Lucha Libre USA

[1_2_3 Kid]

1st of all.. I didn't quite know where to put this so mods, if its wrongly placed my apologies..

To the matter @ hand..

I have been watching AAA (that's the WWE of mexican wrestling) for a while now and continue to be blown away by the althletisicm and creativity of the promotion. All Lucha Libre is very intense and I've often wondered why the WWE never really tried to take any talent seeing as they always try to appeal to all demographics.

Granted, the Lucha style is not very fitting for the PG rating they could be toned down. Some of the characters are really intense and they take extreme pride in doing the best job for the people first. If any of you have ever seen some of tthe matches in AAA you will know that it is very fast paced and hard hitting. Its like the attitude era 24/7 with all of the drama and action that any wrestling fan could ask for.

I was impressed when MTV picked up a contract to show this great asset to pro wrestling on american tv and in english too boot. I really got to thinking that VKM could really get a payday taking in some of the workers. Not that the WWE needs any workers now, that's not the point. The point is that these wrestlers would bring in a huge amout of revenue and fan support if their hometown guy got the call up to the E. The stadiums they pack in mexico would completly go fucking crazy if all of the WWE stars and the luchadores were all in the building rocking the fucking house down. I know that this probobly will not work in the current rating of the WWE televison but I just always try too see the best in everything and this would be a great move for VKM to make imo. I enjoy the shit out of WWE, I am ahuge mark but I can assure you that I will be tuning into MTV to watch the greatness that is Lucha libre. They really have me wating more and I tend to find myself on the edge of this damn seat every night.

So what are yalls thoughts on the matter?

Do you watch Lucha style wrestling? If so, what's your opinons on it?

Do you think that Vince would even attempt to get involved with something like this?

Would it work over in WWE? Would it bring back more of the "wrestling" fan to the product?

Imagine if WWE hosted a WM in one of the biggest stadiums in mexico, that would be HUGE. The mexican ppl are fans of the WWE as well, but they don't just want to see rey mysterio. The E could profit huge off of this power move. I'm pretty sure TNA tried to do someting similar with the "world cup" or some crap like that. But I kno vinnie mac would not go in on something half assed. This can work.... or can it?

Discuss

 

[gd]

Do you watch Lucha style wrestling?

Not particularly.

If so, what's your opinons on it?

I'm sure it's great.

Do you think that Vince would even attempt to get involved with something like this?

It's got no chance. No chance in hell. Vince really has no reason to do it, now does he? The current WWE model is working just fine for him. As you even said, they love it down in Mexico. Why would he bother with something that may alienate some of the fanbase while not bringing in a lot of new fans? It ain't happenin', brotha.

Would it work over in WWE? Would it bring back more of the "wrestling" fan to the product?

They could bring in a few guys, who most definetly would up the quality of the wrestling, but can you really see them becoming big stars? Rey Mysterio wouldn't be as big of a deal if there were a dozen other guys just like him, possibly even better. They'll just stick to one or 2 lucha type guys at a time, I'd say.

As for the Lucha Libre show on MTV, I'm sure it's going to be quite ridiculous and possibly entertaining. I'll check it out, that's for sure. I do question as why they chose a time slot competing with Smackdown. Sure, they aren't really all that similar, but still. It's wrestling and whatnot.

Doesn't seem to be a lot of big names. Jack Evans sounds like someone I should have heard of and they interviewed Konnan, so I guess he's wrestling?

The homosexual category of wrestlers are obviously the most intriguing of the bunch, slightly ahead of the midgets.

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

Yeah, the homo and midget factors are pretty intruging....

But I guess it would just be more of a way to unify what's going on and basically just make money. There's a whole hell of a lot of it to go around.

On them becoming stars... I say its kinda 50/50, during the promos I kud have sworn to go I seen sean waltman, I know a couple of other guys have wrestled in mexico before and after runs with WWE.

Rey mysterio is big. Maybe he is not cena or orton big, but people identify him with the WWE. And vice versa. I mean god, the quality matches that rey could put on would be astounding, and really open him up more. I could see a major heel role for him as he brings in a new stable. People would definitly see another side of rey rey.

Money, money, money is what its all about. Now by "unifying" I don't mean for vince to buy the promotion, it would be sort of like WCW and NWO present... I always liked that about WCW. It was different, it was fresh. The AAA can sure as hell promote, and I know vince would beable to use his recources to bring some of these gimmicks they have to the average americans home.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

I watch plenty of AAA, but it's stuff delayed by three or so weeks on tv. Got to watch Triplemania this weekend, though not the whole card (no La Parka vs L.A. Park).

I'm 50/50 with it. Too many huracanranas and if you take that out of the equation and have it on WWE, it'd be considered boring by WWE fan standards.

I've seen Sean Waltman, Sabu, Hernandez, Beer Money and many others there. Even R-Truth wanted to go there, but TNA said no.

I doubt it'll work. It was one of the major ways Rey got over. It'll just dilute WWE and in 10 years it will become standard, basic and boring, much like the DDT today. Though Jack Evans would be great to have in WWE.

 

[Leafy]

Do you watch Lucha style wrestling?

Every once in a while. When it's on and I feel like sitting through Spanish commentary

If so, what's your opinons on it?

I like it. The characters are a little weird, (Like clowns) but the wrestling is usually good always entertaining

Do you think that Vince would even attempt to get involved with something like this?

No, he has Mysterio to sell masks and that's all he needs. He loves the money and Lucha will only bring in a few more fans

Would it work over in WWE? Would it bring back more of the "wrestling" fan to the product?

No, "wrestling" fans have either stuck to the Indy's or are still WWE watchers. Seeing a Dragonrana isn't going to make people sit through WWE programming

Imagine if WWE hosted a WM in one of the biggest stadiums in mexico, that would be HUGE. The mexican ppl are fans of the WWE as well, but they don't just want to see rey mysterio. The E could profit huge off of this power move. I'm pretty sure TNA tried to do someting similar with the "world cup" or some crap like that. But I kno vinnie mac would not go in on something half assed. This can work.... or can it?

First of all, my Firefox grammar checker hates you.

Second, I mean it could work but realistically Wrestlemania is going to be in America and Canada forever. It just won't work.

Discuss[/QUOTE]

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

To the poster before me...

I have to say that if WM would never step foot out of the US. IMO that would be a sad thing.

All of the pagentry, and spectacle (if I could quote JR for just a damn minute) of WM should be happening everwhere. Its a shame that it would have to be like that, because I do feel Vince would never go for something like that.

But that's just it, Vince has never ceased to amaze me when it comes to buisness decisions. Granted, not all of them were good times, but he was a man, stuck to the script and got to it. Even flipped the scripped sometimes and never looked back.

IMO, it would not be a bad idea to hold one WM in a diferent country every year. Like an olympic style deal if you will. That would be amazing for the people and the buisness. WWE is played in so many countrys as it is that people WANT that shit to come there.

But maybe your right, it is the the dream of all people to make it to america. You know, for the good jobs and the good living. But I can bet that there would be some passionate enough fans, that if had the means, would go just to see john cena.

Everone deserves a chance to see the greatest sport in the world live and in your face, and if you ain't down wit dat.... you and your firefox whatchamabober can... SUCK IT!

 

[Leafy]

To the poster before me...

My name is Leafy. I hope to make this section a better place

I have to say that if WM would never step foot out of the US. IMO that would be a sad thing.

Wrestlemania X7, held in Canada. US is a country.

All of the pageantry, and spectacle (if I could quote JR for just a damn minute) of WM should be happening everywhere. Its a shame that it would have to be like that, because I do feel Vince would never go for something like that.

But that's just it, Vince has never ceased to amaze me when it comes to business decisions. Granted, not all of them were good times, but he was a man, stuck to the script and got to it. Even flipped the script sometimes and never looked back.

IMO, it would not be a bad idea to hold one WM in a different country every year. Like an Olympic style deal if you will. That would be amazing for the people and the business. WWE is played in so many country's as it is that people WANT that shit to come there.

But maybe your right, it is the the dream of all people to make it to America. You know, for the good jobs and the good living. But I can bet that there would be some passionate enough fans, that if had the means, would go just to see john cena.

Why would Vince move away from his main demographic just so a small percentage get the Wrestlemania experience? It just doesn't make sense. The only possible place it could go is England, and that's a big maybe. If people want that Wrestlemania experience, they better buy a plane ticket for now.

Everyone deserves a chance to see the greatest sport in the world live and in your face, and if you ain't down with that.... you and your firefox whatchamabober can... SUCK IT!

Fixed the grammar.

 

[Tougie]

I watch Lucha Libre when I get the chance. AAA still has the 6 sided ring and the characters are great. Combine all that with the talent of the wrestlers and its a great promotion. I doubt Vince would ever get involved with it, the closest he has is with the cruiserweight division. And thats completely gone now so thats basically his opinion on it. It would easily work in WWE but oviously some of the gimmicks would need to be reworked.

Completely agree with you on a wrestlemania in Mexico and I think its just a matter of time until we see Mania in Mexico, England, etc.

 

[JM Punk]

My biggest concern going in is that its on MTV. I would question if wrestling would even work on that network. Were Sunday Night Heat or Tough Enough THAT much of a success? Wrestling Society X was terrible. MTV's main target demographic is girls between the ages of what, 13-30? I have a hard time believing that the same people that watch The Hills and Jersey Shore are going to watch wrestling.

 

[The Bearded One]

I'm excited for this. I don't follow AAA at all, but I did notice some of the names of the promotional show they had. It seems as if it is a completely different product than anything I'm used to seeing. It seems to have the over the top characters that got me into wrestling in the first place way back in the day. I know its going to be high flying and will hopefully be fun to watch. Do they present their storylines seriously or is it more of a fun atmosphere?

MTV is an interesting choice for this. It seems to me that people at MTV really like wrestling, but it never succeeds for whatever reason. I think this has the best chance to succeed. Its a new product to most Americans. Most people have no idea who these people are. And it doesn't look like it has the hardcore aspect to it that ultimately caused the downfall of WSX. They are giving it an hour, so we should get full matches instead of just clips.

All in all, I'm excited for Lucha Libre USA. More wrestling on free tv is always good and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

 

[matman8540]

If it's pro wrestling, and it's on TV, I'll watch it. I like to watch it so I can see people that might become (with a small apology to NXT) the next breakout superstar, or people I've seen on the bigger stages from the past. For example, I watched Lucha Libre USA last night at 10PM (our cable company has a West Coast feed), and saw a few of the latter. Such as Marco Corleone (formerly Mark Jindrak), Chi Chi the exotico (formerly Alan Funk aka Kwee Wee), and Tigresa Caliente (formerly Rhaka Khan). It looks like Corleone/Jindrak has carved himself a nice niche wrestling in the Lucha style, despite being a gringo. Hopefully, this will do well enough to cause a buzz among people who will try to watch Lucha Libre/AAA, but are not well versed in listening to the whole broadcast in Spanish. My only complaint is whoever the announcers were, made Michael Cole & the King sound like Gordon Solie and Jesse Ventura.

 

[Josefien]

I just watched the first episode and thought it was okay overall.

Granted, I did not and still do not have high expectations for this show.
I get it, it's a nice way of getting some Americans into the Lucha Libre style and maybe it will work. If I seriously wanted to make someone a fan of Lucha Libre though, I would not choose this show.

Essentially, Lucha Libre USA is a show with very athletic guys, who showcase their skills in fast-paced (sometimes a little clusterfuck-ish) matches. On the other hand, there are the Minis and the Exoticos who bring the entertainment.
What is lacking is the typical Mexican atmosphere and flair that make the shows and the matches so great. I don't blame MTV or anyone for not being able to recreate the atmosphere or to fill up the arena, that's why I said I didn't have high expectations. That's just what this show is (and is supposed to be?), Lucha Libre USA.

I feel sorry for TJP (Sydistiko) though. Being Lizmark jr's lackey? He's better than that.

 

[The Bearded One]

I finished watching the show last night and it honestly wasn't that good. I'm not even going to attempt to try to remember the names right now, but the opening Trios match was weird. Something about it just seemed off the entire time. The tag match between the Minis and the Exoticos was also strange, but I found it a bit more entertaining than the first match. It seemed a little more high flying a lucha libre-ish if that makes any sense. Finally, it seems to me they're are building Marco Corleone up to be the first champion. He got the pinfall before getting beat down after the match by Lizmark Jr and his lackey.

Overall, this show was just strange to me. I guess I have to get use to the Lucha Libre style. There were just things all night that kept bugging me, but it would have been a whole hell of a lot better if they had different announcers. I don't care who they get, but they need need some new ones pronto.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

I haven't been able to watch it since I only have basic cable from Comcast and only have MTV. I can't search things properly, but can someone fill me in if Lucha Libre USA is a promotion or just AAA dubbed in English?

Reading someone's post about minis reminds me of the ladder match this past Triplemania -- the only match with little people I ever found decent.

 

[X]

I haven't been able to watch it since I only have basic cable from Comcast and only have MTV. I can't search things properly, but can someone fill me in if Lucha Libre USA is a promotion or just AAA dubbed in English?

Reading someone's post about minis reminds me of the ladder match this past Triplemania -- the only match with little people I ever found decent.

Nah it's not AAA with English dubs and the minis match was not the same one from Triplemania last month (which was a great show by the way). Lucha Libre USA as far as i can tell is it's own promotion created for the sole purpose of holding lucha libre events on US soil in the Southwest and for taping television to be aired on MTV2 and MTV's Spanish channel. Looks like they're using a mixture of AAA, CMLL, as well as indy stars for this show as well as some familiar faces from US wrestling's past (like Mark Jindrak and Johnny the Bull/Rellik).

I've got the show recorded on my DVR, haven't gotten around to watching it yet. Probably won't be half as entertaining as the weekly AAA shows are.

 

[The Holy One]

I'm kind of disappointed that's isn't just AAA in English dubs b/c I was very excited to see an AAA show in actual English. I've haven't seen an episode yet due to watching Dragonball Z Kai all the time but I will try to double manage this week and hopefully get a glimpse of it. At least, they have Marco Corleones on there who is one of my favorite luchadors at the moment.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I watched a replay of what I think was an episode that originally aired last night a few hours ago. I didn't really know what to expect because I haven't heard much buzz about this, nor did I go into it with any particular expectations.

It's definitely something different from either WWE or TNA, I will say that. I'm not particularly a fan of the Lucha Libre style of wrestling, so much of it just looks like one huge clusterfuck with wrestlers running around in outfits that look to be inspired by a combination of Japanese Anime and Broadway musicals. But, that in and of itself is part of the Lucha Libre style. I recognized a few familiar faces, such as Rhaka Khan and Mark Jindrak, though don't ask me to remember their names immediately.

Was it good? In my opinion, not really. There were a few times I was actually kind of embarassed to be watching it. Compared to WWE and TNA, it seems very campy and outright corny in some instances. That being said, I admit that it might possibly be something that might grow on me. I've tried watching AAA several times, but I haven't really been able to get into it. One big reason I know is because I don't understand Spanish, so maybe this show will be able to warm me up overall to the Luchadore way of things.

 

[gd]

I watched a little bit of it last night. Not terrible I suppose, aside from the commentators. I think I just had no idea what the fuck was going on. I though Rey Mysterio and CM Punk were the only guys who wore masks? Too hard to keep them straight.

Did catch the whole main event which pitted Rhaka Khan and guy with a transgender/Lady Gaga gimmick against some midget and, would you believe it, Awesome Kong. Boy did I feel giddy that I recognized one of the wrestlers competing. She still looks as beautiful as ever, by the way.

If I actually watched this on a regular basis, it actually might not be that bad.

 

[TSG]

I watched a little bit of it last night. Not terrible I suppose, aside from the commentators. I think I just had no idea what the fuck was going on. I though Rey Mysterio and CM Punk were the only guys who wore masks? Too hard to keep them straight.

Did catch the whole main event which pitted Rhaka Khan and guy with a transgender/Lady Gaga gimmick against some midget and, would you believe it, Awesome Kong. Boy did I feel giddy that I recognized one of the wrestlers competing. She still looks as beautiful as ever, by the way.

If I actually watched this on a regular basis, it actually might not be that bad.

The transgender/Lady GaGa gimmick is Alan Funk, who played Kwee-Wee is WCW, if you or anyone else didn't know.

I've watched a couple episodes, and it is okay. Definitley not the best out there, average at best, but it is different and an alternative to anything else you'll find as far as american wrestling goes. It is interesting and showcases a different style of wrestling. I'm digging the R.J. Brewer character, who is portrayed by John Walters, I believe. He is credible top-tier guy, at least for the company he is. We're getting a different, much better potrayal of the Rellik character, which some may recognize from TNA where he teamed with Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes). Rellik is portrayed by Johnny the Bull from WCW and WWE. It also has Jindrak, which is always a plus, and we also have Rhaka Khan and Amazing Kong, plus some new and exciting faces. Also, Lizmark Jr. is a beast.

I'm digging this, at least for what it is. It is enjoyable, if you can soak in the lucha libre culture, and it is also nice to get a taste of what I always saw from AAA, but this time being able to understand it. I'd reccomend it, and it may just thrive as a 3rd or 4th promotion here in the States.

 

[enterkey]

I caught this weeks main event for Lucha Libre USA and it was just a giant clusterfuck of a match. First off the guys did little to impress me in the ring and for an organization that is showing a bunch of awesome flips and shit for promos it disappointed big time. Secondly during the match for no apparent reason whatsoever a bunch of guys just came down to the ring and started fighting each other, one pair of guys moved into some blocked off area that had the worlds worst wrestling ladder and had the guys battle off the top of the ladder, one of them got knocked off and then the other guy did some kind of weak ass flip onto the other guy and our view of the impact was completely blocked. I'm not sure how normal Lucha styled wrestling shows are but if they all have some giant run ins for shits and giggles like they did on the ep I saw then I'm not surprised Vince hasn't tried to have any Luchadors other than Mysterio go further than the cruiserweight title. On the bright side though I got to see Mark Jindrak wrestle for the first time in years because of the show

 

[ProWrestlingSyndicate]

Just making mention that Lucha Libre USA star Sabre Cat (Sabre Claw on Lucha) will be wrestling for Pro Wrestling Syndicate on August 22 in Fairfield, CT. Show also includes Scott Hall, Road Dogg, Amazing Red, Necro Butcher, Sami Callihan, Dan Maff, Velvet Sky, Kenny Doane, and others.

 

[Bobdoyle]

You said the Lucha Libre style is not PG. What does that even mean? If you are refering to the fact that WWE doesn't let high-flyers pull off crazy stunts it is mostly due to the high risk of injury because of their intense travel schedule.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Seeing this thread reminded me that I read an article last week, I think it was on gerweck.net, and the ratings for the first two episodes of the show were in. The first one did a 0.2, not exactly setting the world on fire but everybody's gotta start somewhere. The second episode pulled a 0.1, so that's not exactly encouraging. I have no clue what expectations the brass at MTV might have in terms of numbers, but they better not be expecting anything remotely signifigant anytime soon.

I caught the main event of an episode that aired Saturday and it was just plain awful. Amazing Kong and a mini La Parka vs. Rhaka Khan, or whatever the hell her name there is, and some guy dressed in drag. It really was horrible, easily the worst wrestling match I've seen on television this year. I know that it's all part of what you see in Lucha Libre, but I don't think this is going to connect with a huge audience in the states. It's just so campy that it makes Santino Marella look like Randy Orton.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

They'd probably get (slightly) better ratings if it were on a better channel. Insert eye-rolling face thingy here.

Anyway, does anyone know if there are any episodes uploaded anywhere so I can start watching it?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The numbers for the August 13th episode are out and they're definitely not good. The show drew a 0.06 Nielsen Rating with 57,000 viewers. So, basically, the show continues to lose viewers and is losing them at a pretty alarming rate. I have a feeling that Lucha Libre USA might not be too long for this world. Or, at least not on MTV.