Lucha Underground wrapped up its third season this past Wednesday. The four part Ultima Lucha Tres did not disappoint. Some of the most brutal and hard fought matches provided satisfactory blow offs to several feuds. A new champion was also crowned at the end of the evening, Pentagon Dark. One question that has been on the mind of several fans of the promotion, will there be a fourth season of Lucha Underground?
On the show Ringside Pop, Lucha Underground producer Eric Van Wagenen discussed the future of the promotion:
“Those conversations are happening. I wouldn’t be here today if I thought Lucha Underground was dead. I don’t think it’s dead. If I was a betting person, I would bet that we’re coming back. But, TV breaks your heart. Everyone who has worked in it knows, sometimes the best shows are the ones that don’t survive. And then you have some shows that seem to be bulletproof and you hate them. But, that’s just the nature of television. And, this one is one that people feel very passionate about, and the audience feels very passionate about. And I think that everyone understands that, from Mark Burnett, to Gary Barber at MGM, to Daniel Tibbets and Robert Rodriguez.
“They all understand that this is a passionate fan base, and it’s hard to quantify that. Hard to put a value on that. When you’re trending on Twitter, even though your audience is small compared to other television shows and other TV networks. The fact that people are so passionate about it, I think everybody understands that. And that’s not something in today’s TV business you just walk away from.”
Yet another issue plaguing the Lucha Underground is the lack of faith that several stars have in the promotion. Prince Puma, one of their top babyfaces, has left the company. Rey Mysterio has been rumored to be in talks with Impact Wrestling and with WWE. Pentagon Dark, the man they gave the championship to (at the time of filming) quit the company. Lucha Underground having such close ties to AAA, another promotion that has pissed off several wrestlers, does them no favors. The Sexy Star incident at this past TripleMania has likely alienated her to the entire Lucha Underground locker room. The mass exodus of talent does not bode well for the El Rey Network staple.
On the one hand, wrestling fans (myself included) want to see this promotion flourish. The more and varied wrestling promotions on television, the healthier the industry is. On the other hand, I can see why the people funding Lucha Underground are hesitant about committing to another season. I’ve stated in the past that I would be concerned with this promotion if I were in the financier’s shoes. LU allows people into the TV tapings for free. They’re on a network that likely isn’t getting major ad revenue. They don’t do many live events or house shows and zero pay-per-views. The fact that Lucha Underground still operates despite this business model is a miracle. We will keep an eye on this developing story and will report if there is any change in status for Lucha Underground.
