For the first time in their history, the professional wrestlers of Lucha Underground went to battle outside of their televised arena, The Temple.
The luchadores, from Rey Mysterio to Ivelisse, fought in a series of matches during South By Southwest at the Austin Warfare event. In a press conference before the event Mysterio spoke about his love for the fans and how their support drives the show.
"With my first appearance with Lucha Underground, I didn't know what to expect," Mysterio said. "I'd seen the fans before, as a fan myself, on TV. And so when they first announced my name, I walked out and the fans just went crazy. And that pumped me up, motivated me, drove me, and filled me with emotion to get in the ring. The barricade of people. Because as [show commentator] Vampiro said, there are no real barricades, no fences dividing me from the fans, so when you walk out it's very personal. When you stand at the very top before you go down the stairway, you can make eye contact with every single person if you'd like to."
For those that weren't able to attend the event, The Daily Texan rounded up a list of the night's winners and losers.
Winner: Pentagon Jr.
In a four way match Pentagon Jr. battled Aero Star, Drago and Son of Havoc. The three wrestlers struggled to overtake Pentagon Jr., with Aero Star leaping toward him from the balcony of the Austin Music Hall. The stunt resulted in a bloody nose for Aero Star, who received the most serious injury of the night. In the end, Lucha Underground's most violent wrestler came out on top.
Winner: Fenix
Proving success must run in the family, Fenix, real-life brother of Pentagon Jr., defeated Mil Muertes. The match played out the rivalry between the two wrestlers, who have been feuding since the beginning of Lucha Underground. The win was an upset for Mil Muertes, the defending Lucha Underground Champion.
Winner: Ivelisse
Ivelisse came out on top in a match against Taya, one of Lucha Underground's newest wrestlers. Ivelisse was formally allied with Angélico and Son of Havoc, with the trio winning the Lucha Underground Trios Championships last year. She went on to defeat the two in order to win a match against Mil Muertes, which she lost during the premiere of Lucha Underground's second season earlier this year. A fierce competitor, Ivelisse won the match with Taya tapping out.
Winner: Cage, Prince Puma, Rey Mysterio
In a six-person tag match, Cage, Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio took on Johnny Mundo, Jack Evans and PJ Black. In the main event of the night, practically every wrestler ended up on the mat outside of the ring, even Taya, who made a brief return appearance during the match to support Johnny Mundo. Mysterio drew some of the biggest cheers of the night, with fans celebrating the wrestlers recent addition to the Lucha Underground roster.
