Good things come to those who wait for fans of Lucha Underground, as the popular El Rey Network series returns with season four on June 13. The anticipation has built to a fever pitch. Loyal and patient “Believers” wondering what comes next. Hoping to get some answers, I sat down with co-executive producer Chris DeJoseph and below is part one of the interview.
We are days away from the season premiere, was there a point where you thought this show wasn’t going to continue? Or were you always confident that this would move forward?
I was confident it was going to move forward. I always believed Lucha Underground would come back. I’m excited. We planned for it. It took longer than we originally hoped, but I’m so excited that we are back, and I think the fans will be excited to see it too. I know everyone is eagerly anticipating Lucha Underground season four.
You mention the change of scenery with the venue. How did that change the dynamic compared to the Temple before? Compare the two and the atmosphere you were going for this time around.
There are two totally different type buildings. This new Temple is in this old abandoned ice house. The ring and everything, it’s inside a gigantic freezer. It’s so cool. The building itself has so much character whether it was the leaky pipes or the giant freezer doors. It really created a great backdrop for the season. Not to mention it gave us a lot of new things to do. New places to explore and things to try. I think that is super exciting about the change of venue. Giving it a new look. I know one thing, that the “Believers” are exactly the same. So, the venue might have changed, but the people watching and cheering the show on have not. The “Believers” are the same old “Believers.”
I know you can’t talk much with new talent and faces coming in, but what was the locker room atmosphere like with familiar faces and newcomers? What was the feel with so much time going by? A lot of wrestlers have changed their look, style and evolved. What was it like to have the locker room come together again?
That is one thing in the time off. A lot of talents have improved and changed some things. At the same time, we brought some new characters into the show this season. That was cool. I think the locker room dynamic was great. It was great to have everyone back. Everyone was excited to back. It always seems that when they are at Lucha Underground, everyone goes into Lucha Underground mode and gives 110 percent. We banged out those shows, trying to make it creative and the most fun wrestling show possible. I don’t think the dynamic changed too much. Obviously, we missed Puma, but many have been there from day one. We built this show brick by brick together. I think once we’ve done that, everybody feels they’ve invested their time to making the show what it is. And for that we keep everyone on the same page.
I don’t know if you can say or not, but is there anyone who really steps up this season? Someone maybe who was in the background and comes to the forefront and stepped up?
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I think you’ll see that. I don’t’ want to give too much away. There is a little bit of that. There are lots of new characters and some old characters that you haven’t seen for a while come back. It’s a great mixture of everything. You’ll see who steps up to the plate. There are some unforgettable moments and really good stuff.
Can you say how many episodes this season will be?
I think it will be 22 episodes. It will be a lot of fun. A lot packed into those 22 weeks. It will be one hell of a ride.
What has it been like for the show and the brand to partner with Impact Wrestling during this hiatus? How important was that relationship in keeping the names and faces out there on television and active in people’s minds? What was it like to collaborate with another television entity?
I think they are a great partner. I also think it’s great for not only the talent, who get to be seen in other places. But sometimes Impact’s audience may not be Lucha’s audience. So, for the two brands promote each other I think it’s a great thing. I think the kickoff to that was WrestleMania weekend with our joint production. I think it’s off to a great start. I think it’s good for everybody. It’s good for the talent. It’s good for the brand. It gives people more opportunities to do things. I think Lucha Underground exists in its own universe as does Impact. But being able to help each other and help the talent and get our characters and people out there. You’ll even see some Impact stars on Lucha Underground this season so that’s a good thing.
You mention this was the start of this relationship. Are there any plans in the works to host more joint live events over time and other collaborations?
I’m not 100 percent sure where we stand with that. I would hope so. I think the sky is the limit as our relationship with Impact. Hopefully, it continues because there are great people working over there and running things over there. So, it’s good to work with them.
What’s the next step in your eyes for Lucha Underground in taking the next step of the show and brand’s evolution in taking it to the next level? How would you like to see it grow beyond this season?
Hopefully, there will be more eyeballs on it. If we had my way, we’d be on every week of the year. We’ll see what happens. I think the future is good for Lucha Underground. We are going on past 100 episodes. I don’t think anything is going to stop us.
And you still feel the strong support of El Rey Network?
I feel a hundred thousand times the support of El Rey Network. It’s a great network to be a part of and an awesome network to be on.
What else can you tell us about this season? How would you sum up this season up?
I can tell you there will be lots of big surprises. Big characters. Some wrestlers you’ve seen before. Some big stars. And I think the action doesn’t stop where we left off. It’s craziness. It’s chaos. It’s Lucha Underground at its best. Be prepared for those days you’re sitting there watching the show and you’re left with your jaw dropped on the floor because you can’t believe that happened because you didn’t see it coming.
Watch season four of Lucha Underground Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on El Rey Network starting June 13.