Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Tonight, those lucky to have the El Rey Network will step back into The Temple in Boyle Heights for Lucha Underground Season 3.
As someone who absolutely loved the second season of the wrestling series, I have high hopes and expectations for the show's junior season. Here are five things I want to see for Lucha Underground Season 3.
1. Capitalizing on New Talent
Given the series' track record, I believe that the influx of new talent this season will be introduced, and then positioned to near perfection. The series has done excellent work building up incoming talent, especially last season. In five minutes Lucha Underground did more for PJ Black and his "dare wolf" character than the WWE did in the near five years they had him. In the span of half an episode they took an unknown guy in a mask, Mantanza Cueto, and turned him into one of the feared performers in the company. And, over the course of a season they built El Dragon Azteca Jr. from 'guy in Rey Mysterio vignettes' to having him compete in a barnburner with Prince Puma. Need we mention how well they developed Taya? Or Joey Ryan? Or how they reintroduced Famous B?
This season, Lucha Underground is receiving a new crop of performers -- three of whom we know very -- A.R. Fox, Sami Callihan, and Paul London. The in-ring capabilities of all three men are beyond excellent, and I believe that Lucha Underground is going to do right by all three of these wrestlers. I've read Fox will be teaming with the vastly underrated Killshot, which on paper makes them one of the most dynamic teams in the company without even having been on TV yet.
In the Season Three trailer we've seen hints of London portrayed as a psychotic Clockwork Orange-esque character, and given London's "whacky" persona over the years, it'll be interesting to see how well he'll do in the macabre. Callihan's full potential has never been tapped into on national TV, and with this company backing him, we could be seeing a star before right before our eyes.
Also, there's a lot of unknowns coming in this season. Go back to the season three trailer and you'll notice a new, unrecognizable member of Johnny Mundo's Worldwide Underground. You'll also see two characters flanking London in his time on screen (they could be extras for all we know). We're also getting a full season of Dr. Wagner Jr. who debuted during the season two finale, plus have we seen the last of Flamita's "Night Claw" character?
2. The Continuation of the Dario Cueto Storyline
The vignettes on Lucha Underground are some of my favorite parts of the series. Last season's storyline where Dario and the shifty politician (played by Lorenzo Freakin' Lamas) was extremely intriguing -- but we never got a real resolution, or even much story advancement by season's end. We know that Dario is scared of, and in league with the being that will "bring about the end of days." Color me intrigued. Then Dario kills Mr. Cisco during the final episode of Season Two, is arrested, and then placed in a police van. As the season wraps up, Cueto looks up with his crazy, demonic eyes, and a sly, devilish smile scrawls across his face.
What does any of this mean?? I'm so damn intrigued, and I really want Season 3 to address all of this. You can't tease the end of days in front of us and then let it drop at the drop of a dime.
3. A Big Announcement(s)
This has nothing to do with wrestling, but rather the future of Lucha Underground. I love this series, and I want it to succeed. In order to do so, there needs to be a huge step forward taken by the company on the business side of things.
As of writing this, my cable provider Cablevision/Optimum, a pretty massive cable provider, does not have the El Rey Network. It is not the only provider El Rey is not on. For many of us, we've got to wait for the episode to go on iTunes the next morning, or El Rey's YouTube a few days later, or let's face it...some people find it elsewhere online that isn't on the up and up.
This show needs higher visibility, and if doesn't achieve it soon, I can't see that as a positive thing. El Rey and Lucha Underground need to get on all the cable networks, or they need a way to distribute their content better. Maybe a live stream of the show like Comet does with Ring of Honor, or maybe getting older content on Netflix, or maybe streaming the show on Hulu -- anything would be better than what they have now. With more ways to watch Lucha Underground, the more wrestling fans will fall in love with it, which means more revenue coming towards the series, which of course means more seasons.
4. A Continuation of Being Audacious and Creative
What makes Lucha Underground so awesome is that it's wildly different than any wrestling program on television, period. Last season, the writers really took the series places -- weird, awesome, and intriguing places. Was every vignette a home run? Of course not. However, none of these vignettes were cringeworthy wastes of time that made you question why you even tuned in. I sincerely hope that the writers of this series keep pushing the envelope of creativity and tradition in pro wrestling. Fans are in need of something different and wild things in the world of wrestling. Lucha Underground has been that something different, and have received major praise for it. I just don't want them to start believing their own hype, and resting on their laurels. The writers need to constantly push the bounds of their creativity, much like the wrestlers do with their in-ring performances.
5. Make Pentagon Dark the Face of the Company
Yes, he's in all the promotional material for this season. Yes, he's a heavily pushed wrestler. However, I think it's time that Lucha Underground strap the rocket to the back of Pentagon Dark, and then throw him the ball for him to run away with. To many extents Pentagon is the Steve Austin of this show. He's a bad guy, who no matter what, gets cheered and adored by fans. He's one of the few luchadors who has a catchphrase in the promotion -- and it's one that's super catchy, and resonates with all age brackets. He's got the most international acclaim on the show outside of Mysterio, Mundo, and either Puma or Wagner. He also can make anyone he works with in the ring look amazing. He's also got the charisma, the look, the move set to win over even the most ardent old school fan and more. It's time to push all your chips to the center, and make Pentagon the undeniable star of this show.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
