Lucha Underground Season 5
By
PCFreak619
Why Lucha Underground failed
What's up everybody? I am PCFreak619. Now, a lot of you know that I am, and will always be, a big time wrestling fan. I love the action, the stories, the art form, the pomp and circumstance, the visuals, the wrestlers themselves (some more so than others), and pretty much everything else. I've been a fan ever since I was a wee boy, I still love wrestling as an adult, and I will go to my grave as a wrestling fan.
Haters of wrestling, eat my ass.
However, I can't deny that there was a lot of times where my I interest in wrestling had dropped. A lot. There was a lot of times where companies just didn't interest me, flat out bored me, and, quite frankly, pissed me off.
And, if I had to choose a decade that REALLY just didn't interest me as much, amazingly, it was the last decade. The 2010's, if you will.
The WWE had one of the worst decades of all time, TNA was making horrible mistake after horrible mistake, ROH wasn't even on their level(sorry ROH fans, but you know deep down it's true), and there just wasn't one company that would be considered a true alternative to WWE. TNA did have a chance to do that, and they fucked up.
There also wasn't any truly new stars made in WWE. There wasn't any interesting or compelling characters. There wasn't any good storytelling, or frankly, any good storylines to keep us hooked on the product.
Some matches weren't good. And some people overrated the hell out of matches that were just good, who thought they were "amazing 5 star classics." Again, sorry guys. You know it's true.
Now, I stand by my statement that the 2010's were the worst decade in wrestling history. The first half of the 90's were bad, but at least the second half kinda saved them with what we got. Attitude Era fans will know what I mean.
However, there were a few diamonds in the rough during that time. Some PPV's were good, maybe even great. Some matches delivered. Some moments were good to great. So, there were SOME good things. It was the feeling overall of the product that made it bad.
But, sometimes, there can come an idea to someone. To a few talented people. An idea that is so out there, so crazy, so bizzare, and so different from what we normally see, that it kinda peeks our interest. It makes us think, "Huh? Maybe I should check this out."
And that...is when Lucha Underground came to be.
TripleMania 22. August 2014. We see the appearance of an actor by the name of Luis Fernandez-Gill. Whom we now know, as the owner and promoter of Lucha Underground, Dario Cueto. Where he announced the premiere of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network.
And then, on October 29, 2014, we finally got to see the debut of Lucha Underground. From the Temple of Boyle Heights, in Boyle Heights, California.
And from the opening scene, El Dragon Aztecs, we knew, or at least had a feeling, that this was gonna be different from ANY other wrestling promotion out there.
And, son of a bitch, it was. We had high flying luchadors, great technical wrestlers, heavy brawlers, and, what Dario loved most of all, violence. We saw all that in the ring.
But that wasn't the ONLY thing we saw. Yes, they had phenomenal wrestlers and luchadors, but it was so much more than that. There was good storytelling(most of the time, and I'll get to that), interesting and compelling characters, and, most of all, they created their own stars. Yes, they did use the "WWE rejects", but they still managed to utilize them very well.
Not to mention, the cinematography. That was one of the best things to watch on Lucha Underground(Fuck You Jim Cornette). The way they cut scenes, the backstage stuff, the way they would do outdoor things, and even some of the death scenes.
Yes. Lucha Underground had characters killed off. That's pretty interesting.
And, from that first episode going forward, we were treated to a great wrestling show. Something that, in theory, COULD have been an alternative to WWE, which was desperately needed for the business. We were treated to four seasons of something special.
However, and this is what I always worry about when someone starts up a wrestling company, the money stopped flowing eventually.
When Season 3 happened, a lot of people were scared to death. Because, at the time, and especially after the mid season finale, some reports were coming out that there might not be a fourth season coming, due to budget issues.
And when we DID get season four, we also got the report that season five might not be, and in fact, will have to be a major reboot, if it was even possible. Hell, one of the main producers on the show even said, last February, that the show might be dead. And, sadly, that turned out to be true. February 2020, Vampiro, one of the commentators, and had a hand in producing the shows as well, spilled the bad news that Lucha Underground was indeed no more.
Fucking bummer.
All those fans, who still held onto some glimmer of hope, were left in disappointment.
One of their favorite wrestling shows, and one of mine as well, was ripped away from us. And we didn't even get a good ending. We were left on a fucking cliffhanger. God Damn it.
And why was Lucha Underground taken down far too soon? Well, a lot of things.
One, lack of communication. Vamp even said that there wasn't a whole lot of people in charge talking to each other. Nobody really knew what the hell was going on. They weren't informed on a lot of things regarding tapings, contracts, budgets, and a lot of things. Strike one.
Two, the contracts. I don't know what the hell the people in El Rey, or MGM Studios, were thinking, but they had to be so stupid to try and lock the wrestlers into contracts where they couldn't work anywhere, when the seasons were over, or when they were done with their tapings. Hell, Joey Ryan, Ivileese, Kobra Moon, and King Cuervo sued them for not letting them work anyplace else. Even Matanza Cueto was pissed at the people in charge. So, the wrestlers and the people in charge not being on good terms financially. Strike two.
Three, and lastly, the ridiculous taping schedule. Now, it's no secret that many wrestling companies have taped shows several weeks, even months, in advance to help save money. Look at WCW in 1993 at Disney MGM Studios. However, when Lucha Underground did it, I'm not kidding, they literally had their shows taped a year, maybe more, in advance. Hell, when the second half of season three began, that "All Night Long" match between Johnny Mundo and The Mack, not only were the results of this match already revealed, but this match was taped a year ago. And didn't air until the following year. That's not good business. Also, during Ultimate Lucha Dos, they already had Ultimate Lucha Tres taped as well. So, people already knew the results, and stories as well, going into their third season. And when Ultmate Lucha Tres did air, that show was literally a year and a half old, as far as taping is considered. So, they tape a show, and don't air it for almost two years. It's one thing to tape something, and air it like a month later. Maybe two. It's another thing entirely to tape something, and let it sit for a year, where fans will already know the results of what was taped, and probably lose interest in watching it. That was the biggest issue with these tapings. They taped them so far in advance, that fans lost interest in seeing them air to watch it happen. Strike three, and your out.
So, that's why Lucha Underground is no more. Because of poor management skills. Not understanding how production works. That's why we didn't get a fifth season. Such a shame.
Now, you people have known that I have taken my hand at rebooking wrestling angles on my page. Check out a few them.
Which leads me to today. I have decided to try, and I use that term very loosely, to write a fifth season of Lucha Underground. That's right. I'm gonna try and answer some of the questions that some fans had at the end of Ultima Lucha Cuatro. I'm gonna write an entire season, which will culminate at Ultima Lucha Cinco.
Now, will I write other seasons for Lucha Underground? I don't know. I just feel like a fifth season is needed. Plus, me being a fan of Lucha Underground, I'll have a lot of fun with this. Maybe I will if inspiration comes to me.
So, without any further ado, here it is. My version of...
Lucha Underground Season 5.
Author's Note: Yep, here I go. Don't forget to comment, like, favorite, and follow for future updates. Also, feel free to send in ideas for storylines, and I might use them. Also, tell me what YOU think made Lucha Underground go under. Thanks, and good night everybody.