Johnny Mundo Talks Lucha Underground, WWE, Alberto El Patron and More

Johnny Mundo is forcing Lucha Underground to surface in wrestling circles. Mundo, a pioneer with Lucha Underground since it first surfaced in October 2014, has been raising the expectations for a modern-day wrestling product. Supported by a plethora of fresh and exciting superstars, Mundo continues to lead Lucha Underground to what many fans are now considering the most consistently entertaining wrestling show on television.

Earlier this week, Mundo spoke with Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of the News of Delaware County’s Joe Arcidiacono) to discuss Lucha Underground's increasing success, his time in WWE as John Morrison and his expectation for a future program with Alberto El Patron, arguably Lucha Underground's top recent signing.

Mundo garnered mainstream success when working with WWE and was widely regarded as one of the industry's most exciting performers. Mundo has breathtaking aerial maneuvers and athleticism that would rival the best in the business. Having done film in recent years, Lucha Underground's production naturally piqued Mundo's interest:

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This is a production that cares about the art decoration and is running it like a movie instead of a TV show... I thought it was a really cool combination of Lucha, which I have always been a fan of, and films with Robert Rodriguez's thumbprint and vibe. Mix all that with American style pro-wrestling, like the story telling aspect of what we did in the WWE.  So adding the psychology of Lucha, with the production value of an action film, is pretty much combining all my worlds or 'Mundos' in one wrestling promotion. 

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Mundo elaborated and explained how Lucha Underground's current product compares to an earlier version of WWE's product and is pushing the company's entertainment values and success:

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From day one, Lucha Underground had this belief in itself, as an idea, a new promotion, and had a vision of what it was going to be. Ya know, as a kid I was a huge fan of The Undertaker. He rose from the dead, used the lightning, he was an undead force. But now, a lot of the mysticism and mystery has left the WWE and now they are more reality based and going in a different direction. Lucha Underground sees wrestling in that same way. Drago is a fire breathing dragon, Muertes is raised from the dead, Phoenix has been reborn, and they are adding a layer of mystery to wrestling that is refreshing to me as a wrestling fan. I think that is one thing that really added success about it.

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Mundo clearly sees the vision of Lucha Underground, but he is leading the way from an execution perspective. He is arguably the biggest mainstream superstar to join the promotion and has been putting on classic performances since the first episode, when he locked up with current Lucha Underground champion Prince Puma. 

Some fans considered that match a 2014 Match of the Year candidate. However, it's not just Mundo and Puma pushing the promotion, nor can one match carry a promotion for six months and beyond. As Mundo explained, Lucha Underground is pushing fresh characters, giving them storylines and time to develop through spectacular action movie-style vignettes.

Recently, he's been involved with another former WWE Superstar in Alberto El Patron. Lucha Underground is allowing their rivalry to build slowly through several backstage vignettes filled with tension. It's been exciting seeing how their paths have crossed, as they both are clearly looking to compete for Prince Puma's Lucha Underground Championship.

Slowly but surely, Lucha Underground is positioning its most recognizable stars to collide in what could be another defining match for the young company. 

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Alberto is extremely talented and I did wrestle him a few times in WWE, but we never had enough time to put on the kind of match that I am looking forward to with him in Lucha Underground... I am looking forward to getting in the ring with him because I think that people aren’t going to believe the type of match we are going to have... Los Angeles is my hometown, and has been for Lucha Underground since day one, so I think a lot of fans that are going to see that and the hard work I have done, and chant 'Mundo' until their faces melt. There are also a lot of fans that will respect Alberto and where he comes from and the talent he has in the ring and chant for him. The true winner is going to be the fans in the temple when Albert and I are in the ring.

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Fans are looking forward not only to Mundo mixing it up with El Patron, but also the inevitable rematch with Puma. Mundo won the first encounter, but the stakes would be raised with Puma being the current champion. Epic championship bouts would further push the credibility of Lucha Underground, but more importantly, the championship. Mundo certainly isn't looking past El Patron, but his sights remain on winning the Lucha Underground championship.   

"[Puma] is a perfect combination of lucha, acrobatics, and storytelling; he gets it, so to speak," Mundo stated. "It’s cool to see him really embracing his role as a champion of Lucha Underground and he has done great representing the company. He is probably doing almost as good of a job as I would do as champion."

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).