Vampiro: Lack Of Communication And Accountability Led To The End Of Lucha Underground
Lucha Underground ran for four seasons before ending in 2018. The show was critically praised with the cinematic editing and storytelling being a source of inspiration for other promotions. The show wasn’t without it’s behind the scenes issues as performer contracts locked in talent despite the show not taping a fifth season. Certain performers filed a lawsuit against the promotion in 2019 in an effort to get out of their contracts.
Vampiro was front and center for the entire run of the show, working as the color commentator and sometimes wrestler and advisor.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Vampiro gave his thoughts on why Lucha Underground came to an end.
“Lack of communication. Too many chiefs, not enough Indians. Lack of communication and lack of accountability. There was millions of dollars in play and our biggest error was not going on tour after season one when it was hot. By season three — it’s classic in wrestling. When you take independent talent who has mega charisma and much talent and you do not put rules in place from day one, when they become powerful and then you try to bring them back down, it doesn’t work. It’s like a prison riot. I think the talent did the right thing. They took the bull by horns, looked out for their careers, and moved on. That’s life. It’s not good business, but they brought it on themselves. As beautiful of an experience as it was, it’s a shame because it was a great product,” he said.
Vampiro also went on record to state that show wouldn’t be returning, saying, “90% of the roster is in AEW and the other 10% is in WWE. The writers are gone. The production crew is gone. The company is split. I would pretty much put my money on it’s over and done.”
Lucha Underground never made an announcement on the future of the show, but the 2019 lawsuit allowed certain performers like King Cuerno and Joey Ryan to get out of their contracts while other performers like Pentagon Jr, Fenix, and Jake Hager were also free.
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