Once up a time, there were three major wrestling organizations in the US of A: WWE, ECW, and WCW. Then, one day, the WWE rose to such great heights that its owner, Vince McMahon, was able to purchase his competition outright. This move turned out to be great for a short period, but not particularly intriguing in terms of original programming — largely because Vince McMahon no longer had competition pushing his brand to stay fresh and exciting (IMO).
While there have been plenty of other organizations who thought they could usurp “Vinnie Mack” and his World Wrestling Entertainment since then, no one has even come close. Which brings us to “Lucha Underground.”
While the details about Lucha Underground seem minimal at this point, this new and upcoming wrestling organization has the potential to be the next big thing in pro wrestling. Featuring lightening fast, high-flying talent from independent feds as well as Mexico’s prestigious AAA, Lucha Underground is set to premier on October 29th via Robert Rodriguez’s expanding El Rey Network.
Why is this a possible #1 contender to Vince McMahon’s wrestling monopoly? Well, for starters, lucha libre is a time-honored Mexican tradition that — with a few very notable exceptions — has been typically walled-off by the WWE. A few years ago, McMahon’s company discovered how key the Spanish-speaking demographic is to professional wrestling here in the states. Still, their interest in fast-paced lucha libre action was only really a segue into their usual lumbering match-ups.
With the financial backing of Mark Burnett, “Mexico’s Hulk Hogan” serving as the head of booking and talent relations, and the growing availability of El Rey in US homes…Lucha Underground could be a force to be reckoned with.
Oh. And if you still aren’t convinced by the awesomeness of lucha libre, check this out…