There has been a major hole in my weekly viewing since Lucha Underground finished their first season. Nothing in pro wrestling this year has hit the enjoyment levels that Lucha Underground was able to achieve. Maybe the wrestling wasn’t always top notch. Maybe the storylines didn’t always make sense (especially during Ultima Lucha) but I was purely entertained at all times.
The second season is said to be a near guarantee but Executive Producer Eric Van Wagenen said on Reddit they had a 99.9 per cent chance of happening, simply they were looking for more funding avenues to properly afford going forward. They have been looking for a second broadcasting partner, with interest in either streaming services or a TV network. It would be great to have Lucha Underground on Netflix, something Lucha star Son of Havoc pushed on his Twitter account.
More money of course helps. Talk is that Rey Mysterio Jr. is expected to come into the fold in season two, with an allusion to him during the extremely well edited final moments of Ultima Lucha. You need that extra money to kick up the star power, especially after the company brought in Melina for the final show. Seeing bigger names would be nice, but what are other things that could bring Lucha Underground season two up to a whole new level, raising a bar that they already raised?
Location, Location, Location
With the way Ultima Lucha ended, there’s no going back to Boyle Heights. Without giving too much away, the Temple seems to be abandoned as everyone runs to a new arena to fight their battles. Boyle Heights was a great start, and a way to introduce the brand new Prince Puma and keep fans in the arena excited for him as he proved himself. Now it’s time to go elsewhere, and maybe get more eyes on the product inside and outside.
One would think going to Mexico would make the most sense but I say hold off on that. Doing a season in Mexico would be better for season three, when more and more AAA stars make their entrance and make themselves known for North American fans. Storylines have already built ideas of Dario Cueto being on the run and Chavo Guerrero Jr. having enemies. Building on these ideas would open the doors for having everyone pulled into Mexico to wrestle on the home turf of many talents, and make the Americans on the show feel like real outsiders.
But for season two, I feel it’s good to get closer to Mexico without crossing the border. Texas is a perfect place for Lucha Underground. There’s a great Latino audience in areas like San Antonio with a fantastic wrestling history across the border and right in the state. Stone Cold Steve Austin is a big fan of Lucha Underground, and after that tribute to him, maybe the company in back yard would convince him to make an appearance? More importantly, it’ll feel like the middle plane between two worlds. Texas is the home of the Von Erich’s, the home of Stan Hansen, and the birth state of Eddie and Chavo Guerrero Jr. Texas is also the origin of the Texas Death Match, and you know that fits Lucha Underground.
Another great spot would be Pennsylvania. With the hardcore and extreme wrestling, you know they would find a home in the birth place of Extreme Championship Wrestling. With Ring of Honor now in Baltimore and NXT still in Florida, heading to Philadelphia for a season would take the Mexican wrestlers a bit out of their element and allow the Americans around their people. The fear though would be an unruly crowd, and one of the best elements of Boyle Heights was a crowd that didn’t try to get itself over. That’s always a danger in the Land of Extreme. You want the Pentagon Jr.’s and Dario Cueto’s of the world to be able to cut promos without interruptions. Might be hard there.
More Original Characters
While it would be great to see Rey Mysterio Jr., La Parka and other luchadors we remember from WWE/WCW/ECW, a huge strength to Lucha Underground’s unique feel was the plethora of original characters. Prince Puma, Mil Muertes, Son of Havoc and Big Ryck are all examples of original characters created specifically for Lucha Underground. Familiarity is a strength when you’re bringing in a Blue Demon Jr. or Chavo Guerrero Jr. or someone who already has a strong gimmick like Pentagon Jr. or Aerostar, but taking talented independent talent and giving them a fresh coat of paint can go far.
If you don’t go original, you run into guys like Hernandez. Hernandez did his job well for Lucha but he was the same time many saw for years in TNA Wrestling. There wasn’t anything new about him. Johnny Mundo at least changed his name up a bit as well as his finishing move name. Hernandez felt like he was working for the wrong company. It just didn’t fit. Maybe with a name change and new attire he could have felt special.
When I think of guys who could come in like Paul London, ACH, Matt Sydal or MsChif, I think of wrestlers who made a good name for themselves in the business but there’s nothing that makes me feel they need to be their usual selves in Lucha. Imagine MsChif or ACH in a mask, or Paul London teaming with Jack Evans and Angelico. I could also see Matt Sydal showing up as the brother of Son of Havoc.
That said, if you get Colt Cabana? He’s Matt Classic and nobody else.
Be TV but also be Wrestling
The Lucha Underground format was original. The backstage segments felt like we were walking out of the sports entertainment realm and walking into a hyper powered drama. It could be B movie cheesy but it could also be thrilling. I love the Lucha Underground format and I’m all for more backstage segments to add character to everything.
I also feel they need to recognize they are still showing pro wrestling matches in the middle of the ring. Johnny Mundo brought up on The Steve Austin Show that he’s been begging for them to do more replays. I could see them feeling like replays are for sports but there’s so many big moments in Lucha Underground that could use replays.
They could use more on screen graphics as well, something to help viewers know who is who and what the names of moves and matches are. The easier it is for the average wrestling fan to hook themselves in, the more you can do with the overall product and justify a higher budget.
Keep Being Lucha Underground
I don’t want the company to one day become AAA television. I also don’t want them going too far to attract a more casual audience. Lucha Underground is that part of your back that used to be scratched all the time and hasn’t been scratched for a decade. You don’t need to be anything other than Lucha Underground to take things to the next level. They have wrestlers we care about, storylines we’re interested in and gold to chase.
I would suggest they add some more women so the women can wrestle each other. Intergender matches are fine and they have done a good job building up Sexy Star as a legitimate contender, but when wrestlers hesitate to fight or flirt with the girls instead of take it serious, it really amplifies the need for more women to work. Hopefully Melina wrestles because she could add a great element to what Sexy Star and Ivelisse bring to the table.
I’m excited to see who debuts, who returns and who departs for season two of Lucha Underground. I might not get it until 2016 but it’ll be worth the wait. Lucha Underground is pro wrestling right now for me. Everything else is just the off-season.
