When you think of professional wrestling, you think of big, goofy, colorful characters shouting at the screen while a meek interviewer holds a microphone up to their mouths. It's bright, it's cartoony, and yet the interview style is almost as if they're trying to create the illusion that they're a legitimate competitive sport. It's a clash of ideologies that makes it extremely difficult to truly embrace without first conceding that it could be better.
Lucha Underground makes no concession. They're under no delusion about what they are, no clash of identities or ideologies. Lucha Underground doesn't care if you think they're a legitimate competitive sport or not. What they do care about is that you find yourself invested in their stories or, at the very least, in awe of the acrobatic feats performed by their talent.
What sets Lucha Underground apart from every other wrestling company that has ever existed is that they take the elements that make pro wrestling different than any other form of entertainment, and stretch said elements to their absolute limits. Pro wrestling is different from TV Dramas because of the feats of athleticism and acrobatics. Lucha Underground features some of the most jaw-dropping acrobatics and athletic feats you'll ever see on TV. There are athletes playing legitimate professional competitive sports that couldn't recreate some of the stuff these people pull off.
Speaking on sports, what separates pro wrestling from those is the predetermined outcome of matches, unique ring attires, and larger than life characters. Lucha Underground takes those elements to the bank. This show uses their ability to determine the outcome of matches to tell some of the most compelling stories on television. They're planning everything way ahead of time. If you want proof look no further than the little "all night long" line in the first episode, an incredibly subtle hint at what would end up happening on episode 32.
Lucha Underground also features some of the most incredible, eye-popping ring attires ever to exist in the realm of pro wrestling. Whether it's Pentagon Jr.'s striking black and white samurai look, or Drago's entire "I'm literally a dragon" getup, you'll find yourself struggling to look away from the sheer imagery of this show. Toss in the documentary style interviews that are shot like a movie rather than a sports interview and you've got the single most unique, progressive, self-aware professional wrestling entity in the history of the business.
Lucha Underground isn't just some diamond in the rough that you can talk about with your friends. This is a revolutionary professional wrestling program that can legitimately lay claim to have changing the way people went about the business. This is the future of professional wrestling, and that's an incredibly refreshing statement to be able to make.
