John Hennigan is a featured performer for both Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. In the 4th season of Lucha Underground, Johnny Mundo’s World Wide Underground is in a feud with Kobra Moon’s Reptile Tribe. Meanwhile, in Impact Wrestling, Johnny Impact is booked for the upcoming Slammiversary pay-per-view in Toronto.
Hennigan spoke with TV Insider recently and commented on the differences between the two companies.
Johnny Impact and Johnny Mundo on Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground
Hennigan started by describing what he believes to be Lucha Underground’s style. “Lucha is hard-hitting, acrobatic, fast-paced. It has this cool world that is uniquely Lucha Underground.”
He then compared Lucha Underground to Impact Wrestling. “Impact is similar, but it’s a different world. The stuff going on there is the evolution of traditional wrestling product into a cutting-edge, modern, present-day program.”
“I think the best way to make an example of that is I’m returning there at Slammiversary on July 22,” Hennigan continued. “The match I’m going to have is Rich Swann vs. Taji Ishimori vs. Fenix vs. Johnny Impact. Rich Swann and I both worked for WWE. Taiji works for New Japan and Noah. Fenix is one of the best Luchadores in the world. He has worked for pretty much every company in Mexico.”
John Hennigan on Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground
“The office for Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling are both forward-thinking people that are trying to build something, instead of competing against one another, which traditionally happened in the past,” Hennigan stated.
“Lucha, Impact and hopefully more companies going forward are working together now, which is awesome to me. As a wrestler, we get to work for both companies. As a wrestling fan, I get to see a bunch of dream matches five years ago you would never get to see.”
The final Impact Wrestling television show before Slammiversary airs this Thursday. Lucha Underground’s 4th season continues on the El Rey Network this Wednesday night.
Former Lucha Underground champion, Johnny Mundo (aka John Hennigan/Johnny Impact) is being hunted by Kobra Moon’s reptile tribe. The storyline is currently playing out on season 4 of Lucha Underground.
Mundo, who is the leader of the World Wide Underground on the show, recently took part in the promotion’s “Social Interview” series.
“Let me tell you something,” Mundo starts off his promo. “When reptiles ruled the Earth, the Earth kind of sucked. There was no tanning salons, no corvettes, no gyms, no Taya, no Slamtown”
“But Kobra Moon seems pretty damn proud of being the Queen of the serpents,” he continued. “More like Queen of a bunch of slimy d***bags.”
“Kobra Moon has got to be the dumbest luchador on the entire roster,” Mundo said. “We all know it was a really stupid move for the Reptile tribe to declare war on the World Wide Underground.”
“I promise you this,” he said before giving a line you could tell he was proud of. “Not since Homer Simpson on Whacking Day has there ever been a man more hell-bent on reptile violence than Johnny Mundo.”
“Kobra Moon, you may be Queen of the Reptiles, but I’m the mayor of Slamtown and I’m tired of these m*****ing snakes in this m*******ing temple!” Johnny Mundo
Johnny Mundo in Lucha Underground Season 4
After losing the Lucha Underground championship late in Season 3, Mundo now appears to be moving into a feud with Kobra Moon and her Reptile Tribe. Ricky Mandel appears to have a mysterious backstory in this season as well. The newest World Wide Underground member has been speaking with a charred doll as of late. This has been creeping out the other members of the faction.
Lucha Underground airs Wednesday nights at 8 PM on the El Rey Network. Fans without access to the station can also purchase the shows through iTunes.
John Hennigan is now confirmed as a contestant of the 37th season of the CBS reality competition series, Survivor. ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’ was filmed in Fiji and will see “Davids” (underdogs who have overcome adversity) competing against “Goliaths” (standout athletes and lifelong overachievers) competing for the big $1 million prize.
Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst spoke to Entertainment Weekly about Hennigan being a perfect fit for the David vs. Goliath theme. “This guy that’s known as Johnny Mundo [a.k.a. John Morrison], the mayor of Slamtown. He’s a professional wrestler, he’s gigantic, he’s charming, and he’s smart. He started with advantage, he had a great family, and he’s used all of these skills to slay everybody his entire life.”
Hennigan is no stranger to the reality television scene, having won the third season of WWE Tough Enough along with Matt Cappotelli. He would later become a WWE Superstar, winning the Intercontinental Championship (3x), the WWE and World tag team championships and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
Hennigan is part of the fourth season of Lucha Underground that premieres on June 13th. He’s also been working for Impact Wrestling as Johnny Impact and has competed for MLW. It’s rumored that he could be working for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the near future.
Johnny Mundo recently appeared on X-Pac 12360 to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:
Facing Eli Drake at Bound For Glory:
“I am really excited about Impact and I got Bound for Glory coming up, it’s me versus Eli Drake for the Impact title…I think that from the first taping in Orlando that I was at, to the last day; I feel like I saw his wrestling evolve. His mic work evolve, his confidence shot through the roof and he’s doing a really good job of carrying the brand of Impact on his shoulders right now. There’s a couple times we hung out and got food after the tapings and he busted his ass in the business for years and years and a lot of people don’t realize that. I can’t say enough good things about Eli Drake.”
Reuniting with Joey Mercury:
“Amazing! First of all, I’m jealous. He’s in better shape than I have…Did you see his abs? I was supposed to be the abs guy in the team. He’s got me beat, it was cool. I think that’s one of the cool things in wrestling. We had such a crazy career, the two of us. We we’re like best friends for 2yrs. We traveled together, we rode together, we wrestled together, like every show for 2yrs. He got let go, I stayed, he came back. We traveled together for a few months and got let go again. He came back as an agent and we had this long-term friendship. APW, in San Francisco, was the first time we tagged together in 10 years. It was super fun and it felt like we picked up where we left off. All the MNM references and our timing. It was cool, I look forward working with Mercury.”
The first day of latest Impact Taping schedule was filled with a number of interesting events including the crowning of a new GFW World Heavyweight Champion and the Impact debut of a former WWE Intercontinental Champion.
As we noted before the first episode of Impact which was taped during the first day of the 4 days taping schedule saw the return of Jim Cornette.
Cornette announced a Gauntlet match for next week to determine the new GFW World Champion after Alberto El Patron was stripped of the title recently.
During the episode, they also announced the debut of former WWE Star John Morrison now renamed as Johnny Impact. The announcement was made through a video package which can be seen below:
The episode featuring the Gauntlet match was taped later in the night and Johnny Impact made his debut during the Championship bout while coming out as a participant at number 13.
He stayed in the match for a while and was one of the final four contestants in it along with Moose, Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards, before being eliminated. Below are some of the photos of his Impact debut:
Up until recently, Johnny Mundo and Taya Valkyrie held all the major titles for AAA in Mexico.
Mundo won the company’s triple crown (all at the same time) in March at the Rey de Reyes 2017 show. Taya Valkyrie had been the company’s Reina de Reinas champion for the most part since June of 2014.
Recently, Sexy Star returned to the company and won a multi-person match that was for the “vacated” Reina de Reinas championship. The storyline was that Taya used an illegal choke to regain her championship earlier in the year, so the title was vacated.
Vampiro is the Director of Talent for AAA. Evidently he did not discuss plans to bring Sexy Star back to the company with either Mundo or Taya. Neither Mundo or Taya knew she would be winning the Reina de Reinas title either.
Mundo Takes Shots at Vampiro
Keep in mind the communication here is from a company’s world champion to their booker:
The locker room thinks you, @vampiro_vampiro are a 2 faced lying douche bag who believes his own lies- #OfficeStooge -RT if you're with us
Vampiro had posted a series of long tweets in regard to the situation which have since been deleted. In the posts he referred to Taya as a “mark” and that he was building an angle between Sexy Star and Taya. Vampiro did admit to never filling Taya in about the angle however.
Taya has stated she won’t be returning to the company. Ricochet, who has had issues with Lucha Underground, can be found in the comments section generally siding with Mundo and Taya but for the most part just cracking jokes. What AAA will do about their triple crown champion and his intense dislike for Vampirio remains unclear.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion and current Lucha Underground star Johnny Mundo (a.k.a John Morrison) recently appeared on former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about his career since leaving WWE. You can check out what he had to say here:
Why he left WWE:
“I knew I wanted to do a movie, an action movie, and when I left WWE in 2011, I didn’t specifically know. I didn’t leave to do Boone: The Bounty Hunter. I left to do a movie and I wanted to be able to do what I’m best at, which I think is pro wrestling, parkour, and MMA-style fight choreo, and have a comedic, self-deprecating, have a reluctant hero be the star and have it be an action movie, an action comedy.”
Selling his dream house to fund his movie:
“I just kept cutting the budget further and further and further until we ended up with the current iteration of Boone, which I ended up having to fund because around 2014 it felt like, we had all this cast, director, and everyone attached. And we pushed the dates a couple of times. And it felt like if we pushed the dates again, it would slip away, so I ended up selling my house to fund the production of Boone: The Bounty Hunter. And once I did that, I was locked in because a half-finished movie, it turns out, isn’t worth anything.”
Using pro wrestling terminology in real-life:
“I assimilate things in life and just in general with [pro] wrestling all the time now. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be like I sit down at Denny’s and my eggs come out wrong, ‘uh oh, the server just turned heel.’ ‘It’s a cluster, oh God.’ ‘Looks like a TNA house show, uh oh.’ No offense.”
You can listen to Mundo’s interview with Edge & Christian by going to this link here.
UK fans will be able to check out AAA for the very first time tonight.
FrontRunner TV, available on Sky Channel 469, FreeSat Channel 250 and Freeview Channel 91 will air episodes of AAA every Wednesday night at 9:00pm GMT.
AAA and its performers are the driving force behind Lucha Underground, for many UK viewers this will be their first chance to check out the likes of Johnny Mundo, Angelico, Taya and Drago.
Are you UK based and will be watching the show? Let us know in the comments.
Lucha Underground returned from their mid-season sabbatical last night. Only one match was scheduled for the show: Johnny Mundo defending the LU championship vs. the Mack in an “All-Night Long” match.
Lucha Underground S03E20 airdate: May 31st 2017 Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
1. Lucha Underground Championship
All-Night Long Match Johnny Mundo (c) vs. the Mack
Essentially an Iron Man match, this was scheduled to last the length of the program, most pins and/or submissions by the end of the show is declared the winner and champion.
The Mack earned this title shot by winning the “Battle of the Bulls” tournament during the first part of season 3.
Mundo won the Lucha Underground championship the show after Aztec Warfare III, by cashing in his Gift of the Gods championship for a shot at then-champion, Sexy Star.
The Mack got the first near-fall with a fireman’s carry into a double-knee to the midsection move. Shortly after, Mundo hit Moonlight Drive and End of the World, then pinned the Mack. Mundo leads 1-0.
Mundo would pick up the 2nd fall as well with a roll-up while illegally holding onto the ropes for leverage. Mundo leads 2-0.
After going down 2-0, the Mack started to pick up steam, while Mundo tried to avoid him and hide outside of the ring.
The Mack would get the 3rd fall however, after a sit-down power-bomb to Mundo. Mundo leads 2-1.
Mundo would go back on offence and land a diving corkscrew plancha to the outside. He started clutching at his ankle however, and several LU staff came to check on him. A stretcher was brought out, and Matt Striker indicated the match was being called off.
With the Mack’s back turned, Mundo did a kip-up and hit a low-blow. Mundo then hit a DDT onto the back-brace from the stretcher and pinned the Mack for his 3rd fall. Mundo leads 3-1.
Mundo then did jumping jacks to show his ankle was OK.
He would then go back to avoiding the Mack, and crawled under the ring. It appeared as though Mundo came out a different side of the ring and ran to the back, with the Mack in pursuit. As the Mack ran after him, the real Johnny Mundo emerged from under the ring. Then, who we now could see we was PJ Black, ran back to the ring with the Mack chasing him, allowing Mundo to hit him in the back with a kendo stick.
Black and Mundo double-teamed the Mack until Son of Havoc came out with 2 kendo sticks to even up the odds. Havoc then revived the Mack with some beers that were handed to him by Dario Cueto (Havoc knocked on his office door and asked for them).
The Mack and Havoc beat down the two members of the World Wide Underground and then set up two tables side-by-side on the outside. After briefly losing control of the offence, the Mack gave Mundo a piledriver off the apron and through the two tables on the outside. He then rolled him back in the ring and pinned him. Mundo leads 3-2.
While up 3-2, Mundo would again go on offence. This prompted him to instruct the mariachi band to play some celebratory music for him, which they did.
Then one of the mariachi band members dove off the stage and landed on Black and Mundo. We would then see that it had been Sexy Star all along.
Shortly after, the Mack would hit a Stunner on Mundo inside the ring and pin him to tie the score. Score is tied 3-3.
Both went to the outside to get weapons; Mack got a ladder, Mundo set up a table. With not long to go the Mack set Mundo up on the table and started to head up the ladder.
Ricky Mandel, who has been used as “enhancement talent” on LU previously, hit the ring and grabbed onto the Mack’s leg to prevent him from going up the ladder. Son of Havoc ended up taking him out, but it slowed the Mack up just enough.
The Mack hit a frog splash onto Mundo and through the table. He was finally able to cover him with 2-seconds to go, but the bell rang before the referee’s hand could count to 3.
Result: 3-3 Draw (Mundo retains)
After the match Dario Cueto came out of his office and said there were no ties in his temple.
The match would continue next week under sudden death rules, even if it takes All-Night Long again.
The Mack then gave Mundo a Stunner and celebrated in the ring with the belt to close the show.
Former WWE Superstar and current Lucha Underground talent Johnny Mundo (a.k.a. John Morrison) recently spoke to Wrestle:List to speak on a variety of pro wrestling topics. Check out the highlights here:
What his current relationship with the WWE is like today:
“Well, right now I’m under contract with Lucha Underground. And I’m really happy with Lucha Underground. In my opinion it has the best wrestling on TV currently. Rey Mysterio, Fenix, Pentagon Jr., Son of Havoc, Angelico, PJ Black, Taya, Dragon Azteca, Brian Cage – the roster of Lucha Underground – the product, the polished one hour TV show is really cool for me. And it’s in Los Angeles, where I live, we’re shooting three of four months, and then taking time off during which I can do things like make movies, like with Bounty Hunter, and wrestle for promotions, like Five Star Wrestling. So, right now I’m really happy with where I’m at. Will I go back to WWE? I don’t know. It’s what I grew up on and I always dreamt of headlining a Wrestlemania, and it’s one of the few things that I haven’t achieved that I dreamed of as a kid. Never say never in wrestling.”
Making the transition from pro wrestling to acting:
“There’s a learning curve, for sure. Acting for film is more nuanced than professional wrestling. I had to learn to tone down my reactions. In acting for TV and film, a lot of the time you have to think big, but don’t react big because the camera is so close and takes everything. A lot can be told by just your eyes. In pro wrestling, you’ve got to be a lot bigger, because it’s ultimately the crowd that you’re working for. Even if it’s a TV taping, the crowd is a part of the show. In addition, the stunt fighting and choreography is very similar and very different. In wrestling, you’re doing one take of everything and making contact, because there’s no camera angles. You have to learn the difference between a stunt punch, a wrestling punch, and to really be good at stunt fighting, the difference between a boxing style punch, a kung-fu style punch, a taekwondo style punch. There’s a million different ways to throw a punch. In pro wrestling, you are creating your own character, all the coolest things you’ve seen and your best attributes are what you do. And you refine that over time, and it becomes, for me, Johnny Mundo. And for El Ligero it becomes El Ligero. But you step into the world of film and TV, and the character could be fighting as Hercules, the Eternal Warrior, or an android. So, you have to learn a different movement style, quickly.”
Difference between working in Mexico and the United States:
“There’s a couple of differences, and some of them I really liked. The crowds in Mexico get angrier than they did with WWE. I’d regularly get stuff thrown at me like bottles of water and trash. It’s kind of cool. It’s also a really built-in character I’m doing out there. I’m currently the Absolute Champion of AAA. So being an American, and cheating to keep all the titles, you can understand why the crowd is upset. But as far as the culture of the locker room, I felt really welcomed down there. Even if I can’t communicate very well with some of the wrestlers, because my Spanish is limited. Wrestling locker rooms are globally pretty similar and pretty accepting, as long as you show up and you’re there to work, and you’re respectful. I’ve never been anywhere that’s tough to deal with in that regard. There’s a lot of finishing the show in Mexico and having a shot of tequila, and a lot of the time there’s no water backstage, just beer. But that’s what makes the experience cool, and traveling cool.”
Former WWE Superstar and current Lucha Underground talent John Morrison (a.k.a Johnny Mundo) recently did an interview with Colt Cabana on The Art Of Wrestling podcast to talk about his time in the WWE. You can check out some of what he had to say here below (quotes via Wrestling Inc.):
Morrison says he wasn’t released from WWE, but just decided not to re-sign his contract:
“I wouldn’t say I quit or was released. At the end of 2011, I just didn’t resign. I let my contract run out. They offered me a couple of things. They didn’t offer me what I wanted.” Morrison continued, “I wanted to make a movie and I didn’t want to work 250 days a year.”
Being tired of not having any “creative autonomy”:
“That’s one of the reasons I left. I was tired of just kind of being on that express train, whatever you want to call it, so to speak. It just sort of shoots forward and you have no creative autonomy, no control over your time, and there’s not much time for side projects or family and friends.”
Believing he’d take a year off from wrestling to do movies after leaving WWE:
“When you leave WWE, like, when I left I was thinking, ‘maybe I’ll take, like, a year off, and in that year, I’ll probably do a Marvel movie, maybe a couple of movies. I don’t know.’ And, obviously, completely unrealistic.”
“I was thinking with the TV exposure I had with WWE, and it’s kind of hard to explain to people sometimes how many countless hours you are on television when you’ve been on the road with WWE. I was thinking that was going to open doors, get me auditions, and get me into a lot of high profile roles. The thing that I didn’t take into consideration is that acting, like wrestling, is a skill. And, as many people are fans of wrestling that are going to be excited to meet you, talk about what The Undertaker and John Cena were like, there [are] a lot of people out there who are movie producers and casting directors who are not impressed with wrestling on your resume.”
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) March 20, 2017
Rey de Reyes 2017
Johnny Mundo faced Texano Jr and El Hijo Del Fantasma in a 3-way match with every title on the line at Rey De Reyes 2017 on March 19th 2017 in Monterey Mexico. Going into the match Mundo was the Latin American champion, Fantasma was the Cruiserweight champion and Texano Jr. was the AAA Mega Champion. The win for Mundo earned him all three titles at once.
AAA Lucha Libre recently entered into a talent sharing agreement with Impact Wrestling, but has struggled with losing top stars to upstart promotions in recent years. The promotion features several stars who appear regularly for Lucha Underground.
Johnny Mundo recently spoke with TVInsider.com to promote Lucha Underground seasons 1 and 2 arriving on Netflix. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Lucha Underground on Netflix: “It’s finally happening. Netflix never had anything like this because I always looked at Lucha Underground as a hybrid between an episodic TV show and a pro wrestling show. We’ve got a one-hour show, which is different than the traditional two- or three-hour wrestling show. And it moves like a TV show. I felt from day one it would be a perfect fit for Netflix.”
Lucha Underground Season 4: “There are so many things I want to see happen. I hope in the future we do some touring, upgrades to the Temple where instead of 500 people there is room for a thousand or 1,500. We could change venues. Touring is exciting. Working with bigger sponsors is exciting. For me, if they change the Temple, they can bring a whole new set of challenges or things for me to jump off of and do parkour and integrate it into matches. The opportunity to do more with vignettes. There is the potential of doing movies about the origins of the stars of Lucha Underground, which has been discussed before by creative. The deal with Netflix can open up so many doors. I’m just really happy to be a part of it.”
IPW:UK have announced that Lucha Underground/Ex-WWE Star Johnny Mundo/John Morrison will be taking on the Ring of Honor Television Champion Marty Scurll at the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent on January 22nd.
This match marks almost two years to the day that Scurll last appeared for the company and will be Morrison’s debut match.
IPW:UK have also announced that the event will be shown live on the FloSlam.tv network and with a main event of this caliber it looks set to be a defining year for the UK promotion.
Recap of Lucha Underground Season 2 Episode 10 – March 30, 2016
The band Chingon kicks off the show. Dario Cueto makes his way to the ring and says “It feels good to be back in my temple. Aztec Warfare was a spectacular event, but this is only the beginning for what I have planned for all of you. First, I am happy to announce that beginning next week, I will start an all-new trios tournament. But that’s not all. What about an all new number one contender for my brother’s championship? Well, for that I have a brilliant idea…” but then Pentagon Jr. appears on the scene and interrupts.
Pentagon speaks, “Wait one minute, Dario. Wait one minute, bastard. Do you want to know why your brother won the championship? Because I wasn’t involved!” Dario replies,.”Well, with all due respect, maybe you didn’t compete in Aztec Warfare because you’re not championship material.” Pentagon grabs Dario by the throad and says says ,“Tonight. I want your brother here, so you can see the real champion. Will you bring him to me?” Pentagon throw Cueto face-first to the mat and threatens to break his arm. Cueto yells “No no no, okay, you can have your championship match with him tonight.” Pentagon says, “You, your brother, the world, and my master will see who is Pentagon Jr. Because I am Pentagon Jr. Zero fear!”
Matt Striker and Vampiro introduce the show and Melissa Santos says tonight’s first match will be a tag team bout.
Taya and Johnny Mundo vs Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro
Taya and Johnny Mundo are already in the ring. Out next, hailing “from the streets”, Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro. Vampiro says “These two kids went to preschool together. They’ve been stealing nipples and baby milk since they were in kindergarten.” The bell sounds and we’re off.
Taya flips Cortez’s legs to the mat, runs the ropes, shoulder block, runs the ropes again, but Taya gets met with a kick, Cortez with a pin attempt, Taya kicks out. Cortez picks her up, she slips out, gets thrown off the ropes, and Taya hits a clothesline. Cisco tags in, double kick to the gut, face-first slam to the mat, pin attempt, kickout. Taya hits a hurricanrana and tags in Mundo. Vampiro says, “Am I the only one who notices Johnny Mundo doesn’t want in this match?” Johnny Zero delivers forearm shivers to the face, cover, kickout. Mundo with a shoulder carry into a powerslam, another cover, another kickout. Mundo connects with the Moonlight Drive on Cisco, pin, kickout. Mundo goes for End of the World, but Cisco gets out of harm’s way, quick roll-up, Mundo kicks out. Cisco slaps Mundo to the face, connects with a swinging neckbreaker, and Cisco gets the hot tag to Castro.
Castro with 2 knife-edge chops forearm, throws Mundo off the ropes, but Mundo rolls over his back and tags in Taya. Vampiro says, “Chicken Sheit!” Taya hits a dropkick to the face, throws Cortez off the ropes, Cortez hits 2 flying back elbows, then DDTs her head to the mat. Cortez goes for the pin, but Mundo comes in, hits the ropes and knee strike to the face. Cisco in now fighting off Mundo, Mundo reverses off the ropes, and then gets tossed to the floor. Cage’s music hits and he walks slowly down the steps. Cisco goes for the baseball slide, but misses and Mundo hits a clothesline. Striker reminds us Mundo smashed a cinder block across Cage’s head last week at Aztec Warfare. Mundo climbs through the ring all the way to the outside, while Cage stands on the opposite side. Meanwhile, Taya is left alone and gets caught in the Psycho Realm, Cisco pins 1-2-3.
Winner: Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro
A dark room is shown, framed moths hang on the wall. Sitting in a polo shirt with a cardigan tied around his neck is Marty Martinez. “A long time ago, the Moth tribe ruled the Aztec empire. We were known for two things, our Aztec Pride, and our wealth. The moths were drawn to Aztec gold like our namesakes to a flame. As you can see, that wealth is still important to my tribe today. When you possess what others want, they get jealous, they want to take it from you. The Moth tribe knew the envy of the other tribes would bring war, but we had a secret weapon, Mariposa, the greatest warrior Aztecs have ever seen. Mariposa destroyed anyone who tried to take our tribe’s gold and her viciousness became legendary. The Mariposa mask was passed down over generations and now the deadliest Mariposa of them all wears it. Beware my sister, the Mariposa, for she will lead the Moth tribe to rule again.”
Backstage we see a woman standing guard outside Dario’s office, the lights flicker, and Catrina is suddenly inside with Dario. He calmly says, “Catrina, I didn’t see you come in, but that’s kind of your thing, isn’t it? You come in and out of places like a ghost. I want to thank you for keeping my temple going in my absence, but as I said tonight, this is my temple. I’m the rightful owner of it.” She says, “Maybe so, but your brother is not the rightful owner of that championship, and sooner or later, death will come for it.” Dario says, “My brother does not fear death.” She says, “But you do.” Dario replies, “Listen, I have no beef with you, I even gave the Disciples of Death a rematch for the titles tonight. You and I? We have common enemies. Working together, we could be unstoppable.” She says, “When the time is right, your brother will face death and this temple and be mine again.” The lights flicker out, she disappears, and he takes a good swift drink.
Chingon plays a riff from Suicidal Tendencies “Institutionalized” and Melissa Santos tells us this is an elimination match for the Trios championship.
Ivelisse, Angelico, and Son of Havoc (c) vs The Disciples of Death (w/Catrina) (Elimination Match) for the Lucha Underground Trios Championship
The champs are in the ring, Disciples of Death come out. Striker explains that all three members on one team have to be eliminated for the match to be over. Instead of 1 fall, you need 3 falls. The bell rings, Angelico and Barrio Negro start it off, collar and elbow tie-up, they flip around, then Angelico hits an arm drag, Japanese armdrag, into an armlock. SoH tags, goes off the top rope and drops a stomp to the arm, connects with Barrio off the ropes, reversal, reversal, slash, pin, kickout. Ivelisse tags in, arm drag, elbow lock, 4 kicks. Fans chant “Ivelisse!” Goes to tag, but Barrio picks her up on his shoulder, El Siniestro de la Muerte tags in.
Sinestro and Barrio try to double team Ivelisse, but she ducks out of the way and Sinestro kicks Barrio in the back. Ivelisse drives Sinestro into the corner, hits a northern lights suplex, pin, Sinestro kicks out. Sinestro misses a clothesline, Ivelisse bridges into a suplex, pin, kickout, Catrina grabs Ivelisse and holds her against the ropes while Barrio kicks her in the face, Sinestro pins her, and Ivelisse is out.
It’s now 3-on-2, DoD against SoH and Angelico. Vampiro says, “With Catrina, that’s like 4 against 3 right off the bat. Now 4-on-2.” Fans chant “Son of Havoc!”. Trece tags in, throws SoH into the corner, flips him to the mat, into the corner again, SoH hits a boot. SoH climbs to the top rope, almost gets caught, but somersaults over and gets the hot tag to Angelico. Angelico hits 2 clotheslines, then a forearm to Barrio knocking him off the ropes. Angelico goes for another clothesline, blocked, full nelson, but Angelico kicks Trece, backs Sinestro to the ropes. Striker says “Trec-e gets another knee to the face-e.”, then Sinestro gets a kick to the back of the head, and Barrio gets a loud kick to the head. Trece dropkicks Angelico to the mat, they jockey for lock position, and then Fall of the Angels into the corner turnbuckle and Trece is done.
Barrio comes in and kicks Angelico, Sinestro joins in, they tag team, throw him off the ropes, but Angelico catches himself, throws Sinestro over his shoulder, but gets caught in a full nelson, and kick to the Barrio. SoH bicycle kicks Sinestro in the face, then they hold down the ropes sending Barrio to the floor. Angelico and SoH hit synchronized leaps to the outside and the fans cheer. Vampiro says “Pretty impressive stuff. This looks like the X Games!” Angelico throws Sanesco into the ring, hits a springboard knee off the middle rope, calls for the Fall of the Angels, but Sinestro fights out, delivers forearm to Angelico’s head, then plants his knees in his back, and plants Angelico to the mat. Angelico is eliminated.
SoH comes in now, it’s 2-on-1, he tries to fight off both men but the numbers game is too much. They throw him off the ropes SoH dives headfirst into the top rope, bounces backwards and hits a back elbow drop on both men, pins Suerte, but Barrio breaks it up. Sinestro clobbers SoH, Barrio tags in, they throw SoH off the ropes, he ducks a double clothesline, leapfrogs, bounces off the middle rope into a crossbody block, then springboards off the top rope, double stomp stepping on each man’s back, then hits a backflip on Barrio for the pin.
All of the sudden Sinestro comes in and crushes SoH in the skull. Irish whip to the corner, SoH jumps over top and then meet the clothesline. Sinestro climbs to the top rope, goes for a moonsault, but misses. SoH now climbs to the top rope, Striker calls him, “The badass biker from the open road.” Catrina knocks him off the rope, he falls and hits his head. Ivelisse returns from the back and kicks Catrina in the head. Striker says, “The bitch is back.” Vampiro says, “And the other bitch is down, hell yeah.” SoH with two suicide dives to the outside, throws him back in the ring, climbs to the top rope, shooting star press, pin, SoH wins.
Winner and STILL Lucha Underground Champions: Ivelisse, Angelico, and Son of Havoc
Back in Dario’s office, he turns around in his chair and says, “I still can’t believe that you’re here. I’ll be honest, I’m a little starstruck.” Mysterio replies, “I’m here because of El Dragon Azteca.” Dario replies, “Well, it was good to see him back in action during Aztec Warfare.” Mysterio sits up, “No no no, hell no, that is Dragon Azteca Jr. I am talking about his mentor, my mentor, the man who came into this temple and never came out.” Dario says, “I know nothing about that.” Mysterio replies, “Well he’s dead, and I’m pretty sure your brother is responsible.” Dario protests, “I swear to you and to the gods, that my brother had nothing to do with whatever happened to him. Your mentor and my father, whatever their beef was, it has nothing to do with us. I respect the old ways, but I am a man of the new world. And all I want is to make this Temple the best in the fighting arena that’s ever existed. I was very impressed with you during Aztec Warfare, and of course, I recognize that you are the most famous luchador in the world. So it would be my honor, if you and Dragon Azteca Jr. competed here, as long as we both agreed to leave the past in the past.” Dario hands Mysterio a shot and they drink to the memory of El Dragon Azteca.
Sexy Star vs Mariposa
Already in the ring accompanied by The Mack is Sexy Star. Matt tells us that this young lady spearheaded a revolution and inspired a generation. Next out is Mariposa (Cheerleader Melissa) in a tall headdress and giant canvas moth-like wings, making her debut in singles action. Star looks pretty scared, the bell rings, Star ducks a clothesline, somersaults away, then slides out of the ring. Star backs into Marty Martinez, screams in fear, and he throws her back in the ring. Mariposa kick kick, throws Star into the turnbuckle, punches to the stomach, pushes a boot into the face. Mariposa climbs to the top rope, goes for a moonsault, but misses. Star ducks to the apron, jumps back in, runs the ropes, goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors submission, but Mariposa is way too strong and slams her to the mat. Mariposa nails the Butterfly Effect vertebreaker and pins Star easily, 1-2-3..
Winner: Mariposa
Mariposa twirls her Cheerleader pigtails, The Mack enters the ring to check on Sexy Star, but Martinez stomps The Mack in the back. Mariposa delivers a kick to the face, then Martinez picks Mariposa up by the legs, spins her around by the waist, and slams her down onto The Mack.
Growls of beasts are heard coming from behind a closed door. Dario enters and walks over to the cage, “You’ve done well, my brother. Better than I could have hoped for, but our work is far from over. Pentagon Jr. has made a name for himself breaking arms, I want you to break his back, so he never returns to my temple again.” Dario unlock the cage and out walks The Monster.
Chingon plays their final song, the fans cheer, and Melissa Santos welcomes us to the main event.
Pentagon Jr. vs Matanza Cueto (c) for the Lucha Underground Championship
Out first is Pentagon Jr., as the fans chant “Cero Miedo!” Out next, “owner and promoter of Lucha Underground” Dario Cueto leads the Lucha Underground Champion “The Monster” Mantaza Cueto to the ring by the key. Matanza stares at the key until Dario puts it back around his neck. Matanza breathes heavily, Pentagon welcomes him to the fight. Matanza climbs into the squared circle for his first title defense, drops the belt in the center of the ring, the referee picks it up hesitantly, shows it to the crowd, the bell rings, and we’re off.
They circle each other, Matanza makes 2 attempts to grab Pentagon, but Pentagon slips away each time. Finally Matanza throws Pentagon off the ropes, Pentagon connects with a kick to the back of the head that has no effect on Matanza. 2 kicks to the leg by Pentagon, Matanza pushes him off the ropes, misses a clothesline and then catches a superkick from Pentagon which again has no effect on Matanza. Pentagon delivers a kick to the leg, 3 forearms to the head, backs Matanza into the corner, Irish whip, reversal, Pentagon jumps over top of him, and delivers the low blow that has no effect on Matanza. Pentagon looks at the crowd in disbelief.
Matanza throws Pentagon to the floor and delivers stomps to the lower back. Matanza yells at the fans in the floor seats to move and they don’t oblige very quickly. Finally, they clear out of the way and Matanza throws Pentagon into the wooden chairs. Vampiro says “Pentagon is hurt. I don’t care, I’m sorry. He’s beating him to death, his lower back, he’s hurt.” Matanza throw Pentagon into the railing. Striker reminds us Matanza ripped off that same steel beam when Joey Ryan was attached to it just last week. Matanza begins to tear apart the mask of Pentagon and rolls him back into the ring. Striker says “You can almost hear the fear in the chants of the believers.” German suplex by Matanza, Vampiro says “Pentagon is telling the referee he’s hurt. That’s what he’s saying. I can see it and hear it in Spanish, right now.” Matanza doesn’t care, picks him up, hits the Wrath of the Gods, and this one is over.
Winner and STILL Lucha Underground Champion: Matanza Cueto
Vampiro gets up from commentary and climbs into the ring. Matanza and Vampiro stare at each other, Matanza nods and backs away. Vampiro bends down to check on Pentagon, until Matanza runs and kicks Vampiro in the head. Matanza picks up Pentagon, throws him to the floor. Matt Striker says, “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know if we’re still on the air…” and then Matanza powerbombs Pentagon through the announce table. The paramedics come out with a stretcher and Striker says, “That Zero Fear may very well be the end of Pentagon. If the will of a group could ever raise anyone spirits, this crowd is getting behind Pentagon.” They load Pentagon into an ambulance, Vampiro looks out the back window, and the show ends with the fans chanting “Cero Miedo!”
Recap of Lucha Underground Season 2 Episode 9 – Aztec Warfare II – March 23, 2016
Fenix enters the warrior’s gym and is met by Pentagon Jr. Catrina appears, “Your master may be teaching you about the dark parts, but you know nothing about the darkness. I don’t even know why you’re here. You never received an invitation to compete in Aztec Warfare. You lost your privilege when you put your hands on me.” Pentagon Jr. replies, “You don’t scare me and neither does Mil Muertes. You don’t tell me what to do. I only listen to one person and that person is my master. I am Pentagon Jr. and I have zero fear. Catrina replies, “The only reason you have zero fear is because you don’t know true fear. As for you Fenix, last week you barely survived, tonight you will have to take your last breath and Mil will take his title back.” Catrina disappears, Pentagon Jr. and Fenix stare each other down and walk away.
As we get our first look inside the temple tonight, the fans chant “Aztec Warfare!” A tribal band, in wild, extravagant headgear, feathers, and colorful garb play the drums and dance. Matt Striker and Vampiro tell us tonight, for the first time ever, the Lucha Underground Championship will be defended at Aztec Warfare. 20 men will compete, every 90 seconds another participant will enter, and the only way to be eliminated is pinfall or submission. Matt says “Not to stir the pot, Pentagon Jr. was not invited.” Vampiro says “That is wacked. You know it and I know it. But it is what it is.” Matt says “Let the drums beat and let Aztec Warfare begin.”
Melissa Santos introduces us to Aztec Warfare and the first participant hailing from Mexico City, Mexico is Fenix. Fenix enters, stands at the top of the stairs, and spits sprays. He is high-fiving the fans on the way to the ring, one week into his reign as Lucha Underground champion, the fans are clearly on his side. The second entrant, by random draw, from San Diego, California, Rey Mysterio. The roof might just blow off this place. The King of Lucha Libre, as they call him, enters the temple, and climbs in the ring at Lucha Underground for the first time ever. Fenix motions for Rey to take his due applause on the turnbuckle. The fans pop big. The two men shake hands in the middle of the ring. Fenix takes off his belt, looks at it and hands it to the referee who hoists it to the crowd. The fans chant “Animal!” Vampiro tells us that “Animal” is the cry of the Mexican warrior. The fans chant “Lucha Libre!” The bell rings and we are underway, the fans are excited to get going.
Fenix shakes Rey’s hand again and embraces him in a show of respect. The two men lock up in the middle of the ring. Fenix throws Rey off the ropes, leapfrog, Rey up and over again, Rey circling around the head neck and shoulders of Fenix, then spins off and the crowd applauds. Fenix hits the ropes, looks like Rey might hit a 619, but Fenix is to his feet and hits him with a superkick. Fenix does a handspring off the ropes and hooks Rey Mysterio with an inside arm drag, pin attempt, kickout, both men are up. Kick misses, then kick to the gut, Rey throws Fenix off the ropes, but Fenix catches himself and circles through with his feet, reversal Rey off the ropes, but Rey catches himself and circles through same move, then an armdrag before entrant number 3 comes out.
“The Hunter” King Cuerno makes his way to the ring. He delivers a forearm to Rey, a jumping kick to Fenix, Cuerno goes to the corner, but meets a boot from Rey. Rey comes out and does a somersault flip overtop of Cuerno, but catches the worst of it, and “the Hunter” poses with his imaginary bow and arrow. Cuerno hits the ropes for a suicide dive through the middle rope onto Fenix on the floor. The fans chant “Lucha!” Rey Mysterio gets up, a kick to Cuerno knocks him to the floor. Rey now sets up for a suicide dive and instead dives upwards through the bottom rope in a cool looking spot.
Next out is number 4, Argenis. Argenis hits the apron and meets Fenix with a forearm then a springboard hurricanrana off the rope. Fenix gets in a kick, springboards off the middle rope, but is met by a superkick from Argenis. Argenis kicks Rey in arse, kick again, then pin attempt but Rey kicks out at 2. Off the ropes, reversal action, Rey takes out Argenis, knocks Cuerno to the floor, and then hits the 619 on Argenis, climbs to the top rope, frog splash, the pin and Argenis is eliminated. Fans chant “Eddy!” Cuerno tries to get on the apron, but Fenix takes him out and then goes off the rope for a corkscrew plancha onto the floor (some really great rotation). The next competitor, number 5 is introduced, its Johnny Mundo, and we go to commercial.
Mundo and Rey meet in the ring. Forearms to Rey, uppercut, sends Rey to the turnbuckle, Rey up and over, Fenix in, sends Mundo’s kick into Rey, then Fenix connects with a kick. Mundo slams Fenix to the mat and then Fenix and Mundo trade lateral press pin combinations back-and-forth. The next competitor is introduced and it’s Joey Ryan. Ha! The sleazy Joey Ryan oozes and grinds into the temple with lollipop in mouth. He pulls a pair of handcuffs out of his trunks and handcuffs himself to the railing. Matt Striker says it’s a wise strategy, because he can’t be pinned while he’s handcuffed! Cuerno walks by and delivers a superkick to Joey Ryan. Famous B who is watching nearby from the crowd offers Joey money.
Number 7 is out and it’s Prince Puma. He takes out Mundo, Fenix, then Cuerno. Puma sets up and hits a springboard 450 splash onto all all of them. Fans chant “Holy s***!” Striker reminds us that Prince Puma won Aztec Warfare last year. Puma brings Cuerno back into the ring, hooks him by the neck, and sends him to the outside.
Number 8 is introduced, none other than Jack Evans. While Evans is coming down the ramp Rey Mysterio locks in an armbar submission on Cuerno and Cuerno taps. As everyone beats down Mundo, Evans springboards off the rope into the ring and misses everybody. Mysterio, Puma, and Fenix continue to beat him down. Johnny Mundo wants to join in on the fun and gets in a couple stomps in, before all three men decide to turn around and chop him to the outside. Rey Mysterio on the top turnbuckle, stands on Fenix’s shoulders, as they walk across the ring, Rey hits a diving splash onto Evans, pin attempt, but Mundo pulls Evans out of the ring to safety. Mundo turns to Evans as if to say wait, let’s see who’s coming next and here comes number 9, female wrestler Taya. She gets a huge pop from the fans, as well as Mundo and Evans.
The sides are evened up now, 3 rudos (heels), 3 technicos (faces), plus Joey Ryan who is still handcuffed to the rail. All six competitors brawl, Evans pulls down the top rope, and Puma goes to the outside, holding his knee in pain after he lands. Mundo throws Mysterio into the corner and bounces off the ropes for a kick. Taya and Evans stretch Mysterio out as Mundo stands over him and slaps him in the face. Number 10 comes out and it’s the power house Cage. Mundo gets hip blocked, Taya gets taken out, Evans goes for a dropkick that has no effect and then meets a clothesline from Cage. Cage picks up Evans throws him across the ring and we go to commercial.
After commercial, Cage goes to the outside catches Mundo goes for powerbomb but Taya jumps off, Cage catches her and then slams her to the floor. Mundo hits a superkick on Cage, Mundo jumps up on the ring apron and hits a spinning kick on Cage, then picks him up and throws him through the office window.
Number 11 is midget luchador Mascarita Sagrada. Sagrada comes in with some fast spinning twirling offense on Fenix, suicide dive to the outside, but Mundo catches him, then superkicks him. In the meantime, Cage has returned from the office window, spinning lariat nails Mundo, then delivers Weapon X face first to the floor. Cage throws Mundo back in the ring, Mundo gets caught with a running flip from Prince Puma and pinned, Mundo is eliminated. Jack Evans back in the ring with a corkscrew kick, Cage slams Laya into the ring apron.
Marty “The Moth” Martinez is out next. Marty gets in the ring, clotheslines Fenix, then Evans, then a running boot to Prince Puma. Cage gets up on the apron, but Martinez elbows him off. Sagrada goes after Martinez, slaps, kicks, hits the ropes, but meets a boot. Evans is up now, hits a spinning kick to the back of Martinez head, but Martinez stays on his feet and laughs it off. Evans hits the ropes, gets caught in a body scissors reversal, and Martinez slams him face first to the mat. Martinez grabs Evans by the mouth and stretches his mouth wide open, laughing maniacally. Evans bites his fingers, then throws him to the floor. Number 13 is Drago, the blue and white dragon, and we go to commercial.
Back from break and Drago is running down the steps. Jack Evans meets him with a cartwheel flip over the top rope, misses, lands on his feet, Drago delivers a kick. Drago goes to spray the green mist in Evans face, but Evans ducks and Joey Ryan gets sprayed instead. Drago throws Evans into the crowd. Rey Mysterio is in the ring working over Martinez, Sagrada joins in and Rey hits a diving splash and covers him while Sagrada flips over Rey and holds onto Martinez’s legs for the combined pin, Martinez is eliminated. Back on the outside, Jack Evans gets thrown from the first level of crowd seats onto the floor. Cage and Puma brawl on the outside.
Next number 14 is The Mack. Mack comes down kicks and delivers a stunner to Martinez on the floor. There are bodies everywhere. Mac enters the ring and stands toe-to-toe with Cage, they exchanged blows, Mac hits a flying knee strike on Cage, then stunner. Joey Ryan is still handcuffed. Prince Puma slaps him and then Fenix throws Sagrada into him.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. comes out as number 15. Taya beats down Sagrada, Drago delivers a powerbomb to Evans on the bleachers. Back in the ring, Sagrada goes for a crossbody but Chavo catches him, and slams him repeatedly into the turnbuckle, then tosses him to the mat. Cage delivers a backdrop on Rey. Chavo locks in the Camel Clutch on Sagrada, Vampiro says “That’s not called the Camel Clutch. That’s la de a caballo, invented by Gory Guerrero. Look, let’s not call it a horse or a camel, right now it’s more like a pony clutch!” and Sagrada taps. Cage sets up Rey for a powerbomb, but Rey sends his head to the middle rope. Rey sets up for the 619, but Taya holds the rope and Rey goes to the outside. With Cage still stationed on the ropes, Mundo brings out a cinder block and smashes it over Cage’s head. Taya crawls in the ring and covers him for the pin, Cage is eliminated. Prince Puma comes up behind and delivers a German suplex into a bridge pin and Taya is eliminated.
Out next number 16 is “The Darewolf” PJ Black. PJ delivers a standing suplex to Drago on the bleachers. Evans joins in, Drago fights out, delivers a backdrop to Evans and sends Black into the ring post. Jack Evans’ back is bleeding. Joey Ryan hanging by, still handcuffed to the railing.
Number 17 is Aero Star, who looks a lot like The Flash. The fans chant “Aero Star!” Evans and Drago go at it in the ring, pin attempt, but Black breaks it up. Aero Star on Black, Irish whip reversal, Aero Star gets caught by Jack’s elbow. Drago goes for hurricanrana, spins around Black, Black catches him and delivers a brain buster, while Aero Star drops Evans off the top rope onto his head. Simultaneous pins on Evans and Drago, 1-2-3, both men are eliminated.
Number 18 is out, it’s Dragon Azteca, Jr. Azteca jr. takes out Aero Star, spins Black around, then strike strike kick, enziguri sends Black to the floor. Head scissors dumps Mack to the floor, then swanton over the ring post to the outside on Mac. Azteca is flying everywhere. Texano is out next and we go to commercial.
Texano in the ring, hits the ropes, and flips over the top rope to the outside landing on all four men. Black brings a recovering Texano into the ring, delivers stomps to his back, pin attempt, Texano fights out and delivers a sitting powerbomb to Black, covers him, and Black is eliminated. Rey Mysterio back in the ring with Texano. Texano send Rey to the corner, forearm then walks away and goes outside to attack Chavo (apparently having lost interest in Mysterio).
And finally number 20 is Mil Muertes with Catrina, but coming through the crowd is Pentagon Jr! Pentagon Jr. comes up from behind nails Muertes with a chair to the spine, then chair shots repeatedly to the chest and shoulder. The fans pop huge for Pentagon Jr. Pentagon throws Muertes into the ring, Rey immediately hits a diving splash off the top rope, Puma helps with the pin and Muertes is eliminated.
Catrina is angry, Muertes is angry. Muertes heads off to the back after Pentagon Jr., while Catrina screams at the Vampiro to get up from the announce table. She yells at him to get out of here, slaps him, before Dario Cueto appears on the steps. “My name is Dario Cueto and this is my temple. Which means that I am in charge now. I’m the boss. So now, I announce there is one more entrance in Aztec Warfare, my brother, “The Monster” Matanza Cueto at number 21.” Matanza is massive. Matanza walks slowly, steadily towards the ring, wearing a black workman’s jumpsuit wearing and a black alien-looking mask. All 7 men circle him and try to attack, but he throws them off.
Fenix comes in, gets slammed to the mat, and pinned, 1-2-3. We are now guaranteed to have a new champion. Next Mack is in, gives him the double middle finger and stunner to no effect. The Monster hits a German suplex into a pin, The Mack is eliminated. Aero Star tries his luck, hits the ropes, meets a clubbing forearm to the back of the head, German suplex, pin 1-2-3, Aero Star is eliminated. Texano sneak attack from behind on Matanza, chokes him with the bull rope, but Matanza flips him over his back and Texano runs into an atomic bomb 1-2-3.
Matanza notices Joey Ryan on the outside of the ring (while Chavo hides out of sight). Matanza grabs Joey and rips apart the steel railing, setting Joey free. Matanza throws Joey into the ring, handcuffs still attached to his wrists, 3 rolling suplexes, pin, the ref rolls Joey out of the ring.
There are four men left on the outside, Mysterio, Puma, Chavo, and Azteca. They are all staring at The Monster, until Chavo turns and attacks everybody. Azteca Jr. gets thrown in the ring, ready to try Matanza now, delivers kicks forearms, but Matanza sends him to corner. Matanza goes for splash but misses and gets middle rope drop kicked by Azteca. Azteca comes off the ropes electric chair on the shoulder, tries for Sunset flip but Matanza catch him, can’t knock the big man off his feet. Azteca tries to go off the ropes again, but Matanza is too strong and catches him in chokeslam, 1-2-3. Azteca Jr. is eliminated.
The monster is dominating everyone. Chavo tries to strike a deal with Dario, enters the ring and tries to convince Matanza to team up, but Matanza hits him with a lariat, then a slam, and pins Chavo.
Puma and Mysterio climb into the ring together and they attack Matanza at the same time. They duck a double clothesline, get in some kicks, then forearms, then kicks, then double standing dropkick. Puma with a splash, Rey goes for a splash but gets caught and Matanza sends him to the outside. Puma goes for a kick, he gets caught, and meets a side suplex. The Monster suplexes him again and then German suplex bridge, 1-2-3, Puma is eliminated, and now Rey is the only one left against Matanza.
The fans chant cheer Rey on. Rey climbs into the ring slowly and Striker delivers the call, “We’re down to the last two men, here we go!” Each competitor sizing each other up, Rey runs in, but Matanza throws him back. Rey hits the ropes, Matanza nails a clothesline. Fans sing “Cueto” (similar to Pittsburgh Pirates fans mockingly singing “Cueto” at Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto in the 2013 National League Wild Card Game). Rey hits the ropes, slides underneath, and from his back delivers two kicks to Matanza’s head. The Monster catches his leg, but Rey connects with an enziguri to the back of head. Matanza is draped over the ropes, Rey goes for the 619, Matanza blocks it, picks him up on his shoulders, Rey slips out, drop toe hold onto the ropes, goes for a second 619 and connects as Striker yells “Booyaya booyaya booyaya!” Matanza stumbles to his feet, Rey goes for the driving hurricanrana, gets caught, Matanza throws him up in the air, and then a spinning power slam, 1-2-3. Monster wins.
Winner and NEW Lucha Underground Champion: “The Monster” Matanza Cueto
Dario grabs the belt and the mic and enters the ring. He hands the belt to Matanza and says, “There is the new Lucha underground Champion, my brother, ‘The Monster’ Matanza Cueto!” as the credits roll.
Order of participants:
1. Fenix
2. Rey Mysterio
3. King Cuerno
4. Argenis
5. Johnny Mundo
6. Joey Ryan
7. Prince Puma
8. Jack Evans
9. Taya
10. Cage
11. Mascarita Sagrada
12. Marty “The Moth” Martinez
13. Drago
14. The Mack
15. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
16. PJ Black
17. Aero Star
18. Dragon Azteca Jr.
19. Texano
20. Mil Muertes
21. Matanza Cueto
Order of elimination (eliminated by):
1. Argenis (Mysterio)
2. Cuerno (Mysterio via submission)
3. Mundo (Puma)
4. Martinez (Mysterio and Sagrada)
5. Sagrada (Chavo via submission)
6. Cage (Taya)
7. Taya (Puma)
8. Jack Evans (Aero Star – tie)
8. Drago (PJ Black – tie)
10. PJ Black (Texano)
11. Mil Muertes (Mysterio and Puma)
12. Fenix (Matanza)
13. The Mack (Matanza)
14. Aero Star (Matanza)
15. Texano (Matanza)
16. Joey Ryan (Matanza)
17. Azteca Jr. (Matanza)
18. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Matanza)
19. Prince Puma (Matanza)
20. Rey Mysterio (Matanza)
Lucha Underground star Johnny Mundo was recently interviewed for The World According To Wrestling, a show that explores characters and storylines in wrestling, that he’d love to wrestle Roman Reigns in about ten years because “hopefully he’d have figured out how to work.” In the same interview he also joked that he’d love to beat the crap out of Seth Rollins and reignite a rivalry with his friend Joey Mercury in the future.
The comments came in an interview in which he also talked about the live screen-testing of his character name in WWE, where he thinks the real revolution in women’s wrestling is happening, why his Johnny Nitro name was dropped, AJ Styles and the future of Lucha Underground after rumors of talks with WWE. Here are some excerpts:
Who He Wants To Wrestle In The Future:
“Well I’ve fought most them. Everyone knows some day I’m gonna beat the crap out of Seth Rollins – that would be awesome. I’d love to beat the crap out of him. I’d just love to have a great match with Seth Rollins. Roman Reigns, I’d love to wrestle him in like 10 years if he’s still wrestling, because by then hopefully he’d figure out how to work. It would be cool to wrestle Joey (Mercury) too, man, we wrestled a few times in OVW about 13 years ago but it’d be cool to wrestle him now just because so much has changed for both of us.”
The Women’s Wrestling Revolution:
“I think if you’re talking about a ‘divas revolution’, Lucha Underground is the only show right now that’s really empowering their female characters in a way that makes them equal with the guys. It’s the only wrestling show to my knowledge where there’s not just a women match every once in a while, there’s intergender tags, there’s matches where men are wrestling women. And – if you ask anyone on the Lucha roster –that’s what they’ve always felt like they wanted. Anyone that’s been with WWE, there’s frustrations of feeling like you can only do so much. The women are told not to punch or to kick, to do power bombs and the power moves and none of that exists in Lucha Underground. So basically it presents the same canvas to the men and the women in Lucha and says ‘You have the tools, you know who you are, here’s the Lucha Underground canvas, paint the picture you want” instead of, in my opinion, WWE saying ‘here’s the WWE canvas but we only want you to use watercolors’. That’s the difference to me.”
Why He Changed His Name From Johnny Nitro:
“Well, I always liked ‘Johnny Blaze’ but we announced in on TV and it was under copyright by Marvel. Then I had Johnny Spade and that name sucked, then I had Johnny Nitro. Johnny Nitro was one of my favourite names. I wish I was Johnny Nitro. I don’t think I ever needed to change but Vince didn’t like the name ‘Nitro’ because it reminded him of WCW so we picked John Morrison out of a hat one day… I don’t know if anyone would ever say that but that’s why, yeah.”
If He Thinks WWE & Lucha Underground Could Work Together:
“I don’t know. I will say that if you look at wrestling historically that shit happens all the time and everybody – especially the wrestlers in all the organizations t0 always says like ‘Never, No, Never’ because there’s no way Lucha Underground could work with WWE or TNA would work with AAA or New Japan. It’s always such a shock when it happens but historically speaking it always happens so, in that respect, I have no idea. Lucha Underground is a brand new organization. We’re in our infancy and we’re expanding and people are recognizing me as Johnny Mundo as opposed to John Morrison so it’s gonna be interesting to see how much the future holds for Lucha Underground, how it fits into the wrestling world.”
Here are some highlights from Johnny Mundo’s recent Reddit AMA Q&A session to promote Season 2 of Lucha Underground:
His career highlights:
“Greatest moments are my ladder match with Jeff Hardy, wrestling CM Punk, Falls Count Anywhere with Miz, hitting HHH with the Nitro Blast (coined but him), Prince Puma in an all night long match… and stuff that’s happened in season two but we can’t talk about that until next time I join you guys.”
If he ever got into a backstage fight:
“No, not physical. Arguments, sure. Never got into a full-blown fist fight with anyone, I had a big argument with JBL that almost turned into a fight, but nothing crazy. I’m a pretty even tempered person, unless I’m in the ring, then I get crazy.”
Having heat in OVW:
“Wrestling when you’re new, everybody gets heat. One time in OVW we went to a show in Indiana and arrived about twenty minutes early, and then we realized we were in the wrong city. We had to drive an hour to the right show; the ring was set up and the show was starting. We got some heat. The entire OVW roster came in during our match and beat the crap out of us with powerbombs and chopped us up a little bit.”
Johnny Mundo recently spoke with Alfred Konuwa of the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast and explained why he prefers working for Lucha Underground over WWE. He also had some words for Seth Rollins. Here are the highlights of what Mundo said about:
Having creative freedom in Lucha Underground:
“I do feel like there’s not handcuffs here, so to speak, and creativity is more encouraged and people are more receptive to ideas here. WWE is sometimes a little bit micromanaged, and backstage everybody’s dragging their feet, walking on eggshells a little bit and here I don’t think that exists.”
Seth Rollins’ knee injury:
“There’s nothing worse than being injured, especially for somebody like Seth because he’s an artist in the ring. To have a broken wheel like he’s got right now has got to be killing him. I wish him a speedy recovery because I want to kick his ass one day. And I will say that I’m sure he can talk all kinds of trash to you or whoever, as long as I’m not in the room with him. But I also think that after his interview with you—and I might have said a few things back—I don’t think he’s ever going to say anything about me again because he knows at the end of the day I’m smarter, more talented, I’ve had a much longer, better career than him and if we’re ever in the ring together it’s going to be painfully obvious how much better than him I am.”
This comes just two days after AAA announced Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Johnny Mundo as the main event for the recently vacated (by Alberto “El Patron” Del Rio) AAA Super Mega Heavyweight Championship. It’s not clear why this happened, with the press release being vague at best. It promises some kind of make-up card for the Tampico/Madero region down the line, but that’s about it. The issue is more complicated than “just” cancelling a major show, though, as pointed out by LuchaBlog’s Twitter account:
As of this moment, there are no known future AAA TV dates.
AAA now has no TV tapings on their schedule only has enough TV in the can to cover this coming weekend and the following weekend. They have cards that they could convert to TV tapings, and they’ve done things like that in the past. LuchaBlog also points out that we should learn more soon:
Wednesday/today is the day AAA generally tapes the inbetween segments for TV, so maybe more info will be coming on those.
AAA will crown a new Mega Heavyweight Champion at the Guerra de Titanes event on December 4th at Feria de Tampico in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
The AAA Mega Heavyweight Title was vacated in October when the champion at the time, Alberto El Patron (Alberto Del Rio), left the promotion and made a surprise return to WWE, defeating John Cena at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view on October 25th to become the WWE United States Champion.
Initially, AAA Executive Vice President Dorian Roldan announced that Del Rio had forfeited the AAA Mega Heavyweight Title and a tournament would be held in December to crown a new champion. Instead, a one-on-one match between two former WWE Superstars will take place to determine the next title-holder.
The promotion announced a singles match between Rey Mysterio and Johnny Mundo (John Morrison) to determine the next AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion. The Mysterio-Mundo bout will headline their upcoming Guerra de Titanes event on December 4th.
Below is the full lineup for the AAA Guerra de Titanes event in Tampico on 12/4:
* AAA Mega Heavyweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Johnny Mundo
* The Psycho Circus vs. El Texano Jr, El Hijo del Fantasma and a mystery partner
* Blue Demon Jr, Electroshock & La Parka vs. Anarquia (Daga, El Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Steve Pain)
* Aerostar, Drago & Fenix vs. Brian Cage, Mesias & Taurus
* AAA Tag Title Match: Champions Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Joe Lider & Pentagon Jr. vs. Averno & Chessman
* Argenis & Dinastia & Fabi Apache vs. Willie Mack & Mini Charly Manson & Taya Valkyrie
The following report comes courtesy of F4WOnline.com:
Dark match:
Jeff Cobb defeated El Mariachi Loco
Wednesday, February 24th:
Jack Evans defeated PJ Black
Jack cut a heel promo on the crowd before the match started where he called himself “The Dragon Slayer”. Midway through, Drago appeared on one of the corner platforms wearing a dragon skull and taunting Jack with nunchucks. Finish saw Drago come down and try to spit mist at Jack, but ended up hitting PJ which led to a rollup.
King Cuerno defeated Killshot
They messed up a move on the apron but it didn’t take much away from the match. Cuerno kept beating on Killshot afterwards until Fenix came out for the save
Chavo Guerrero, Mr Cisco, & Cortez Castro defeated El Texano Jr in a gauntlet match
Cisco is eliminated within 10 seconds after a kick to the face, Castro put up more of a fight in that it took just 2 minutes to beat him. Most of the match was Chavo/Texano with Cortez using Texano’s rope to trip him and hold his feet down for the cover
Johnny Mundo defeated Cage
A woman came out to distract Cage but I could not identify her (Blonde hair, similar attire to Asuka). After the match, both of them beat down and taunted Cage. Good match
Wednesday, March 2nd:
Cobra ??? (Last name sounded like Moon) defeated Sexy Star via submission
Cobra made her debut and looked to be Cheerleader Melissa under a blue snakeskin bodysuit (If it helps, she had a tiki tattoo on the back of her neck). The Mack came out to cheer Sexy on and Marty the Moth was in the stands near the end to distract Sexy. Cobra won with a rear naked choke and did some hissing towards Marty, clearly some type of relationship between them.
Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr went to a no contest
Nice back & forth matchup until Mil Muertes ran 5 minutes into the match and beat both of them out. Mil left both laying with a double flatliner
Fenix defeated King Cuerno in a ladder match to regain the Gift of the Gods title
Awesome ladder match which saw them fight in the stands and in the floor seats. Match ended with Fenix giving Cuerno a top-rope hurricanrana through a table, then grabbing the title. The tapings ended with a staredown between Mil Muertes from his throne and Fenix on the ladder.
The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s edition of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network, which is their “Ultimate Lucha” two-hour season finale.
– Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Mundo
– Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr. in a Cero Miedo match
– Fenix vs. Sexy Star vs. AeroStar vs. Bengala vs. King Cuerno vs. Jack Evans vs. Big Ryck in a 7 Way Gift of the Gods match
– Texano vs. Blue Demon Jr.
– Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes (w/Catrina) in a Lucha Underground Championship Match
Check out a video preview for tonight’s Lucha Underground season finale at the top of the page.
On a recent episode of The Steve Austin Show – Unleashed! Lucha Underground star Johnny Mundo (formerly known as John Morrison and Johnny Nitro) was featured.
The former WWE Superstar spoke about moving to Lucha Underground, his experience on the third season of Tough Enough and much more.
To listen to the podcast in full, you can do so by clicking this link. Below are just a few of the highlights:
On his fitness routine, which is something he has created:
“I have a whole fitness product that I created, it’s called Out of Your Mind Fitness, it’s a functional training regiment, it’s a lot of body weight exercises using weight equipment for assistance rather than resistance. And I’d say I do that exact program six days a week for an hour to an hour and a half, it’s like resistance training like lifting weights. In addition to that I usually do some kind of skill based training five times a week, like boxing, MMA. I train sometimes downtown with your buddy Josh Barnett.
So usually the weight training and some kind of skill based thing, and the skill is more like training cardio so if it’s MMA or boxing or parkour or some kind of stunt cardio, that’s usually just what happens based on my schedule.”
On transitioning to the Lucha style of wrestling:
“It wasn’t that different from the way that I worked in WWE. I mean, my first match, when MNM debuted in 2005, our very first match was Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, we won the tag championships. I had the chance to work with Rey, maybe not a hundred times but a lot with WWE and we had feuds with the Mexicools and Super Crazy and Psicosis and Juve so I had some experience, so it wasn’t like I was venturing off into uncharted territory.
I definitely learned quite a bit, I think the language barrier is a little difficult sometimes and the difference in psychology is hard, and sometimes instead of completely adapting to Lucha, what I think makes Lucha Underground unique and different is blending American psychology with Lucha psychology and getting some of the moves to mean more.”
On his experience on the third season of Tough Enough:
“When I got there I felt like it was perfect for me because I was a fan of the business, I had all this gymnastics training and all these ideas and all this energy and it was an opportunity to learn from the best and it was Al [Snow], Bill [DeMott] and Ivory were the trainers on that season of Tough Enough.
For where I was on Tough Enough, Bill was perfect, I mean he’s a hard ass and he’s aggressive but he makes sure you have respect for the business. And on that show of Tough Enough, that’s what you need because there’s a bunch of kids, some are respectful, some aren’t but everyone is green as grass and you need somebody like Bill, and you need somebody like Al and everybody has got a role, everybody is there for a reason and I thought that, I still think my season was the best season, probably because I was on it.”
The following matches will air on tonight’s edition of Lucha Underground TV, which airs on the El Rey Network at 8pm EST/PST.
– Texano vs. Johnny Mundo
– The Mack vs. Cage
– Battle Royal for the Final Aztec Medallion – Fenix vs. Killshot vs. Argenis vs. Famous B vs. Mascara Sagrada cs. Vinny Massaro vs. Ricky Mandel vs. SuperFly vs. DelAvar Daivari vs. Marty the Moth Martinez
– Prince Puma Speaks
For a video preview of this week’s show, click “play” on the YouTube player embedded above.