Lucha Underground Discussion

[A Guy Named Tracy]

I thought Matanza was supposed to be a giant. Cobb is a legit 5' 10".

[Casey]

Ultima Lucha's second part was fucking insane from start to finish - except for the Demon match. Goddamn what a great show.

 

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/101-mexico/43947-lucha-underground-august-5-results-a-recap-ultima-lucha-season-one-finale

 

Screens -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.imagebam.com/gallery/f1kbg4z41ojb86dbc2ximfdyx9rzpvu5

 

God bless El Rey.

 

hashtagbased

[DreamBroken]

Fantastic show that really delivered all the way through. Alberto/Mundo was excellent, great match with both guys bringing it and a lot of excitement, loved it. Post-match ruled too with Alberto getting revenge for the window smash. Definitely had a big time feel to it and started the show off hot. Was always a Vampiro fan so I was very much looking forward to his match, was almost deflated at the fake stoppage after three minutes then the match ended up being the bloody war that it needed to be, awesome stuff. Loved Vampiro's entrance, crazy stuff throughout. Never thought Vampiro had a chance to actually win but some of the near falls were real good. I liked the ending twist, simple but wild at the same time and they make a cool combination. Those two matches were a hell of a one two punch. The medallion match was a lot of fun. I'm one of the few that digs Sexy Star and enjoy all of her matches. Thought everyone looked good and a ton of spots were hitting perfectly all throughout.. good stuff.

 

Main event had an epic feel to it for sure and delivered as a phenomenal match. Figured the title change was inevitable but again great near falls. In-ring closing shot of Catrina ruling with all the gold was cool. Enjoyed the commentary all night as well. Was hoping most of all for a Matanza reveal but the ending montage was pretty much perfect, loved how it focused on all the different stories in that short time, extremely well done. Gotta love the closing shot of Dario as the lights slowly go down. To be continued.. can't wait!

[Phantom Lord]

I ended up watching Ultima Lucha Pt. 2 earlier. Man that was such a fun show (minus the Blue Demon match). I liked the combination of Striker and Michael Schiavello commentating. Schiavello added a bit of realism to each match making it seem very important.

 

Mundo/El Patron was a really fun match. I also loved the return of Melina. God I had missed her in wrestling.

 

Vampiro dressed up as Papa Emeritus from Ghost was quite amusing. See when lighttubes serve a purpose they are a great prop in a death match. I'm not sure about the whole Vampiro being the master thing but it sure was a hell of a match.

 

The seven way was fun controlled chaos. It still amazes me to see Jack Evans being Jack Evans.

 

Blue Demon Jr. vs. Texano was so meh. I understand what they were going for but it just didn't work. If they're doing famous wrestling families they should get El Hijo De Santo while they're at it. Would this match have been really a big deal in Mexico though? Is Demon still a draw down there?

 

Puma vs. Mil Muertes was an amazing match. i jumped when when Muertes hit that top rope Flatliner.

 

I liked how they left everything off as a cliffhanger. I really hope El Rey puts this on Netflix so I can watch it from the start. Dario Cuteo is everything a heel owner should be.

[Jiji]

Due to my LU watching bud being at a sawkur game yesterday, we postponed our ULTIMA LUCHA viewing to tonight. Boy, was it worth the wait. What a fantastic fucking show where it felt if you looked away for more than a second you missed something incredible. Everything seemed to work really well outside of the Blue Demon/Chavo shitfest (how many times has Chavo turned? He's the Latino Big Show). There were three low-end MOTYC on this one show, an awesome vignette with Lotus/Cueto, a fun multi-person match, and a terrific transition into season 2 (which will happen, it must). Just a beautiful wrestling show that made me feel like a kid again and Lucha Underground has done it all year long. Thanks to everybody involved in making that magic happen. I was thrilled to be a wrestling fan, not ashamed and not regretting it like so often when I watch other modern sports entertainment. Ultima Lucha was the perfect climax to a great journey and we're poised for some big stuff next season.

 

Vamp was doing his best old-man Dusty Rhodes selling, where he was on his knees just letting his opponent get his shots in, registering but not really selling. It was fucking perfect. He even did his own version of "MAKE IT GOOD!" at the end. That entire feud just shows how effective thoughtful long-term booking can be in wrestling. As much as Vampiro should receive a great deal of plaudits (baffled critics?!) for taking that bump on the floor after having his neck fused, Pentagon's facial reactions throughout the match were absolutely perfect. His blade job was flippin' immense too.

 

The Mundo/Patron match was the an absolute tone-setter and I adored the ending. I'm pretty sure Johnny just had a bucket of blood poured on his head and didn't blade but it looked magnificent either way. They were going at lightspeed right from the get go and Johnny's heeling was stupendous. Great, great match that really made both guys look like a million dollars.

 

Speaking of great matches that elevated both wrestlers, that main event though! It had everything and they even did reciprocated finisher kickouts without it feeling like overkill because they've so effectively built up both guys as two nearly unstoppable forces for the entire season. Just great back and forth action and they played the speed vs. power simple story to perfection. I would be all for Mil to replace the flatliner finish with that disgusting twisting chokeslam. That was ungodly and looked fantastic! The fact that Puma didn't have his mentor there to guide him builds up intrigue to an eventual rematch.

 

My friend joked as Drago walked off to transform into a dragon again that maybe Aero Star would turn into a spaceship. Then he turned into a spaceship and we lost it. That's the second time something like that's happened (Striker singing Sting's original theme song for Cage being the first).

 

They even brought in Michael Schiavello! He was damned good, though you could see him screwing around with his mic and headset at times. More of him please.

 

Lucha Underground is what wrestling needed in 2015.

[Mistah Na1m4rk]

Just a beautiful wrestling show that made me feel like a kid again and Lucha Underground has done it all year long. Thanks to everybody involved in making that magic happen. I was thrilled to be a wrestling fan, not ashamed and not regretting it like so often when I watch other modern sports entertainment. Ultima Lucha was the perfect climax to a great journey and we're poised for some big stuff next season.

 

...Lucha Underground is what wrestling needed in 2015.

 

A fitting tribute.  I'd drifted away from wrestling after two decades of fandom but stumbled upon Lucha Underground last Christmas and found myself slowly drawn back into the sport.  For the first time since I saw ECW in the early-90s I felt like there was a product that was making a quality effort to innovate in the way professional wrestling was presented in America, rather than be content as a "me too" WWE knock-off.  It would be a terrible shame if this was all we got to see of the Lucha Underground product, because even if we can still follow the wrestlers who appealed to us in AAA and other promotions, LU was so clearly more than just a roster and a booking sheet.  

[FluffSnackwell]

Has Johnny Mundo always had a lazy eye or did that come with the heel turn? I think the goofy looks of disbelief he gave after near falls really added to him eventually worming his way to a victory then getting put through a window any damned ways for his troubles. I didn't even know I missed Melina until this. Her euphoric screeching for her man was right up there with Sensational Sherri and the short hair really makes her look that much more brattier and bitchier. 

 

I liked the reveal to the Vamp/Pentagon Jr., feud in a "best kind of bad horror movie twist" way if you know what I mean.  I've never heard of this band Ghost so Vamp's entrance was probably even cooler for me than everybody else who knew where he swiped it from.  The match itself was perfectly placed and laid out as a garbage match can be. More than anything there needs to be a second season so Pentagon Jr.'s story can really go somewhere now that we've found out the whole deal with his master.

 

What more can be said about the main event? Yes, the season's worth of finishers actually being protected really added something to the climax and eventual finish of this match. I really want a season two just to see where Mil Muertes' reign will lead. They've already laid the groundwork for why Fenix is a worthy challenger and why Prince Puma would have a better shot in a rematch.  

 

Marty The Moth has been a magnificently maniacal creep all season so it was a pleasant surprise that this weirdo has a sister and she should really be something fierce.

[SolidGoldBomb]

Holy shit what a killer show!  I haven't seen a hardcore match that good in a while, props to Pentagon & Vamp for fkn bringin it!

And the main event was pretty killer too, Puma is a freak of nature for deadlifting Muertes like he did. Can't wait to see the Death Cult run wild in the next season.

 

Thanks LU for an amazing season, please don't leave us yet.  We all need more of this in our lives

[Jiji]

Melissa being Marty's sister would be awesome.

 

I know there are some real athletic freaks of nature in wrestling today but Ricochet has to be in the top 3 with Uhaa Nation and maybe one of Kenny Omega or Ibushi. The deadlift (Banderas is a beefy fucking dude, and he was down between Ricochet's legs for the deadlift!) and the ease at which he executes the 630 and other high flying moves are off the chart. Then what about his selling? He spices everything up without it looking early 2000s indy goofy (and as much as I love me some Jack Evans, he's the face of bad flippy sells). Mil's spear looked legitimately worthy of winning the title and the flatliner went from a stupid looking move to a credible finish as well. 

 

I just listened to Ghost and their sound doesn't match their image at all.

[Setsuna]

I'd echo a lot of the thoughts already posted here - Lucha Underground was an amazing run from when I began watching ( Lucha Azteca ) right until the end. So many great stories but I think my favourite is still the Angelico / Ivelisse / Havoc arc.

 

I just want to throw out that ( if there's a)next season, I will absolutely never check out any of these guys on Wikipedia. I checked twice....TWICE, and burned myself bad both times. First time was checking out what Angelico had done before LU cause I was really starting to enjoy his work. This would have been around the beginning of the trios tournament....and first thing I saw was "current LU trios champion". So I vowed then to never check again. 

 

THEN, like two months ago or whatever decided to check again to see when Ultima Lucha was because I thought it was going to be a live show....and right at the top of the LU wikipage I couldn't help but see Mil Muertes as the LU champion.  I'm an idiot.

 

I almost wish that Tromataker hadn't talked up the Vampiro / Pentagon blow-off as much as he did because I think it would have blown us all away even more without knowing that there was going to be a quality pay-off in the end. Maybe that was the collective DVDVR's fault though for goading him into it because I don't think I would have stayed quiet the whole time if I was in his position either. They handled that whole angle really well all things considered and my biggest gripe was with the Big Ryck - Sexy Star match, as without that you could make the argument that Sexy was at least being built as a legit threat.

 

Finally, I completely agree with Naimark in that I will probably not follow any of these guys if this is the end for LU. So much of what made the show great was the presentation, atosphere and stories.

[Raziel]

Yeah, everyone sleeps on how impressive Puma deadlift Fisherman's Suplexing Muertes was.  

 

I'm not really a fan of Richochet's 630, only because of the roll-through stand up before going for the pin that he does after hitting it.  It takes away the implied impact of the move, since it almost seems like Richochet is rolling right off.  But that's just me.

[Setsuna]

That deadlift was pretty incredible, yes. But everything Puma does is incredible so it was one of those " oh hey, Puma just deadlifted a 250 lb+ dude from underneath him". He was absolutely the best guy to put the title on in the beginning because he can have great matches with everyone. He seems to bring the best of American , lucha, indy and Japanese styles and mixes it all in near flawlessly.

 

And Jack Evans is ridiculous. He overdoes it with the flippy stuff but man...that guy can flip...??...

[Jiji]

LU is the gateway drug to lucha libre for me. I've tried so many times in the past to get into it, but I'mma go full on now that we have a break. It starts with Triplemania (and watching Mr. Niebla spike himself headfirst in a bout of inebriated wrestling).

 

I do remember criticism of the show being too babyface strong and then we have almost all of the heels winning in the blowoff show. I think with this season, DeJoseph and company have earned some trust to see how things play out and this is coming from somebody who hates the "WAIT AND SEE" buffer to WWE criticism. And unlike WWE, there is a bit of an end game they can work towards. Then you can pause and look at how it all unfolded. While I did think they kind of dropped the ball with Sexy Star vs. Pentagon, they quickly adjusted themselves and righted the ship. Sexy Star is now in an undercard feud with a gifted physical actor who will sell his ass off for her and even maybe Cheerleader Melissa. Pentagon just beat the piss out of his maestro and is going to rule the world (by breaking its arm). 

 

Another thing about the Puma character: winning had become too easy for him. I think his only direct fall he suffered was to Cage in a non-title match? He needs some legitimate hurdles to conquer and this will give him a little bit of empathy with me and I'm guessing some of the audience. It was the right time to lose and it was to the right person. 

[Tromatagon]

It's going to be so great when the sister is Marty doing the Silence of the Lambs dick tuck

[Technico Support]

If it means Sexy Star spends next season in a well instead of wrestling, that works for me.  Can they license Goodbye Horses as Marty's theme music?

[FluffSnackwell]

Well done. Wish I wasn't out of likes. Bravo. Bravo. Martina the Monarch Butterfly?

[GojiColin]

When I look at those photos of Matanza I get the feeling it's going to be Electroshock.

[Mistah Na1m4rk]

If it means Sexy Star spends next season in a well instead of wrestling, that works for me.  Can they license Goodbye Horses as Marty's theme music?

 

"I'd transfer a spermatophore into me."

[Mistah Na1m4rk]

A glimmer of hope appears!

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/3g5bi2/im_eric_van_wagenen_the_executive_producer_of/

 

 

 

I’m Eric Van Wagenen, the executive producer of Lucha Underground and a few other shows. Go ahead and ask.

 

 

Of course the obvious question is quickly asked.  His reply:

 

 

I hope this helps...I have this one already typed... this is obviously why they asked me to be here, so I’ll answer it very honestly and then you all can go back to work. Let’s break it down into parts - “If” and “when” and “where”. There is very little doubt in my mind about the “if”. I’d say its a 99.9% chance that a second season is happening. LU is a partnership, and each of the partners are committed to making season 2 happen. The “To be continued…” at the end of UltimaLucha was not just us trolling you, it was more of a promise.

The issues about money and production costs are indeed real, although vastly overstated. We didn’t spend $20 Million - not even close. El Rey is the one of the best networks I’ve ever worked with, but what they have to spend doesn’t quite cover the costs of a show like Lucha Underground. So our choices are to either 1. Raise the money from another source, or 2. Make the show cheaper.

We are currently looking for a second broadcasting partner - either a streaming service, or even an additional broadcast network. We are also aggressively going after foreign sales, sponsorships, and integration partners. Those deals take time to secure, and that is why there has been a delay in announcing an official pick-up. The “when” of this is what’s up in the air. Of course we’d like to be back on the air in October, but realistically that date is likely to push. I’d put January of 2016 as the latest date of our return.

The “where” is also being debated and is part of option 2. LA is expensive. As much as we all want to stay in Boyle Heights, we may need to investigate a different location for season 2. There are other locations with tax incentives or where resources are cheaper. Of course story-wise we can make anything work. We all saw Dario leave the temple and where he ends up is anyone’s guess.

TL;DR Yes, but not sure when or where.

[Curt McGirt]

 

Melissa being Marty's sister would be awesome.

 

Ewwwwwww. I'd rather have dick tuck Marty than incestuous Melissa. She's so nice and put upon all the time... remember us wanting Pentagon's head on a stick?

 

I must've been pouring a shot or writing because I totally missed Aerostar turning into a fuckin' spaceship. This truly was a 'blink-and-you-miss-it' show. 

 

Vamp dressing up as Ghost was actually perfect, in that it's a good look that matches his character and the band: something faux dark that is actually really horrible. 

[Ace]

Vamp for Papa Emeritus IV.

[CanadianChris]

 

 

Melissa being Marty's sister would be awesome.

 

Ewwwwwww. I'd rather have dick tuck Marty than incestuous Melissa. She's so nice and put upon all the time... remember us wanting Pentagon's head on a stick?

 

 

We were discussing Cheerleader Melissa, not the announcer.

[Curt McGirt]

Thank god...

[A Guy Named Tracy]

I was surprised to read that Lucha Underground may move from Boyle Heights for season 2. Eric Van Wagenen has mentioned what a luxury it is to film in LA and how important the local crowd is.

Without being specific, he mentioned considering other locales that give discounts for film and television productions. Any guesses on where that might be? New Orleans? Atlanta? I got it. Coming to you from the former site of Los Pollos Hermanos in Albuquerque, it's Lucha Underground.

[Jiji]

Cubsfan quoted Meltzer mentioning Texas as a possibility. It would be purely down to economics. I think that would be a huge letdown but if it's the difference between having a season two and not having a season two, then sure. I'll miss the non-spoiler road reports from Troma and Cubsfan.