shoulder and turns him around to face him. Joe takes offense to his old rival’s attack. He doesn’t want to win it this way. This leads to some shoving and then they brawl, culminating with Matanza executing The Wrath of the Gods on Joe! The Fiend gets up, but Matanza blocks him from getting to Joe. The Fiend tries to attack and receives another Wrath of the Gods! Matanza looks at both fallen luchadores and decides to drag Joe over and drape his arm across The Fiend’s chest. The referee counts. 1…2…3! Samoa Joe wins the Antonio Cueto Luchadores Cup and earned the right to go to Ultima Lucha Cuatro to challenge AJ Styles for the Mash-Up Wrestling Men’s World Championship Title!
WINNER : Samoa Joe
After the match ended, the Believers went nuts as the door to Antonio Cueto’s office, formerly the office of Dario Cueto, opened and Blue Demon Jr. ran out and into the ring. He came up from behind Matanza, spun him around and gave him the Ace Crusher! The Believers were going insane as they had never seen Blue Demon Jr. in the Temple before. He took a microphone and said that Matanza is a traitor to the cause and a disappointment to him personally. He went on to say that he gave Matanza the power of the gods, but he is no longer worthy of it. He wants his Gauntlet back and tells him to deliver a message to his brother and to El Santo: This Temple belongs to Blue Demon Jr. now. The Era of the Dark Dynasty has begun. The Aztec Kingdom is his and there is nothing they can do to stop him.
Then, Dario Cueto’s voice was heard saying, “No! This is my Temple!” He was with El Santo, who grabbed the microphone and said that he will not give him back the Gauntlet. Blue Demon Jr. responded by saying this world isn’t big enough for the two of them. He’s going to get the Gauntlet back come hell or high water. At Ultima Lucha Cuatro, he wants El Santo and the Cuetos to come back to the Temple where they will settle their issues once and for all. First, The Fiend will take care of Matanza in a DEATH MATCH! Then, Blue Demon Jr. will bury the legend of El Santo once and for all in the ultimate battle of good versus evil: a LOSER LEAVES LUCHA MATCH!
El Santo and Dario Cueto, speaking on behalf of his brother, said they would be there, and that at Ultima Lucha Cuatro, good will prevail over evil and order will be restored to the Aztec Kingdom, once and for all!
***
Somewhere in Boyle Heights, King Cuerno enters a dingy bar, orders a cerveza and takes a seat. He casually sits from the bottom and stares ahead at the small TV behind the bar, which is showing recaps of today’s MLB games. A few minutes later, Agent VKM walks into the bar surrounded by Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. Cena walks by and takes a seat near the door to the employees only back room. Hogan sits in a dark corner and Reigns mingles around the front door. Cuerno sees all of this, but if he’s concerned, he doesn’t show it. Agent VKM sits on the barstool next to him. “So you have it?” he asks. Cuerno picks up a large metal Samsonite briefcase and puts it on the counter. Agent VKM opens it. Inside the briefcase is the Gauntlet of the Gods. Agent VKM’s eyes light up. He closes the briefcase and then pulls a thick envelope out of the inside breast pocket of his suitcoat. He puts it down on the counter and turns to leave. Cuerno grabs the envelope, looks inside and finds two large stacks of $100 bills inside.
Outside, we look down on the front entrance to the bar. There is a black limousine parked out front. Reigns opens the door and the entire crew jumps in and drives off. Across the street from high atop of a 4-storey building, we see Agent Alam lowering a pair of binoculars from his face. He grabs his phone and fires off a quick text message to Agent Schwarzenegger that reads, “Cuerno succeeded. VKM has it, but I still don’t know what it is.” Schwarzenegger responds quickly, writing, “Let me worry about VKM. You take care of Cuero.” He looks up from his phone and back down at the street to see King Cuerno leaving the building. Cuerno pauses in front of the door, looks up almost instinctively, as if he knew Agent Alam were there all the time and tips his cowboy hat in his direction. Alam nods back at him and draws the number 4 in the air with his right index finger. Cuerno fires off an imaginary arrow from an imaginary bow, then starts walking down the street. Alam opens his phone and writes, “Don’t worry. I will.”
***