History
In January 2014, it was confirmed Mark Burnett would partner with Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network to launch a weekly hour-long professional wrestling television series in the second half of the year; it would be affiliated with the Mexican wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA).[4] In July, it was tentatively titled Lucha: Uprising,[5] before officially announced as Lucha Underground in August, with AAA wrestlers Blue Demon Jr., Pentagón Jr., Sexy Star, Fénix, and Drago joining the cast.[6] It was to be narrated by Matt Striker and Vampiro and began filming on September 6 in front of a studio audience in Boyle Heights, California.[7]
The series premiered on October 29, 2014, on the El Rey Network where it aired on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. E.T.,[8] and in Spanish on November 1, 2014, on UniMás where it aired on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. E.T.[9]
Johnny Mundo won the main event of the pilot episode. Prince Puma was the first Lucha Underground Champion after winning the first Aztec Warfare match on January 7, 2015.[10] On April 22, Ivelisse, Son of Havoc, and Angélico became the first Lucha Underground Trios Champions after winning the inaugural Trios Tournament. The season's two-part finale, Ultima Lucha, which doubled as the promotion's first annual special event, received acclaim.[11] Lucha Underground was subsequently renewed for a second season on September 21, 2015.[12]
The second season began production on November 14, 2015, and premiered on January 27, 2016.[13] Prior to filming, it was leaked the series had been renewed for a third season;[14] El Rey announced the renewal on February 1, 2016.[15] During this period, the Lucha Underground promotion began a collaborative partnership with the International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS),[16][17] and held its first touring event, Austin Warfare, in Austin, Texas, as part of South by Southwest in 2016.[18] The promotion was also represented by different teams at three editions of the Lucha Libre World Cup, between 2015 and 2017.
On November 10, 2017, it was announced that Lucha Underground had been renewed for a fourth season to premiere in 2018.[19] In February 2018, filming of the series was moved to Downtown Los Angeles.[1] The following month it was announced that the promotion had entered into a working relationship with Impact Wrestling, holding a joint promotional event on Twitch on April 6.[20] The fourth season premiered on June 13, and concluded on November 7,[21] after which producer Eric van Wagenen stated that the series had amassed budget concerns, and would require "a major reboot on a lot of levels" to produce a fifth season.[22]
A fifth season was not produced in 2019, and in a 2020 interview with Chris Van Vliet, Vampiro stated the series was effectively cancelled, and the promotion dissolved.[23]
