Those who believe know that once you step foot in the Temple that you take your chances; you take the risk that your body and mind will be harmed, but there’s always a way out, at least until there isn’t. The paths of two men have intersected more times than can be counted since the Temple opened its doors. For whatever reason, these two men find themselves now at the ever ominous Crossroads, a place where finality looms large, a finality that will bring new beginnings. Tonight, these two men do battle where there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Tonight, these two men battle in a cold, hard, steel cage.
Lucha #1: Cage vs. Johnny Mundo w/Taya (Gift of the Gods Medallion)
The fact that one of the ancient Aztec Medallions is at stake is almost an afterthought in this battle, for the only thing that seems to matter is the harm that they can cause each other. Cage and Mundo square off, with hard punches being thrown by both men. Johnny tries using his feet, but the Machine picks him up and throws him into the corner. He follows Mundo in with an elbow, followed up by a powerful clothesline. Mundo, acknowledging his predicament, attempts an early escape, more for his life than for victory. His attempt fails miserably. Cage delivers a dropkick to the face of Mundo, and then sends him into the steel walls yet again. Cage, showing his strength, presses Mundo over his head and throws him like garbage into the structure bearing his name.
To this point, it’s been all Cage, delivering a neckbreaker to Mundo. He sends Mundo into the corner head first, through the ropes into the cage. The Machine scales to the top rope and puts Mundo in a modified Crab from the top turnbuckle. Mundo, screaming in pain has nowhere to go, nowhere to hide as the assault continues. But Mundo is ever resilient and knows that even the smallest advantage must be taken. He manages to crotch Cage on the top rope. He follows it up knee strikes, driving Cage’s head into the steel. Mundo tries again to escape over the top, but Cage climbs up to stop him. Mundo grabs The Machine and drives them both into the mat with a Spanish Fly. He attempts the pin, but none is to be had just yet.
Both men again ascend to the top, trying to end this encounter before the damage is permanent. Mundo sends Cage back to the mat with a Moonlight Drive from the top rope. Again, the Machine will not be turned off. Taya attempts to send in a kendo stick, but Cage nails a Clothesline to Mundo, sending him down. He hits a beautiful back Suplex followed by a Buckle Bomb, then a Power Bomb into the metal. Cage climbs the cage, but is met at the top by Taya, who hits him with the kendo stick. Cage falls back, and Johnny now has the weapon. He strikes at Cage time and time again, sending him to the mat, but still Cage will not stay down. Mundo attempts to deliver more kendo stick punishment, but Cage wrests it away, and returns the favor, hitting Johnny square across the head. He goes for the pin but Mundo kicks out. Cage delivers a Discus Lariat, and attempts a Weapon X to end this war, but Mundo reverses it into a pinning attempt, but to no avail.
Taya climbs the cage again, sending a chair into her man. He strikes Cage across the head with the chair, but Cage kicks out from the pin. Mundo climbs the structure, with every opportunity to escape, but his arrogance gets the better of him. Can he defeat the Machine in a structure made for such a man? He attempts the End of the World off the top of the cage, but Cage moves. Taya climbs to the top and leaps off onto Cage. She and Mundo hit a Magic Killer on Cage, but again he won’t stay down. The fiery Luchadora pulls handcuffs from her boots, as she and Mundo attempt to handcuff Cage to the ropes, but Cage fights back, kicking Mundo away. He grabs Taya’s hand and handcuffs her; her interference now a non-factor. He picks up Mundo and delivers a Suplex Tombstone onto the steel chair and finally…..finally picks up the victory and the Aztec Medallion
WINNER: CAGE
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a really good opener to the show, and while you would think that this should end the Cage/Mundo feud, I expect their paths to cross again somewhere down the road. This is a feud that has legs to it, much like the Mil Muertes/Fenix feud that could potentially last until the end of time. Cage and Mundo have a genuine hatred for each other that will probably never die down, and should one of them get the opportunity to vie for the Lucha Underground Title, I doubt the other will ever let that happen. While a steel cage contained the battle on this occasion, this war is far from over.
Lucha #2: Team Open Road vs. Evans, Black and Fenix, vs. The Crew and Joey Ryan vs. Lucha SuperFriends(Trios Title Elimination Match)
Before we start, El Jefe emerges from his office with breaking news. Somehow Angelico has sustained an injury and has been rushed to the hospital, so therefore Son of Havoc and Ivelisse will now be defending their titles one person down. In a game of numbers, the lower number almost always loses. We’ll soon see if Havoc and Ivelisse can defy those odds.
Fenix, Ivelisse, Rey and Cisco start the match. The action is fast and furious and almost impossible to keep up with. Each team manages a pinning attempt early, but none can be had. Despite the early action, no advantage has been gained. Cisco manages to take a small advantage, with the support of the Temple Believers behind him. Each team tags in new members and again it breaks down into complete chaos. Azteca takes some shots by The Crew, working well together, but Havoc delivers a beautiful back spring elbow to both men. Ivelisse is tagged back in, but Joey Ryan takes her outside and drives her into the apron.
And then all hell breaks loose and Fenix flies over the top rope onto Joey Ryan. From there, the skies get filled with Luchadors with PJ Black flying, followed by El Dragon Azteca, assisted by his partner Prince Puma. Black made his way back in, and then flies again over the back of Prince Puma. One by one the competitors take flight over the top rope, leaving Ivelisse in the ring. Before she too can fly, Joey Ryan stops her dead in her tracks. She slaps his across the face, and then uses her educated feet to deliver blows to the Master of Sleaze. She suplexes Ryan. who tags in Castro. He delivers a Brainbuster to Ivelisse, but before he can cover her, Ryan yells at his partner for the tag. It is his ill-timed distraction that causes their downfall as Ivelisse rolls up Castro for the pin.
THE CREW AND JOEY RYAN ARE ELIMINATED
As we come back from a break, Jack Evans is finally in the action, with Havoc and Prince Puma. The masked flyers hit Evans with a double dropkick before turning their attention to each other. Havoc, coming off the top rope, stomps Puma in the back and then hits a standing moonsault but cannot get the pin. Ivelisse is now in with Evans, who yells to the crowd that it is HE who is the Baddest Bitch on the Planet, not Ivelisse. Puma was sent over the top rope, as Fenix now enters for his team. Fenix gets a shot to the head and Evans is back in. Ivelisse delivers a Code Red to Evans, but PJ Black turns the pinfall over as the referee was distracted and Ivelisse is defeated.
TEAM OPEN ROAD ARE ELIMINATED; NEW CHAMPS WILL BE CROWNED
Fenix and Azteca go face to face and the action heats up again. Fenix stomps a downed Azteca to the back of the head, but El Dragon springs back with a beautiful Spinning DDT to Fenix. He attempts it again, but Fenix counters, kicking Azteca in the head. Puma is tagged in, taking out his entire opposition. He hits a 630 Splash onto PJ Black, but Evans interferes and hits Puma low. Puma escapes the corner of his opponents, tagging in Rey Mysterio Jr. Rey goes to work with a couple head scissors, followed by a cross body. Never letting his momentum falter, Rey hits a 619 to the back of PJ Black, sending him to the floor of the Temple. He then sets up Jack Evans for the 619, sending Evans flying. With Puma in the ring, he throws El Dragon Azteca onto his opponent for another devastating DDT. Seeing the opportunity at hand, Puma and Dragon fly through the ropes onto their opponents leaving Rey in the ring. He hits a Split Leg Moonsault onto Evans, and we have NEW TRIOS CHAMPIONS!
WINNERS: REY MYSTERIO JR, EL DRAGON AZTECA JR AND PRINCE PUMA
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was almost impossible to keep up with, as four engaging and talented teams went at it for much of the episode. Having Team Open Road being a man down immediately foreshadowed a title change, despite their past ability to overcome any odds. Unfortunately this time, the odds were insurmountable. I quite enjoyed the team of The Crew and Joey Ryan and wished they had lasted longer in the match. It seemed almost a given that the Lucha SuperFriends would come out victorious here, but I’m actually good with that decision. The team is super exciting and Rey hasn’t looked this good in years.
As we leave the Temple, we’re taken to the Sanctum Sanctorum of The Master and Pentagon Jr. The Master calls his pupil forth, but he arrives not by foot, but by wheels as Pentagon Jr is broken, a shell of the warrior he once was. The Master, the man we know as Vampiro, removes his hood and screams at his pupil. RIIIIISE! Pentagon tries to, but his body betrays him. Angered, Vampiro drips hot candle wax onto his pupil, again telling him to rise from his chair. The man of zero fear attempts to make his body do as it’s told, but again it fails him and he falls to the floor. Vampiro kneels beside his pupil, calling him weak. He leaves Pentagon Jr. lying on the floor, feeling a feeling that is foreign to him, that of fear.
Until next time,
Roberto Out!