7 Wrestling Promotions Which Tried To Beat WWE
4. Lucha Underground
When Mark Burnett's Lucha Underground launched in 2014, it promised to shake up our basic understanding of how the industry should operate. To some extent it accomplished that goal, but in truth, it mostly just shook up Jim Cornette's feathers.
The philosophy was this: if wrestling is a television show with fictional characters, why can't it operate within the parameters of other fictional programmes? Instead of the thin veneer of a legitimate sporting contest, LU instead promoted a show revolving around outlandish storylines and characters, often straddling the supernatural, with a narrative progression more in keeping with serials and soap operas. 'Angles' and 'promos' were replaced with plotlines, played out in cinematic fashion to the mystery of those in the company's central setting, The Temple. It was here that 'off-screen' situations would reach their denouement.
The concept was novel - though not for everybody. LU's fast and loose approach to reality naturally got under the skin of 'rasslin purists, chief amongst them Jim Cornette. Everybody else who watched the show was endeared by its originality and creative charm, if not necessarily the actual wrestling - though that didn't necessarily matter.
Unfortunately, despite rave reviews, appeal was inevitably niche. Gaining a second home on Netflix has helped grow the audience to some extent, but its a user-base simply disinterested in wrestling. For fans, its seasonal approach makes it only an occasional alternative for those who crave a weekly product.
Status: Season 5 looks to be happening, but it's likely to be more of the same.