Cheap Pops - Wrestling News & Views: June 7, 2015

Cheap Pops - June 7, 2015

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This week!

• Elimination Chamber Results

• Stardust Vs Stephen Amell

• Best in our World - Gimmick Matches

• NXT Results

• Lucha Underground Results

Elimination Chamber Results

- Pre-Show - Stardust def. Zack Ryder

- The New Day def. Lucha Dragons, Tyson Kidd/Cesaro, Prime Time Players, The Ascension, and Los Matadores in Tag Team Elimination Chamber to retain WWE Tag Titles

-  Nikki Bella def. Paige and Naomi in Triple Threat match for WWE Divas Championship

-Kevin Owens def. John Cena with Pop-up Power Bomb

- Neville def. Bo Dallas with the Red Arrow

- Ryback def. Sheamus, R-Truth, King Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Mark Henry in Elimination Chamber to win the Intercontinental Title.

- Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins via DQ in WWE Title match (Rollins still champion).

Mike: So, I have to say, I am sick of John Cena beating WWE’s fresh new talent.  Sure they give him a decent match, but at the end of the day, it’s still John Cena wins over and…

What do you mean Kevin Owens won???

You mean by DQ?  Or he used a low blow to win like Rusev did in his only win over Cena…

CLEAN!?!  In the middle of the ring, Owens hit a pop-up power bomb, and pinned Cena clean?   

All joking aside, this was an incredible match, and not just because of who won.  Cena always seems to elevate his game, and this is definitely going to be a match of the year candidate.  I also love that WWE seemed to give Owens the green light to just do all his moves.  We got to see some high flying and some great technical work in this one.  There is nothing at all I can complain about in this match.  We do get a rematch in two weeks...and it’s very possible that Cena will end up getting his win back, but no one can ever deny “KEVIN OWENS GOT A CLEAN VICTORY OVER JOHN CENA!”

Jeff: OK, I’ll admit it. While I still don’t care for Owens’ character, the man worked his keester off in this match, and it almost felt like a squash match against Cena. He really got a lot of offense in, and some of it was highly innovative. I concur--that has match of the year possibilities.

Chris: Match of the Year isn't out of the question here, for sure.  I can't believe they finally unleashed Owens and let him be everything he was before signing with WWE.  If they don't mishandle Owens over the next few months we've got ourselves a new star.  Thank you to Vince for not screwing this up!  

Mike: I was a little disappointed by the two Elimination Chamber matches.  Not sure what was going on, but the matches seemed real disjointed at times.  Lots of repeated spots, and just things that didn’t quite look right.  Both matches had some good moments, and I am glad to see New Day & Ryback getting a push, but I definitely was expecting a little bit more from both of these matches, since they were real unique.  Typically Elimination Chamber is your top guys.

Jeff: Again I agree. I was underwhelmed and felt like both Chamber matches were badly overbooked. They were supposed to be the featured matches of the card but they really didn’t click. Why was Mark Henry added? Why wasn’t Bray Wyatt in that spot? While do they bury their King of the Ring repeatedly?

Chris: The tag match was a lot better than the IC Chamber.  As underwhelming as the matches were, at least some neat things were setup.  New Day is on a fun run, and a feud with the Prime Time Players can be enjoyable if they get meaningful time.  I'm not the biggest Ryback fan, but at least it will be different than Barrett and Ziggler.  Hopefully they try to elevate the belt and Ryback.

Mike: For the main event, I was just glad that Reigns didn’t go heel, which is exactly what I was expecting the entire match.  Chris had predicted the Dusty finish even before the match started.  I would complain that this finish is lame and old fashioned, but Dean and Reigns taking the title after the match was just awesome. Definitely made me real curious about what was going to happen at Raw the next night.

Jeff: I think I can safely say I am not a Dean Ambrose guy. He just lacks credibility to me as far as what I expect out of a top hand. Oh how I loathe that stupid second rope rebound of his--absolutely hate that!  I confess I fell asleep near the end and just didn’t care enough to see if Reigns showed up. I don’t have a whole lot of use for him either. FREE TYLER BREEZE!

Chris: A lot to talk about here.  You guys both have some great points.  First, the Dusty finish just made sense here because they had to bring this back in two weeks.  That finish is brilliant if you only use it on rare occasions, and it worked very well here.  Both ladder matches at MITB should be compelling.  I hope we are going to get the Triple Threat with the Shield members soon!

I partially agree with Jeff on Ambrose.  A lot of his problem has been abysmal booking, though.  When he's booked strongly then I find Ambrose very compelling.  My real agreement with Jeff is on the second rope rebound.  It's cool in theory but it's so slow that it exposes the business. Dean should drop it.

Mike:  I was really happy to see Zack Ryder in a PPV match, even if it was just on the pre-show. Unfortunately, the commentary seemed determined to just use this match to sell a future match between Stephen Amell and Stardust (more on that later). But both Zack and Stardust had a real good showing. I really hope the WWE does a lot more with these guys.  

Jeff: I don’t know that I see Ryder as World Title material, but I gotta say that I respect the man for getting himself over when the WWE had no idea what to do with him. Vince talks about his roster lacking talent, his Superstars seemingly unwilling or unable to grab the brass ring that Cena’s been carrying for a decade. I contend that Ryder, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro (and to an extent Tyson Kidd) and Sami Zayn are all Superstars that have reached for that ring only to have it yanked away like Lucy and her damned football time and time again. That’s no way to reward your worker for doing your job for you.  

Mike: I actually think that’s a big part of the WWE’s problem.  They don’t understand that not everyone needs to be at the top of the card. They keep hotshotting guys to the top...see them not working as main eventers, and then burying them.  I agree, Zack Ryder is not a main eventer.  BUT, no reason he can’t be a solid midcarder doing some main event matches every now and then when it works.

Chris: Most guys on the roster aren't long term top of the card workers, but guys like Ziggler, Ryder, Kidd, Cesaro, Swagger, etc. could all fit in there from time to time.  The WWE is all about trading wins these days.  Think about it, there are a select few guys that never really lose, but the other guys basically just go back and forth based on who's getting the stronger push.  Ryder, on the other hand, is made to be a joke that can't win unless it's on Superstars, which nobody watches.  I don't get it.  He moves merch and pops the crowd.  

Mike: BTW, I thought the crowd at this show was painfully bad. Neville Vs Bo had a real good match, and the crowd was so dead, even I found myself losing interest at times. And these are two guys I absolutely love. It is amazing how a bad crowd can distract you so easily. I typically hate the idea of a laugh track or live audience when I watch a sitcom, but when I see a dead wrestling crowd, I really get the need for them.

Jeff: Yes, the crowd wasn’t the best and the commentators weren’t particularly effective either, but when have they been? I think they need to go back to a two man booth, put Jerry Lawler out to pasture and find something else for Michael Cole to do. Do you know why I still think Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura were the best broadcast team ever, even better than Good Ol’ J.R. and the King, or Gorilla and The Brain? They were both workers. I’d love to see JBL continue on as the heelish commentator who actually talks about holds now and then, but with someone like perhaps Ted DiBiase taking over Monsoon’s play by play role.   

Stardust Vs Stephen Amell

Mike: On Raw last week, Arrow star Stephen Amell was in attendance.  As Stardust came down for a match, he suddenly got in Amell’s face.  It should be noted that Amell is a huge WWE fan and for a long time now, he’s been saying he would love to host Raw or get involved in some way.  

At first I was just thinking this would be a one time thing, but the big rumor right now is that Stardust will face Stephen Amell at Summerslam.  This definitely seemed to be giving some legitimacy because of the commentary during the Zack Ryder Vs Stardust match at Elimination Chamber.  They talked a lot about the feud between Amell and Stardust, even using some of the Arrow’s catchphrases.  

Like many wrestling fans,  I’m not always the biggest fan of celebrities getting involved in in-ring activity, but Amell is athletic and I think it’s very likely he could work a good match without embarrassing himself.  I also think that the celebrities that do best in the WWE (Jon Stewart and Hugh Jackman come to mind) are those guys who are actually fans of the product, which Amell is.   And I love Cody Rhodes, so anything that gives him some attention is a good thing as far as I am concerned.

So, yeah, if this match happens at Summerslam, I would definitely consider it a huge selling point for the show for me.

Jeff: I bet they do an angle where Stardust cameos on the show. I wouldn’t have a problem with that. I believe Cody Rhodes had a small part in an episode of Warehouse 13 once, if I’m not mistaken.

Mike: Indeed he did!  And he was pretty good in the show too!  I am not 100% sure he should appear in Arrow as Stardust (though that could be awesome).  But there has to be some DC villain he could play real well.  Sadly, he would have made a great Trickster 2, but we already got someone in that role...

Chris: Wow!  Cody as the Trickster could be amazing.  

And this is a celeb vs. WWE encounter I'm optimistic for.  This one could be a blast.  Sadly for Cody, though, they've somehow found another person to job him out to.  The way their careers are going, I'm surprised they don't offer him and Ryder out to job at corporate functions.

Best in Our World- Gimmick Matches

Mike: Inspired by the return of Elimination Chamber and King of the ring (and the fact we have Money in the Bank in two short weeks), I realized we really hadn’t talked about this before.  There are a ton of gimmick matches we’ve seen over the years.  Everything from the classic steel cage match and Elimination Chamber to “viagra on a pole” and “Hell in a Kennel.”  Actually, we can probably fill an entire column of WORST gimmick matches too, come to think about it.  

1) Money in the Bank - I will admit that ladder matches have basically been done to death at this point.  But, I still like Money in the Bank.  In a lot of ways, this is the descendant of the classic matches the Dudleys, Edge and Christian, and the Hardys did in 1999 and 2000.  One brief case hangs above the ring, 5-10 WWE superstars fight for that briefcase which gives the title holder a title shot WHENEVER THEY WANT!  Sure, the whole thing is very gimmicky, but it’s a gimmick that really works.  Especially since in just about every case, the winner has managed to become world champion (the only exceptions are poor Damian Sandow...and John Cena, who is a 15-time world champ, so who cares), so it can really change the dynamic of the WWE when done well.

2) Wargames - War Games matches tended to be vicious and brutal.  Probably the best way to end a feud between two factions I’ve ever seen.  Take two rings, put surround it with a cage with a fairly low ceiling, and just let two teams tear into each other.  This match was the first time I remembered seeing guys be entered into a match via timer, which typically created a number’s advantage for the heels.  It was a great way to build up the “hot tag” without having to have an actual hot tag.   I actually wrote this after Jeff’s entry below, but I totally agree that it’s amazing WWE has not brought this back yet!

3) Iron Man Match - There aren’t a lot of guys who can pull this off well, but I love seeing an Iron Man match.  Maybe not for an hour, but seeing which man can get the most falls in 20-30 minutes works really well.  It also helps to get rid of some of the finisher spam we see a little too much lately.  A wrestler can take a finisher...and get pinned...and still end up winning the match.  I don’t mind when wrestlers kind out of a finisher every now and then, but it happens a little too often these days.

4) Royal Rumble - While I like battle royals, since you are starting the match with 20 to 30 guys in the ring, it sometimes takes a while to get to a place where you can really start telling a story.  That is why I like the Royal Rumble so much.  By starting with just two guys in the ring, and adding one at a time, you can get to the point where you do have 10 to 15 guys in the ring at some point, and be able to tell a story at the same time.  How long can someone last?  How many guys can they throw out?  Which friends will turn on friends?  Which enemies will work together?  The Royal Rumble is actually my favorite WWE event every year.  My friends and I end up treating it like the Super Bowl most years.

5) Elimination Chamber - Elimination Chamber (like Money in the Bank) is a fairly recent “invention.”  The setup is fairly simple.  Six men participate in a match inside a huge, crazy steel structure.  2 men start in the ring.  The other 4 are locked in big pods around the ring and enter one at a time every few minutes.  Wrestlers can be eliminated by pinfall or submission.  Last man standing wins the match, typically for a title or a title shot.  There is just so much potential for story building and destruction in the Elimination Chamber.   Sadly, it seems like most of the good ideas for the Chamber have already been used (which led to a few awkward spots this year where wrestlers seemed to be trying to come up with new spots, and they just looked odd), but it’s still an incredibly cool set up for a match.

Jeff: Good topic, and you’re right--the WWE is really rolling out the gimmick matches for their crazy bi-weekly PPV schedule of late. I think they’re almost overselling the Network at this point. Here we go:

1) Wargames. The WCW staple that brought some of the best feuds of their day to a close. I love anything to do with factions, including the classic Survivor Series set up, but the Wargames match had that timed ebb and flow of the Elimination Chamber or the Rumble with the chaos of a steel cage match. That Vince hasn’t broke this out of storage yet is just downright wrong!:

2) Lethal Lottery. Oh, I know, they’ve done random spin-the-wheel stuff before, but this was great--a one night tournament with often mismatched teams where the winners of each tag match meet in a battle royal to determine the winner. Think of the possibilities!. You could team Cena with Owens. Two members of New Day might be teamed up still but one of them is across the ring, teaming with Luke Harper! The Lucha Dragons and The Ascension are split 50/50 and face each other.You could even put together some new combinations that could find traction. What about Mark Henry with Titus O’Neal? What about Bray Wyatt with his brother Bo Dallas? Stardust and a promoted Finn Balor, anyone?

3) The Pat O’Connor Memorial Cup. I was privileged to witness this event live when NWA/WCW closed down the old Kiel Auditorium with a ridiculously long Starcade. The Main Event was Sting vs The Black Scorpion in a cage with Dick the Bruiser refereeing, but I wasn’t there for that. I came to see The Great Muta and Masa Saito team up. I came to see Rey Mysterio Sr. and Konnan under the mask face off against Norman Smiley and Gentleman Chris Adams. I came to see what legit Russian heavyweight wrestlers Salman Hashimikov and Victor Zangiev (I wonder which came first, the Russian or the Street Fighter character?) And of course I came to see the Steiner Brothers, the best tag team in pro wrestling at that time, do what they did so well. Vince hates tournaments, especially ones for no reason, so I doubt we’ll see an international just-for-the-Hell-of-it event ever again.

4) Survivor Series. The original concept, where teams of four or five strive to survive. Another perfect way to test new angles, tag team combinations, and build on various feuds. I have no idea why they’ve left this in the dust in recent years.

5) Hell In A Cell. For all the menace of the Elimination Chamber, it lacks the feeling of utter terror that starts to wiggle around in the bellies of the WWE Universe when Mick Foley or anyone else scales the cage. I don’t need or want crazy spots like that--these guys and gals put their bodies on the line enough as it is, but is there really any better call in the annals of pro wrestling than Jim Ross losing his mind when Mick takes the plunge? “GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! THEY KILL HIM! GOD AS MY WITNESS, HE IS BROKEN IN HALF!” Single best call of a WWE moment ever, in my opinion. It’s the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” for wrestling. You know what I just thought of? NXT needs to do a Hell in the Cell with the ladies! Charlotte, Bailey, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks are all perfectly capable of pulling that off, in my opinion.

Chris: Gimmick matches are so much fun!  Not even gonna try to go all original with this.

1) War Games - This is the coolest gimmick match of all time, hands down.  Especially the original.  Those my golden days for wrestling and the Horsemen vs. Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, and the Road Warriors was sheer brutality!  This was the Match Beyond indeed.  

I actually saw a War Games at the Meadowlands Arena back in 1991. It saw Sting, Lex Luger, The Yellow Dog (Brian Pillman in a mask), and El Gigante beat Barry Windham, Nikita Koloff, Kevin Sullivan, and One Man Gang when Sullivan submitted to Gigante's claw.   Not as cool as the originals, but seeing that giant setup was amazing in person.

2) The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup - It only ran a few years but I loved to watch this tourney back in the '80s.  It was a day before PPV, when you had to wait months to watch it on video.  Still, seeing the Road Warriors lay waste to the competition or Dusty Rhodes & Nikita Koloff come together after Magnum TA's tragedy was beyond awesome.

3) Scaffold Match - Anyone remember the Midnight Express vs. Road Warriors on a scaffold?  Night of the Skywalkers!  It wasn't very good technically, but these guys really took their lives into their own hands. Eaton, Condery, and Jim Cornette all took insane bumps to make the LOD look great. Cornette even blew his knee to pieces.  This was a spectacle!

4) Royal Rumble - One of my favorite shows on the current WWE calendar.  I love how current and former players all get involved here.  I just wish there was some surprise in the winner each year.  The past few have had no doubt going in and that kinda kills the match a bit.

5) Ladder Match - I don't care if it's Money in the Bank nuttiness with lots of flying bodies, one-on-one or tag team mayhem, the Ladder Match have been some of my favorite gimmick bouts over the years.  Something about the ascent to the top of the ladder lends itself to amazing storytelling in the ring.  When all's said and done, it's really about the story the performers tell!

WWE Network Free for New Subscribers Again in June

Mike: Just hours before Elimination Chamber, WWE announced that the month of June would be free for new subscribers.  This is the third month in a row they have offered that promotion.  I have to admit, part of me is a little annoyed.  I’ve been a subscriber on the Network literally since day one, and I’ve never gotten a free month.  BUT, I am glad this promotion has worked well for them.  And I’ve never once regretted paying my $9.99 a month.  Just for NXT alone, it is well worth it for me.

I personally think they should just make it a perpetual thing.  WWE should make your first week, 15 days, or month is free for new subscribers.  Netflix, Hulu, Gamefly, etc. all do that.  And WWE definitely seems to be leaning that way anyway with three “free” months in a row now for new subscribers.  I would be very surprised if they don’t make it official soon.

Jeff: You said it, bruddha! Most companies do nothing for you once they have you, they’re only ever concerned with new subscribers, not keeping old ones. If they want the Network to be a consistent revenue stream, they need to reward longterm subscribers too. I’m not sure what that would be, though. Maybe they offer you free downloads of theme music? Maybe they run an honest version of Cyber Tuesday only for the Network subscribers that have paid up for 6 consecutive months? Maybe if Charter Cable or DirecTV did something for their long term customers other than raise the rates on an annual basis, I’d still subscribe to one of them. I doubt it though, I much prefer the freedom of ala carte television.

WWE Network to Air Live Show from Japan on July 4

From Lords of Pain:

WWE will broadcast a WWE Network Supercard event live from Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 4th. The event will air live at 6:30am EST. Below is the full card but it should be noted that the WWE Tag Team Title Match is likely to be changed with Tyson Kidd's injury.

WWE NXT Title Match

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

WWE Divas Title Match

Paige vs. Naomi vs. Nikki Bella

WWE Tag Team Title Match

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The New Day

Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston

Chris Jericho vs. Neville

John Cena and Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane and King Barrett

The Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores

Mike: THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING WITH THE NETWORK!!   This card is full of quirky matches.  Jericho Vs Neville?  Brock vs Kofi?  Cena/Ziggler as a tag team?    It will be nice to see a show from Japan, and I’m looking forward to this.

Granted, I probably won’t be watching it live at 6:30 AM (I assume I am not invited over for this show, Chris?), but I definitely will check it out!

Chris: You can come over and watch, but put the coffee pot on, so it's ready when I get out of bed.

Seriously, this is outstanding stuff to make the Fourth just a little more special.  These are just the type of quirky matches we never get on Raw or Smackdown.  Do you sense an NXT Title change here?  I can totally see Owens dropping the belt to Balor who made his name in Japan.  Maybe Cena causes a distraction which leads to Owen's first loss.

NXT Results - June 3, 2015

- Starts with recap of Owens defeating Cena at Elimination Chamber and his promo on Raw the night after.  

- Tyler Breeze def. Adam Rose with the Beauty Shot

- Solomon Crowe is backstage pacing.  He’s piseed about his beating from Kevin Owens, but he has no regrets for standing up for himself.  He appreciates Samoa Joe making the save last week.  When he gets back (uhm...where is he going...back to Oompa Loompa land), he will be back in the ring with Kevin Owens.

- Dana Brooke was in Rip for an Arnold Classic Competition.  She did well and will be continuing on to another competition in Spain.  She will return to NXT soon.

- Greg Hamilton announced Eva Marie.  Crowd was not happy.  She tries to say she was in the crowd during Unstoppable, but the crowd was heckling and booing and it took forever to get through her promo.  Long story short...women of NXT stole the show at Unstoppable.  She wants to compete with them.  We all wait with baited breath for that…

- Regal announces that during the WWE show in Japan on July 4th, there will be an NXT title match between Finn Balor and Kevin Owens.

- Alexa Bliss def. Carmella.  Alexa won with a rollup and by holding onto the ropes.

- Rhyno backstage.  Talks about enjoying his war with Baron Corbin at Unstoppable.  But, his goal is still the NXT title.  Finn is #1 contender and dangerous.  But his mind games don’t phase the psychotic manbeast that is Rhyno.  Rhyno will defeat Finn tonight and be one step closer to NXT championship.

- Video on Sami Zayn’s shoulder surgery. It went well, but there is a lot of recovery ahead.  Sami says he’s ready to face it

- Vaudevillians def. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis with Whirling Dervish.  Jordan and Marcus argue after the match, implying Jordan will be seeking a new partner.

- Video package for NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks.

- Finn talks about his 11 championships in Japan.  He is excited to face Owens there..  But he’s not overlooking Owens...Owens is the real deal.  He also talks real briefly about facing Rhyno tonight.

- Finn Balor def. Rhyno with a rollup after Rhyno misses a Gore.  After the match, Rhyno comes out of nowhere to destroy Finn on the entrance ramp with a Gore.

Mike: Great opening match.  Tyler had a slightly new look, including a crazy furry cape.  Adam Rose came out with no Rosebuds.  The crowd popped huge for him, though he didn’t play the character up all that match.  Actually, he seemed more like when he used to go by Leo Kruger.  The crowd was even chanting “We want Kruger!”  I really can’t figure out why he seems basically stuck...the WWE should be able to do much more with him.  During the match, Tyler hit a great hurricanrana.  Never saw him do that before.  Rose answered with a running thrust kick. This match got a good ten minutes and the finish came out of nowhere.

Chris: This was the match of the night for sure.  It was odd to see Rose basically playing Kruger.  His style was slower, more brutal, and lots of rest holds.  I'm all for seeing a comeback for Leo!

Mike:  Carmella and Alexa Bliss really seem to hate each other (in kayfabe), and there was a lot of emotion in this match.  We had been getting a lot of squash matches in NXT lately, so it was good to get some competitive matches tonight.

Chris: Alexa really got a fresh start by going heel. It's funny how refreshing she and Emma have become.  Each one seems poised to do important things.  

Mike: So happy to see Vaudevillians back!  I missed them!  I was amused that the mysterious partner Jason Jordan was so excited about last week ended up being Marcus Louis.  They wrestled a decent match, but I can’t find myself getting all that excited over this combo.  I think the biggest problem is that Marcus Louis isn’t all that imposing a figure.  They want him to play a scary beast...and he looks more goofy than threatening.  

Chris: You're right about Marcus Louis being kind of small to play this part.  I actually think he plays a nut pretty well, but it's not going anywhere.  I wonder if looking for a tag partner will be Jordan's new shtick.

Mike: Pretty good main event.  I liked the opening with Finn trying various techniques in a failing effort to take Rhyno off his feet.  Rhyno just looked like a beast.  The match was a little slow paced, but still a good match.  At the end I was sort of feeling bad for Rhyno. Like Kane or Big Show, he’s a monster who keeps losing most of his “real” matches.  BUT, then he hit that brutal Gore on Finn, so that was something at least.

This was definitely one of the best episodes of NXT in a while for pure wrestling.  NO SQUASH MATCHES!

Chris: Definitely a solid episode with a good main event, and that gore on the stage was fantastic.  

Lucha Underground Results June 3, 2015

- We start in Dario’s office.  Chavo warns that Black Lotus is coming to kill Dario’s brother...and this time she was trained by Dragon Azteca.  It was Chavo’s job to get rid of her, but Dragon got to her first.  Dario says that this should not be possible.  Dragon would not step foot in this temple.  Chavo suggests he must have someone on the inside.  He also tells Dario that Dragon offered to erase Chavo’s debt to Mexico if he protected her.  Chavo says that Guererros are only loyal to the highest bigger.  Dario wants Lotus on a silver platter.  Chavo wants protection from all of Mexico.  Dario agrees...but then demands to know what Chavo really wants…

- Jack Evans def. Argenis in a match for the 2nd Aztec Medallion (Fenix has the 1st one.  There are 7 in all).  Evans won with a backslide into a wicked bridge over.

- DelAvar Daivari approaches Big Ryck backstage.  Dario gave them a Trios Title shot as long as they can find a partner.  Big Ryck suggests his cousin The Mack.  Cage arrives and says he deserves the spot.  He demolishes The Mack.  Daivari welcomes him to the team.

-Black Lotus is in the locker room.  Chavo approaches.  He says he talked to Dario and got him to agree to let her compete in the temple.  He says that while she does that, Chavo will get the key and free Matanza, giving Lotus the opportunity to kill him.  He says her first match is tonight...then he goes to attack her.  She kicks his ass.  The surviving members of The Crew arrive.  She fights them off, but Chavo knocks her out from behind.  He then handcuffs her.

- Trios Title Match.  Son of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Angelico def. DelAvar Daivari, Big Ryck, and Cage.  Texano interferes during the match, attacking Big Ryck and leaving Daivari to take a flying knee from Angelico followed by Son of Havoc finishing him off with the Shooting Star Press.

- Dario’s office.  Chavo and The Crew deliver Black Lotus to Dario.  He says he has something in mind for her...a spot in a cage across from his brother so he never gets lonely again.

-Submission Match: Pentagon Jr. def. Sexy Star.  Superfly comes into the ring during the match...and turns on Sexy Star!!  He takes out Sexy Star and then Pentagon hits the Package Piledriver followed by a modified surfboard forcing her to tap out.  After the match, he goes to break her arm.  Vampiro leaves the announcer table and charges the ring to save her.  They face off, and Vampiro heads to the locker room.  Vampiro seems haunted by the demons of the things he’s done in the ring in the past.  He smacks his head on the mirror several time before staring into his reflection with one of the scariest looks I have ever seen.

Mike: Loving Jack Evans.  It’s hard to be a high flying heel...the crowd wants to cheer the guy bouncing around like a speedball.  But, he manages to make it work real well.  Cocky to the point of being easy to hate.  I love watching him go.

Another entertaining Trios Title match.  Ivelisse is still dealing with a broken leg, and the team still doesn’t get along all that well. At one point, Ivelisse is so pissed about not being tagged in, she ends up going to sit in the crowd to heckle her partners.   My favorite spot of the match was when Big Ryck did a stall suplex...and after a minute or so, handed Angelico over to Cage who held him for another 30 seconds before hitting the suplex.   Never saw that before.

The main event was a brutal match.  Definitely the most vicious mixed match I’ve ever seen.  You would never see this on WWE TV.  I was clear during the match that Sexy wasn’t much of a submission specialist, but the match still told a real good story.  And Pentagon had enough innovative moves for the both of them.

I loved the stuff with Vampiro at the end.  Lucha Underground seems to make a lot of effort to include wrestling history, including some of the things Vampiro did as a heel before becoming a cuddly fan favorite announcer.  That look Vampiro gave the camera at the end actually creepy me the hell out. I really want to see more of this side of Vampiro.  He really was a badass back in the day.