8. Pro Wrestling Should Always Aim At Being Great Episodic Television
The lead heel group in Lucha Underground is a crew known as the "Disciples of Death." For a significant chunk of the first season, one of the more captivating dramatic performances in pro wrestling-as-episodic TV was pulled off by the group's leader, the mysterious and alluring Catrina. Her presence (like a few others on the show) owned the screen in a way that defied changing the channel. There's an idea to posit here that WWE's Attitude Era wasn't great because of the matches, it was great because of how believable as actors Vince McMahon, The Rock, Steve Austin and Mankind were. The rest of the roster, bit players who had really great wrestling matches. But when it came down to it, the real draw was watching the great acting that pushed ahead this more than solid episodic television program. Maybe WWE should be pushing those who create that level of week-to-week engagement in their product.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
