Johnny Mundo Talks Lucha Underground's Ultima Lucha Dos, WWE, More

Lucha Underground is one of the hottest commodities in the wrestling industry, and at the forefront of the brand is Johnny Mundo.

Mundo was one of the biggest stars to sign with Lucha Underground when the show first began, and he has taken it upon himself to help grow the brand and expand its footprint on the wrestling business.

During Season 1, Mundo was one of the top singles performers, but in Season 2, he has taken on the role of a trios champion. At Ultima Lucha Dos—Lucha Underground’s season-ending showcase—Mundo will defend the Trios Championship alongside PJ Black and Jack Evans against Fenix, Drago and Aerostar.

Mundo recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio about the Ultima Lucha Dos events, the differences between WWE and Lucha Underground and his role as one of the brand's cornerstones thus far and moving forward.

Starting July 6 and running each Wednesday through July 20, Lucha Underground will present the three-part season finale dubbed Ultima Lucha Dos. Mundo will be a huge part of the show and is looking forward to wrestling fans witnessing the one-of-a-kind experience:

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I am ridiculously excited for Ultima Lucha Dos. I think this Ultima Lucha Dos will by far surpass the original. I think anytime you have an event for the first time ever, like a Super Bowl or WrestleMania or UFC, as the years go by everything becomes more polished with promotion and bigger stars. Ultima Lucha Dos brings you Rey Mysterio Jr., Prince Puma, Johnny Mundo, PJ Black, Jack Evans, Fenix, Pentagon, all these stars that you have heard of and now you have seen them develop over the course of two seasons of Lucha Underground. The production of the show has become more polished and everyone is more invested in these characters now for Ultima Lucha Dos then they were at Ultima Lucha Uno. I expect it to exceed fans' expectations and be better, badder, faster, stronger and more exciting than Ultima Lucha Uno. 

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The original Ultima Lucha was one of the best wrestling shows of the year, and the anticipation for Part Dos has fans of the sport ready for the marquee matches. Even if you’re not a diehard Lucha Underground fan, this is the show to check out if you want to fall in love.

For fans of the WWE Universe who have never had the pleasure of watching any Lucha Underground, there are some key differences between the brands. Mundo was candid when explaining the differences between the companies and what makes Lucha so unique and special:

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As far as differences, Lucha Underground and the way it is filmed with its TV episodic format, allows it to have deeper, multilayered, darker and almost supernatural type characters woven into the fabric of the storylines. The storylines of Lucha Underground are more complex and always follow through to fruition, which is different because a lot of time with WWE and the size of the organization, characters sometimes are simpler and storylines are dropped. With a one-hour show, Lucha Underground is more respectful of the time of the people watching. We don’t have a three-hour Raw to fill every week. We have one hour of wrestling and what you get is fast-paced, hard-hitting, acrobatic action interspersed with the stories we are telling backstage and the vignettes backstage. The vignettes are really polished and tightly cut that flesh out the characters and move the story forward week to week. I feel like it’s the best wrestling show on TV right now. If you compare it to an episode of Raw, you will agree with me. If not, tweet me and we will argue about it.

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One of the reasons Mundo was able to become one of the faces of Lucha Underground was his experience in WWE and around the world. Lucha was looking for an established cornerstone when the company first started, and Mundo's signing was a major step in the right direction.

Since Day 1 of the company’s meteoric rise as one of the most popular wrestling brands in the world, Mundo has been the backbone and one of the reasons Lucha Underground has continued to find success. When asked about being a top guy and embracing the pressure, Mundo spoke about wanting to carry the burden of leading the company into the future:

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As far as being the guy and really the first guy with the reputation to sign on to be a part of Lucha Underground, I take a great deal of pride in it. This is the first wrestling promotion that has come around since I can remember since ECW that has really been different. It’s developed a counter culture and a cult following, and Lucha Underground has done that. I take a lot of pride being a part of that. As far as the pressure goes to carry the ball and keep performing at such a high level, yes, I do feel it. That pressure is a good thing, and I think everybody feels it unilaterally. What we have is a roster full of motivated and talented wrestlers with a chip on their shoulder to prove we have something no other wrestling promotion has right now. We are all hungry, motivated, young and talented. Most wrestling promotions are missing one of those things. When you look at Lucha Underground, that’s what makes us so interesting.

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For the wrestling fans who have already fallen in love with Lucha Underground, Mundo has been a major reason behind its success. For those who have yet to discover the weekly show, Ultima Lucha Dos will be the perfect introduction.

At Ultima Lucha Dos, Mundo’s Trios Championship match is one of the most anticipated bouts on the card. With six of the most talented performers in the company looking to steal the show, wrestling fans should be ready for a Match of the Year contender.

With Mundo ready to take on the pressure of being a top guy in the budding company, the future for Lucha Underground has never looked brighter.

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