In the 2010s, there seemed to be increased interest in pro wrestling outside of the dominant WWE, with fans checking out indie promotions like Ring of Honor and Japanese outfits like New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Along with those institutions, the decade also marked the debut of what would become a highly influential cult phenomenon: Lucha Underground.
With a high-flying lucha libre style, fast-paced action, supernatural storylines, and cinematic backstage segments, Lucha Underground was unlike anything fans had seen before. The pro wrestling of the 2020s owes a lot to Lucha Underground, so let’s go over what fans should know about this truly special project.
10 Affiliated with AAA
Authenticity is important when it comes to presenting a non-American pro wrestling style like lucha libre in the United States, so as to keep it from being some kind of send-up like Nacho Libre. Lucha Underground ended up forging a working relationship with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, one of the biggest promotions in Mexico. As a result, fans were introduced to various established stars from AAA including Drago, Aerostar, Fenix, and the legendary Blue Demon Jr., among others.
9 Introduced Pentagon Jr.
Along with the above-mentioned AAA luchadores is one major export in the form of Pentagon Jr. — now known as Penta El Zero M — who made his first appearance in the third episode of Season 1. American wrestling fans were likely unaware of the history of the Pentagon character or his status as the mortal enemy of lucha libre legend Octagon, but Lucha Underground viewers were quickly taken to Pentagon Jr., a ninja with skeleton makeup and an absolutely rotten attitude. This popularity would translate outside of the world of Lucha Underground, and in the following years Penta would wrestle for Impact Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, and various indie promotions.
8 Ultima Lucha Was Its WrestleMania
Over the course of four seasons, Lucha Underground never ran a pay-per-view, but did have its own WrestleMania of sorts. Rather than build to a PPV, each season’s final episodes comprised a multi-episode event called Ultima Lucha. Not only would storylines hit a climax, but these episodes would go all out, delivering some of the most violent pro wrestling ever put on television
The first Ultima Lucha set an amazing precedence with regard to violence, as Pentagon Jr. and the seemingly retired Vampiro put on a bloody brawl called the “Cero Miedo” match.
7 Dario Cueto Was The Authority Figure
The Lucha Underground promotion depicted on the show was basically a secret fight club, organized by an amoral “proprietor” named Dario Cueto. Portrayed by character actor Luis Fernandez-Gil, Cueto offered a unique on-screen authority figure for Lucha Underground, reveling in the violence he helped facilitate on the show, giving the fans what they wanted while also serving as an antagonist for some of the top heroes of the promotion. More than just a villain, he had his own storyline going on involving his brother Matanza, a murderer whose body contained an Aztec god.
6 Characters Were Killed Off
When it comes to kayfabe, Lucha Underground offered one of the more ambitious story universes in pro wrestling, with magic powers and, as alluded to, Aztec gods. On top of that, numerous characters were killed off over the course of the show, from minor characters like henchmen Bael to major characters like Dario Cueto himself. Season 4 really ramped up the bodies hitting the floor, with countless mainstays like Mascarita Sagrada and Cortez Castro being killed in the ring by Matanza as a “sacrifice to the gods.”
5 Rey Mysterio Joined Up
Season 1 of Lucha Underground had solid star power with recognizable ex-WWE performers like Johnny Mundo (a.k.a. John Morrison) and lucha libre veteran Alberto El Patron (a.k.a. Alberto Del Rio), but the show scored a major coup in Season 2 with the signing of Rey Mysterio. For many North American fans, Mysterio is lucha libre, and was treated appropriately as a major star in the promotion, mentoring the up-and-comer Dragon Azteca Jr., portrayed by indie luchador Rey Horus.
4 Crossover Show With Impact Wrestling
Over the course of its run, Lucha Underground did a handful of shows that weren’t television tapings, including house shows and, notably, a co-promoted show with Impact Wrestling during WrestleMania 34 weekend. While several of Impact’s titles were on the line, the main event would be a rousing non-title threeway between Austin Aries, Pentagon Jr., and Fenix.
Looking back on this card, many of the stars that represented Lucha Underground would end up becoming staples of Impact, including The Mack (Willie Mack), Jeremiah Crane (Sami Callihan), and Brian Cage.
3 Season 4 Had Major Changes
In terms of production, there was about a 20-month gap between the taping of the final episode of Season 3 and the first episode of Season 4, which ended up translating to a lot of changes in what the show looked like, as well as who was on it. Gone was the Aztec Temple, replaced by a cold storage warehouse, while Dario Cueto’s kayfabe death seemed to be permanent, with him being replaced by Dario’s father Antonio Cueto, played by Luis Fernandez-Gil in old man makeup. Even the roster felt different, as mainstays like Fenix and Johnny Mundo seemed reduced to special guest stars.
2 Contract Disputes
Lucha Underground’s final episode would air in early November 2018, with news occasionally resurfacing in the months and years that followed. Unfortunately, more often than not it would news about the wrestlers combating some less-than-desirable contracts. Apparently, many of the contracts were multi-year deals that prevented performers from working for other wrestling companies, which had become a problem as the show was basically over. Wrestlers like King Cuerno, Ivelisse, and Kobra Moon became part of a class action suit, which resulted in their contracts being dissolved.
1 Revived By MLW
As the years went on, the potential of a Season 5 seemed increasingly unlikely, as many stars have moved on to other, larger companies like WWE and AEW. However, in 2020, Major League Wrestling began setting the stage for a relaunch of sorts, as MLW founder Court Bauer was involved in the early stages of Lucha Underground. Considered a bit of a spiritual successor to Lucha Underground — complete with cinematic backstage segments — the five-episode miniseries Azteca utilized much of the MLW roster and some AAA talent, with Luis Fernandez-Gil once again playing the authority figure, now named Cesar Duran.