What Lucha Underground Can Learn From MLW

Recently reaching its 56th consecutive weekly episode, the experiment of Major League Wrestling seems to only be gaining speed with no end in sight. With a fun mix of old-school wrestling (in the form of such talents as Tommy Dreamer and Teddy Hart), young up-and-comers like MJF, Airwolf and Brian Pillman Jr., as well as an assortment of WWE alumni, MLW has clawed its way from niche (like Lucha Underground) internet wrestling show to a legitimate contender among major American wrestling companies. Most impressively, MLW has done it while staving off the ire and attention of media behemoth WWE.

Why does MLW succeed while others have failed? And why does it seem to be growing while others stagnate?

It may be the ease in which you can locate its content. If you are one of the millions of people around the world who do not pay for cable or have a Hulu subscription, MLW Fusion is uploaded in full to their YouTube channel only hours after it premieres on TV. The company’s major events like BattleRiot, which took place over WrestleMania weekend and currently boasts 112,000 views on YouTube, are also easily accessible. In contrast, you need a niche cable channel dedicated to Robert Rodriguez movies to keep up with Lucha Underground.

Maybe MLW succeeds because of its attempt at a regular “big show” schedule. Unlike LU, in which the last two episodes of the season are earmarked for its grand finale Ultima Lucha, which does admittedly give way to some truly impressive ring work, MLW took a more traditional approach to a weekly wrestling show. MLW holds live events in different major markets every month, sometimes back-to-back nights, taping all of the action and splitting the content up into weekly episodes. (Somewhat of a throwback to ECW’s weekly TV.) In recent months, MLW has expanded its partnership with beIN Sports to air some of these events live on TV, something LU has never been able to do.

Regarding MLW’s rapid ascension, perhaps it’s the nature of the product itself. Where Court Bauer’s company seems to succeed is where Lucha Underground has historically struggled. MLW has brought the Mexican-style product to a much larger audience, moving away from the traditional roles of rudo and tecnico while still keeping the rich history of the genre alive. There are no “good guys” or “bad guys” in MLW – everyone on the roster (with the notable exception of Salina de la Renta) are generally shades of grey, using their athletic skill to get themselves over with the crowd. MLW treats its stars not as unbeatable superheroes, but as real people where money and greed color their decisions as much as honor and respect.

Look at how MLW and LU have respectively booked one of the biggest stars in the world: Rey Fenix. On Lucha Underground’s most recent season, he was a midcarder who worked a few great matches over the course of a season, but most of his screen time came during backstage vignettes following an almost soap opera-approach to his relationship with ring announcer Melissa Santos. Meanwhile on MLW, he and his brother Pentagon Jr. were the first Tag Team Champions of the company’s relaunch and he remains one of the top performers in the promotion. When Fenix steps into the ring in MLW, it feels like a special attraction. Not just another Wednesday night.

Of course, any company’s success is due to the performers, who in this case, seem to feel more appreciated by MLW. That could be due to a variety of factors, such as MLW’s willingness to showcase young, inexperienced talent in a light that isn’t just a local squash match. Or that the powers-that-be seem willing to let their talents move on to grander stages without ridiculous non-compete clauses in their contracts that would put them on the shelf for months or years at a time. Look at the recent slew of lawsuits brought against LU by talent stating that they are not allowed to appear on TV unless in a LU capacity. And yet, they are only paid for the duration of the initial production schedule. These shady business practices are cutting these performers’ earning potential (with a few notable exceptions like Pentagon and Fenix) off at the knees.

The money behind LU doesn’t seem confident in a Lucha Libre-focused program succeeding on a traditional model of 52 weeks a year. Instead, they follow a production schedule that films everything over the course of months, spoon-feeding it to us viewers over 24 weeks, which would be all fine and good if wrestling fans weren’t the way we are today. Before the first episode has even aired, full match cards and their results are circling the internet for all those who wish to view them.

Wrestling fans are voracious and the only way to survive is to control the narrative. Until Lucha Underground takes control of its own, MLW will always be just over the horizon offering a better and more unique product.