Lucha Underground Recap (11/16): 'Aztec Warfare III', New Lucha Underground Champion Crowned

By Leon Milici

Wrestling Inc will be providing live on-going coverage of tonight's episode of Lucha Underground on The El Rey Network. You are all welcome to chime in with your thoughts and feedback throughout the show.

Lucha Underground On The El Rey Network
Season 3 Episode 11 "Aztec Warfare III"

The opening scene of this week's show has Dario Cueto walking to the bowels of the Temple. He is twirling his key around. Heading to go get his brother Matanza, when he is confronted by Johnny Mundo. Mundo has his new Gift of The Gods title draped over his shoulder. He tells Dario that he is going to be the first man to hold both The Lucha Undergound Championship and The Gift of The Gods at the same time. Off to Mundo's side is Taya. She has a camera in her hand and she is filming a "documentary" for Worldwide Underground. Dario notices her and is angry. Mundo tells Cueto to not look into her camera. Mundo tells Cueto that if for some reason, He does not win Aztec Warfare tonight. That he will cash in The Gift of The Gods and challenge the winner for The Lucha Championship next week. Dario recaps what Mundo has just told him. How next week's challenge is Mundo's backup plan. Johnny reveals to Taya's camera that he is #12 tonight in Aztec Warfare. Cueto calls Johnny an arrogant SOB. Cueto says that Johnny believes that he is the best in the "mundo", but that he has his doubts. Cueto grabs the piece of paper that Johnny is holding that has the number 12 on it. He rips off the 1 part, and says that Johnny is now entering at #2 instead, and that he will square off with his brother Matanza first. Before Cueto walks away from Mundo. He tells him that after what his brother does to him tonight. That he will not be fighting for The Championship next week, but instead, Mundo will be fighting for his life. An upset Mundo tells Taya to turn her camera off.

We are now in The Temple. Aztec Warriors are playing the battle cry music in the arena. Pounding on the "drums of war". Dario Cueto is inside the ring with Lucha Underground Champion. Matanza. Matt Striker introduces the audience to the show. He goes over the rules of Aztec Warfare. Two luchadores start off the match. Every 90 seconds, a new luchadore enters the ring. The only way to eliminate someone is by pinfall or submission, and it has to take place inside the ring. There are no disqualifications.

AZTEC WARFARE III

FOR THE LUCHA UNDERGROUND CHAMPIONSHIP

Entrant #1- "The Monster" Matanza Cueto

Before Melissa Santos can introduce the 2nd Luchador. Dario calls her over. Whispers in her ear. Tells her that he knows that Sexy Star was originally scheduled to be #2, but that he wants her to announce Johnny Mundo instead.

Entrant #2- Johnny Mundo

Dario gets on the mic. Tells everyone that all who enter Aztec Warfare, will be sacrificed by The Monster Matanza...... Johnny treads carefully against Matanza, to start off the match. Tries a side headlock, gets tied up in the ropes and then Matanza flings him across the ring. Mundo tries to run away, gets dragged back into the ring. The Monster attempts a german suplex on Mundo but he lands on his feet. Matanza still grabs Mundo and slams him to the mat. The clock runs down for the next entrant.....

Entrant #3- Son Of Havoc

Matanza has Mundo up on his shoulders, when Havoc enters the ring. Havoc leaps off the top rope and double stomps Johnny. Then hits a scissors kick on Matanza. Mundo switches his hips and gets a sunset flip on Matanza. Attempts the matches first pinfall. Cueto kicks out. Havoc then hits a standing shooting star press on both Matanza and Mundo. Tries to pin both unsuccessfully. Matanza is back up, tosses Havoc outside the ring. Mundo is left alone with The Monster, and he retreats. The clock runs down again for the next entrant...

Entrant #4- Jeremiah Krane

The current boyfriend of Ivelisse, enters right after her ex boyfriend in Havoc. As Krane gets in the ring, Matanza flattens both Mundo and Havoc down to the canvas. Krane comes into the ring and starts directing traffic. He, Havoc and Mundo work together and knock Matanza outside the ring. Dario tends to his brother, while all 3 men inside the ring, start battling each other... Dario tells Matanza that he should have killed Mundo already. The clock runs down for the next entrant.

Entrant #5- Pentagon Dark

The Temple erupts, as the breaker of bones himself. Pentagon heads to the ring and the show heads to it's first break.... Back from the break, Pentagon is cleaning house. Delivering several kicks to Krane, Mundo and company. Matanza is still on the outside recovering. Everyone is laid out by Pentagon. He then stares down Matanza at ringside and does the "Zero Fear" signal to him. Calling him on.. Matanza charges into the ring. They both go at it, trading blows. Matanza comes out on top and knocks Pentagon to the outside. The clock runs down for the next entrant.

Entrant #6- "The Darewolf" PJ Black

Johnny Mundo has backup in his worldwide underground partner. Black comes into the ring flying. Hits a coast to coast on Havoc and then moonsaults on Krane. Attempts to pin Jeremiah, but he kicks out. Mundo and Black are now teaming up. They deliver a pop up cutter on Havoc. Mundo snap suplexes Krane. The clock runs out and we got a new entrant.

Entrant #7- Mariposa

The first female Luchador to enter and no eliminations yet.... Meanwhile, Pentagon Dark and Matanza are still battling on the outside. Pentagon is actually choking Matanza out with electrical cables. Mariposa springs into the ring and dropkicks both Mundo and PJ Black at the same time. Mariposa then hits a samoan drop on Havoc. She then starts posing. Behind her is Jeremiah Krane. Who is seeking revenge for his girlfriend Ivelisse. Krane drills her with a vicious double underhook hanging piledriver. Matanza is back in the ring and gets behind Krane. Delivers a german suplex into a bridge on him and eliminates him.

Jeremiah Krane is eliminated

Mariposa actually stares down Matanza in the ring. Twirling her hair at him in a flirtatious gesture. This stops Matanza in his tracks momentarily. He snaps out of it and snaps her with a chokeslam. Pins her and she is eliminated. The clock runs down almost immediately following Mariposa's elimination.

Mariposa is eliminated

Entrant # 8- Rey Mysterio

Mysterio makes his entrance as the show goes to break....When the show returns, Worldwide Underground intercepts Rey Mysterio before he can enter the ring. Rey battles with Mundo and Black on the outside. He overcomes their attack and takes them down. Meanwhile, Son Of Havoc has managed to knock Matanza to the outside, and he then leaps on top of him... Rey enters the ring and is confronted by Pentagon. While this is happening, Johnny Mundo slides under the ring with PJ Black. Pentagon gets the upper hand on Rey inside the ring, with some vicious kicks. The clock runs out for the next entrant.

Entrant #9- Dr. Wagner Jr.

Wagner is escorted to the ring by Nurse Brenda and his agent, Famous B. He gets in the ring, faces off with Pentagon and then chooses to help Pentagon against Rey instead. Vintage Rey Mysterio here, as he uses the ropes to avoid and overcome the double team. Springs onto both men individually and takes them down. Wagner battles back and slams Rey down to the mat. He then slides himself out of the ring. The clock runs down and we got another entrant.

Entrant #10- Marty "The Moth" Martinez

While Marty takes his sweet time, heading to the ring. A recovered Matanza clears house inside of it. He throws out Wagner and Havoc. Marty enters and faces him one on one. He actually slaps The Monster. This leads to a slugfest and surprisingly, Marty gets the better of the monster. Hits a jumping pump kick on him and clotheslines him outside of the ring. The Moth then flies over the top rope and onto Matanza. They start brawling outside the ring and The Monster gets the advantage this time, as he flings Marty into the wall. The clock runs down for the next entrant.

Entrant #11- Jack Evans

Worldwide Underground has yet another member in this match now. We are more than halfway home. Mundo and Black are out from under the ring. They greet Evans at ringside and start celebrating together. They start triple teaming Havoc on the inside of the ring. He gets a double superkick to the back of his head. Evans hits a standing corkscrew moonsault on him. Evans pins Havoc and he is eliminated.

Son of Havoc is eliminated

Entrant #12- Sexy Star

This was Mundo's spot originally. Cueto switched Star's number around. Perfect timing for her, as her WU rivals are in the ring. She goes directly after them, as the show goes to break... When the show returns, Worldwide is ganging up on Sexy. They dump her outside the ring and onto other competitors on the outside. Worldwide starts doing more showboating. All taking turns doing aerial moves to the outside.

Entrant #13- Ricky Mandel

Mandel is returning from injury at the hands of Pentagon. Mandel is immediately welcomed back by Pentagon Dark. He gets packaged piledrived by him. As Pentagon sets up to break Mandel's arm again. Out comes two mysterious Asian women with Black Lotus. The two women with Black Lotus are Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani. They are not named on air but these are their LU names. They all hit aerial moves on Pentagon Dark. One of them actually hits a crucifix bomb on Pentagon. Which prompts a holy chant from the crowd. Mundo takes advantage of this and pins Pentagon. PJ Black simultaneously pins a fallen Ricky Mandel.

Pentagon Dark is eliminated

Ricky Mandel is eliminated

Entrant #14- Mascarita Sagrada

Sagrada heads into the ring and is confronted by Matanza. Goodbye Sagrada. Matanza hits a super spinning version of "The Wrath of The Gods" and pins him.

Mascarita Sagrada is eliminated

Entrant #15- Famous B

B is already at ringside with Brenda, when his number is drawn. Famous tries to befriend Rey when he comes into the ring. B gives Rey his card and offers to help make Mysterio famous. B spells out his 423- number but Rey finishes it for him, by yelling 619. Throws him into the ropes and hits his signature area code move. Rey hits the west coast pop and Famous is pinned.

Famous B is eliminated

Mysterio is on fire now. He goes after Worldwide Underground. Sets them up for 619's but Marty intervenes. Takes out Rey and he goes after WU instead. Rey is back up and he ends up spiking Marty and pinning him to eliminate him from Warfare.

Marty Martinez is eliminated

Entrant #16- The Mack

The Mack arrives and stuns the just eliminated Marty Martinez. Mack then leaps onto all 3 members of Worldwide U. Everyone is battling on the outside when the clock runs down for the next entrant.

Entrant #17- Joey Ryan

Striker on commentary compares Ryan to cheap toilet paper that sticks to you. Joey pulls out handcuffs. He handcuffs himself to the steel rail on the stairs. A tactic, he attempted last year in Aztec Warfare. Meanwhile, chairs are now involved on the outside and Sexy Star is suplexing WU members onto them. The clock runs down for.....

Entrant #18- Mil Muertes

Mil is coming off of burying and vanishing Prince Puma from LU last week. He heads down the stairs with Catrina. Joey Ryan panicks as Muertes approaches him at the bottom of the stairs. He tries to free himself from his handcuffs. Muertes rips Ryan and the handcuffs off of the steel rail. Brings Ryan into the ring and hits his Flatliner finisher. At the same exact time, Matanza hits The Wrath of Gods on Wagner Jr. Both men are pinned simultaneously.

Joey Ryan is eliminated

Dr. Wagner Jr. is eliminated

The Monster and Mil Muertes stare each other down and then start trading blows in the center of the ring. They fight to the outside. The clock runs down for the next entrant.

Entrant #19- Kobra Moon

In recent weeks, Moon has tried to convince The 20th entrant Drago to rejoin her tribe. A tribe that Drago says he was a slave in.... Kobra Moon goes over to the broadcast table and sits on it. She watches the action from that location. Meanwhile, back in the ring. The Mack hits a stunner on Jack Evans and pins him.

Jack Evans is eliminated

The Mack then hits a pop up stunner on PJ Black and Sexy Star aids Mack in covering and pinning Black.

PJ Black is eliminated

Entrant #20- Drago

No surprise here for the final entrant. As Dario Cueto forced Drago to earn this spot at the expense of Fenix and Aerostar. Drago goes straight for Kobra Moon. She leaps off the broadcast table and hits a hurancanrana on him. Everyone is going at it on the outside. Hard to keep up with all the action. Drago and Moon are now in the ring. Drago hits the dragon slayer on Kobra and pins her.

Kobra Moon is eliminated

Matanza comes in. He hits a car bomb slam on Drago and pins him.

Drago is eliminated

We are down to the final 6. Matanza, Rey Mysterio, Johnny Mundo, Mil Muertes, Sexy Star and The Mack.

Matanza Cueto and Rey Mysterio go at it inside the ring. Everyone comes into the ring and takes their best shot at The Monster. It starts with Sexy. She hits a code breaker on Matanza. The Mack then hits a stunner on him. Mundo hits a springboard kick on Matanza.... Rey Mysterio then hits The 619 on The Monster. He goes for it again but gets caught in mid air. Matanza tries to power Rey up into the position but Rey hits an sunset flip power bomb on Matanza!... Covers him and pins the champion. Dario Cueto is stunned at ringside. His brother is no longer champion.

Matanza Cueto is eliminated

Dario Cueto is nearly in tears on the outside. He is yelling at Referee Marty Elias. An eliminated Matanza goes after Rey Mysterio. He chokes him and throws him repeatedly into the gates on the outside. Matanza knocks out the referee. He then hits The Wrath of The Gods on Rey. The Monster then gets hold of a chair, Dario tries to get Matanza to stop but he pushes Dario down to the ground... Johnny Mundo covers a lifeless Mysterio in the ring and pins him.

Rey Mysterio Jr. is eliminated

Down to The Final Four. Mundo, Sexy, Mack and Muertes. Star goes after Mundo. Tries to roll him up and pin him. PJ Black and Jack Evans have returned. They gang up on Sexy. Rey Mysterio is being attended to by paramedics at ringside... Rey is taken out on a stretcher.... While WU is beating down Star in the ring and showboating. Angelico returns... He is on the stage area in the crowd and he leaps out of the crowd and into the ring. Onto all 3 members of WU. Sexy Star covers Mundo and pins him.

Johnny Mundo is eliminated

Final 3 in Aztec Warfare. Sexy Star, Mil Muertes and The Mack. All 3 are now in the ring. Muertes disposes of Sexy outside the ring. He then hits the Flatliner on Mack and eliminates him.

The Mack is eliminated

It's down to Sexy and Muertes. Muertes beats down on Star. Chokeslams her. He then pulls out a table from underneath the ring. Throws it into the ring and sets it up in the corner. Muertes also brings a steel chair into the ring. Tries to chokeslam Star onto it, but she counters it into a DDT. Sexy grabs the steel chair and starts blasting Mil with it repeatedly. She goes for the cover but Muertes kicks out. Mil fights back and puts Sexy into the corner in front of the table. Muertes charges at her, she moves out of the way. Muertes crashes into the table. Sexy covers Mil but he kicks out.... Sexy charges at Mil, He punches her directly in the face. Mil goes for another table. Sets it up in the ring and picks her up. Muertes brings Star to the top rope and attempts to choke slam her off of it and through the table. Star fights Mil off and he is sent crashing through the table. Star hits a double foot stomp off the top rope. Star pins Muertes and wins Aztec Warfare.

Mil Muertes is eliminated

Sexy Star wins Aztec Warfare III to become The New Lucha Underground Champion

* Show Closing Thoughts

If you don't have The El Rey Network or didn't catch this show live. Go out of your way to see it. It's Lucha Underground's version of The Royal Rumble. This was a fun match to watch. For all the heat that LU gets because of men getting physical with women on their show. There are arguments for and against it.......
Tonight was an example of how the women fighters are treated like equals on the show. Not as just a sideshow or time filler. You have to look at Lucha Underground, in a different context. It's the wrestling equivalent of a comic book. No one has ever had a problem with villains fighting with or trying to defeat female heroes like Wonder Woman or Supergirl. In those forms of entertainment, Big strong men try to kill those women all the time....... It won't last for a long time, but it was cool to see Sexy Star's character end up triumphant. Even if it's just for one night. In the very same match, Pentagon was eliminated because of a female faction, with "The Black Lotus Tribe" seeking and exacting revenge against him. You may not like it, but you can't say that the women on this show, are not treated as equals in this universe.

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