Lucha Underground TV Report 3-18-15: Fenix vs. Mil Muertes casket match
By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com
With Sling TV‘s launch on the Xbox One on March 17, people have yet another way to view the show. Registering for service on the Xbox One enables you to have one free month of service, but at $20 a month, be sure to cancel before it renews. Anyway, we start off this week’s show with a recap of The Crew’s beating of Ryck, his return, and Ryck and Sexy beating beaten up by them. The Drago-Aerostar series is shown and the Muertes-Fenix saga is recapped for tonight’s coffin match.
Vamp and Striker hype up the show and Melissa Santos says that the first match will be match three in the best of five series and talks about how many match each man has. This is just perfect – it’s a bit convoluted, and they fill you in instantly. Each man has one win each and Aerostar is first out, followed by Drago.
Match 1 – Drago vs. Aerostar in Match 3 of the Series
Go-behind leads to an armdrag to Drago. Aerostar gets a series of rolling armdrags, which I’ve never seen before. Drago responds with a takedown into a leglock. Vamp talks about how Striker is won over by Cueto because everyone has a price, leading to a chuckle by Striker. Drago gets a kneebar, but Aero counters into a cradle for 2. Drago sweeps him down and gets a nice applause from the fans.
Alabama slam from Drago off the ropes gets 2. Aerostar rolls underneath the bottom rope akin to Zayn’s DDT, but he just does it to sucker Drago into doing it so he can kick him – awesome! Drago snaps the knee down and laughs at Aero, so they go off the ropes and take each other down with a crossbody. Aero gets a leaping kick on the rope before nailing a springboard dropkick to send him to the floor before nailing the springboard trust dive. Much like with Stardust using that, it’s a bizarre move in concept and dangerous in execution, but it looked good.
Drago hoists him up top and hits a draping DDT for 2. Drago lifts him up and gets a torture rack into a uranage for 2. Bizarre back and forth on the ropes leads to a tree of woe on the apron and then Aerostar hitting a Warrior’s Way on the apron to the floor! Aero misses a dive and eats a corkscrew dive over the top from Drago. Drago gets a huge applause for that.
Drago gets a running Liger bomb, but can’t cover. He goes up top, but gets crotched. Aero gets a corner to corner second rope walk rana! Big springboard splash ala Rey Jr. gets the win! This was a blast. They shake hands. With the win, Aerostar just needs one win to win the series. This was a really fun match that started the show off perfectly. Vamp hypes up the Grave Consequences match.
Konnan and his heat-forged pimp cane are back and kicking ass while he narrates a story about positioning being more important in war than speed or power. After more beatings and chess, we see that he is talking to Prince Puma, who understands his lesson and looks eager to fight. This ruled! A Pentagon Jr. hype video showcasing a ton of package piledrivers airs – LU now has Cricket as a sponsor.
After a break, we return to the Temple for a three on one elimination match. The Crew is mid-ring to battle Big Ryck. Striker says eliminations can occur via pinfall, submission, or referee stoppage.
Match 2 – Big Ryck vs. The Crew – Handicap Elimination Match
Ryck gets the lead briefly, but they gang up on him by taking the legs out. Castro avoids a charge and nails a corner kick. Ryck tosses off Bael, but the Crew hits a double stomp on the back into a DDT for 2. Bael grabs a chair and puts it in the corner, but a double team leads to a double noggin knocker and a toss into the chair. He grabs a kendo stick and snaps it over Cisco. Big chokeslam to Bael takes him out. Cortez and Cisco go for a double suplex, but it’s countered. A big lariat to Castro with the stick takes him out, but Cisco goes to leave. Sexy Star heads him off at the pass and kicks his ass down to the ring. Ryck balls up his fist and punches his eye before getting a chair. Cisco’s busted up from the punch and Ryck works on the eye some more. A uranage through the chair gets the win for Big Ryck. Striker says that the main event is next, and it’s only 30 minutes into the show, so it should be getting a lot of time.
We come back and Striker hypes up Alberto vs. Texano for the AAA Title in a bullrope match, while Cage battels Prince Puma for the LU Title in a Boyle Heights Street Fight. An elaborate Day of the Dead introduction is used for the match, with a large group of people coming out and bringing a painted coffin with them. The attendants leave leading to Mil Muertes coming out first, and Fenix coming out after a break and being introduced as the man of a thousands lives.
Main Event – Fenix vs. Mil Muertes – Grave Consequences Casket Match
Muertes runs to the floor and attacks with punches, chops, and announce table shots. Mil gets a chinlock against the ropes, but he misses a charge and eats a kick. Fenix moves the coffin and goes for the Roman Reigns kick, but misses. Vamp talks about being part of vampire cults for his entire life, but this being darker than that. Fenix hits a big dive on the floor. Muertes knocks the casket down and hits Fenix with the wreath. Fenix comes back with a DDT on the casket – I don’t remember seeing that before. Fenix darts out for a tope, but Mil puts the casket in his path before standing on top of it. Muertes tears at the mask and actually rips it up a lot. Mil grabs a turnbuckle piece and smacks the exposed flesh with the steel and slices him up.
Muertes chokes him with the buckle and bites the wound. In the process of all this, he’s mostly exposed his face. Muertes tosses him onto the steps and punches him up to the top. They fight to the area that had the big dive earlier in the season. Each teases a suplex into the crowd, but Mil just chucks his head into the steel above them before they fight back down. Mil gets a powerbomb on the announce table, which doesn’t a budge. A “this is awesome” chant breaks out, and is warranted.
Mil brings the casket underneath the second rope since the bottom rope is gone and puts it on the seal. He sets it up in the corner and belly to belly suplexes Fenix into the casket lid violently. Fenix’s face is covered in blood. Fenix gets a superkick! He goes up and eats an uppercut before taking the run-up Codebreaker/monkey flip thing. Fenix’s head is dripping blood like a faucet.
Fenix goes to ringside and drips blood all over ringside. They fight to another area in the crowd. Fenix’s entire face is shown right before he eats a balsa wood chairshot. Mil gets crotched on the guardrail somehow and eats a high kick. Fenix stands atop the railing and hits a flip dive! After so many years of seeing formulaic casket matches in WWE and awful ones in TNA, this is so great to see.
They’ve found so many ways to do new things in a well-worn stipulation. Fenix lands yet another superkick. Fenix stands atop another railing and moonsaults off of it, eliciting an excited “goddamn!” from Vampiro. Mil’s back is now covered in roses. They fight near Catrina and she eats a lariat from Mil when Fenix ducks, leading to a “holy shit” chant from the crowd. Fenix takes advantage, but Mil responds with more biting. Catrina opens the casket while Mil goes for a suplex. Fenix fights back and gets a Warrior’s Way to the spine before knocking him into the casket. Before shutting the lid, Catrina licks the stone and tosses it in. The casket is moved to the back and the crowd goes crazy for Fenix.
This was one of the best episodes of the show to date. The bookend matches were fantastic showcases, while the handicap match told the story that needed to be told. The casket match is a must-watch. We’ve all seen the casket match just become a tired trope, but this harkened back to when the stipulation was taken seriously, and the match was honestly unlike any casket match to date with a lot of blood and far more crowd brawling than you would expect.