Wrestling (WWE, etc.)

[talonmalon333]

Does anyone remember Alberto Del Rio? Well, just this past Sunday, at Hell in a Cell, he made a surprise return! He took up Cena's open challenge for the US belt, and he won it! He came back and is now literally the United States champion! There had been rumors that he would return, but we didn't expect it to be in this fashion!

The PPV as a whole was decent. Nothing special, but my expectations weren't high. I was mainly looking forward to this as a conclusion to storylines, most of which were bad, were dragged too long, or both. Seth's title match with Kane was a bore, but I'm glad we're finally done with that feud as it's been building since April and was never that interesting. Kane was fired from the Authority for his loss, so thankfully we're finally done with Corporate Kane, as well!

Two matches stole the night. Roman Reigns versus Bray Wyatt, and the final match between Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker. In particular, Lesnar and the Undertaker had their best match yet. But afterward, the Wyatt family literally kidnapped the Undertaker. Fun stuff.

But what I really want to talk about is the Raw that aired last night. They held a tournament to determine the new number one contender to challenge Seth Rollins for the world title. And, I must say, it was a great Raw. After weeks of boredom, they nailed it last night. They picked some of the best wrestlers to compete in this tournament, they had some great matches, and it came down to a Fatal Four Way. This match was fantastic and was up there with the best from most PPVs. That's right, this was not only a Raw that was driven by wrestling (strange concept, these days), but the matches were filled with purpose. In the end, Roman Reigns won the tournament and is the new number one contender. I know I've criticized Reigns in the past, but honestly, the main problem I didn't like him was because he was pushed too fast and too hard going into WrestleMania. I like that they took him down to the mid card after losing at WrestleMania to build him up more. He's not great on the mic, and his moveset is still limited, but he can help put on fun matches. And he looked great tonight. I think they could potentially build up a good feud between him and his former brother in the Shield.

Also, it looks like we're closing in on a reunion between the Brothers of Destruction at Survivor Series.

[talonmalon333]

Ronda Rousey, a well known WWE fan, claims she wants to be the WWE women's champion one day.

"I got an Olympic medal, I would want to retire from MMA as one of the greatest of all time, I would love to have the chance to be the boxing world champion, and I would love to have the chance to be a jiu-jitsu world champion. I'd love to have the chance to be the Divas world champion and just be the best of everything at one point."

We've always kind of figured she'd make it to WWE, but it always was and still remains a matter of "when". Regardless, she would be like the Brock Lesnar of the women's division, basically getting established as nearly invincible.

[talonmalon333]

I think I ought to talk about why Lucha Underground is the single best wrestling show currently on television and why it's the one people should watch. Here are some reasons why.



The Wrestling is Awesome



Don't tell me a move like that doesn't interest you.

As one could easily expect, the Lucha libre style of wrestling is the most prominent style of wrestling in Lucha Underground. It's always a pleasure to watch and very thrilling. That being said, there's more than that. Lucha Underground also showcases other types of wrestling, including the more American style. There's plenty of variety. I can't think of many matches at all that aren't a thrill.


The Wrestlers



There is so much talent in Lucha Underground. There is the acrobatic, silent hero Prince Puma. There is the incredible Angélico, who you would know as the guy in the first picture that pulled off that jump. There is the always enjoyable Marty the Moth. There is the bully heel turned fan favorite underdog Son of Havoc. There is also a lot of talent some might recognize from WWE. Remember John Morison, Ezekiel Jackson, and Alberto Del Rio from WWE? They found a home in Lucha (temporary, in the case of Alberto, who's now back at WWE), as Johnny Mundo, Big Ryck, and Alberto El Patron, and they are some of the most enjoyable on the show. Max Moon and Vampiro, also from WWE, are now in Lucha as well playing outside ring roles. Max Moon, now called "Konnan", is the shaddy mentor to Prince Puma, and Vampiro is a color commentator.



Rey Mysterio



I hoped this would get your attention. He actually isn't on Lucha Underground yet, and there's no confirmation that he will be. However, it's been heavily rumored that he will be, and it looks like they are holding off for a big debut for him.



Belts Mean Something



When Prince Puma became the inaugural Lucha Underground Champion, it meant something. It felt like he earned a meaningful title and that he worked hard to get it. And it continued to mean something as he held it and defended it month after month. Currently, aside from the NXT Women's Championship, I'd call it the most meaningful belt in wrestling. There are two other belts as well, but they are different, and meaningful in their own ways. Lucha isn't overstuffed with meaningless belts.



It's Different



If you look at most wrestling shows, it's not hard to tell that most of them very closely follow in the style of WWE. Lucha Underground is fresh and new, instead of tired and stale. WWE and other shows follow in the "realistic" style, pretending that everything is real and treating backstage sequences like on-camera interviews. Lucha Underground's backstage segments, on the other hand, are shot in the quality of a film, with excellent camera work and lighting. Also different is that we have yet to see a traditional Tag Team Championship. Instead, Lucha Underground has a Trios Championship, which is composed of teams of three, and where matches don't even follow the traditional tagging style (WWE has plenty of six man tag team matches these days, but they are always sloppy, whereas Lucha Underground's are intense and well executed).



Story



Lucha Underground has plot threads that have been building since day one. And the characters act in logical ways (one short and lame feud aside). They are also hinting at a strange, mythological lore behind it. The setting of the show is in a temple, after all. The story has mostly been a slow burn, but in a good way. It doesn't feel rushed. It instead feels like they are taking their time. Also, the story, as was suggested earlier, isn't intended on being portrayed as realistic or light, and that leads well into the next point.



Tone



Lucha Underground has a very dark and shady tone to it. Even many of the faces carry with them some darker attributes. The current villain of the show, Mil Muertes, is almost like a modern, darker take on the Undertaker. He's undead and overwhelmingly powerful, but he doesn't have, for lack of a better term, the "campiness" the Undertaker has (I hate using that word for the Undertaker, but I really can't think of a better one). He is controlled by the temptress Catrina, an incredibly dark and evil woman who has ominous intentions, and who's sexuality is played into her character, rather than for cheap pleasure. Also controlled by her are the creepy Disciples of Death.

Also, one wrestler is literally a dragon. Is that not awesome? And it's perfectly believable in the world Lucha Underground creates.


It's Only One Hour



The wrestling is great, and running at one hour, you get just enough to be satisfied and wanting more. It's not like WWE Raw which runs for three hours and fills that with unnecessarily long matches, needless promos, recap after recap, and obnoxious advertisements. Lucha Underground keeps the matches as long as they need to be, and when promos happen, they mean something. After an episode of Lucha, I'm always pumped for the next one, whereas Raw can honestly just be hard to get through.



Men and Women Wrestle Each Other



I've done my fair share of complaining about WWE's treatment of women in that they are treated as either bathroom breaks or eye candy, and aren't given the chance to develop good matches or characters. I know I've also talked quite a bit about NXT treating the women as wrestlers instead of "divas", given an equal amount of respect as the men and even putting them to shame on multiple occasions. And then you have Lucha Underground. Lucha Underground doesn't even have a women's division. Instead, the women actually wrestle with the men. And they are great! Sexy Star, one of the company's biggest babyfaces, is a huge fan favorite and one of Lucha's best wrestlers (and trust me, her name isn't as derogatory as it sounds). Similar to John Cena, she is the inspirational one who always fights for good, but unlike Cena, she does it in an awesome way instead of a cheesy way. There is also Ivelisse, who's also a face but plays a bit dirtier and has an attitude, but is just as great. Admittedly, there aren't enough women in Lucha to have a women's division, but I'm sure they would still be wrestling with the men even if there were as many of them as the men.



"Ultimate Lucha" is Fantastic



Ultima Lucha is Lucha's equivalent to a pay-per-view, and serves as a season finale. Being that we're only gotten through one season, there is naturally only one of these so far. But, I assure you, Ultima Lucha was phenomenal. It was an event where literally every match felt like it meant something, and they delivered, especially the title match for the Lucha Underground Championship. Lucha Underground isn't the type of show that has a PPV every month, thus weakening their impact and leading to rushed storylines. Ultima Lucha felt like it was properly built up after months of wrestling and storytelling. It's technically not a PPV, one it's better than just about anyone of them.



Currently, Lucha Underground is off air. It finished its first season in August, and its next season is apparently beginning in 2016. While I'm sad we have to wait for it, I'm just glad it's happening because there was a period of time when they believed the first season might be the last. But anyway, if I could recommend only one wrestling show to someone, it would be this one for sure.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Where can I watch this exciting sounding show?

[talonmalon333]

Nowhere right now. The first season is done and season two is in 2016, with no word yet on where it'll be.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Is there nowhere I can watch old episodes to keep up?

The likelihood of me being able to see this on TV is low.

[talonmalon333]

Well, as far as I know, not legally. I know they were considering putting the series onto Netflix, which would be great.

I wish they went the Ring of Honor route and had a YouTube channel to put all of their episodes on.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I could go with either. It looks right up my alley.

[talonmalon333]

Can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. I honestly don't know your current stance on wrestling.

[Spark Of Spirit]

 

[talonmalon333]

No one is interested in quality wrestling.

[Spark Of Spirit]

 

I was being serious.

[talonmalon333]

Spark? Interested in a wrestling show?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yes, what you described is pretty much everything I enjoy about wrestling. Something the WWE hasn't provided for me in a long time.

I didn't even realize Konnan was there, which is quite cool.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Okay, I just saw the main event from the first episode. Johnny Mundo Vs. Prince Puma.

"That was awesome", to quote the crowd. I will definitely try to watch more.