Lucha Underground S2 E3: The Hunt is On… Recap – Results and Analysis Featuring the FULL Fenix vs. Cuerno Match on Video, Kobra Moon, Jack Evans, Drago, and More!

Results, Shows, Top Story, TV Shows

Cuerno Catrina S2E3

Hey, luchafans!  Welcome to this week’s Lucha Underground recap!  See the live coverage for S2 E3: The Hunt is On… here!

Fenix and King Cuerno fought once again on Season 2 Episode 3 of Lucha Underground, but this time, it wasn’t for the Gift of the Gods Championship – instead, Catrina wanted King Cuerno to finish what he started and make sure that the bird Fenix never flew again.

However, it turned out the opposite.

Texano and Aero Star are also coming back to the Temple – Texano with a vengeance to take what’s rightfully his, and Aero Star literally through time and space in honor of the Gods.  We also saw the in-ring debut of the sexy, slithery Kobra Moon, and the season debut of Drago, Bengala, and Jack “The Dragonslayer” Evans.  Moreover, we now know that Catrina has cordially invited the Death Crew to the Temple, and Captain Vasquez isn’t pleased, because Dario Cueto knows, too.  Vasquez has set the task ahead of one of her detectives – and the sleazy, aviator-clad Joey Ryan.

Joey Ryan Returns S2E3

Texano and Aero Star’s in-ring, in-Temple debuts have been confirmed (for next week, I believe), and Catrina also confirmed a match between Prince Puma and Pentagon Junior for next week when she found Puma praying by himself behind the scenes.  We should expect to see more of Kobra Moon after her amazing in-ring debut Wednesday night, and hopefully some storylines for her – and the same for Bengala, despite his loss.  We know Catrina gets, um, excited when Fenix is around, so she certainly wants to play with him even more, so with that combined with Cuerno’s violent loss on Wednesday night, we should expect to see more of him.  Mil Muertes wasn’t pleased with Fenix’s win either, so should we expect a Lucha Underground Championship Match between these two?  Let’s hope so!  However, I’m interested in seeing more Fenix vs. King Cuerno before we earn that match, as they are AMAZING together in the ring.

Overall, this was yet another excellent episode that gave us even more to think about, despite that the first two episodes (as well as last season’s finales) set up so much for this season.  Let’s look!

King Cuerno S2E3

Notice at the beginning of Wednesday’s new episode that Vampiro was pretty cordial, perhaps due to the lack of Pentagon’s presence.  Maybe we’ll see a change next week.  While I’m interested in a continuation of the Pentagon/Vampiro feud, I definitely want to see more of what happens between him and Prince Puma.

Kobra vs Bengala 3 S2E3

Singles Match: Kobra Moon vs. Bengala
Winner via submission: Kobra Moon

Wow, talk about a debut and an opening match for both wrestlers!  Kobra Moon entered the temple with impressive snake/peacock gear that really suits her character.  Bengala also returned in his white tiger ensemble.  He really looks like a cat here, when Kobra was putting the Bengal big cat to sleep in her signature submission move.  The animal motifs were pretty cool for both characters.

Kobra vs Bengala 7 S2E3

Great counters throughout this match.  There was an even amount of momentum distributed between these two so they could shine, despite the length of the match.  Kobra’s series debut came out pretty strong as a result.  I also admired the combination of her impressive resistance and staying in character when she wrapped her legs around Bengala to prevent being thrown over.  It was at that point she initiated her submission maneuver with a sleeper hold, followed by body scissors.

Kobra Moon vs Bengala 8 S2E3

Kobra vs Bengala 2 S2E3

However, while there was still a lot of awesome material remaining in the episode after this match, I really wanted this match to last longer.  I want to see Bengala get more screentime for matches and more involvement in storylines than he was last season, but before that happens, we need to see his character grow and develop.  Same with Kobra Moon.  Plus, she’s just really friggin’ awesome.  Very strong roster debut for her, and I’m excited to see what LU Creative will do for her.  So with that, I’m wondering if that’s something we can hope for regarding these two.

Kobra Moon vs Bengala S2E3

As of now, there are just so many possibilities for these two this season to make concrete predictions about these two.  Last week, I mentioned how Kobra Moon could possibly be competition for the other luchadors, particularly Sexy Star, when she returns to the Temple – though because she’s currently held hostage by Marty “The Moth” Martinez, we should expect to see an in-ring feud between her and Marty before Sexy Star moves on to other feuds.  That said, because she’s made such an awesome in-ring debut, she could easily have a feud with almost anyone on the roster.

https://www.facebook.com/LuchaUnderground/photos/a.856256081066251.1073741828.843366365688556/1163342640357592/?type=3&theater

Aero Star’s Season Debut Promo

Excellent face debut.  Even though they strongly play into the supernatural themes of LU, Aero Star’s amazing time and space travel powers make him stand out from the rest of the roster.  So far, he’s using them for good.  We discovered this during this segment when he appeared to be working towards reuniting the ancient Aztec tribes.  On one hand, he kind of has to, since the prophecy predicted that a godlike hero would reunite them after the Gods left the tribes, but that still characterizes him as a face.  Plus, he already proved himself as a strong face character last season.

At the same time, that puts a lot at stake when you consider the possibility of Aero Star turning heel – which, probably like most fans, I really don’t want to see, but it’s interesting and intense to think about.  His character would remain just as unique as a heel, as well.

I’m also super psyched to see how Aero Star’s storyline with the tribes works into his in- and out-of-ring conflicts with the rest of the roster.  (On another note – it’s cool how many storylines and promos are set outside of the Temple, as Chris DeJoseph promised during an appearance earlier this year.)   As far as predictions go, I would think Aero Star would continue his friendship with Drago.  But what happens to their friendship when Aero Star needs to fulfill the prophecy?  Will there be another heated feud between them like last season?  We’ll see.

Drago vs Jack Evans S2E3

Singles Match: Drago vs. Jack “The Dragonslayer” Evans
Winner by pinfall: Jack “The Dragonslayer” Evans

Love him or hate him (you probably do the latter), Jack Evans had some good heel heat in this match.  To clarify after Matt Striker’s comment, after I looked through some of the highlight clips, Evans isn’t nomming on Drago’s thumb.  It’s actually his hand and some of his wrist.

Drago vs Jack Evans 6 S2E3

Not that it makes a difference.  Jack’s an a-hole.  But despite that, his fighting style is surprisingly skilled and acrobatic.  He had some cool moves during this match, including some excellent counters between him and Drago, some eye-gouging (gross), headlocks, great reversals, plus a backslide that gave him the chance to pin Drago for the win.  He wasn’t a cruiserweight champ in AAA for nothing.

Drago S2E3

Drago was pretty awesome, too.  He dodged some of Jack’s moves, which is pretty impressive, considering how quick Jack can be.  He sent Jack out of the ring, had some cool counters and reversals, a dragon roll, and what looked to be some pretty painful slaps on Jack.  He also got some revenge for that wrist bite.

He gained some momentum after that, especially with a leap from the turnbuckles, plus a DDT soon after.

Drago vs Jack Evans 5 S2E3

He also pinned Jack Evans a few times before Evans countered with the backslide.

Drago vs Jack Evans 7 S2E3

I can see these two developing a feud after this match, especially after Evans stole the mic from Melissa Santos and declared himself Jack “The Dragonslayer” Evans, presumably a jab to Drago.  But Jack Evans is that way to everybody, so who knows?  Regardless, this was a great match and an equally great season debut for both of them.  LU hasn’t disappointed us yet this season.

Texano Jr.’s Season Debut Promo

Texano sure is pissed, but that’s only going to help him when he returns to the Temple.  He’s also pretty hated, so we should expect tons of heat as soon as he returns to the Temple next week (perhaps against Aero Star when he returns?  Just guessing).  He’s had so many feuds since debuting on LU that it’s not even funny.  He did have that one half-face turn thing with Daivari, but still.

Last we left off, he seemed to be on good terms with King Cuerno and Prince Puma.  On one hand, another tag team or a partnership of sorts will either be delayed, or come much later this season.  I wondered a couple weeks ago if Fenix would create a tag team against King Cuerno.  If it would come to that, because of Texano Jr.’s current standing with King Cuerno, those two could be a possibility.  Anything involving Texano and Prince Puma probably won’t happen until the Puma/Pentagon Junior feud is over with – and I’m not in any hurry to see it finished soon.  Like a lot of these debuts this episode, I’m feeling that anything goes right now for Texano.

Cuerno vs Fenix 6 S2E3

Last Luchador Standing Match: Fenix vs. Gift of the Gods Champion King Cuerno
Winner and Last Luchador Standing: Fenix

Recall in the Season 2 Premiere that Fenix and King Cuerno fought for the Gift of the Gods Championship, with Cuerno earning the title.  Last season, Fenix won the title and returned still feeling victorious during the season 2 premiere – until he found that Catrina had taken over as the new proprietor of the Temple, and his first match was with Cuerno.

Cuerno vs Fenix S2E1

In this episode, Catrina was pissed that Cuerno didn’t completely destroy Fenix in the process of this match. This Last Luchador Standing Match was to make sure that got done this time – but it ended horribly for King Cuerno and Catrina as a result, with Fenix as the Last Luchador Standing.

Fenix S2

Also, for those of you who can’t watch El Rey Network (whose reach is increasing every day, so there’s hope) or want to relive the awesomeness, you can watch the whole match on LU‘s Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/LuchaUnderground/videos/1163435297014993/

Wow.  Amazing.  I really wanted this match to last.  These two just work really great together.  The energy was so strong, I felt it even at home (the fact it’s pre-recorded is beside the point).  I could go on about the moves and skills of these two, but let’s get to the nitty-gritty – what the heck is going to happen now that Fenix is still alive, still flying, after King Cuerno fell back-first into the table from the ladder?

Fenix is a strong character, so his push is working and it’s believable, so that helps.  But not only are Catrina and Cuerno pissed, but then there’s Mil Muertes.  And that’s not going to be pretty.  Not only do we get to see Fenix up for another possible Gift of the Gods Championship match (and another match between these two would be totally okay with me), but he’s on the road for an LU Championship match.  But we’re going to see more of Catrina unleashing her wrath onto Fenix.  Will she give him the Kiss of Death?  Will we see Fenix vs. Mil Muertes?  What about the Disciples of Death?  And what does this mean for the rest of the roster chasing the LU Championship?

Stay tuned next week for another all-new episode of Lucha Underground this Wednesday at 8 P.M. EST, on El Rey Network!

Kate witnessed the Litasault and has been hooked on wrestling ever since. She covers lucha libre and the independent circuit. She holds a B.A. from University of Maine at Machias in English, Art, and Communications, and assists at an indie publishing house in Maine.