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The amazing Chris DeJoseph was on good old JR's podcast, and here are some highlights, followed by the entire show if you want to listen (spoiler alert: you should!)
Do you consider Lucha Underground a wrestling show or a show where wrestling is performed?
“I guess you could say it’s a show about a wrestling promotion—and there’s wrestling on it. I guess that’s how I would consider it first, but above all, it’s a show. It’s a unique show. It’s a different take on professional wrestling.”
What is the thought process behind some of the backstage segments?
“When we first began, one of the ideas was to do multi-camera shoots for the backstage scenes. And we tried them a bunch of different ways. And in the meantime, we were doing a vignette—what we call a ‘roll-in package’—introducing the character of Prince Puma. That was shot by one of our executive producers, and he has tons of experience in the business, and we loved the look. So we decided to go back and shoot our vignettes like that and it’s definitely made the show seem different and gave that cinematic look to the entire series.”
How did you develop the macabre aesthetics for the show?
“Well, this is a show that’s on the El Rey Network, and Robert Rodriguez is one of our executive producers. So we really drew from Robert’s movies, and the idea going into this was to create a comic book-type universe with these characters. If you’ve been watching from the beginning you’ll see we introduced those things later in the series, and slowly. One of the thoughts was that if we go too fast with it, it will take a while. So we wanted to earn the audience’s trust and let them get involved in the stories. Then slowly start to introduce some of the supernatural wild crazy dragon men and space men and stuff like that.”
Are the rumors true regarding a potential Lucha Underground Movie?
“There have been plenty of talks regarding a Lucha Underground Movie. That’s something that—in the beginning stages of creating this universe—was a long term goal. I think it’s definitely a possibility. Do I know when it’s going to happen? I don’t. But I think that would be pretty cool.”
Are there any plans to take Lucha Underground on the road?
“There are plans to take Lucha Underground on the road, hopefully. We kind of took a little test-run—at South-by-Southwest this year—and it was a great success for us. I think that’s definitely in the plans for the future to definitely do that. I think it will help the show and allow more people to see the amazing action and athletes that are part of their show?”
Who are the road-agents who take care of the matches?
“Well, we only went on the road once. But the agents we have now—we have Vampiro, Chavo Guerrero, and Paul London. They’re kind of my right-hand guys as far as that stuff is concerned.”
How far is Lucha Underground from a streaming service ala Netflix or Hulu?
“Personally, I think it would be a huge thing getting on one of those streaming services. It would bring us—not only into more households, but—into the future, because that’s how people are watching television now. No question that that would be awesome, and I know that’s something they’re working on. But there are deals, there are contracts, there’s money—all sorts of things that need to be handled that fall out of my realm that I have no influence over. I just keep my fingers crossed and hopefully it does reach those platforms sooner or later.”
Does it bother you to hear that WWE is actively pursuing Ricochet AKA Prince Puma?
“I expect it; it’s business. These guys go out and make a living doing this. Does it bother me? Sure. It’s not like we’re going after people on their roster. So in a way sometimes it makes me feel like, ‘Are they doing it to stop us from trying to be something?’ I don’t know, maybe. But at the same time, we just need to carry on and continue to make stars on our show and do what we do.”
Do you have a favorite WWE memory?
“I have a lot of great WWE memories. I was there for WrestleMania’s 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26. So for me, some of the coolest moments were like—a lot of people know that I’m an Arizona Cardinal’s fan—seeing WrestleMania in my favorite team’s stadium. That was cool. Shawn Michaels versus theUndertaker at WrestleMania 25—just as a fan. Very often you don’t have the time to go out and watch the show, when you’re trying to make it, and that was something that I decided to watch. I also say my favorite days were my first day and my last day. My first, obviously because it’s a dream come true. And the last day—the relief—knowing I don’t have to do this anymore.”
Who came up with the Big Dick Johnson concept—was that yours?
“No. It was not mine. Brian [Gewirtz] made a joke during a production meeting and then it just grew like wildfire. When it was first pitched, Vince as fine with it. He liked it—I think. He was doing it to have fun and to make fun of me. It stuck for a little while—probably too long.” Note: Chris is laughing throughout his explanation and doesn’t seem to harbor any ill-will about the character.
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