5 reasons why WWE should buy Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground broadcasted for three seasons on the El Rey Network. Rumour has it that the money has dried up and, at present, a new season can only happen with a fraction of the budget the promotion is used to.

There are pretty serious questions now as to whether the company will carry on for a fourth season with a small roster, lesser production value, or fewer episodes. The alternative? We may have already seen the last match filmed from The Temple in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles.

If the fate of the company rests in money, one potential shift in the landscape could see WWE buy Lucha Underground. This might mean WWE absorbing the promotion, its history, its roster, and perhaps most importantly its tape library.

Alternatively, given WWE’s demonstrated interest in partnering with smaller promotions of late, including testing the waters of airing indies on the WWE Network, is it possible Lucha Underground could continue, only bankrolled by WWE?

While the mechanics are very much up in the air, this article offers up five reasons why WWE should try to buy Lucha Underground.

#5 A Truly Alternative Platform

Lucha Underground looks genuinely different from the current WWE product.

WWE has its separate brands — Raw and SmackDown. They’ve got NXT, too, which has largely succeeded in coming across as a back to basics product and a prime spot for up and coming talents and new signees to ready themselves for the spotlight.

NXT is growing increasingly popular, though. As it gets more and more specials each year, and even tours nationally, it becomes more difficult to accept it as a purely developmental brand.

Lucha Underground offers an entirely different platform from any existing WWE programming. The Temple looks dirty and rundown by design. Moreover, the style is more violent, fast-paced, and of course lucha libre oriented than anything WWE has to offer.

Just look at the Hell of War Match between Killshot and Dante Fox from Ultima Lucha Tres and you’ll see a hardcore style WWE doesn’t really broach these days. Lucha Underground can represent an entirely different platform and truly distinct brand for WWE to make money from, entertain an audience, and later cherry pick top talents for its other rosters.

#4 Pentagon Dark

Lucha Underground’s first three seasons saw the rise of quite a few stars. Pentagon Dark is on the short list of the biggest stars in the promotion and is fairly unique for having thrived despite never working with WWE, New Japan or other worldwide promotions.

On the contrary, he’s built his career almost entirely in the realm of lucha libre. Despite only speaking in Spanish, proved his ability to crossover as a star for US audiences in Lucha Underground.

Pentagon Dark may struggle in WWE for his limited English speaking skills, but if WWE were to take on Lucha Underground, it would have the opportunity to build the antihero’s reputation even further on WWE Network broadcasts before bringing him to NXT and hopefully building him to the point where he really could thrive as a genuinely fresh act on the WWE main roster.

Pentagon Dark marks one of the most mutually beneficial propositions for WWE in a Lucha Underground buyout.

#3 The Latino Fan Base

Lucha Underground appeals to Latino fans in a way WWE has struggled to.

It’s been widely rumoured that WWE is desperate to build a Latino star to appeal to that demographic of its fan base. This is particularly true since Rey Mysterio left the company and Alberto Del Rio simply could not fit the company’s culture.

One of the greatest successes of Lucha Underground was bridging the gap between Mexican and US wrestling. The storylines and quality of wrestling won over the US audience, while the lucha libre style and traditions like mask vs. hair matches were featured prominently.

Buying out the Lucha Underground brand as a whole could be a huge boon for WWE to appeal to that fan base, not to mention cultivating a roster of up and coming Latino talents to bring to Raw and SmackDown in the years ahead.

In addition to future prospects, there’s so much rich material already in the can for Lucha Underground that the tape library alone could nicely draw a different segment of fans to subscribe to the WWE Network.

#2 Dario Cueto

Dario Cueto reinvented the heel authority figure role.

The heel authority figure role is largely played out in wrestling. Eric Bischoff was very good in the role for WCW in the late 1990s (and even on Monday Night Raw years later). Vince McMahon made the gimmick into an archetype through his brilliant showmanship and chemistry with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

There have been others who have succeeded with this part as well, but it's by and large tired and overplayed. Mercifully, there’s no one really working this gimmick consistently on any WWE brand at this particular moment.

Dario Cueto, however, breathed new life into the heel authority figure shtick for Lucha Underground. While some fans baulked at him at first, once the character and the actor found his footing, he came one of the most intriguing parts of the show. Yes, Cueto was by and large evil. The guy also just loved violence, though.

This love offered a logical reason for him to run Lucha Underground and provided a rationale for the ultra-violent style of wrestling the brand so often engendered. It’s unclear if Cueto could translate to a mainstream WWE audience, but I, for one, would be interested to see him get a try heading up Raw, SmackDown, or NXT.

#1 Aztec Warfare

Aztec Warfare is an fresh take on the Royal Rumble concept.

For over twenty years, the Royal Rumble marked one of the most consistently entertaining annual spectacles on the WWE calendar. Sadly, recent years have disappointed fans. Sure, there’s the factor of disappointing victors. (When Randy Orton was the most surprising and satisfying winner of the last five years, that’s a signal there’s a problem.)

There’s also lacklustre execution, though. Pat Patterson, widely regarded as the mastermind behind most Rumbles, has transitioned out of the architect’s role. Whether he’s actually to blame or not, responsibility for the more poorly plotted Rumbles has generally been assigned to the Road Dogg.

For its three iterations, Aztec Warfare demonstrated that a Rumble like concept can still work, with its gauntlet style and staggered, timed entries. Eliminations in this new match type occurred by pinfall or submission, but otherwise, it’s a nearly identical concept.

Each of the matches conducted under these rules was highly regarded by fans and critics, not to mention cementing stars like Prince Puma and introducing Rey Mysterio and "The Monster" Matanza Cueto to the audience.

Could WWE borrow from Aztec Warfare or even promote it in addition to the Rumble? Buying out Lucha Underground would introduce some fascinating possibilities around this gimmick.

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