Inside The Temple: First-Ever Aztec Warfare

Inside The Temple is a retrospective look at the innovative Lucha Underground.  In its short life, Lucha Underground revitalized careers and made a whole host of new stars who would go on to bigger and better things. This edition explores the first-ever Aztec Warfare match to crown the inaugural Lucha Underground World Champion.

Lucha Underground had some amazing, fresh ideas inside the Temple that made the show one of the most memorable in pro wrestling history. The Aztec Warfare match on Episode 9 of Season 1 is a perfect example of the greatness that was this show. The first-ever Aztec Warfare had all the stakes you could dream of as it was also the match to crown the inaugural Lucha Underground Champion. Let’s explore the basis of the match, the competitors who competed, and the eventual winner.

Aztec Warfare Rules

This was the closest thing to a Royal Rumble that Lucha Underground had to offer but with completely different rules. 20 men or women would enter the match, with one coming in every 90 seconds. The way to eliminate your opponents was by pinfall or submission rather than throwing them over the top rope. Another key rule of this match is that there would be no disqualifications or count outs. With these rules, chaos could only ensue until a winner was resolved. This match would last the entire episode until the Lucha Underground Champions was crowned.

Aztec Warface I Competitors

Prior to the match, only two competitors had been revealed and where they would enter. On Episode 8, Mil Muertes and Fenix both won matches to guarantee them a match where the winner would come in at No. 20 and the loser would enter at No. 1. Muertes managed to pummel Fenix in the week prior to guarantee his spot at being the freshest when the match began. Leaving Fenix to enter first and try to outlast 19 other competitors. Here are all 20 competitors in order:

1. Fenix
2. Johnny Mundo
3. Mr. Cisco
4. King Cuerno
5. Son of Havoc
6. Pimpinela Escarlata
7. Prince Puma
8. Ivelisse
9. Drago
10. Bael
11. Cortez Castro
12. Ricky Mandel
13. Big Ryck
14. Pentagon Jr.
15. Super Fly
16. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
17. Mascarita Sagrada
18. Sexy Star
19. El Mariachi Loco
20. Mil Muertes

Results: The Prince Of Lucha Underground Rises To The Top

In a match like Aztec Warfare, it is difficult to follow all the action as the luchadors brought all the action from the start. Fenix and Johnny Mundo was the perfect opening to any match like this, as these two talented athletes put on a show to get the fans excited. The warfare only enhanced when names like King Cuerno and Son of Havoc came into the match, but things were real when Prince Puma stepped in. Puma was the talk of the town since the first episode of Lucha Underground but had struggled to find wins a number of times. This had Konnan, his mentor, questioning the decision of being his guy. But the win proved that Puma took Konnan’s thinking very seriously.

Rivalries Take Focus

Ivelisse became the first female competitor in the Aztec Warfare match and had a solid showing before being eliminated. Drago and King Cuerno’s rivalry came to a head in this one, but it was Cuerno who eventually got the last laugh after Big Ryck fed Drago to Cuerno so that Cuerno could hit him with the Thrill of the Hunt to eliminate him. Another major rivalry that took focus in this Aztec Warfare was Chavo vs. Sexy Star. Chavo was seconds away from eliminating Star before Blue Demon Jr. returned, attacking Chavo and allowing Star to smash Chavo over the head with a steel chair and get her revenge.

Final Four

The final four of the match would be Sexy Star, Mil Muertes, Prince Puma, and Johnny Mundo all the way from the beginning. Muertes would drill Star with a devastating Spear to eliminate her from the match, leaving it down to three. Puma and Mundo realized after some time that the only way to eliminate the killer that was Mil Muertes was to work together. After Mundo accidentally knocked Catrina off the apron with a swift kick, they took advantage of his rage by hitting a double 450 Springboard Splash and pinning Muertes at the same time for the elimination.

Rematch From The First Main Event Crowns Inaugural Lucha Underground Champion

A lot of the reason Lucha Underground got off to a hot start and kept the momentum for most of its time on television all stems back to the first main event. And that main event would finish up the Aztec Warfare match as Johnny Mundo or Prince Puma would be crowned as the Lucha Underground Champion. Mundo got the best of Puma the first time, and many expected that to happen again as Puma seemed to still be a step or two away from greatness. But one 630 Splash later saw Prince Puma shock the world and become the inaugural Lucha Underground Champion, completing the first-ever Aztec Warfare in beautiful fashion.