Drago vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix from Lucha Underground 2014

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Thoughts from Bill Thompson:

This is a Three Way Match.

I won’t deny that I have been enjoying Lucha Underground. I don’t think it’s great as far as a wrestling product goes, and by no means do I think it’s on the same level as the best weekly wrestling TV right now, NXT. That being said, Lucha Underground is offering something fresh and that is appealing. I don’t think anyone can deny that World Wrestling Entertainment has become stale, and that TV from Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling remains more of the same. In a stagnant American mainstream TV wrestling landscape Lucha Underground is a breath of fresh air.

That brings us to this match, one that a lot of people have been labeling as great. Well, it’s certainly not great, but it’s not bad either. In a way this showdown between Fenix, Pentagon Jr., and Drago is a near perfect encapsulation of the LU product as a whole so far.A fresh take with new stars that is being presented in an interesting and appealing way. At the same time the actual wrestling is intriguing but ultimately quite shallow. That’s fine at this stage, because LU is still trying to make their mark. For that reason it makes perfect sense for them to send out these three gentlemen; and to then let them loose in a shade under eight minutes.

Make no bones about it, this is a spotfest. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad match though, because I can appreciate a good spotfest when I see one. And guess what, this is a good spotfest. The spots employed by the three performers are engaging and interesting to watch unfold. All three men are very crisp in their execution, and that is very important in a spotfest. They keep the pace very high and once their three way train gets rolling its momentum never lets up. Most of all this match is a lot of fun, and sometimes that’s more than enough to create a good match.

Now, that still leaves a good match and not a great match. The natural contrived nature of the three way gimmick is at play here. No matter how hard I try I have a hard time getting into the three way aesthetic. It simply does not make sense in my wrestling world for there to be long stretches of time where one wrestler lays on the mat or on the outside so that the other two competitors can get their stuff in. Every time that happens it comes across as incredibly fake, and in only eight minutes it happens quite a bit in this match. Another issue holding this match back is that there are too many instances where a spot is clearly being set up. The most egregious is when Pentagon is waiting for Fenix to hit a Springboard Avalanche Frankensteiner. Pentagon waits, and when Fenix has to steady himself he stays waiting and makes it all too obvious that he is just standing there for the sole purpose of Fenix hitting his move. So far this appears to be a common problem in LU, and it’s one I’m hoping they can get past moving forward.

Fenix, Pentagon, and Drago come together to produce a pretty good match. It’s not great by any measure, but it is a lot of fun. Mainly, it’s an energetic affair and presents the sort of throw something at the wall approach that is sorely lacking in the current American pro wrestling on TV landscape. I’d like to see more from actual Luchadors in LU, but these three are a fantastic start. I didn’t absolutely love this match, but I did like it. It’s definitely a match I’d recommend others check out for a quick ten minutes of fun.

Cheers,
Bill Thompson