Texano Jr. vs. Famous B, Dr. Wagner Jr.: ok
As decreed by Dario last week, if Famous B wins, Texano must sign a representation contract with him. Since Famous B has a broken arm thanks to Pentagón Dark, Dario agrees to allow the choice of a partner; Famous B calls in Dr. Wagner Jr.
This has a few interesting moments, such as Famous B getting tossed from the stairs, but overall it's a very run-of-the-mill match. Famous B rolls up Texano for the win when the latter falls for the distraction of Brenda on the apron and kisses her. It's a bit of a role reversal of sorts, since Famous B has been portrayed as the goof for most of his time in Lucha Underground, and here it's Texano who's played for the fool.
In the end, though, the emotional investment isn't really there for me: Texano had been kind of sort of half-important in the quest for what turned out to be the gauntlet, but after that, this subplot has felt more like a disconnected sideshow – and a less amusing one than the Rabbit Tribe at that – rather than something that weaves into the fabric of the Temple. Perhaps there were or are plans for Famous B's faction to do Something Important in season 4, but at the moment this feels like the second move of a chess game when everyone else is going for checkmate.
Killshot vs. Dante Fox [Hell of War]: classic
This is officially structured as best two of three matches, but given that they occur without a break, and in keeping with longstanding lucha tradition, I'll treat it as two of three falls. Each fall has a different stipulation:
- First Blood: a winner is declared when his opponent bleeds
- No Disqualification
- Medical Evacuation: the fall ends when a combatant is placed into the back of an ambulance and the door is closed
There is an amazing level of video-game athleticism here as well as a disturbing escalation of hardcore spots and implements. Dante Fox should not be able to do a legdrop to the apron from that ledge. Dante Fox should not be able to do that snap Spanish Fly variation. Dante Fox should also not be taking a Storm Cradle Driver onto glass. Oh wait; that was just the end of the second fall.
Fox ends up falling from the band platform through several panes of glass for the big finale bump that allows Killshot to put him in the back of the ambulance.
"Classic" is my equivalent of *****, and it's only the second one that I've given out in a written review. It's difficult to put exactly into words what pushes this match over the edge into that special realm, but there's practically no dead time, and everything seems to fit perfectly into the narrative of the simultaneous escalation of sheer craziness and violence.
Even some potentially unintentional twists seem to play into their favor: On that snap Spanish Fly that I mentioned earlier, Dante Fox's left foot appears to slip off the rope, but they still pull off the spot as if nothing has gone wrong. It actually makes the move look even more impressive as a one-foot Spanish Fly. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that they didn't mean to have a piece of Fox's skin come all the way off, but that only adds to the visceral poignancy of the match.
Lucha Underground has had its share of insane matches and final bumps, and this probably tops them all. I highly recommend this match even though it will take some time after the match to process everything that happens and that two human beings actually willingly worked a match like this for our enjoyment.
The sad thing is that most lucha extrema practitioners in Mexico who watch this will probably have no idea what makes this match different from their matches with 656 light tubes.
OVERALL: Watch the Hell of War match; it's one of the best in LU history. The other match is utterly skippable. Use that time to mentally prepare for Hell of War, if you need to.
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