December 12, 2015, Los Angeles –Today, Rey Mysterio surprised a full house of fans during a taping of El Rey Network’s “Lucha Underground,” the wildly-popular Lucha Libre wrestling series from Emmy Award®-winning producer Mark Burnett, United Artists Media Group, Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures. The legendary AAA Hall of Famer, whose high-flying moves have captivated fans for over 25 years, will join El Rey Network's freestyle wrestling series during the second season which premieres on El Rey Network on Wednesday, January 27 at 8pm ET/PT.
Mysterio, who stepped into the ring professionally at the age of 14, is one of the sport's most well-respected athletes. His rapid fire moves and high-flying style helped revolutionize pro-wrestling and his 21 titles (between WWE and WCW) have given him icon status among his fellow athletes and fans.
“When it comes to in-ring performers, Rey Mysterio is among the elite and we are thrilled to welcome him and his skills to the ‘Lucha Underground’ franchise reinforcing our promise to bring US audiences the very best in lucha libre wrestling,” said Executive Producer and Showrunner, Eric Van Wagenen.
Most recently, Mysterio captured the Lucha Libre World Cup in May 2015, leading his trios tag team to victory in a tournament against other three-man tag teams, representing wrestling talent and organizations from around the world. Performing in nearly every major North American wrestling organization, Mysterio’s fast-paced, high flying lucha libre-style offense quickly made him a fan favorite over the past 25 years. In addition to Rey Mysterio’s 21 title reigns, he was also part of the inaugural class of the AAA Hall of Fame in 2007.
"I am excited by the opportunity to join such an extraordinary group of athletes and be a part of the Lucha Underground family," Mysterio said. "It is a privilege to be able to represent this sport and have a chance to share my love of Lucha with passionate wrestling fans around the globe."
Rey Mysterio joins a growing group of legendary AAA Luchadores who have been part of the “Lucha Underground” franchise including Alberto El Patrón, Blue Demon Jr., Sexy Star, Mil Muertes, Fenix, Drago and Pentagon Jr. Together with U.S. based wrestlers Chavo Guerrero Jr., Konnan, Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma, the group provides enthusiastic viewers with an incredibly visceral and explosive experience with a focus on the artistry, originality, intense action and over the top characters that has come to define this phenomenal fan-favorite.
“Lucha Underground” is produced by United Artists Media Group in association with FactoryMade Ventures for El Rey Network. Executive producers are Mark Burnett, Eric Van Wagenen (also showrunner) and Brian Edwards of United Artists Media Group; Dorian Roldán from Lucha Libre AAA; Alejandro Garcia and Antonio Cué Sánchez-Navarro; El Rey Network co-founder Robert Rodriguez; and FactoryMade Ventures, El Rey Network co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa and Skip Chaisson of El Rey Network and Skip Film. The series will be distributed internationally by United Artists Media Group.
About El Rey Network
El Rey Network is a 24-hour English language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network unites "the new mainstream" through badass content that awakens the renegade in everyone. El Rey's action-packed slate is anchored by signature series including the original drama, "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series", the one-on-one interview program, "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair" and "Lucha Underground," a freestyle wrestling series from Mark Burnett. El Rey Network's lineup also showcases a wide range of iconic feature films and TV series including genre, cult classic action, and horror/sci-fi. El Rey Network LLC http://www.elreynetwork.com/ is jointly owned by Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures with a minority stake held by Univision Networks & Studios, Inc.
About United Artists Media Group
United Artists Media Group (UAMG) is a joint venture among MGM, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Hearst Corporation, focused on developing, producing and financing premium content across all platforms, including scripted and non-scripted television programs, motion pictures and digital content.
About Lucha Libre AAA
Lucha Libre AAA is a media and entertainment company founded in 1992 by Antonio Pena Herrada and manages the IP of the "AAA" brand and another 250 characters in its league. The company produces Lucha Libre events globally including venues such as Palacio de los Deportes, Arena Monterrey, HP Pavilion, Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles Sports Arena and Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to working with sponsors such as Corona, Hershey's, Comex and Unilever, the league has released an animated movie and videogame in the Mexican market. Lucha Libre AAA develops 5 hours of content per week that is aired on three television channels in Mexico: Galavision and Televisa Deportes Network.
About FactoryMade Ventures
FactoryMade is an incubator for entertainment businesses and was founded by John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa. The company builds IP-based franchises and production and distribution platforms by leveraging its strong ties to the Hollywood creative community and partnering with global brands and investors. Its ventures include El Rey Network and Tres Pistoleros Studios with Robert Rodriguez and a joint venture with the leading Mexican wrestling league Lucha Libre AAA. In addition to working with corporate partners such as Telefonica and JCP, they previously spearheaded the creation of Hasbro's film business (Transformers, G.I. Joe, Battleship) and television business (Hasbro TV Studios, the Hub Network with Discovery Communications), and developed retail's first integrated digital gaming and commerce platform with HSN (HSN Arcade).
