There's A New World Heavyweight Championship And Prince Puma Is Its First Holder

[ABMorales787]

On this week's episode of Lucha Underground, GM Dario Cueto hosted the first ever "Aztec Warfare". A spin on AAA staple match, the "Copa Antonio Peña" match. A gauntlet battle royal where entrants come in every 2 minutes and are eliminated by pin or submission. In AAA the match is normally between 8 to 12 wrestlers depending on the roster at the time of the event. Lucha Underground went way over with 20 wrestlers. At the end of it, Prince Puma outlasted the rest of the roster, including women Ivelisse Velez & Sexy Star as well as mini-star Mascarita Sagrada to win the title.

Do you consider it a World Championship? I do. It's a televised show and it's a branch of the 3rd largest promotion in the world so why not? It also means AAA hosts 2 World titles.

Do you think Prince Puma was the right choice for the title? I think Mil Muertes should've been the first Champion. Maybe soon enough he will hold it.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Prince Puma was the perfect choice and the end of the match felt like a real closing scenario, as Puma finally beat Mundo and this time, for the match that counts. Since last week I went on my way to watch other Lucha Underground tapings and the show just seems different and it's a GOOD different and three guys really stand out - with Prince Puma being one of those and really the underdog when you consider Mundo and Mil Muertes the other two.

I also think that the first World Champion should "almost" always be a babyface, because, quite frankly, being the champion means that you are the best and people like success and can live vicariously through them, specially if you are a likable person/character and Prince Puma really is. As a "new viewer" I really felt that Puma was the underdog and I was really pulling for him the entire match and I felt good in the end when he did it.

And now you have Mil Muertes, who'll be a wonderful contender for this title, as well as Mundo, as he just got conquered by the guy he had always been one step ahead. Really, Ricochet may have created something here.

My only hope is that they can stay this simple, mainly because I find AAA very confusing with their FUCKING NINE championships. I hope they don't create a "mixed" tag team championship, because it's stupid. If a girl can fight a guy, it means she can be a contender for the regular tag title. It looks different, more "american" and that's really how it should be done. Also the design team is so fucking awesome, literally the best thing I've seen in wrestling, FUCKING EVER! Not even New Japan cartoon posters who were really cool can touch this brilliant photos and way to promote the show.

 

[ABMorales787]

My only hope is that they can stay this simple, mainly because I find AAA very confusing with their FUCKING NINE championships. I hope they don't create a "mixed" tag team championship, because it's stupid. If a girl can fight a guy, it means she can be a contender for the regular tag title. It looks different, more "american" and that's really how it should be done. Also the design team is so fucking awesome, literally the best thing I've seen in wrestling, FUCKING EVER! Not even New Japan cartoon posters who were really cool can touch this brilliant photos and way to promote the show.

In AAA women and men can only fight in mixed tag matches. Keep in mind things are far different there than here and Lucha Underground is intended for US audiences.

They have 8 titles. 3 singles titles, 2 tag team titles (standard and mixed tag team rules), 1 mini's, 1 womens and 1 trios title.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

In AAA women and men can only fight in mixed tag matches. Keep in mind things are far different there than here and Lucha Underground is intended for US audiences.

They have 8 titles. 3 singles titles, 2 tag team titles (standard and mixed tag team rules), 1 mini's, 1 womens and 1 trios title.

It's still way too many. New Japan has six titles and sometimes I really wonder if that isn't a stretch. I see no reason for a "trios title", nor for the mix tag titles. Either way, I hope Lucha Underground really gets major attention in the US and can be created as a new brand, and NOT, AAA's launch in the US, because if Lucha Underground's gone and they start to promote it as AAA, I'll be gone too, I tried CMLL and I tried AAA and I hated it, specially the commentary (I'm lusophone btw, so it's really close to spanish) and some matches are just way to fast paced and with way too many people involved.

At least Lucha Underground is more simple in that way and judging by spoilers, they'll maintain that for some time. I really hope they find their niche and I hope they never grow from one hour broadcasts. I've found that one hour wrestling shows are just plain awesome. Maybe do a two hour if you really want to end some feuds and give the big blowout match.

 

[ABMorales787]

It's still way too many. New Japan has six titles and sometimes I really wonder if that isn't a stretch. I see no reason for a "trios title", nor for the mix tag titles. Either way, I hope Lucha Underground really gets major attention in the US and can be created as a new brand, and NOT, AAA's launch in the US, because if Lucha Underground's gone and they start to promote it as AAA, I'll be gone too, I tried CMLL and I tried AAA and I hated it, specially the commentary (I'm lusophone btw, so it's really close to spanish) and some matches are just way to fast paced and with way too many people involved.

If AAA were to take over Lucha Underground's slot they would no doubt have to rebrand into the US style. Like you said, Trios matches aren't for everyone and title matches wouldn't have to be sanctioned by athletic commissions. I wouldn't worry about it.

At least Lucha Underground is more simple in that way and judging by spoilers, they'll maintain that for some time. I really hope they find their niche and I hope they never grow from one hour broadcasts. I've found that one hour wrestling shows are just plain awesome. Maybe do a two hour if you really want to end some feuds and give the big blowout match.

Specials and PPV's are on the plans for the company.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

If AAA were to take over Lucha Underground's slot they would no doubt have to rebrand into the US style. Like you said, Trios matches aren't for everyone and title matches wouldn't have to be sanctioned by athletic commissions. I wouldn't worry about it.

Still, I am loving this new brand and I think they shouldn't really mix it up with AAA in the USA. Also "Lucha Underground" gives it a theme, gives them a more underground subject to play on and really, I hope that they can garner the same kind of people that NXT does. Don't want this to go major, but at least 2000 people would be freaking cool.

Specials and PPV's are on the plans for the company.

Specials, it's up to El Rey Network and really if they focus on it, they have a Gold mine. PPV's, I am just not seeing it in the near future, heck, three years maybe, and only if they actually grow out of that network. Do you have any information on the ratings they've been getting?

 

[ABMorales787]

Still, I am loving this new brand and I think they shouldn't really mix it up with AAA in the USA. Also "Lucha Underground" gives it a theme, gives them a more underground subject to play on and really, I hope that they can garner the same kind of people that NXT does. Don't want this to go major, but at least 2000 people would be freaking cool.

At this point, it's the NXT to AAA's WWE. Except AAA is actually entertaning. Wrestlers from LU that aren't already in AAA will only head there if they have passports. Otherwise, I don't see them making major interpromotional affairs as talent's play totally different roles in each company. Sexy Star is a face in LU and a heel in AAA. King Cuerno is AAA's Hijo Del Fantasma and the Cruiserweight World Champion. So it would create issues. It's led to the debut of Ivelisse for AAA though.

Specials, it's up to El Rey Network and really if they focus on it, they have a Gold mine. PPV's, I am just not seeing it in the near future, heck, three years maybe, and only if they actually grow out of that network. Do you have any information on the ratings they've been getting?

They can't leave the network. What AAA doesn't own about LU, El Rey does. They directly co-produce the show with AAA.

 

[MrHashasheen]

I consider it as much of a world championship as I do the NXT Championship, which is to say not all that much.

It's definitely an accomplishment for Ricochet to be the first champion and it's a feather in his cap so to speak, but Lucha Underground has had all of ten episodes, all of which were in LA. I wouldn't get too ahead of the curve on this.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

If Lucha Underground want to call it a world championship, then I'll happily call it a world championship. As far as I'm aware, the NXT title isn't called the NXT World title (feel free to correct me).

Also it fits the character profile of Dario Cueto - rather than the power-abusing authority figures we are used to from WWE and WCW, DC is more an egotist, the show is 'all about him, in his temple' so it makes perfect sense he would call it a world championship.

As for the show, it gets better every week. The Aztec Warfare match was decent, and the episode beforehand, the 'qualifiers', was an excellent show.

Prince Puma as first champion works for me too - along with Mundo and Big Ryck, he has been the focal point of the 'main event' segment every week; plus the dynamic of a face wrestler who has a heel manager, Konnan, should be quite interesting.

It all bodes well for the immediate future.