wrestling / Columns
Top 8 Reasons to be Excited About Lucha Underground’s Return
If you missed the season 2 premiere of Lucha Underground, take the fancy machine you’re using to read this article and watch it already. It’s not hard to find out there on the Internet. If anything, it’s even better than the dizzying heights it reached in season 1. LU has found a way to blend (seamlessly) a wrestling promotion with a pulp television drama. It’s reinventing cool. HBO execs should be kicking themselves they don’t have this show, and they should swoop down to snatch it up should it ever become available.
What they pack into one hour is absurd. As wrestling fans, we’ve gotten used to throwaway segments, parts of the show that we all know don’t matter. LU doesn’t have those. You’ve got to watch the whole show because every match, every promo, every filmed segment, every vignette fits into the larger story. If you’ve got a twitchy bladder, wear an adult diaper when you watch LU because you won’t want to miss, or even pause, a second of the show. It’s edge of your seat viewing. Finally we have a wrestling show worthy of binge watching and cult status. The person walking past you with a Lucha Underground t-shirt, that’s the coolest kid in school.
This week the Magic 8-Ball looks at the top reasons to be stoked for LU’s second season. It’s off to a glorious start and it probably gets better from here. I haven’t read the spoilers yet, so this list is based solely on where things stand immediately following the season premier.
Feel free to consider this #1. I’m listing it here because I don’t want to make anyone wait to read about Pentagon Jr. He rushed into the ring at the end of the premier episode and snapped the arm of Lucha Underground champion Mil Muertes. The entire building lost its mind over this. For those that don’t know Pentagon Jr., he is a violent sociopath and fans love him. Imagine Stone Cold Steve Austin with a more malevolent temper. He’s over like that. The only other guy working in the business right now who compares to Pentagon Jr. is Brock Lesnar when he snaps into Suplex City tour guide mode. Hooray, he’s indiscriminately hurting people. This marks the first time Pentagon Jr. has gone after a rudo rather than a tecnico. It also signals his intent to come the LU title. On top of that, the show started with Pentagon Jr.’s would-be mentor Vampiro in an asylum, seeking to earn his release. It’s only a matter of time before the pupil convinces the master to go off his meds and embrace his destructive urges. The small taste we got of Sith lord Vampiro at the end of last season was awesome. I like the way they’re making us wait for the next taste. The ascension of Pentagon Jr. may be the story of the season.
One of the great things about the show last year is we learned what a diabolical structure the Lucha Underground temple can be. Numerous matches spilled over into the building: Fenix vs. Mil Muertes (twice), Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo, Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuerno, Johnny Mundo vs. Alberto El Patron, Angelico’s insane dives in Dysfunctional Trio matches, Cage vs. the Mack. The season 2 premier gave us Mil Muertes sitting on a throne, overlooking the action. References were also made to the new temple being a dark, foreboding place. The building has become a character, the manifestation of the twisted forces that seek to rule Lucha Underground. Rest assured El Templo has some surprises in store.
We didn’t get to see any new faces in the season premier, but LU has blasted it out on social media that we’ll be seeing a host of new characters. The delightfully sleazy Joey Ryan, the acrobatics of P.J. Black (formerly known as Justin Gabriel and called the Darewolf in advance LU promos) and the hardbody known as Taya Valkyrie are all coming LU. Oh yeah, there’s this Rey Mysterio Jr. guy too. We can safely assume more will arrive. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., got to love Mexican wrestler names, would be a great fit under a new mask, like how El Hijo de Fantasma has become King Cuerno in LU. Probably too much to ask for some of the folks on my wish list: Carlito (Puerto Rico vs. Mexico = money), the Colony from Chikara (Soldier Ant, Fire Ant and Silver Ant chasing the trios title) and crossovers from Dragon Gate (because LU could use some Japanese influence). Yet the great thing about LU is all new arrivals show up with a purpose. Whoever shows up is going to have exciting things to do. Really hoping we get to see the Darewolf vs. Jack Evans.
First match out of the gate in season 2 involved King Cuerno winning the Gift of the Gods Championship off of Fenix. Later we learned Cuerno had a deal with Catrina not to cash it in for a title shot against Mil Muertes. Cuerno seemed like he might be more than a little conflicted when it comes to honoring that agreement. The Gift of the Gods is essentially the Money in the Bank briefcase of LU. The key differences are that it must defended to keep it and that it gets broken into seven pieces that must be reassembled after it gets cashed in. It’s hard to get and even harder to hold. Cuerno is now the guy facing the use it or potentially lose it ramifications of the Gift of the Gods. Ever noticed how gods give crappy gifts? It’s always a monkey’s paw of some sort. This becomes especially intriguing given Mil Muertes’ broken arm. How can a hunter like Cuerno not go after wounded prey like that? Muertes probably has unnatural demon recovery powers, so Cuerno may have to strike quickly.
Dario Cueto and his Stockholm syndrome accomplice Black Lotus made an appearance on the opener, luring a pack of frat bros into a cage where we can safely assume Matanza killed them. What do you expect from a guy whose name translates as “slaughter”? LU takes words seriously, unlike traditional wrestling where Sgt. Slaughter hugs kids and takes pictures with them. Matanza probably would eat children if they were foolish enough to get near him. The big thing with Matanza is we’re going to see him at some point this season. I lied slightly about ignoring all LU spoilers. I have read one: Matanza is coming. How they pull off the living embodiment of this killing machine remains to be seen. They have set a high bar to clear. Obviously this also means Dario will be returning, hopefully to reclaim his temple. We also have the history of the Cuetos, the Guerreros, Black Lotus’ murdered family and the deceased El Dragon Azteca to sort out.
LU put out an introductory comic for Rey Mysterio Jr in which we learned Rey Rey was trained by El Dragon Azteca, that it was El Dragon Azteca Jr. who picked up his father’s mask at the end of last season, that the mask has great power and that Rey is coming to LU to dispense justice. That is more backstory than Rey ever got in the WWE or WCW. Finally we’re unravelling the mystery behind the Mysterious King. This could wind up being the best work of Rey’s career. I’m not saying he’s necessarily going to have his best matches from a technical standpoint, but this is a chance for him to take on a larger-than-wrestling persona like El Santo or Blue Demon. We think of Rey as a professional wrestler, LU may be looking to turn him into an icon.
Arguably the biggest story of s. 2 ep. 1 was Ivelisse beating her Dysfunctional Trio partners to earn a shot at Mil Muertes’ title. She didn’t win the belt, but she found a way to put the monster on his back. One of the criticisms of LU’s first season is it didn’t let the girls play with the boys enough. Ivelisse put us all notice that might change in season 2. In December, Chikara beat everyone to the punch by making Princess KimberLee its overall champion. Whether that has influenced LU’s booking in any way, I can’t say, but it always seemed LU wanted to head in that direction. It still could be the first wrestling promotion with a television audience to put its top strap on a female. Also, LU takes place inside the Rodriqueverse, which encompasses everything from Spy Kids to From Dusk Till Dawn (I maintain someday Santanico Pandemonium shows up in LU). One of the central tenets of the Rodigueverse is women kick a ton of ass. How far LU pushes the envelope with its female performers will be a big story this season. Side note: GVSB refers to the grime rock band Girls Against Boys, and I refuse to believe Robert Rodriguez doesn’t keep that band’s Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby in heavy rotation.
This season started off where last season finished, with evil in ascendance. Mil Muertes lorded over the proceedings while Catrina pulled all the levers. They plotted to take the Gift of the Gods away from Muertes’ top rival, Fenix. They pitted the Dysfunctional Trio against each other and sought to eliminate that group (what the Disciples of Death have done with Angelico and Son of Havoc is anyone’s guess – tangential thought, is it an accident that Son of Havok looks a bit like Sockarang?). Muertes was getting ready to obliterate Ivelisse when Prince Puma swept in for the rescue. Pentagon Jr. jumped Muertes while he was glowering at Puma. These are uncertain times for the technicos on the roster. How will our heroes respond to what seems like the existential threat of Muertes? And will the murderous Cuetos or the maniacal Pentagon Jr. or the narcissistic Johnny Mundo be any better? We need a Bonnie Tyler song, stat.
