Lucha Underground Review 6-17-15
Hello again everyone and welcome to another look into the temple where we go all night long, Lucha Underground! I have to apologize for missing recaps on the last couple of shows. My daughter graduated, I’ve been in the process of finding a new job and a new apartment, and with all that I haven’t had time to write, but I’m back this week and just in time for an amazing “All-night long” championship match between two of the best in Lucha Underground, Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma. Because this show is only one match, and there aren’t any segments, this recap will be a little different than my usual ones. Usually I break everything down chronologically and then give some reactions to the various segments and matches, but tonight I’ll do a more traditional match breakdown hitting some of the key spots. Let’s Lucha everyone!
Johnny Mundo v. Prince Puma (c) Lucha Underground Championship match
They set the match up by going through the battle between Johnny Mundo and Alberto El Patron and Johnny’s turn after the match. After that Vampiro and Stryker welcomed us to the show and introduced this week’s house band, Mexican Dubwiser. Cool name! After that it was off to the ring for Melissa Santos’ formal introductions. Melissa is looking amazing as usual as she explains the rules for the match and then introduces Mundo then Prince Puma. This match will go the duration of the show, and the winner will be the luchador with the most pinfalls or submissions when time on the show runs out.
That’s an interesting production choice, as it makes the match time a little unclear. The show is one-hour long obviously so I’d say with intros and everything the match got about 55 minutes total and 45 minutes of TV Time. There was a score counter in the bottom left of the screen to help keep track of each luchadors falls. The bell rang and we were on our way in what should be a classic match.
Puma started the match by extending his hand, which Mundo grabbed but then got in Puma’s face and had some words, because heel stuff. The match started off fairly slowly, with each wrestler feeling the other out with rest holds, as is typical for iron-man style matches like this. Stryker and Vampiro were good on commentary explaining Mundo’s turn, Drago waiting in the wings for the winner, and Konnan not being at ringside. As usual the two argued about Konnan while Mundo and Puma exchanged headlocks in the ring. The action started to pick up as the two started running the ropes and going for some more athletic moves. Mundo hit a backdrop on Puma and Puma landed on his feet on the ring apron, only to have Mundo hit a big kick that sent the champ to the floor. Mundo then went for a dive onto Puma on the floor but Puma rolled back into the ring, Mundo landed on his feet and Puma hit a dive of his own. Great sequence. The temple was pumped for that, and we had our first commercial break.
Coming back from break the action was back in the ring and the bottom right corner displayed a time counter with 33:43 on it and counting down. Puma was able to hit a sunset flip into a pinning combination and that was enough to get the first fall of the match! Puma had the advantage now and with Mundo on the mat hit a standing moonsault, Puma went for the pin but Mundo kicked out. Puma went to the top and tried for a cross body but Mundo countered with a dropkick right into the stomach. Puma kicked out of the pin attempt and Mundo attacked his arm. The announcers pointed out how Mundo focused on the arm and wondered if he was setting something up for later. After some back and forth, Mundo went up top for the End of the Mundo split-legged moonsault, but Puma grabbed his leg and pulled him down, however Puma was on his back and Mundo was able to bridge into a pinning position, Mundo grabbed the rope but the ref didn’t see it so he got a pinfall to even things up. Mundo rolled out of the ring and that sent us to the next commercial break.
After the commercial Johnny and Puma faced off across the ring, and the timer showed 28:55 left in the match. Vampiro was happy Mundo cheated to get his fall. Mundo hit a rock bottom type move and got a two count. He hit a big kick with Puma sitting on the ground and got another two count. Mundo set Puma up on the top rope and tried to hit a superplex but Puma blocked it. Puma and Mundo traded punches on the top rope with Puma getting the advantage and knocking Mundo onto the apron, Puma dropped to the other apron and then hit a hurricanrana onto the floor. Mundo climbed under the ring searching, and pulled out a wooden box, a crow bar and a steel chair. Stryker on commentary “As long as he didn’t pull a little person out from under the ring we’re good”, that was funny. After an exchange, Puma hit a fireman’s carry into a sitout AA onto Mundo onto the wooden box, shattering it! Great spot!
Mundo was able to grab the crow bar though and nail Puma in the stomach with it. Then Mundo hit a vicious looking blow to Puma’s head with the crowbar. Wow! That was intense. Puma was out and Mundo grabbed him and rolled him into the ring. He got a pinfall to make it two nothing. Marty Elias checked on Puma and after Puma nodded Mundo grabbed him and hit a moonlight driver neckbreaker that was good for another pinfall, making the tally 3 falls to 1. Puma was still out and Mundo hit a big kick followed by the end of the world for another pinfall! It’s 4 falls to 1, which is something I personally haven’t seen in a match of this style before. Usually the falls are back and forth but Mundo has a big advantage.
At this point Mundo started getting cocky, he stopped for a water bottle and then downed some, then threw the remainder in Puma’s face. The crowd was booing Mundo heavily as he rushed Puma in the corner, but Puma was able to hit an elbow and then get his feet up when Mundo rushed the corner again. Puma hit a leg scissors takedown to give himself some space, but then Johnny Mundo hit a neckbreaker on Puma from the apron making Puma’s neck snap against the apron. They are hitting some stiff looking offense in this match. With Puma on the floor we went to another break.
Back from break, Mundo had a steel ladder and again nailed Prince Puma in the head. Same guy who said “no timeouts” earlier now said “Easy Johnny, that’s a person!” That guy is on fire. Mundo went to get a table and set it up in the entrance tunnel, then set up a second right next to it. Mundo set Puma up on the table then climbed a ladder he’d leaned against the railing, he tried to set up on the railing for a move but Puma got up and the two battled into the crowd. Puma hit a snap suplex on the stairs in the crowd. Puma went back to get more tables from under the ring, which he stacked up on the others. Now there were four tables stacked in the entranceway. Puma grabbed Mundo and tried to suplex him onto the tables from the railing, but Mundo countered and hit a superkick. Puma hit the ground but missed the tables. Then Mundo climbed onto the ladder and stood on it, pushing it from one side of the entrance to the other where the bandstand was. Puma climbed up onto the bandstand and grabbed a mic.
Mundo said “Look at the scoreboard, Mundo 4, Puma 1. Last I checked the person with the most falls at the end of the show wins.” Mundo told Mexican Dubwiser to play a song, while they were doing that, Puma climbed the ladder and he and Johnny battled. Puma hit Mundo with a board and was able to climb onto the bandstand, where he hit Mundo with a guitar. Honky-Tonk man approves. Then it was time for the insane spot of the match, Puma hit a spear on Mundo driving both men off the bandstand and down about 10 feet through the stacked tables! These guys are giving us everything. What a match! The show went to commercial with both men on the floor.
Back from break Puma was moving and Mundo was still out on the floor, bleeding from his head. Puma dragged Johnny Mundo back the ring with some effort. Puma got another pinfall to make the tally Mundo 4, Puma 2. The announcers stressed there wasn’t much time left, and wondered if Puma could get two more pinfalls before time ran out.
Puma and Mundo exchanged for a bit, but Puma got the advantage and hit the spinning pile driver to get another fall. It’s Mundo 4, and Puma 3 now. After that fall, the story became Mundo trying to use his parkour skills to escape and Puma chasing him. Mundo hid behind the announce table before Puma was able to chase him into the ring and get him set up for the 630 splash, but Mundo rolled out of the ring and started ascending the temple steps trying to kill clock. At the top of the stairs, Alberto El Patron came out and attacked Mundo to gain some revenge. Patron beat Mundo down the steps and threw Mundo into the wall of Dario Cueto’s office. El Patron hit a DDT on the floor and then rolled Mundo into the ring where Puma hit a springboard 450 to get another pinfall, evening up the falls at 4!
With the match even and both men laying in the ring, El Patron grabbed the mic to tell Mundo and Puma that no matter who wins, he’s coming for the title, “but of course you already knew that”. That was a great promo by Patron showing a lot of fire. The match was now even with about 3 minutes left. The guys exchanged pinfall attempts. At the two-minute mark Mundo was able to hit a standing Spanish fly for a 2 count, great near fall. Mundo looked frustrated as he set Puma up on the top rope. Mundo looked like he was going for a hurricanrana but Puma slipped down causing Mundo to hit the ropes and then the floor. With 45 seconds left the men faced off across the ring. Puma hit a dropkick and was able to hit the 630 splash with 10 seconds left to pick up a pinfall. That was it as the clock ticked down and Melissa Santos announced Prince Puma as the winner. Mundo showed some frustration as the crowd chanted “That was awesome”. Puma held the belt up in the middle of the ring as the show went off the air.
That was an incredible match and definitely one you need to see. That’s a match of the year contender for any show. I’m linking to the show below and highly recommend you give it a watch. That’s it for me this week folks, I’m off to pack more boxes and then heading to Vegas for the weekend. What did you think of the “All-night long” match between Puma and Mundo?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNzbdH6va4U