Hardcore wrestling, at least when it comes to mainstream wrestling, reached its zenith in the late 90s with Extreme Championship Wrestling. The World Wrestling Federation followed suit with the introduction of the Attitude Era which saw a lot of more extreme or violent matches and spots incorporated into their programming. Since that time however, ECW is no more and WWE has become a PG company, one that wants to cater to the young and old, as that might sell more tickets and merchandise.
Over the last few years hardcore or extreme wrestling has had its place, but it has been unable to compete with the legacy of the classic ECW, and as such can feel outdated or stale. This was especially evident when WWE tried to revive ECW by adding it as a third brand to their programming (along with Raw and Smackdown). I’m not sure if I would call it a failure, but it certainly didn’t seem like the WWE version of ECW was taken very seriously by the company.
Fans craving the unpredictable and sometimes chaotic world of ECW were left with one question, can hardcore wrestling make a comeback, or is it the by product of a bygone era? Enter Lucha Underground.
The fledgling promotion airing on the El Rey Network has received great praise since its debut in October of 2014, both for its innovation and production quality. It has reminded me a lot of the ECW of old, granted Lucha Underground doesn’t have shows filled with bloody, vengeful battles, but neither did ECW. While Extreme Championship Wrestling became known for their weapon wielding lunatics running the asylum, it was also the mainstream debut of guys like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio Jr. and so many more. It wasn’t just about being extreme, it also had some of the best pure wrestling on television at the time, a trait that Lucha Underground shares today.
Lucha Underground also shares the intimate atmosphere of emanating from a small arena and a rabid live fanbase. You don’t see many signs in the crowd at a Lucha show, but you hear plenty of “LUCHA, LUCHA” chants along with many more from the believers cheering on their favourite luchadors. A crowd chanting for their favourite wrestler is certainly commonplace at any wrestling show, but few have fans that deliver said chants with such fervor as that of the Lucha Underground faithful. They may be a small group, with the Temple housing room for only 200 or 300, but the fans make their voices heard, much like the diehards of the old ECW.
When it comes to the world of hardcore wrestling, Lucha Underground isn’t as violent as ECW was, but it certainly lives up to the roots of Lucha Libre, a style that has done well blending a little extra violence with the high flying acrobatics that have become synonymous with Lucha. The real trick is that the violence and weapons are in moderation. Too much of anything isn’t good and too much violence can come off as excessive or cheap, that’s why a promotion needs that balance. Lucha Underground has found that balance.
Lucha Underground is keeping hardcore wrestling alive without feeling like it is being shoved down fans throats or catering to a lost audience. Throughout the seven months that Lucha Underground has been in operation they have had some fantastic matches that have been able to showcase the lucha style and add in a hardcore element that seems both familiar and yet new at the same time. If you need proof, look no further than the following three matches.
TRIPLE THREAT LADDER MATCH: BIG RYCK VS. JOHNNY MUNDO VS. PRINCE PUMA (12/10/14)
Prior to Lucha Underground introducing a championship, the top tier wrestlers were fighting over a big payday, $100,000 to be exact, and it culminated in this ladder match. Certainly nowadays ladder matches aren’t a foreign concept, but they are often a popular draw and this match showed why that is. Prince Puma is an amazing aerialist who can pull off some pretty insane spots, including his 630 Senton finisher. Big Ryck is a powerhouse, plain and simple. He tosses guys around the ring like pillows. I’m not sure how he didn’t succeed in WWE because in the Temple he gives off a Mark Henry kind of vibe, the cool Hall of Pain Mark Henry, not the Sexual Chocolate one. Johnny Mundo is somewhere between the two. While he is more of a high flyer than a brawler, he certainly has no qualms with throwing some forearms and kicks around. This was a balanced mix, and add in the extra bodies of the Crew and it was controlled chaos. Despite how long ladder matches have been around, and how many the average fan has seen, there were still spots in this match that I had never seen before.
TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL NO DISQUALIFICATION: SON OF HAVOC/IVELISSE/ANGELICO VS. THE CREW (4/22/15)
I love this match. I love it because it told a great story. It didn’t get caught up in the no DQ stipulation or become a spot-fest. It told a great story and it is very evident that everyone involved worked their butts off to make this match something special. Every participant knew their role and executed it well. They utilized not just the ring and ringside areas, but virtually the entire arena to tell this story. Extra credit to Ivelisse who worked this match with a busted ankle, that chick has balls. Also a further comparison to Extreme Championship Wrestling, as with few exceptions like Chyna or Beth Phoenix, you rarely see women wrestle men on a regular basis, but in Lucha Underground, much like it was in ECW, it’s common place for ladies to get involved with the guys. Ivelisse and Sexy Star have been mixing it up with the men throughout their time in the Temple, just like Jazz, Francine, and even Beulah McGillicutty. Admittedly, there weren’t many matches in ECW featuring women vs. men, but it was often viewed as an equal playing field. They dished out as much as they took, just like Sexy Star and Ivelisse. There’s no Women’s Division in Lucha Underground because there’s no need.
GRAVE CONSEQUENCES COFFIN MATCH: FENIX VS. MIL MUERTES (3/18/15)
Without a doubt this has been the most brutal match Lucha Underground has seen, and a very strong contender for match of the year. It was a perfect blow off match to end this feud. Throughout this match these two used anything that wasn’t nailed down. The casket itself became a weapon in this match, and Fenix became a bloody mess after Mil took the metal piece that connects the ropes to the post and cracked Fenix across the skull a couple times. There was the added insult of Fenix nearly losing his mask, a great dishonour in Lucha Libre, and becoming a bloody mess in the process.
Mil Muertes was the unstoppable force while Fenix was the man who would never say die. But something had to give in this match, there had to be a winner and a loser, however the real winner was the fans because this match was epic.
There you have three matches that live up to the ECW measuring stick, but there are far more than that. Street fights, ladder matches, a “Death” match, any number of ways to catch some extreme action without sacrificing the true spirit of lucha libre. True ECW-style hardcore wrestling may have been thought to have died out with the original extreme promotion, but hardcore is alive and well, and it lives at Lucha Underground.
