5 Current WWE Wrestlers You Forgot Competed In Lucha Underground (& 5 From AEW)

Before the pandemic forced companies into producing cinematic matches, before stars like Matt Hardy perfected the weird and wonderful world of the Broken Universe, and before The Undertaker had an interactive movie on Netflix, there was Lucha Underground. A promotion that combined the athletically gifted luchadors of AAA, the soap opera ridiculousness of Hustle, and the Grindhouse aesthetic of the Mexican B-movie.

Debuting in 2014 with a cinematic style unlike the wrestling world had seen before, the promotion gathered a large cult following through its over the top storylines that involved everything from gang warfare to actual murder. Many alumni from LU have made it in both WWE and AEW, but some runs have flown under the radar, and fans might have forgotten all about them.

10 RICOCHET

Appearing in the series' pilot episode, Ricochet is one of only five wrestlers currently active in WWE that appeared in Lucha Underground. What might have been forgotten about Ricochet's run in Boyle Heights as Prince Puma, at least by WWE fans, is how incredible he can be when given the creative freedom to do whatever he wants.

As Prince Puma, he was the first-ever Lucha Underground Champion. Ricochet was a true star in Lucha Underground, a man who the TV series was largely built around in its early episodes. He established himself as a main event player, something that has most certainly been forgotten by those on the creative side of WWE.

9 JAKE HAGER

Jake Hager was arguably the most controversial member of the Lucha Underground roster in its foruth and final season. Hager simply didn't fit in at all. And while stars like Brian Cage and Johnny Mundo didn't necessarily fit the mould of what to expect from a show called Lucha Underground, they were at least regulars in AAA during the shows' run, while Hager wasn't.

Appearing only in Season 4, Hager went by the name Jake Strong, and besides a losing effort in his debut as a part of challeging for the Trios Championship, Strong was undefeated. He was the last Lucha Underground Champion and Gift of the Gods Champion, but was too much of WWE guy in the eyes of fans. Sadly, by the time Strong was crowned champion, the promotion was on its deathbed.

8 REY MYSTERIO

As a lucha libre legend, it only felt right for Rey Mysterio to pop up in Lucha Underground at one point, which he did in the early episodes of Season 2. With an influx of talent from AAA, Mysterio was able to prove to fans that he was able to keep up with even the best of the next generation of luchadors.

Mysterio was killed off at the end of Season 3 before returning to WWE full time. His run in Lucha Underground is a stark reminder to everyone that despite numerous injuries, he was still able to put on incredible matches and tell strong stories. Fans were also treated to Rey Mysterio vs. Prince Puma, which is a dream match in itself.

7 THUNDER ROSA

Thunder Rosa was a big part of AEW's roster during the pandemic and has established herself as one of the top female stars in the company. Rosa's Lights Out match with Britt Baker and her run with the NWA Women's Championship was enough to break through the glass ceiling and into the hearts of mainstream wrestling fans.

RELATED: Thunder Rosa: Age, Height, Relationship Status & Other Things You Didn't Know About Her

However, her first appearences on American TV was for Lucha Underground, under the name Kobra Moon. Her run in LU was moderately successful. She was one-third of the final Trios Champions alongside Daga and Jeremiah Snake. Rosa was in the promotion until its final episode, despite filing a lawsuit against the company in the same vein as King Cuerno and Iveilsse.

6 SANTOS ESCOBAR

The higher ups of Lucha Underground would probably like to forget about Santos Escobar/King Cuerno. He led a lawsuit that managed to reduce the restrictions that the original contracts had set on their talent. However, Cuerno was another large presence in LU, becoming a Gift of the Gods Champion and challenging for the Lucha Underground Championship on multiple occasions.

Now the leader of Legado Del Fantasma in NXT, Escobar is a former NXT Crusierweight Champion with numerous impressive showings against the likes of KUSHIDA, Jordan Devlin, and the members of MSK. While not the most forgotten member of the Lucha Underground roster working today, Escobar's is almost unrecognisable from his days in The Temple.

5 SAMMY GUEVARA

Sammy Guevara has proved to be a valuable commodity in AEW. He is the current TNT Champion, part of Chris Jericho's Inner Circle, and is considered one of The Four Pillars of AEW alongside Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, and MJF. However, his first American exposure was in The Temple.

Guevara only competed in a handful of matches during Season 4, the most noteable being a blow off to a feud againstJake Strong. If the show had continued into a fifth season, it would have been foolish of LU not to strike while the iron was hot with Guevara. But it worked out well for him anyway as AEW signed him while he was still the AAA World Cruiserweight Champion.

4 WES LEE

Wes Lee, one half of the popular tag team MSK, is a former NXT Tag Team Champion, former winner of the Dusty Rhodes Classic, and with his partner Nash Carter, is currently embroiled in a feud with the parents of Izzy, a.k.a., Bayley's biggest fan. However back in 2018, the man formerly known as Desmond Xaiver had a cup of coffee in Lucha Underground.

Appearing in two episodes of the show's fourth series, Desmond X got a notable win over former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Paul London, and challenged for the Gift of the Gods Championship. Despite some high profile matches in The Temple, his run was so brief that with one blink of an eye WWE fans might have missed Wes Lee on the El Rey Network.

3 LUCHASAURUS

Luchasaurus has the Lucha Underground fans to thank for his success. Under the name Vibora as a member of The Reptile Tribe, he appeared sporadically during Season 2 onwards and was arguably best known for his exit when he was killed via sword decapitation at the hands of Taya Valkyrie.

Now a member of the Jurassic Express in AEW alongside Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt, Luchasaurus has become an ultra popular fan favorite. His out of this world agility and personality has been displayed on shows like Being the Elite.

2 IO SHIRAI

Io Shirai has had a lot of great moments over her NXT career thus far. She is aformer NXT Women's Champion and the Overall Performer of the Year winner in 2020. But with that said, it's a far cry from where Shirai was when she appeared as Hitokiri in Lucha Underground's third season.

She appeared as a part of the Black Lotus Triad alongside Doku and Yurei. Amazingly their only match in the promotion was on Episode 13 of the third season where Hitokiri picked up a win over Pentagon Dark, who had defeated the other two members of the Triad earlier that night in the same episode.

1 SONNY KISS

Before making a big impression on fans in AEW, Sonny Kiss was a relative newcomer to the American mainstream, mainly working for different independent companies. However, a run during Lucha Underground's fourth season seemingly went completely under the radar.

Performing under the name XO Lishus, Kiss feuded with Jack Evans in a rather underrated "I Quit" match. Kiss would eventually form an alliance with Ivelisse towards the back end of the season and challenge for the Trios Championship on two occasions.