By Anish Vishwakoti, Prowrestling.net Staffer, (@AVX_9001)
At the Season four tapings of Lucha Underground in Los Angeles, I got the chance to sit down, or stand up in the backstage gym as it were, with Brian Cage. We talked about Cage’s start in the promotion as well as the future of the company, and some of Cage’s thoughts and memories in his run. Cage divulged some interesting tidbits and thoughts about certain matches and moments in The Temple that were previously unknown and talked a little about sports aside from wrestling as well.
Anish: Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s Anish back here at the Lucha Underground tapings and I have with me, I’d say he’s the man, but he’s not a man.
Cage: Nope, I am The Machine!
Anish: You weren’t with Lucha Underground from the start, you joined a little bit later. So what was it that drew you to Lucha Underground?
Cage: Well it was like six episodes deep into Season 1 when I came on, I did some darks before my actual debut, I think it was like episode nine or ten when I came one. The initiative was to bring me in from the get-go. Lead writer (Chris) DeJoseph wanted to bring me in a little bit later to differentiate myself from the rest, and to have my debut stand out. Around six episodes in I did my vignettes like “Oh Cage is coming, Cage is coming.” Then I debuted in an awesome four-way, got into it with Prince Puma and destroyed the title.
Anish: Yeah, I remember that was one of my favorite moments from Season 1, of Brian Cage ripping up the title.
Cage: That’s one of the most commonly expressed statements. Two guys (outside) just gestured to me that “Yo I just started watching Lucha Underground on Netflix, and you were there ripping the title in half!”
Anish: And that right there proved that you’re a machine it’s that image of you ripping metal and leather. So you maybe a machine, but on Lucha Underground, we have all sorts of different people here. Why should people, who maybe aren’t wrestling fans or are tired of WWE’s product, come watch Lucha Underground?
Cage: The way I always explain it to people is that we aren’t a wrestling show on TV, we’re a TV show about Wrestling. That’s why people who don’t even know much about wrestling can still get into it, because there’s more of a cinematic and television feel to it. People always say wrestling’s so fake, but of course if you get in the ring there’s nothing fake about it. And with because of the characters Lucha Underground is almost more fake, but it doesn’t come across fake because it’s a TV show. It’s not a reality-based wrestling show trying to come across as real.
Anish: Exactly, it’s a TV show, we’ve got dragons here and spacemen.
Cage: So like when you’re watching Walking Dead if you didn’t know spoiler alert, it’s fake! But when you’re watching it and you’re invested in the plot, even though there’s zombies and stuff, you’re not thinking “Oh, that’s fake!” You’re suspending your disbelief and giving in to the characters, and the show, and everything else in the program! I feel like because of the way Lucha Underground is presented, it allows you to suspend disbelief even more. And you also get to see some amazing athletes and Wrestlers that you’re not going to get to see anywhere else to compliment the vignettes and the storylines. Even for us, we get to watch the matches backstage and then later as a finished product.
Anish: And it’s basically a different thing, isn’t it?
Cage: Yeah, and I mean the crowd is so hot! I’ve worked in front of huge arenas in sold out buildings, but this smaller intimate crowd is so hot, so high so energetic!
Anish: So what is it about the believers that makes them so special? And for example, what’s your favorite chant in the temple?
Cage: Dude, there’s so many! So if people don’t know, I am with Melissa Santos!
Anish: Of course, you’re even wearing a Melissa Santos shirt right now.
Cage: Oh, wow, totally didn’t even realize that! So during Season 3, her and Fenix were doing a little love story, probably just to pop me. And in the temple, when they kissed, they started chanting “Cage is gonna kill you!” I thought that was hilarious! So that was one, but I really don’t know.
Anish: In Lucha Underground specifically, what has been you’re favorite match? Because you have a lot of good ones, like your work with Prince Puma or with Pentagon.
Cage: Well, I know that one that created a lot of buzz was Taya’s debut match. Which is funny because that one wasn’t actually supposed to happen. Johnny (Mundo) hurt his foot last minute and they told me I had to work with Taya. I thought it was a joke and they told me “No we’re serious,” and we made the best of it.
Anish: Damn, okay.
Cage: That would have been one of them, but my favorite? I mean there’s been so many with The Mack, and there’s been so many good ones, but my match with Matanza I really liked.
Anish: Because it’s two monsters.
Cage: No, it’s two monsters and we’re athletic but it was also the only really heavily touted match that wasn’t a gimmick match.
Anish: You’re right, It was just a match. And no matter how exciting it is, we’ll still get that in Lucha Underground, they’ll go back to basics and just slug it out.
Cage: And all my matches are usually that, that was my one match that I really loved and got really over that was just a one fall, match.
Anish: Okay, and where do you see Lucha Underground going in the next ten years or so? Really right now it’s just burgeoning, on the edge of Season 4, so what do you think is going to be happening over the next ten years?
Cage: It’s funny because, even though we’re in this virgin state, every time I’ve heard someone from any part of the world watch it: I’ve never heard almost any negative conversation about Lucha Underground.
Anish: I definitely agree with that, because people do tend to trash other wrestling promotions and entertainment more so.
Cage: I almost feel like, wrestling fans in general are so snobby, especially with social media this way, that all they want to do is complain about the product, even if it’s great. It doesn’t matter what it is, there’s always people who complain and try to be the armchair booker saying that this should happen, or this should happen. I feel like Lucha Underground is the only place that’s been like 94 percent positive reaction.
Anish: Alright, an aside from wrestling just for a little bit, what’s your favorite sports team?
Cage: 49’ers. Ever since I was a kid I have never wavered. Since a kid – for every sport- any team I was on; that’s it. Done. 49’ers! No matter how off or how bad I get, even if I get disinterested in said sport, I’ve been a lifer for every team I’ve ever liked.
Anish: You got any other teams?
Cage: It was always (San Francisco) 49’ers for football, (Oakland) A’s for baseball, and Orlando Magic for basketball.
Anish: Oh, that’s a nice mix.
Cage: I know, right? I’m from Northern California so everyone always assumed I’d love the (San Francisco) Giants, but no I liked the A’s. I also liked the (LA) Kings, so then people would ask “So do you like the (LA) Lakers,” And I’d say “No, no, I like the Magic!”
Anish: That’s so random, but that’s cool, that’s cool. And finally, tell the people where we can watch Lucha Underground, because if you haven’t seen it, you gotta now.
Cage: Obviously there’s the El Rey Network, that’s where Season 4 will debut. Netflix has the first two seasons. You can get the first three Seasons on Amazon as well, and iTunes, and even on the Youtube channel they have like the matches of the week! There’s plenty of ways to watch it, and when you do-
Anish: You are hooked.
Cage: Yeah! Everyone who’s started watching it has always been impressed.
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