Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
As fans await word on when a fourth season of Lucha Underground could be picked up by the El Rey Network, a number of performers who are under contract to the company have started to branch out, some working for GFW Impact Wrestling and others working independent and international dates. As certain talents have appeared for different companies internationally, there have been rumors making the rounds that others have been "blocked" from appearing on independent and international dates with the blame being placed on MGM, which distributes the the series.
Lucha Underground, which is owned and produced by United Artists Media Group in conjunction with Mark Burnett Productions, has not taped any content since the spring of 2016, when seasons two and three were filmed back to back. Despite the hiatus in production, Lucha Underground talents do remain under contracts more suited to traditional television series than professional wrestling.
So, as some talents have begun to pop up elsewhere while others have not, that has given rise to rumors that in turn, led to the following questions being asked: Was Lucha Underground actually keeping contracted wrestlers from working and making a living? Even worse, were some contracted wrestlers being given their blessing to work elsewhere while others were being denied that same opportunity?
These were fair questions, especially given the public falling out that Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. (now known as Penta OM) had with AAA management, given that AAA talents had been used by the series. AAA had in the past contacted independent promotions about using Fenix and Pentagon, claiming ownership and exclusivity to their names and their work, which is what led to the brothers changing their names upon their AAA exit. There has been existing concern by some that the lasting "heat" over that departure could even cascade over to whether the pair are used going forward by Lucha Underground, the platform that led to the brothers' explosion of popularity here in the United States.
Since there has been no fourth season pick-up for LU, that question will remain unanswered but it should be noted that in recent weeks, PWInsider.com has heard multiple people within the wrestling industry of rumors that "Lucha Underground" was stepping in to try and prevent certain talents from potentially working for other wrestling companies - in the United States and in Japan. As the story goes, someone was contacting numerous promotions, warning them that if they utilized certain talents (including the aforementioned Fenix), they were going to find themselves in an actionable position with MGM Television, which distributes the series.
Rather than let rumors swirl in the darkness, PWInsider.com decided to reach out to Lucha Underground management and asked for comment on whether MGM, or anyone involved in LU, which holds the contracts of the talents in question, had approached anyone, issued any legal warnings and where LU stood on contracted talents working elsewhere.
Their official statement:
"While Lucha Underground contracts contain normal exclusivity clauses, we fully understand our performers’ desire to participate in non-televised international bookings. Assuming our performers are complying with their Lucha Underground agreements, we have generally been supportive of their desire to work internationally and have even changed shoot dates to accommodate certain talent’s international commitments. There are many performers on our roster who desire to work internationally on non-televised shows, and MGM would never improperly block a cast member who is honoring his or her obligations to Lucha Underground from earning that type of income during a long production hiatus."
Based on that statement, it is not MGM or Mark Burnett Productions seeking to prevent talents from making a living. Certainly, they don't want talents appearing in their Lucha Underground personas - which is John Hennigan is now Johnny Impact as opposed to Johnny Mundo on GFW TV, but they also don't want the talents sitting there starving when there are bookings they can take. Now, whether that is the same for the AAA side of things, you can decide that for yourself. There is obviously a separation of church and state between how the two sides are approaching the situation.
The bottom line, however, is that if anyone is using MGM's name in an attempt to strong-arm promotions from utilizing Lucha Underground talents, they are doing it without permission and one might surmise, they themselves could be the ones finding themselves in legal crosshairs for misrepresentation.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
