REVIEW
Every new wrestling promotion claim to offer something “new”, or an “alternative” to the mainstream product. Most of the time what they’re really saying is, “please watch US instead of WWE!” Over the years, with TNA rarely living up to its own hype, and different shows rising and falling, claiming to be the next generation of wrestling, I’ve sort of become jaded and burnt out by all the claims.
Lucha Underground is the first new promotion that actually delivers on its promise to bring something new and unique to the world of professional wrestling.
In its debut hour-long episode, Lucha Underground managed to put on one television “Match of the Year” candidate, premiere its top heel and babyfaces wrestlers/managers, introduce its primary authority figure, touch on the history of lucha libre, deliver a solid performance from well-known and historic names within the business, and set the stage for the layout of its weekly presentation going forward.
But that’s all things it needed to do anyways. Those are fundamentals that every wrestling show should be following. The thing that set Lucha’s pilot apart from other brands – outside of the amazing 20-minute main event match – was its production. This show is different. It’s nothing you’ve seen from wrestling before. The bell-to-bell product is there, but the backstage segments are filmed in dark rooms with over-the-top Mexican soap opera-style dialogue; but it actually works! The marriage between those two worlds feels right. When the cameras fly over Los Angeles and slowly make their way to the small, run-down arena, it brought me back to the first season of reality series, Survivor. Mark Burnett’s production influence is REAL.
This isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Some will think it’s “too dramatic”, while others may not dig some of the characters, or understand the importance of masks in lucha history, etc. But I definitely think there’s a place for this show on TV, for all kinds of difference audiences, and I hope it continues to succeed for many profitable seasons to come. If for nothing else, but to give the workers a place to work.
Definitely check out Lucha Underground. It’s worth the 45 minutes of your day, and if you don’t have the El Rey network, you can find a copy of the show through less-than-upstanding methods via the internet.
