This is one of the most important things that the WWE can take away from Lucha Undergound, so lets hope they take notice. Speaking objectively, The Reality Era while fun for a period, has overstayed its welcome. It doesnt matter to anybody, nor is it impressive that they blur the lines between reality and fiction by bringing stuff that is rumored or known to be true into their TV storylines. They seem to think by doing so they are doing some kind of fan service or storytelling, while doing neither. Nobody watches WWE for easter eggs, and certainly nobody watches WWE for reality. The fact of the matter is that the show features fictional narratives culminating in in-ring performance art. Thats what wrestling is. The WWE resembles Keeping Up With The Kardashians more than it resembles Lucha Underground. Lucha Underground completely commits to the fact that it is a fictional television program no different than Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead. It presents completely fictional narratives featuring fictional characters interacting and performing for the amusement of their audience. They dont aim to bring the reality of their backstage politics to TV, they just want to put together a compelling TV show that can make people laugh, cringe, and explode with excitement. Ironically, fully embracing the fictional aspect of their programming makes everything that happens on their show feel more real. For the characters involved in Lucha Underground, everything done and said has a consequence. There are tangible stakes and well-rounded characters interacting in a well-constructed narrative and setting. In the WWE, they are pushing fake reality and only coming across as meaningless drivel. Nothing means anything on a week to week basis, therefore nothing about the reality era elicits any emotion at all. We want to care about their show as much as we care about any show, but when nothing matters, how can we?
Matthew J. Douglas is an emerging screenwriter born in Toronto. A lifelong fascination with what makes a compelling story and the Toni Morrison quote "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." led the often opinionated Matthew to the life of writer. Matthew is also a lifelong WWE fan, and a self diagnosed Reality TV Junkie.
