Earlier this week, Episode #503 of Wrestling Mayhem Show aired and featured special guest Chris DeJoseph, Co-executive Producer for Lucha Underground. DeJoseph mentioned that this weekend (January 23 to 24) was the last weekend for Season 2 tapings. “”There is definitely some awesome wrestling this season [2] for sure,” said DeJoseph. He also hinted at a possible Season 3 in the works. Woohoo! Cue excitement.
DeJoseph also discussed some slight doubts during production about how Season 2 may not live up to Season 1. “It’s always nerve-racking, like, a second season,” he said. ” … It’s kind of tough to do the sequel. … I think we tried our best, and I think we got pretty good at what we did last year.” However, with an impressive production crew with the likes of Robert Rodriguez present, the amazing combination of veterans like Rey Mysterio and Johnny Mundo and young talent like Fenix on the roster, and the entertaining commentary of Matt Striker and Vampiro, I highly doubt we have anything to worry about.
Regarding the setting of the storylines in Season 2, unlike Season 1, DeJoseph said some events will not take place in the Temple, the location of the matches and promos. “It allowed us a little of creative freedom,” DeJoseph said. We do see locations outside of the Temple in the Season 2 trailer, so with that in mind, that gives us lots to think about in terms of this season’s storylines.
Also, apparently many cats live in the Temple. “Like, tons of them,” said DeJoseph. “It was nice to get out and get some fresh air.” Gross. It seems fitting though, considering the grittiness of the Temple’s interior and the little of the exterior we saw in Season 1.
Regarding storylines on Lucha Underground, DeJoseph said, “We don’t give up on storylines. We follow through. In the WWE, you could introduce a character, and he’s that way for the first five weeks, or until Vince changes his mind. … And the storylines are always being changed, get tweaked and modified, rather than, ‘Okay, this is our plan, let’s try to stay as close to the course as possible.’ … So it’s not like fly-by-night stuff, and I think that has kind of helped the audience.”
DeJoseph also discussed WWE’s attempt to sign nearly all of the wrestlers on Lucha Underground’s roster. “They pretty much tried to shut us down,” DeJoseph said. “I think that’s what [WWE] want[s] to do: just take everybody, sign them into NXT, and then wipe out companies. I know they tried to do it with TNA, and I’m sure Ring of Honor, too.” Should we be surprised?
DeJoseph went on to say that what WWE was doing to Lucha Underground – and continues to do, judging by WWE’s track record with mass purchases of several wrestling promotions over the years – “makes sense. They pay someone $750 a week, put them into developmental, and in the meantime, they try to take away a company’s roster.”
Also, for some of you unable to watch El Rey Network (see my post earlier in the weekend about how you can start watching it), DeJoseph mentioned – without giving too many details – the series may be available for purchase in the future.
DeJoseph and Johnny Mundo (formerly John Morrison in WWE) also did a SportsCenter segment for Lucha Underground. DeJoseph said it should air sometime this Monday or Tuesday, just in time for the Season 2 premiere.
Also worth mentioning – DeJoseph said fans will get four hours for the Ultima Lucha Season 2 finale. Somebody pinch me.
You can listen to the full podcast at the link above which also includes more Lucha Underground commentary, details on Rey Mysterio’s storyline involvement, DeJoseph’s favorite Season 2 moments, and many more exclusives. The hosts also do predictions of tonight’s WWE 2016 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
You can follow Chris DeJoseph’s Twitter at @chrisdejoseph. Lucha Underground‘s handle is @LuchaElRey.
And don’t forget – Lucha Underground Season 2 premieres this Wednesday, January 27, at 8 P.M. EST.
