TheGodling
Los Ingobernables de Sala de Cine
Season 2 starts next week so if there's any time to jump onto the best wrestling show on tv, here it is.
TheGodling's 10 reasons why TSC needs to start watching Lucha Underground!
1. Fresh talent meets peak talent meets veterans.
Although a large part of the roster of Lucha Underground consists of luchadors from Mexican promotion AAA, it has one of the most varied rosters in modern wrestling, pushing some of the biggest young talents of today (Prince Puma/Ricochet, Angélico, Fénix) while allowing long established wrestlers hitting their peak to shine (Johnny Mundo/John Morrison, Mil Muertes/Judas Mesias) and offering strong (supporting) roles to long time veterans and legends such as Chavo Guerrero Jr, Konnan and Vampiro.
Prince Puma bros up with Johnny Mundo to the dismay of Konnan
2. Everyone is a star.
Arguably the greatest feat of Lucha Underground is that every single wrestler on the roster is allowed to show out. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the hottest young talents in the world or a forty year old drag queen, if you can get the crowd riled up, you’re doing your job. The sky is the limit, and for some of the talent, even that isn’t a limitation. Sure, there are a couple of good ol’ fashioned jobbers, but even those are allowed to play their part to the max.
You thought I was joking about the forty year old drag queen, didn't you? Well, there's a midget too.
3. Kayfabe is very, very real.
Lucha Libre has always been renowned for its respect of the identities behind the masks of its luchadores, in- and outside of the ring, and Lucha Underground utilizes this to the max. Don’t be surprised to see the nunchuk wielding Drago spit dragon acid into the faces of his foes, the resurrected Mil Muertes or his face counterpart Fénix rise from their respective graves and ashes, or have wrestlers indefinitely sidelined having their arms broken by Pentagon Jr. Everyone and everything is taken seriously, no matter how insane it is.
Kayfabe-wise I'm not sure why anyone would want to fight a dragon though.
4. Storylines and continuity actually matter.
Boasting its unique tv-show format, Lucha Underground features more long-running stories than most wrestling promotions, but the greatest stories of all are still told in-ring. Don’t expect the animosity between competitors to end just because their feud has ended. A Lucha Underground competitor never forgets when they have been beaten and by whom, so even months down the line they might come for payback when the opportunity is ripe. Just as important, competitors actually learn from their experiences, so the same trick rarely works twice and every (re)match relies more on scouting and countering moves as wrestlers become more familiar with each other throughout a match.
How does one counter a counter? With a counter of course.
5. A heel authority figure that makes sense.
Dario Cueto is the owner and promoter of Lucha Underground. He doesn’t waste time on twenty minute promos, or elaborate schemes that strangely benefit the faces he tries to punish. He’s simply a promoter who in his own words loves violence and wants to make money. He makes backdoor deals to get what he wants, and what he wants is the biggest opportunity to promote his product. If a feud spirals out of control, he ups the ante. If a new feud arises, he puts something at stake. But nothing sums up the genius of Dario Cueto more, than his trademark brand of match making.
'I can cut the tension with a machete, he he.' - actual Dario Cueto quote
6. Unique opportunities.
To make things more interesting, Cueto often offers his talent the chance to earn a “unique opportunity”. To earn this undisclosed mystery opportunity, the wrestlers need to win a match or feud first. The winner then finds out what this opportunity is, which can be both beneficial as well as disadvantageous. At its introduction, Fénix and Mil Muertes each won a 10-way match to earn the opportunity to win the final entry spot in LU’s own Royal Rumble type event, Aztec Warfare, but whoever lost their match, would become the first entrant. Similarly Cueto offered a “unique opportunity” to either Drago or Aerostar depending who would win their (then) friendly feud. Drago won the feud, and was awarded a championship match against Prince Puma, but with the stipulation that if he could not secure the championship belt, he would be banned from competing in Lucha Underground ever again.
Cueto intensifies
7. Anything goes. Seriously! Anything!
And with stakes as such, it becomes clear why the wrestlers risk everything to win. Whether it be chair shots to the head, pile driver after pile driver or diving off a balcony, anything goes in Lucha Underground. Whether it be women competitors getting speared into oblivion by monster heels, commentators being threatened to be burnt alive or people being thrown through glass windows. You get the point already? Anything goes!
Legend goes he then went to break the Bat's back.
8. The best commentary in wrestling today.
Matt Striker knows the moves, he knows the history, he knows the story and he knows the psychology. Vampiro is consistently lit. Together they form the perfect play-by-play and color commentary duo, always reeling in excitement over the action and calling matches like the days of old.
Pentagon Jr still prefers Jim Ross.
9. The best audience in wrestling today.
Much like Vampiro, Mexicans in general are lit too. They are into the matches, they embrace the entire roster of talent and they cheer everyone who shows out, face and heel alike. And with many matches spilling into the audiences constantly, sometimes they’re as much a part of the action as the wrestlers are. If you miss Attitude Era crowds, look no further than Lucha Underground.
Future "Donald Trump loses election" celebration gif?
10. Because seriously, brehs. Anything goes!
Because I needed an excuse to post the Angélico dive.
And this #HOH moment.
And this curb stomp through a cement block.
And this.
TheGodling's 10 reasons why TSC needs to start watching Lucha Underground!
1. Fresh talent meets peak talent meets veterans.
Although a large part of the roster of Lucha Underground consists of luchadors from Mexican promotion AAA, it has one of the most varied rosters in modern wrestling, pushing some of the biggest young talents of today (Prince Puma/Ricochet, Angélico, Fénix) while allowing long established wrestlers hitting their peak to shine (Johnny Mundo/John Morrison, Mil Muertes/Judas Mesias) and offering strong (supporting) roles to long time veterans and legends such as Chavo Guerrero Jr, Konnan and Vampiro.
Prince Puma bros up with Johnny Mundo to the dismay of Konnan
2. Everyone is a star.
Arguably the greatest feat of Lucha Underground is that every single wrestler on the roster is allowed to show out. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the hottest young talents in the world or a forty year old drag queen, if you can get the crowd riled up, you’re doing your job. The sky is the limit, and for some of the talent, even that isn’t a limitation. Sure, there are a couple of good ol’ fashioned jobbers, but even those are allowed to play their part to the max.
You thought I was joking about the forty year old drag queen, didn't you? Well, there's a midget too.
3. Kayfabe is very, very real.
Lucha Libre has always been renowned for its respect of the identities behind the masks of its luchadores, in- and outside of the ring, and Lucha Underground utilizes this to the max. Don’t be surprised to see the nunchuk wielding Drago spit dragon acid into the faces of his foes, the resurrected Mil Muertes or his face counterpart Fénix rise from their respective graves and ashes, or have wrestlers indefinitely sidelined having their arms broken by Pentagon Jr. Everyone and everything is taken seriously, no matter how insane it is.
Kayfabe-wise I'm not sure why anyone would want to fight a dragon though.
4. Storylines and continuity actually matter.
Boasting its unique tv-show format, Lucha Underground features more long-running stories than most wrestling promotions, but the greatest stories of all are still told in-ring. Don’t expect the animosity between competitors to end just because their feud has ended. A Lucha Underground competitor never forgets when they have been beaten and by whom, so even months down the line they might come for payback when the opportunity is ripe. Just as important, competitors actually learn from their experiences, so the same trick rarely works twice and every (re)match relies more on scouting and countering moves as wrestlers become more familiar with each other throughout a match.
How does one counter a counter? With a counter of course.
5. A heel authority figure that makes sense.
Dario Cueto is the owner and promoter of Lucha Underground. He doesn’t waste time on twenty minute promos, or elaborate schemes that strangely benefit the faces he tries to punish. He’s simply a promoter who in his own words loves violence and wants to make money. He makes backdoor deals to get what he wants, and what he wants is the biggest opportunity to promote his product. If a feud spirals out of control, he ups the ante. If a new feud arises, he puts something at stake. But nothing sums up the genius of Dario Cueto more, than his trademark brand of match making.
'I can cut the tension with a machete, he he.' - actual Dario Cueto quote
6. Unique opportunities.
To make things more interesting, Cueto often offers his talent the chance to earn a “unique opportunity”. To earn this undisclosed mystery opportunity, the wrestlers need to win a match or feud first. The winner then finds out what this opportunity is, which can be both beneficial as well as disadvantageous. At its introduction, Fénix and Mil Muertes each won a 10-way match to earn the opportunity to win the final entry spot in LU’s own Royal Rumble type event, Aztec Warfare, but whoever lost their match, would become the first entrant. Similarly Cueto offered a “unique opportunity” to either Drago or Aerostar depending who would win their (then) friendly feud. Drago won the feud, and was awarded a championship match against Prince Puma, but with the stipulation that if he could not secure the championship belt, he would be banned from competing in Lucha Underground ever again.
Cueto intensifies
7. Anything goes. Seriously! Anything!
And with stakes as such, it becomes clear why the wrestlers risk everything to win. Whether it be chair shots to the head, pile driver after pile driver or diving off a balcony, anything goes in Lucha Underground. Whether it be women competitors getting speared into oblivion by monster heels, commentators being threatened to be burnt alive or people being thrown through glass windows. You get the point already? Anything goes!
Legend goes he then went to break the Bat's back.
8. The best commentary in wrestling today.
Matt Striker knows the moves, he knows the history, he knows the story and he knows the psychology. Vampiro is consistently lit. Together they form the perfect play-by-play and color commentary duo, always reeling in excitement over the action and calling matches like the days of old.
Pentagon Jr still prefers Jim Ross.
9. The best audience in wrestling today.
Much like Vampiro, Mexicans in general are lit too. They are into the matches, they embrace the entire roster of talent and they cheer everyone who shows out, face and heel alike. And with many matches spilling into the audiences constantly, sometimes they’re as much a part of the action as the wrestlers are. If you miss Attitude Era crowds, look no further than Lucha Underground.
Future "Donald Trump loses election" celebration gif?
10. Because seriously, brehs. Anything goes!
Because I needed an excuse to post the Angélico dive.
And this #HOH moment.
And this curb stomp through a cement block.
And this.
