FanPost

Even Lucha Underground isn't perfect

Season 2 wrapped up with a fantastic match between Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio, Jr., Pentagon turning on his master, Matanza escaping with the Lucha Underground title, and Dario Cueto being transported to the slammer.

It was a good season, even though it was not necessarily as strong as Season 1. Uncertainties with talent as well as whether or not what would be the parameters that Lucha Underground producers would be working with in Season 2 probably played a role. Sophomore slumps happen in just about any entertainment field, so it is not necessarily an overwhelming indictment.

Much ado has been made about the "booking decisions" in regards to Ultima Lucha, especially with no real payoff between El Dragon Azteca, Jr. and Black Lotus and how Pentagon Dark did not triumph against Mantaza. A lot of criticism has factored into the latter match, not only because of how it went down, but how it also was not the main event match. The feedback made me think.

Admittedly, I have an idea as to what happens in the third season. And I will say that some of what you have seen in the past three weeks will end up making sense. However, some of the criticisms I have seen (while somewhat valid) makes me aware of the one glaring thing that is still an understandable work in progress for Eric Van Wagenen, Chris DeJoseph, and company.

Before I get into that specifically, I still want to say that, to me, Lucha Underground is still the best televised wrestling series airing in the United States. However, Lucha Underground has undeniably dealt with growing pains. Viewership ranged from being a rollercoaster to being stable and publicized backstage issues gave Lucha Underground a taste of bad wrestling press. Nevertheless, it is my personal opinion that Lucha Underground is still a a show that is superior to anything offered by WWE, TNA, or Ring of Honor.

However, Lucha Underground has always had a problem with making viewers realize that Lucha Underground is a television show and not a true professional wrestling promotion. In fact, Lucha Underground is the latest iteration of professional wrestling as a modern, stylized television genre, a concept that began in earnest with ECW in the mid-1990s, developed by WCW, and then perfected by WWE with the Attitude Era. While Lucha Underground specifically is a nod to Mexican lucha libre cinema, it is, for what its worth, the heir apparent to the programming that existed during the last pro wrestling boom.

Die-hard professional wrestling fans that appreciate the performance artistry of wrestling either love or hate Lucha Underground. I personally love it, but that's because I look at televised professional wrestling from the merit of being its own television show, not necessarily it being just a broadcast of a live event. There's a vast stylistic difference. Looking at Lucha Underground as a television show instead of seeing it as a typical professional wrestling promotion is key. The "booking decisions" aren't typical "booking decisions" and narrative strength trumps drawing power (for the most part).

For example: if this was WWE or TNA, Pentagon would have won the Lucha Underground title last night. That is just how that angle would have naturally progressed. With Lucha Underground, where the story arc of a season is completely written ahead of time, the story was probably never meant to pan out that way (to the chagrin of many Pentagon Jr. fans).

Yet, when there have been three promotions - WWE, TNA, and Ring of Honor - that have spent the better part of the decade focusing on broadcast event model, and shows such as Wrestling Society X and Lucha Underground come along the way with a serialized television format, it was going to make for a steep adjustment curve.

As I said, it's still a work in progress and there's nothing wrong with that. I have long argued that professional wrestling needs to return to a much more serialized television focus with long, drawn out angles and deep characters. Television viewers demand complexity and strong character development -- that's why The Walking Dead, even in an era of declining cable audiences, can still draw 8-figure viewership.

However, I don't think Lucha Underground producers have done enough to sell the fact that that yes, this Lucha Underground can deliver what the average television viewer is looking for, no matter if its a comedy, drama, or in this case professional wrestling. Lucha offers complex, dramatic storylines with well-timed violence and comic relief. The core value of enjoying and understanding Lucha Underground comes from zeroing in on its value as a television show on its own merit. And Lucha Underground, most of the time, it is a damn good television show, period.

And while I understand Lucha's marketing for the first couple of years was mainly focused on winning over the most serious professional wrestling fans, Lucha really need to target the Millennial and Generation X fans that abandoned professional wrestling after the conclusion of the wrestling boom in 2001. Those are the fans that are already conditioned to looking at professional wrestling as a television genre and those will be the ones that would readily be interested and possibly be accepting of what Lucha Underground has to offer.

But it goes back to doing more to educate and condition (for a lack of a better word) viewers to don't look at Lucha Underground as a wrestling promotion. Don't look at Lucha Underground writing decisions as "booking decisions". If you do, you will be resoundingly disappointed.

What would help facilitate that though besides making that point clear in the press? Returning to its successful format of Season 1 where there were clear protagonists and clear antagonists. Season 2 was clear in its antagonists in Mantaza, Catrina, and Muertes, but the protagonists were not clear. Hopefully it happens with Season 3.

Lucha Underground is not perfect. It still has growing pains. But it still remains the best televised wrestling series right now. Hopefully producers will still continue to emphasize Lucha Underground as a television show, and hopefully fans will still continue to give this series a chance going forward.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.