Mad Dog Posted February 12, 2015 Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 Okay. That makes sense in that context and why the fans were trying too hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachchaos Posted February 12, 2015 Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 Oh and you'll love this El-P if you haven't heard ... Observer reports that Vince Russo is in talks with LU now. I knew this show was too good to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 12, 2015 Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 Oh fuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaufman316 Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Oh and you'll love this El-P if you haven't heard ... Observer reports that Vince Russo is in talks with LU now. LU denies these most heinous allegations: https://twitter.com/EricVanWagenen/status/565726385055203328 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Oh they are definitely going to say that in public...remember TNA did the same thing People have to remember that Chris DeJoseph is a Russo disciple and Chavo Jr. had a good run with Russo as his booker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.L.L. Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 People have to remember that Chris DeJoseph is a Russo disciple and Chavo Jr. had a good run with Russo as his booker Define "good". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Christ. I'm REALLY hoping that Russo rumor is bullshit. Let him record his podcast & hop the first flight back home. Lucha Underground is thriving on its own merits. Here's hoping they give it time to truly grow & prosper without attempting anything as extreme or desperate as putting Russo on payroll. Can't imagine how they'd convince themselves that it's even remotely a good idea anyhow. The exciting action is today's new "crash TV" concept. It's the hook that helps to set Lucha U apart. Fans aren't going to buy into wrestling as the "male soap opera" that it was in the Attitude Era heyday. That's just not a selling point in today's scene. Maybe I'm off the mark there, but I really believe that. Television in general has reached such a tremendous new height in terms of quality storytelling. There's no way people are looking to wrestling for that stuff. Instead, I believe Lucha Underground has found a fine balance between the in-ring action and the (awesome) approach to their soap stuff. It's ramped up to full cheese factor, but it is SO damn fitting for their image. It's Tarantino meets video game cut-scenes, and it just clicks. There's no need for Russo to infect that formula with his outdated ideas. Simply put. Moving on... I'm loving the push they've placed on Pentagon Jr. If they play this right, I think they should eventually visit the notion that some competitors are "afraid" (or at least wary and concerned) about signing up to face him in combat. Play up the intent-to-injure idea, and play it big. Seriously invested in seeing who ultimately turns out to be his "Master" at this rate, too. Loving the slow-build and development for Havoc's character. It's great to see Cross finally getting things into gear. That Del Rio promo though? Holy shit. He KILLED it. Absolute intensity. Felt like a genuine emotional outcry from the guy, and I bought it. He had a fire & zest that just reinforces what his babyface run in WWE should have been. We got slight glimpses of it during the Big Show feud, but they completely cut his legs out from underneath him following that with all the Zeb & Swagger stuff. ANYWAY... Not a huge fan of his matches with Texano in AAA, and I think I would've honestly preferred to see Perro brought over to feud with him instead. But hey. I can see why they'd just bring the Texano grudge stateside in the meantime. It should serve well enough for an introduction to 'Berto and what should be an entertaining run for him. Lucha U deserves major props & bonus points for the way they presented his debut, too. Doesn't matter that it was just for some mic time & not a match. Reminded me of the days when TNA was actually a promotion that attracted bigger stars & names like Christian and Kurt Angle back in '06. They hyped & promoted the signings in similar fashion. But yeah. Lucha U treated this like a big freaking deal, and I'd say it paid off. Felt like a legitimate "moment" for me. And, to his credit, Alberto seemed to be digging it himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 People have to remember that Chris DeJoseph is a Russo disciple and Chavo Jr. had a good run with Russo as his booker Define "good". People have to remember that Chris DeJoseph is a Russo disciple and Chavo Jr. had a good run with Russo as his booker Define "good". Good as in he had probably his best defined character that didn't involve a toy horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Cool little episode, definitely angle driven, nothing special in term of matches. A little bit too much intergender violence for ma taste, although the Angelico vs Yvelisse match was as good as you can get from this kind of situation where the guy just doesn't want to hit the woman. Interested in a Mil Muertes vs Fenix feud. I loved the fact we got a whole interview segment in Spanish with English subtitles. That's relevant. WWE should take notes again. The six-man was nothing special though, and I'm not sure I feel good watching three guys beating a woman. I can't wait for the gang getting beat up by Big Ryck though, should be a fun little brawl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Last week was a low-key, angle driven episode but this week they went nuts with the workrate with 3 super fun matches and went totally nuts with crazy dives. Each match was different too. Mundo/Cuerno had some awkward moments but I loved the extra viciousness Mundo brought and Cuerno's run of three nasty topes was awesome. Cage/Puma was pretty much as good a match as they could possibly have together. And they still did plenty of cool angle stuff throughout. This is the best run of episodic wrestling in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topropepodcast Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 I don't get this week's episode until Saturday on UniMas, but I definitely enjoy most of the show on a weekly basis. I wonder how much more money they're spending now that they're reshooting all of the angles in Spanish. Before, everything was subtitled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Weren't the always having guys do promos in both languages? Since I'm only able to watch on UniMas it always seemed like Dario's in ring Spanish promos were shot in a way to not tip off he was doing a second take in front of empty seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecubsfan Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Weren't the always having guys do promos in both languages? Since I'm only able to watch on UniMas it always seemed like Dario's in ring Spanish promos were shot in a way to not tip off he was doing a second take in front of empty seats. I thought that was the deal too but, when I went to the tapings, I realized they were just doing the spanish/english back to back (when they did those things.) Even for Dario's bit - there's was a scene where he had to say something from the office doorway in Spanish, slammed the door shut, then reopened the door to the same speech in English and slam the door again. It's efficient but jarring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topropepodcast Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 cubs, then you'd be a good person to ask on this... do they do any retakes of the in-ring stuff? It definitely felt like, for example, the Katrina entrance this week looked like it came from at least two different takes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 I can totally get behind a 3 out of 5 serie with Aeostar vs Drago. Cage vs Puma was as good as it can gets, but Cage really is a power spot indieriffic spot monkey with no character. Don't care for Mundo at all, so the main event was just blah to me, although I enjoy Cuerno a lot. They better do something with Pentagon Jr. quick, as entertaining as his squashed are, it's time to move on and have him advance his storyline a little bit. Sexy Star vs Big Ryck ? Ugh… Is Russo writing already ? I mean, some of the intergender stuff as been pretty watchable, but still… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 I am up to episode 5 with the Boyle Heights Street fight between Puma & Big Ryck. The show is growing on me more and more but I really don't like the announcing or the crowd. I may start watching the Spanish version because I watched Episode 4 in Spanish and found myself much less annoyed even if I didn't understand as much. But the crowd..geez. They're chanting this is awesome while Prince Puma is taking a 3 on 1 beatdown! I do enjoy the overall presentation with the super slick looking backstage stuff and the gritty dark arena. It's like someone played too much Def Jam Vendetta and decided to make a TV show that way. The "rusty" trash cans and ladder were a nice touch in the Boyle Heights Street Fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Another great episode. Opener was good and Meurtes worked it like he should, the angle was well done too. Ryck/Sexy was an all angle sort of thing and well done all around. Definitely into seeing Ryck/Crew. And the main event was really good, they really distinguished themselves as main eventers above the rest of the roster by working a less spotty style but still being exciting and getting the crowd into it. Alberto is super over and legit feels like one of the biggest stars in wrestling. His opening promo with Cueto was fantastic as was his vignette with Puma. Hoping this is building to a STRAP MATCH. Mundo/Cuerno in a cage announced for next week which sounds cool. LU not only puts on a hell of an episode every time but does a great job contantly creating things to look forward to next episode and beyond. I really love this promotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 I am up to episode 5 with the Boyle Heights Street fight between Puma & Big Ryck. The show is growing on me more and more but I really don't like the announcing or the crowd. I may start watching the Spanish version because I watched Episode 4 in Spanish and found myself much less annoyed even if I didn't understand as much. But the crowd..geez. They're chanting this is awesome while Prince Puma is taking a 3 on 1 beatdown! I do enjoy the overall presentation with the super slick looking backstage stuff and the gritty dark arena. It's like someone played too much Def Jam Vendetta and decided to make a TV show that way. The "rusty" trash cans and ladder were a nice touch in the Boyle Heights Street Fight. Someone in this thread mentioned there weren't fans at the first taping and those are extras and the fan situation gets better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Another great episode. Opener was good and Meurtes worked it like he should, the angle was well done too. Ryck/Sexy was an all angle sort of thing and well done all around. Definitely into seeing Ryck/Crew. And the main event was really good, they really distinguished themselves as main eventers above the rest of the roster by working a less spotty style but still being exciting and getting the crowd into it. Alberto is super over and legit feels like one of the biggest stars in wrestling. His opening promo with Cueto was fantastic as was his vignette with Puma. Yep. Best episode in a while, although I really could do with less man on woman action (but I at least appreciate the fact a babyface, even a beast like Ryck, is reluctant and actually won't hit a woman). Good opener. Fenix has currently the best job in pro-wrestling. The main event is probably my favourite LU match thus far, as I like this style better. Texano really looks like his father, it's eerie. The vignettes are just ridiculous, I mean, they made freaking Konnan seeking his revenge look more intriguing and interesting than Sting working Mania for instance. We can already safely say that LU is the greatest promotion ever for backstage promos and vignettes. All the Cueto stuff has been gold. Alberto does look like a bigger star in this setting than anyone in WWE in theirs. (Please, don't hire Russo, pleaaaaaaaase) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pol Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 The Sexy Star stuff is goofy. So the idea is supposed to be that in the LU universe, women can be competitive with men, but then Ryck doesn't want to hurt her and manages to easily defeat her without doing so? I'd rather they just didn't do this stuff period, but if they must they should at least be internally consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 While I can absolutely understand your stance on their approach, I'm really not bothered by the way it's been presented. Ryck's a monster, and he's been treated as such. So it totally makes sense for him to look like a beast out there up against a female. Star has been made to look competent and credible against the smaller guys, and I don't think that's ever looked TOO far-fetched or out of place. It's not beyond the realms of possibility to see Sexy Star knock a member of the Crew off their feet or take down Chavo with a dive, for example. On the other hand, if she were to be striking and slamming Ryck, then it'd be cringeworthy and a little too much for me to buy into the act. I'm not a big fan of the "men versus women" component, but I haven't really seen a case where they've taken it too far just yet. Even the brutality of Chavo cracking Star across the head with a chair was used to maximum effect, in my view. It felt like a "holy shit" deal, and it put over Chavo as this despicable bastard in that moment of time. Furthermore, I really haven't seen them present Sexy Star as a viable threat to any of their top guys, so I'm not really worried about it. There's way too much to actually ENJOY about the program for me to be bogged down & bothered by little cases of women getting underdog hope spots in on some of the male competitors. It just doesn't detract from the show for me. But yeah. From all instances I've seen, it just seems like Star has spunk & fire. She wants to prove herself. She's a spirited fighter, and she believes in herself as a combatant. That doesn't always carry over to reality, which is what we got here with Ryck. Makes perfect, believable sense to me. They're not really pushing her as anything more, and even the commentators tend to make a case for her as being this chick with a lot of pride & spirit - but not necessarily the attributes to back it up all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Ok so Pimpinela Escarlata vs. Son of Havoc is by far my favorite match as I am up to what I think is now episode 6. I really dig Son of Havoc's act and Pimpinela was really great in that match especially his arm selling. I still don't understand why Mil Muertes is using the shitty Flatliner as the finish when his Spear looks like it's killing dudes. Drago and King Cuerno was much better the 2nd time. I hope someone doesn't blow out a knee doing a dive and landing bad on the stairs like Drago almost did. I really do not like Cuerno's thing where he shoves the ref around. There is a difference between when guys push and get physical with a ref and it doesn't cause a DQ and the way Cuerno completely shoves them down, which should be a DQ. His 100 mile an hour Suicide Dive keeps him in my good graces though. Matt Striker's line about "wow huge news, bombshell social media, dirt sheet quality" is making me regret my decision not to switch to Spanish versions. Pentagon Jr. should just go fully psycho and change his name to Pentagone. The main event felt too contrived at times with too much obvious waiting for the next spot/dive but that's probably going to be a frequent complaint of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Yeah. You're just about to reach the stretch of shows where Havoc will get to shine a bit more. Both his match versus Angelico & the one against Mundo are lots of freaking fun. And you're right. Cuerno's dives look fierce. Still waiting on Aero Star to bust out some of his more INSANE stuff though. He's got this fantastic suicide dive to the outside, in which he launches himself like a frog shot out of a blender, but then he STICKS the impact & falls face-first onto the floor like a dead fish. It's hands-down one of my favorite "desperation" spots in all of wrestling right now. Say what you will about the little faults & flaws with the program, but Lucha Underground has actually made me excited about current wrestling again. Outside of the annual New Japan super-cards and some of AAA, I haven't really been able to genuinely look forward to things in awhile. With Lucha Underground, I've got that feeling of hype & anticipation back. I'm especially interested in seeing IF & when they'll approach the subject matter of a Mask Match - whether it's versus another mask or somebody's head of hair. I get the feeling they'll tread smartly & put over the history and prestige of the hoods, what it means to drop a mask (and practically an entire identity) with the loss, etc. Furthermore, I could actually pinpoint a few guys in the promotion that would likely BENEFIT from the loss. Muertes is one. I know he's not meant to be Mesias or Banderas in this "reality", but I don't care. The guy's got a GREAT look that could only raise his intimidation factor & overall presence. I just don't think the Muertes look is as defined or streamlined as it could be with a guy like that. Puma's another high-profile guy that could afford to shed the mask at some stage. I don't know if it's the mask itself or what, but something's lost in translation between what I normally see from Ricochet... and what I've been getting from Puma. The match layouts are fine, and the execution is up to par with his usual stuff. But I don't know. There's just a disconnect. A guy like Fenix, on the other hand, can take a crowd & OWN it while still being under the mask. He's got this amazing sense of showmanship & charisma that I just don't see from Puma - but I *have* seen at times from Ricochet elsewhere. Just an odd deal really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Cuerno vs Mundo in a cage was kinda cool when Cuerno was beating the hell out of Mundo. Too spotty still, and Mundo really isn't good. I like Yvelisse (great outfit too), but really, those intergender matches have to go away, it's way too awkward. Those vignettes, again. Konnan looked like the baddest motherfucker ever this week. Get him at Mania instead of Sting or Taker already. Can't say I look forward a casket match, but I guess it's a way to change the pace a little bit, much like the cage match this week. Good little episode again, although they really should advance Pentagon Jr. 's storyline now and give him a proper feud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Didn't care for a lot of this episode. I liked some stuff in the cage match but overall I thought it wasn't too good. The Ivelisse/Angelico match was too long for what it was going for. The Konnan vignette was great though. Konnan is a million times more interesting than anything in WWE going into Wrestlemania. And I'm pumped for that Casket match too. The gimmick makes perfect sense in context and the vignette setting it up was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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