If there is one strength that Lucha Underground has that trumps all of its other great aspects, it is character building. Theyve done more in two weeks to build and establish characters than the WWE has done for the better part of the last decade. In the WWE, character is all surface and gimmick, but on Lucha Underground, we learn who the characters are to their cores. We learn about their history, we learn about what drives them, we learn about what they want in life and from professional wrestling and Lucha. An example of great character building on Lucha Underground is their biggest star at the moment, Prince Puma. Sure he brings it in the ring, but his story and who he is as a character have really been sold to us, without him speaking a single word. He was a kid living a rough life on the streets of Los Angeles, and was discovered when a friend of Konnans saw him being jumped by 3 men in an alley. Konnans friend was ready to intervene, but never needed to, because Puma dispatched his attackers all on his own. When Konnan found him and Puma told him his name, Konnan knew who he was. More accurately he knew his family lineage traced back to one of the most feared of the Aztec Warriors, the original Luchadores who fought on behalf of their tribes and would lose their heads in defeat (which is why the mask is the ultimate sign of life in Lucha). Konnan knew that Puma was destined to be a Luchadore, like his ancestors before him, and began training him to fulfill his destiny. Hes brought Prince Puma to Lucha Underground to do just that. Now thats a character. We know where he came from and what hes doing in Lucha Underground. We know why hes a wrestler and why what he does matters. Another example in Lucha Underground of building character is Sexy Star, who grew up in a world of abuse and depression. She contemplated suicide at points in her life before she discovered Lucha and realized that she didnt have to put up with abuse or negative energy anymore. The mask gave her strength and new life, and she only wants to be an example to all the women out there that feel hopeless, that women are strong and sexy. Again, great job of establishing a characters history and motivation. Meanwhile the WWEs idea of building a character ends at he likes to dance. Why does Fandango dance? Because he likes to. Why is Fandango a wrestler and not pursuing a career in ballroom dance? Who the hell knows? These question could be asked of countless WWE superstars, from Adam Rose to Dolph Ziggler. Why is wrestling important to them? Who are they other than nicknames and catchphrases? What has their life been like and why do they act in the outlandish manner that they do? Answer these questions and youve built a real character, and creating stories for real characters is infinitely easier than creating stories for a gimmick. If the WWE takes anything away from Lucha Underground, it should be the fact that building interesting, dynamic and thorough characters makes everything else you want to do easier.
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.
