"Ultima Lucha" (Spanish for Last Fight) is the name of the final episodes of the first season of professional wrestling TV series Lucha Underground. The first part of Ultima Lucha, episode 38, premiered on the El Rey Network on July 29, 2015, and the two-hour final episode Ultima Lucha, episode 39, premiered on August 5, 2015 on the El Rey Network and he later shown in Mexico on the UniMás network in a version with Spanish commentary. The episodes was the season one zenith of several ongoing storylines that played out throughout the first season of Lucha Underground. As part of the season finale all three of the Lucha Underground championships were on the line in a match, including a match to determine the first ever Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Champion. The episodes earned critical acclaim.
Production
Background The three hours of the Ultima Lucha episodes were taped on April 18 (Episode 38) and April 19 (episode 39) 2015 in the "Lucha Underground temple" in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, the site of all Lucha Underground television tapings. The show also featured segments that were meant to take place "backstage" during the actual show, all of which that were filmed at a different time than the matches themselves. The event was broadcast in two parts, episode 38, a one-hour show and 39 a two-hour season finale show. The Ultima Lucha show was first announced by the storyline owner of Lucha Underground Dario Cueto (Luis Fernandez-Gil) on the March 22, 2015 television taping. The announcement aired on June 10 during episode 31 "The Desolation of Drago".
Storylines Ultima Lucha featured a number of professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either heels (referred to as rudos in Mexico, those that portray the "bad guys") or faces (técnicos in Mexico, the "good guy" characters) as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
During Season 1, Episode 8 ("A Unique Opportunity") of Lucha Underground, the owner and promoter of Lucha Underground, Dario Cueto, introduced the Lucha Underground Championship and revealed a championship belt as the physical representation of said championship. He went on to announce the first Aztec Warfare match, which would take place during the next episode of Lucha Underground to crown the inaugural cChampion. Also on that episode, Mil Muertes (Gilbert Cosme) and Fénix (real name unrevealedIn Mexico, the real names of masked wrestlers are not published unless the wrestlers themselves reveal them.) each defeated nine other wrestlers, then Muertes beat Fénix so that Muertes would enter the Aztec Warfare match as the last competitor, while Fénix would enter as the first of twenty. Episode 9 ("Aztec Warfare") was dedicated to the championship match featuring 20 wrestlers (a mixture of male, female and Mini-Estrella competitors) who entered the match at different times. Prince Puma (Trevor Mann) won Aztec Warfare to become the first Lucha Underground Champion. Mil Muertes was the second last eliminated after consecutive attacks from both Puma and Johnny Mundo (John Hennigan), then Puma proceeded to pin Mundo to win the championship. From Episode 10 to Episode 34, Prince Puma successfully defended the Lucha Underground Championship in a series of one-on-one title matches, scoring victories over seven other wrestlers: Fénix, Cage (Brian Button), King Cuerno (real name unrevealed) Drago (Víctor Manuel Soto Flores), Hernandez (Shawn Hernandez), Johnny Mundo and Chavo Guerrero Jr. Meanwhile, Mil Muertes was largely preoccupied with feuding with Fénix until Episode 29. On Episode 19, "Grave Consequences" Mil Muertes lost a casket match to his primary rival Fénix. Muertes did not return to Lucha Underground until several episodes later, with the storyline being that the "death" of Mil Muertes only made him stronger, with Muertes being presented as darker, more violent than before his loss to Fénix. Mil Muertes' "resurrection" storyline saw him defeat Fénix in a "death match" on the 29th episode ("Fight to the Death").
On Episode 31 ("The Desolation of Drago") Drago won a four-way match within failed Lucha Underground Championship challengers to earn a title match against Prince Puma at Ultima Lucha. After the match Mil Muertes manager Catrina (Karlee Perez) approached Cueto in his office, stating that Mil Muertes wanted a match for the title, threatening Cueto into booking a match between Mil Muertes and Drago, the winner of which would face Prince Puma at Ultima Lucha. On episode 33 ("Death vs. the Dragon") Mil Muertes defeated Drago and became the #1 contender for the Lucha Underground Championship. The title match became the first officially announced match for Ultima Lucha. During episode 36 ("The Beginning of the End") Mil Muertes and Prince Puma were invited to face each other in the ring, a segment that saw Catrina bring her "Disciples of Death" (Barrio Negro; (real name unrevealed), Siniestro de la Muerte (real name unrevealed) and Trece (Richard Mathey)) to the ring where they attacked Prince Puma as well as Puma's manager Konnan (Charles Asherhof). The show ended with the Disciples putting Konnan in a casket that was placed at ringside.
Early in the season of Lucha Underground a feud between Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Salvador Guerrero IV) and Blue Demon Jr. (real name unrevealed) as Chavo attacked Blue Demon Jr. after a match, hitting him with a steel chair, supposedly injuring him so badly that Blue Demon Jr. did not appear for 29 episodes, returning on episode 31 where he fought against Chavo Guerrero Jr. and his "protection squad" of Mr. Cisco (real name unknown) and Cortez Castro (Rick Diaz) who helped Guerrero cheat to beat Blue Demon Jr. At a subsequent show (episode 34 "Gold and Guerreros:) Guerrero faced Prince Puma in a match where Puma's manager was not allowed to interfere. During the match Konnan called out El Texano to help even the odds. During the match Guerrero suffered a leg injury during his loss to Puma. The Injury to Guerrero meant that the feud with Texano had to be put to the side, so Lucha Underground added a post-match segment from back stage where Chavo Guerrero Jr. was mocked by Blue Demon Jr. The insults led to Guerrero questioning how Blue Demon Jr., who lived in Miami could represent Mexico? The implication that Texano was a better representative of Mexico was used as the motivation to shift the storyline away from the injured Guerrero to Texano and Blue Demon Jr. During episode 35 Blue Demon Jr. attacked Texano, declaring that HE was Mexico, not Texano. The storyline will lead to a no disqualification match at Ultima Lucha.
On episode 27 ("Ancient Medallions") Dario Cueto revealed that he had gathered seven ancient Aztec medallions over the years with special power. He explained that they represented the seven tribes of the ancient Aztec world and that whoever held all seven of them would gain a "gift from the gods". Later on he ordered seven wrestlers to come to the ring; Cage, Fénix, Killshot (real name unknown), King Cuerno, Willie Mack (Willie McClinton Jr.), Pentagón Jr. (real name unrevealed) and Sexy Star (Dulce Maria García Rivas). The winner of the seven-way match would win the first of seven medallions. Fénix won the match and the first of the medallions. In Episode 30 ("Submit to the Master") Cueto announced that Jack Evans (Jack Miller) and Argenis (real name unrevealed) would wrestle for the second of the medallions in a match that Jack Evans won. Aero Star (real name unrevealed) defeated Cage, The Mack and Marty the Moth (Martin Casaus) on episode 33 "Death Vs. the Dragon" to win the third medallion. On Episode 36 (The Beginning of the End) Bengala (Ricardo Fuentes Romero), King Cuerno and Sexy Star all won gold medallions. During the TV taping on held on April 18 Cueto revealed that the seven medallions all combined into the Gift of the Gods Championship and that at Ultima Lucha the seven medallion holders would wrestle for the championship. Holding the championship gives the champion the power to demand a match for the Lucha Underground Championship any time they wanted, provided they gave Cueto a week's notice so he could promote the match. Fénix outlasted the other six competitors and won the Gift of the Gods Championship.
Vampiro (Ian Hodkinson) began in Lucha Underground as a commentator, providing commentary along with Matt Striker (Matthew Kaye) for the English language version of Lucha Underground as well as teaming with Hugo Savinovich for the Spanish version of the show. During Episode 23 ("Fire in the Cosmos") rudo wrestler Pentagón Jr. threatened ring announcer Melissa Santos, threatening to hurt her. During the confrontation Vampiro voiced his disapproval of what was going on and stood up to confront Pentagón Jr. but before he could enter the ring Sexy Star, a female luchadora ran to the ring to save Melissa Santos from being attacked. The following week Vampiro apologized to the viewing audience, stating that he was wrong to try to get involved in any way. During Pentagón Jr.'s feud with Sexy Star he often made mention of his master, his Amo, stating that he was hurting various wrestlers to prove himself worthy to his Master. After a match where Pentagón Jr. defeated Sexy Star Vampiro jumped in the ring and prevented Pentagón Jr. from attacking Sexy Star after the match. The following week Vampiro apologized again, stating that he was no longer a wrestler and was trying to stay out of it. In subsequent interviews Pentagón Jr. repeatedly challenged Vampiro to a match, discussing "sacrificing" Vampiro to his master. On Episode 35 ("Fuel to the Fire") Pentagón Jr. attacked Vampiro after the last match, pouring gasoline on him as Vampiro was on the ground, threatening to set Vampio on fire if he did not accept the match. A week later ("The Beginning of the End") Pentagón Jr. came to the ring to confront Vampiro, or "Ian Hodkinson" as he called him since was no longer a wrestler. At the end of the segment Vampiro responded that Ian Hodkinson will not accept the challenge, but Vampiro would and then attacked Pentagón Jr. to set up a Cero Miedo (literally "No Fear," a hardcore) match at Ultima Lucha.
During episode 26 ("Best in the Business") Johnny Mundo and Alberto El Patrón (José Alberto Rodríguez) both approached Dario Cueto backstage, each claiming that they deserved to be the number one contender for the Lucha Underground champion, not Hernandez as Cueto had announced the previous week. This led to Cueto putting them in a match against each other, with the winner facing Hernandez the following week. At the end of the show El Patrón pinned Mundo after a very even, clean match to earn the right to face Hernandez. The following week Johnny Mundo shows up during El Patrón's match with Hernandez and throws El Patrón through the glass window to Dario Cueto's office, costing him the match and turning rudo in the process. The next week (Episode 28 "Shoots and Ladders") Mundo claimed that El Patrón was overrated and said he did not think El Patrón would be back. Mundo would later receive a championship match against Prince Puma on Episode 32 ("All Night Long"); near the end of the match, just as it appeared that Mundo would win the match Alberto El Patrón returned and attacked Johnny Mundo outside the ring, fighting from one side of the arena to the other before tossing Mundo back inside the ring and then walked off while celebrating. The following week they announced that Alberto El Patrón would face Johnny Mundo in the second match announced for Ultima Lucha.