I just watched LU season 2, episode 1

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

So, I just watched Lucha Underground Season 2 Episode 1. Of course before that I had watched the Season 1 Recap, just to to know the major characters of the show. It was my first time watching anything lucha related and I really wanted to give my thoughts on the show.

So, here we go. This might be a little be messy, because I'm not good at arranging my thoughts very well.

Things I didn't like
Since it was my first time watching lucha wrestling, sometimes the action in the ring felt weird to me. Lots of kicks and lots of jumping. The flying spots were great, some moves I hadn't seen before. What I didn't like about the in-ring action, was mainly the offesnse. The kicks sometimes didn't feel that realistic, they looked kinda fake and some spots didn't look as devastating as they would look on WWE for example.
I don't know why I had this impression, maybe it's the camera angle, maybe it's beacuse the camera is doing so many close ups in the wrestlers and their moves get exposed, I don't know. It's just that WWE can make the in-ring action more realistic to me, than it seemed in that episode.

Things I liked
I really like how they are making it seem like a TV series and not just as a standard wrestling series. TV series are ruling right now with shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad getting so many great reviews. It was a nice touch and I believe it really tells the story better than WWE's segments in the ring or backstage interviews, which one might say are outdated. Sure promos are nice, since it's a way to see how the crowd reacts to a wrestler, but those movie-like segments also make the show somewhat special and really build the characters that are portrayed on TV. When I watch a TV show, I want it be out of this world, like a TV show. I want the characters to captivate me. I think that's WWE's problem nowadays. No characters, no backstories.

The way the camera moves during in the ring action was something different, but I'm 50-50 on it. I don't think that there's a need for it to move so much and do so many close ups.

I liked how the entire night was placed around the main championship, the Lucha Underground Championship, which is equivalent to a World Championship. That should be the main focus of every wrestling shows. Every superstar should have their eyes set on the top prize every time of the year. Something the WWE rarely forgets and seems to remember only during Wrestlemania season.

The main event was nice. Mil Muertes beating that chick was a nice way to give him heat. Plus the hero comes out and makes the save. Then the thing that cought off guard was Pentagon coming out and attack the champion under a lot of cheers. I thought he was a heel? But as I said, every wrestler should gun for the top prize.

Various thoughts and questions
The space between the crowd and the ring is way too small. Also there are some stairs there and if anyone takes a suicide dive and land on those stairs it could even mean the end of his life.

Do women compete with men? Or was an one-night thing?

Is Lucha Undergorund its own company, or are they under a certain other company and that's just the show's name? Also do they appear in other shows like PPV or only in the LU show?

That was all. What is your take on LU?

 

[OYDK]

Things I didn't like
Since it was my first time watching lucha wrestling, sometimes the action in the ring felt weird to me. Lots of kicks and lots of jumping. The flying spots were great, some moves I hadn't seen before. What I didn't like about the in-ring action, was mainly the offesnse. The kicks sometimes didn't feel that realistic, they looked kinda fake and some spots didn't look as devastating as they would look on WWE for example.
I don't know why I had this impression, maybe it's the camera angle, maybe it's beacuse the camera is doing so many close ups in the wrestlers and their moves get exposed, I don't know. It's just that WWE can make the in-ring action more realistic to me, than it seemed in that episode.

Hm, I never really noticed this before. It's entirely possible that the camera work has something to do with your opinion on this but it also might just be the Lucha style. Some of these guys are so smooth in the way that they perform the moves and take them that the impact might not be there every time. I wouldn't let this deter you from the show. You're guaranteed to see some incredible matches once guys like Puma, Mundo, and Mysterio show up.

Things I liked
I really like how they are making it seem like a TV series and not just as a standard wrestling series. TV series are ruling right now with shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad getting so many great reviews. It was a nice touch and I believe it really tells the story better than WWE's segments in the ring or backstage interviews, which one might say are outdated. Sure promos are nice, since it's a way to see how the crowd reacts to a wrestler, but those movie-like segments also make the show somewhat special and really build the characters that are portrayed on TV. When I watch a TV show, I want it be out of this world, like a TV show. I want the characters to captivate me. I think that's WWE's problem nowadays. No characters, no backstories.

I completely agree with this. The production is so over the top that it's almost impossible not to be enamored with LU's style. It was even a little more "tv-show like" than last season. As long as you can accept the fact that Lucha Underground is more of a tv series with wrestling sprinkled in than an actual wrestling show, than you'll wholly enjoy it. Also, they do sprinkle in the odd live promo now and than.

I liked how the entire night was placed around the main championship, the Lucha Underground Championship, which is equivalent to a World Championship. That should be the main focus of every wrestling shows. Every superstar should have their eyes set on the top prize every time of the year. Something the WWE rarely forgets and seems to remember only during Wrestlemania season.

Yeah, I was a little iffy on the whole Mil Muertes running the show deal, but I can't argue that they didn't make him look like the star of the show. He was featured all night and his match with Ivelisse was fantastic. I couldn't be more excited for his feud with Pentagon. That's going to be craziness personified. However, and you may not realize this considering you just started watching this season, I thought it was dumb of them to take the Gifts of the Gods title from Fenix after he just won it at Ultima Lucha. Fenix was getting really over and it seems like they just decided to halt his momentum.

The main event was nice. Mil Muertes beating that chick was a nice way to give him heat. Plus the hero comes out and makes the save. Then the thing that cought off guard was Pentagon coming out and attack the champion under a lot of cheers. I thought he was a heel? But as I said, every wrestler should gun for the top prize.

He was a heel last season, but he was getting cheered about halfway through the year. After a while the crowd was chanting his name. I'm just wondering if we're going to see anything continue from the Vampiro/Pentagon storyline last year. They haven't really brought that up other than in the first scene.

Do women compete with men? Or was an one-night thing?

Well there are really only 2 active female competitors, Ivelisse and Sexy Star. But yes, they fight the men regularly.

Is Lucha Undergorund its own company, or are they under a certain other company and that's just the show's name? Also do they appear in other shows like PPV or only in the LU show?

It's not a physical company. It's produced by One Three Media and the El Rey Network. Lucha Underground is just the name of the show. No PPV's as far as I'm aware of... at least there ween't any last year. There's just the Ultima Lucha supershow at the end of the year.

That was all. What is your take on LU?

I like it. I care more about the characters in LU after one episode of season 2 than I do after watching WWE for the past few months. Character progression is key for me and LU is superb at adding depth and intrigue to all of their characters. It's probably the most entertaining hour of wrestling on TV in my opinion.

 

[@smarkmouth]

After more waiting than I'd like, I finally got around to watching episode 1 this weekend. I binge watched season one, much like I do for pretty much any television I watch, so waiting week to week is going to be a bit of a transition for me.

Ultimately, I was quite pleased. The most important thing for me was that the narrative of season one continues, which indeed prevailed. That's not to say I loved every second, but to elaborate;

What I liked;
The evolution of Ivelisse, SoH and Angelico; they stand together at the top of the show, at odds from how they felt about each other in season one. It was suggested that they'd get it together after losing the Trios championship, but the sight of them arriving together by motorbike was a thing of beauty. Of course, Catrina's offer threatens to revisit the divide with the chance at Mil Muertes. However, after the Triple threat contest, Havoc and Angelico remain at Ivelisse's side! Magical!

King Cuerno is the new Gift of the Gods Champion; I always thought it would be interesting for WWE to have a heel Champion who has the Money in the Bank holder as an insured body guard of sorts. Looks like LU beat them to it. Also, 'dat cradle tombstone, 'doe.

What I didn't like
The lighting change; I almost wanted to give this a like, but I can't. It is smart because it gives Mil and Catrina more power, as there's a physical change in the look of the temple. My issue, is that another change, Mil's throne, is completely obscured! If it looks like it is drawn in the Lucha Underground comic, then they need to make that beast visible! Not just throne, either. Character has been sucked out of the temple to a large degree. I know there were budget cuts, but they need a stronger lighting design.

Questions going forward;
With all these moving pieces; Mil and Catrina ruling the temple, Puma likely remaining in the title picture, Dario Cueto and company on the road, Pentagon Jr's rise and the soft-retcon of Vampiro's insanitty; I cannot wait to see where they land.

Also, did Dario Cueto need 60 dollars THAT badly? Did he leave all his money in the office? That's shitty financial planning.

 

[Black Anaconda Vise]

What I liked;
The evolution of Ivelisse, SoH and Angelico; they stand together at the top of the show, at odds from how they felt about each other in season one. It was suggested that they'd get it together after losing the Trios championship, but the sight of them arriving together by motorbike was a thing of beauty. Of course, Catrina's offer threatens to revisit the divide with the chance at Mil Muertes. However, after the Triple threat contest, Havoc and Angelico remain at Ivelisse's side! Magical!

I love this storyline. When I first saw him, Son of Havok to me was just a white guy in plain black tights and a plain black mask with a beard. He lost his first match, an intergender match, and would go on to lose to a mini and an exótico. There was dissension between him an Ivelisse and it seemed like he wouldn't amount to much; she would dump him and he'd just be a loser. But to see him finally get that win was awesome, and seeing him evolve into a fan favorite is awesome. Then there were troubles with the Trios team but they won the title in a good match with some pretty good storytelling and it felt really good. It's nice seeing the three still together.

I thought it was a good show. I'm interested in seeing how Pentagon Jr. vs Muertes turns out, and having Pentagon come out and attack him and break his arm was nice. Pentagon is basically a face now with all the reactions he was getting last year and the twist at Ultima Lucha with Vampiro. I don't see them doing heel vs heel with Cuerno and Muertes, which is a problem with MiTB as it gives the option of either the main championship changing or the Gift of the Gods championship changing. With MiTB, it's just cut and dry with the heel cashing in on the defenseless face, or the face cashing in on the other face or a heel.

Anyway, this season will be fun. I've been avoiding spoilers, so I'm not sure when they'll have Mysterio, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he does. I'm also curious with this Matanza character and what he'll look like and all. It'll be an interesting season, and a pretty fun one too.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I don't see them doing heel vs heel with Cuerno and Muertes, which is a problem with MiTB as it gives the option of either the main championship changing or the Gift of the Gods championship changing. With MiTB, it's just cut and dry with the heel cashing in on the defenseless face, or the face cashing in on the other face or a heel.

You lost me here. Either I misread you or I missed a plot point. Didn't Catrina's meeting with Cuerno suggest that he's agreed not to cash in the Gift of the Gods while Mil is champion?

 

[Black Anaconda Vise]

You lost me here. Either I misread you or I missed a plot point. Didn't Catrina's meeting with Cuerno suggest that he's agreed not to cash in the Gift of the Gods while Mil is champion?

Yeah, I forgot about that, my bad. It was suggested that Cuerno got his shot as long as he didn't cash in on Mil. So I guess either Cuerno loses it or turns or Mil loses the title against someone.

Nonetheless, the fact that the Gift of the Gods has to be defended like a championship is something I wish they'd do with the MiTB case. Having Fenix lose to Cuerno just shows that anything could happen and now there's a new person who could get a shot rather than just waiting for the MiTB winner to cash in.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Lucha Underground is forging its own identity with its different, TV series style format. At the same time, however, I think that sort of format will ultimately keep it limited to its own niche audience; I might be wrong and it may just continue to grow, only time will tell.

As for the style, as with anything else, it has its potential strengths and weaknesses. Years back, I was able to watch several episodes of AAA on Telemundo and the Lucha Libre style, as a whole, just doesn't work for me. AAA, when I watched it, was all about high spots, little to no selling, no storytelling and transitioning from one high spot to another. The language barrier didn't help things, but so many of the wrestlers themselves were so outlandishly cartoonish in terms of their personas that it made 95% of the WWE PG personas look like something out of the Attitude Era.

I haven't watched Lucha Underground, so I can't speak as much about it. I know it's gotten a good deal of positive acclaim for its approach but, as I said, it seems like its geared towards a particular niche and if it's not careful, that'll be what it winds up being stuck with like we saw with ECW in that you may not attract new viewers without altering key aspects while, simultaneously, you risk alienating and turning off the audience that's been watching if you do alter the format.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Okay I guys, from what I'm guessing from your posts, I come to realize that the Gifts of the God Championship is also something like MITB? Nice. I didn't know that. So it's the secondary belt and a #1 contendership guarrantee and the same time? Nice. And it makes sense. It's logical that the #2 champion in the company should be first in line for the #1 champion.

How does the Gift of the Gods work? Does the holder get an actual match when he wishes? If he loses it does he still have the right to get a match for the World title or does he have to win it back?

 

[Papa Pillman]

How does the Gift of the Gods work? Does the holder get an actual match when he wishes? If he loses it does he still have the right to get a match for the World title or does he have to win it back?

Quick run down...

The gift of the gods starts with seven medallions.

Matches are held to award each medallion to a wrestler.

Once all seven medallions are possessed by seven different wrestlers a match is held between them.

The winner of the match is named Gift of Gods champion and receives the belt with all seven medallions included.

It can be defended as a title, but at any point the wrestler who holds it has the right to turn it in and claim a world title shot, as long as he gives at least one week's notice to promote the match.

Once the Gift has been "cashed-in" the seven medallions are removed from the belt and are redistributed, and the process repeats.

 

[@smarkmouth]

As for the style, as with anything else, it has its potential strengths and weaknesses. Years back, I was able to watch several episodes of AAA on Telemundo and the Lucha Libre style, as a whole, just doesn't work for me. AAA, when I watched it, was all about high spots, little to no selling, no storytelling and transitioning from one high spot to another. The language barrier didn't help things, but so many of the wrestlers themselves were so outlandishly cartoonish in terms of their personas that it made 95% of the WWE PG personas look like something out of the Attitude Era.

I haven't watched Lucha Underground, so I can't speak as much about it. I know it's gotten a good deal of positive acclaim for its approach but, as I said, it seems like its geared towards a particular niche and if it's not careful, that'll be what it winds up being stuck with like we saw with ECW in that you may not attract new viewers without altering key aspects while, simultaneously, you risk alienating and turning off the audience that's been watching if you do alter the format.

I'm not sure it's as niche as you think, at least no more than any other wrestling program. Say what you will about the Lucha wrestling style, not for everyone, that's fair. But with roster alumni like Big Ryck, or Alberto El Patron, and current names like Cage or Mil Muertes show that they have more to offer.

As far as the storytelling, it may be flawed in the ring sometimes, but the storylines have a level of sophistication I've wanted out of wrestling for years, now. I'm not just talking about stylized backstage segments, either. The tale of Pentagon It's master was so well executed that I hope WWE writers watched and were ashamed of themselves. Linking this notion to the fact that we are in a television golden age where storytelling reigns supreme (successful programs such as Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones) could break them out of a pigeonholed niche audience.

 

[Trill Co$by]

If this had been done in WWE, you would all shit on the product like it was the ultimate sin of wrestling. LU is absolutely the worst example of wrestling I've ever seen, and that's including modern day TNA. I gave this show a chance because of the talent I was hearing about, and the people kept saying that it was good. Not to mention the backing of AAA which I highly respect as a legitimate contender in terms of "best wrestling company". Also, I happened to miss the Lucha Libre USA that was on MTV2 not long ago and thought this would be a nice replacement.

I was wrong. There was so much wrong with this that I just can't even see how people like it. And the worst part is, this has to be the best display of production value out there today. If ROH could find a camera crew to work like this, then they'd be in straight money. The problem is that there are cheap sound effects, the storylines make absolutely no sense, and the action is way too anti-story telling that it takes away from the product. I happen to like watching AAA and CMLL whenever I can, preferably AAA. And even in those companies, they take the time to properly sell the moves and tell stories. Yes Lucha Libre is faster than American wrestling, I get that. But this? This is pure trash. And that really bothers me because the talent pool that LU has is down right godly.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

lucha underground isn'T a wrestling show, it'S not even REAL lucha, it's just a tv show that have stage match to advance a story and that's o.k, if you like this type of entertainment but it's just that, entertainment. If you want to see real lucha libre try to watch some matches from CMLL, that what lucha libre is supposed to be.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Personally I think their TV show format will be beneficial to them as time goes on. Lucha Underground's TV style deviates from the sports format more than any wrestling show I've ever seen but somehow it works. Don't get me wrong, I'll always love the traditional wrestling style where it's presented as a sport and I never want that to go away but because LU presents it as a TV show it gives them avenues and different ways to actually give a shit about what's going on.

I will say without a doubt they do a much better job of building their talent and stories than any other North American promotion out there and I think they're in the lead by a country mile from what I've seen and they do a MUCH better job to actually make the audience care about what's going on. I love the fact they treat all their personalities seriously, they do a good job introducing these guys (like PJ Black and Rey Mysterio last night) and they don't treat their talent like a joke including the girls. They take their time in building up to Ultima Lucha, they don't blow their load in 2 weeks like WWE and TNA does and it's probably the only wrestling show ever that can actually take an off-season and come back without skipping a beat.

It may not be for everyone and I get that, especially for the traditional wrestling fan out there but because Lucha Underground doesn't try and pretend it's something it's not, because it's different and because they treat it seriously I think this show has a real chance of making it long term. It only took 1 episode of Season 2 to bring in a 3rd season so they're obviously doing something right.

 

[A11oftheLights]

If this had been done in WWE, you would all shit on the product like it was the ultimate sin of wrestling. LU is absolutely the worst example of wrestling I've ever seen, and that's including modern day TNA. I gave this show a chance because of the talent I was hearing about, and the people kept saying that it was good. Not to mention the backing of AAA which I highly respect as a legitimate contender in terms of "best wrestling company". Also, I happened to miss the Lucha Libre USA that was on MTV2 not long ago and thought this would be a nice replacement.

I was wrong. There was so much wrong with this that I just can't even see how people like it. And the worst part is, this has to be the best display of production value out there today. If ROH could find a camera crew to work like this, then they'd be in straight money. The problem is that there are cheap sound effects, the storylines make absolutely no sense, and the action is way too anti-story telling that it takes away from the product. I happen to like watching AAA and CMLL whenever I can, preferably AAA. And even in those companies, they take the time to properly sell the moves and tell stories. Yes Lucha Libre is faster than American wrestling, I get that. But this? This is pure trash. And that really bothers me because the talent pool that LU has is down right godly.

Hahahahahahahahaha. Thanks Jim Cornette

God help that anything is different from something else. One of the biggest complaints that TNA has had is that it is WWE-lite. So now a company decides to be a tv show based on a wrestling company as a way to differentiate itself. I look at Lucha Underground as being the wrestling version of Kingdom. You might not like it but it could help attract new fans (not helped by the fact that it airs on El Rey).

Besides its not like you cant say the same thing about WWE at various times

 

[@smarkmouth]

If this had been done in WWE, you would all shit on the product like it was the ultimate sin of wrestling.

This is accurate, but somewhat unfair. I think zombies are the tits, but I'd be disappointed if they showed up in season 4 of the Wire.

I won't fault you for your dislike of their wrestling, because, hey, to each their own. Personally I think editing has a lot to do with the lack of selling, but that's just a hypothesis, nor should it color your view. I do enjoy LU wrestling for its highlight reel, but if it was without the storylines I probably wouldn't be so invested. LU matches are mostly spotfests. That's okay. I can enjoy a good spotfest. However, season one was littered with more than enough 4 star gems amongst the spotfests to merit enjoyment from a wrestling purist view.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Hahahahahahahahaha. Thanks Jim Cornette

Considering Jim Cornette is regarded as one of the best bookers from his generation, I'll take that as a compliment. You could've called me worse.

God help that anything is different from something else. One of the biggest complaints that TNA has had is that it is WWE-lite. So now a company decides to be a tv show based on a wrestling company as a way to differentiate itself. I look at Lucha Underground as being the wrestling version of Kingdom. You might not like it but it could help attract new fans (not helped by the fact that it airs on El Rey).

TNA is an example of how not to be the same, LU is an example of how not to be different. To me, a perfect balance would be more-so NJPW where they're not trying to be WWE but they still showcase some sound in ring work. And while I don't necessarily watch every single NJPW show to know the vast storylines and such, there can be some exciting matches at times. And maybe when they taped the matches at LU, they seemed great. But it doesn't come across that way on my television, at least not to me.

Besides its not like you cant say the same thing about WWE at various times

You must be new here. If WWE did something I didn't like, I'd say something. For example, when they decided to push Charlotte in front of Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch to be the first of the three to win the Diva's title. I even complained when they had Big Show go over Eric Rowen years ago. And to be honest, I'm not exactly too thrilled that they're force feeding us a second Y2J vs. Styles match when those two can be used for much better rivalries. Being WWE doesn't exempt them from me criticizing them, in fact it makes it worse for them because I expect far more from the world's leading wrestling company.

 

[@smarkmouth]

We are now two episodes into season two of Lucha Underground. I know there have been a couple threads about the company so far, but I thought a thread encapsulating discussion as the season goes on is due.

Whoa dude, I thought I clicked new thread. Oh well.

Solid episode two. I love the idea of Mil Muertes up on his throne more and more. As presented in the Mundo/Cage segment and the tag team main event, all rivalries, while still personal, are a road to the Lucha Underground Championship. This was true back in season one as well, but Mil's presence is selling every feud!

It looks as if Cage is moving forward as a face, which I'm all for. I absolutely adore the fact that while Cage and Pentagon have turned, they are still 100% true to their character. Take note, Big Show.

I'm still not loving the lighting. I get it. It's darker because Mil and Catrina rule the temple, but any lighting designer worth his salt could have done something better than this. The lighting could have been a blue-gray tint on the temple, suggesting a deathly chill, as opposed to obscuring it all in darkness. Mundo was lost looking for Cage in the crowd, but it robbed the audience of the fun of looking for him as well.

Speaking of, the 'Believers' are verging on NXT-crowd levels of annoying. It was Justin fricken Gabriel. Why are you chanting 'Holy Shit' as if the second coming of Sting has just shown up? Oh well, as long as you're having a good time, I guess.

Slick reveal of Rey Mysterio after the credits. I'm not his biggest fan, but I'm not naive to how much of a coup he is for Lucha Underground. I hope they use him well

 

[A11oftheLights]

Considering Jim Cornette is regarded as one of the best bookers from his generation, I'll take that as a compliment. You could've called me worse.

your showing that your just as out of touch as Cornette is with that statement. He might have been one of the best bookers of his generations, but that generation has long gone and wrestling has evolved. Cornette has become/is a rambling nutjob (high on his own over inflated ego) about how wrestling should be conducted the way it was back in the 80s as a legit sport . Cornette is basically the "ITS STILL REAL TO ME" guy with a job.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Also, I happened to miss the Lucha Libre USA that was on MTV2 not long ago and thought this would be a nice replacement.

Really?
You have to be trolling. Lucha Libre USA could not be described as anything other than unadulterated garbage. It was the very definition of an unwatchable TV wrestling product. If you actually enjoyed it you have just proven your opinion on LU to be invalid, because you obviously have laughably bad taste when it comes to what is a good wrestling program.