Melissa Barreto from MTV sent along the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MTV2 INTRODUCES HIGH FLYING MEXICAN WRESTLING TO AMERICAN AIRWAVES WITH WEEKLY SERIES “LUCHA LIBRE USA: MASKED WARRIORSâ€
For The First Time Ever In English, Explosive New Show Premieres On MTV2 Friday, July 16 at 10pm ET/PT with An Encore Presentation on Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más Saturday, July 17 at 10pm ET/PT
New York, NY (July 8, 2010) – Just when you thought it was safe to leave your house this summer, the wrestlers of Lucha Libre will be landing at your doorstep. Beginning Friday, July 16 at 10pm ET/PT, MTV2 will bring Lucha Libre to America for the first time ever with a new original weekly series “Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors†with an encore presentation on Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más on Saturday, July 17 at 10 pm ET/PT. This show marks the first time that Lucha Libre matches will be filmed in the U.S. and broadcast in English bringing this entertaining and beloved Mexican sport to American mainstream audiences.
Featuring amazing aerial acrobatics and signature masks that have become global symbols of this extreme Mexican sport, Lucha Libre has become an iconic part of the country’s rich culture for over 75 years and continues to be the best-attended live sporting event after soccer. Like no other wrestling show before it, this groundbreaking series on MTV2 and Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más will deliver this raucous, masked wrestling phenomenon that has developed into a cult following around the world.
Each week, Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors will feature explosive, hard-hitting action from some of the biggest names in the sport including Tinieblas Jr, Marco Corleone, Lizmark Jr., Mascarita Dorada and many more. From never-before-seen moves, death defying showmanship, to comedy and over-the-top drama featuring Mini Luchadores and Luchadores Exoticos, audiences have never seen wrestling like this before. Additionally, this show marks the first time ever that an American Lucha Libre league has been formed with the Luchadores competing for a U.S. belt and title.
Steven Ship and Louis Silverstein, Managing Directors of Lucha Libre USA, and Tom Mazza, EVP Head of Worldwide TV, Cookie Jar Entertainment, will serve as executive producers of the series. Chris McCarthy, Eric Conte and Paul Ricci are Executive Producers for MTV2.
About Lucha Libre
Lucha Libre is an art form, much beloved by Latino culture. It sells millions of tickets to a mass audience composed of families from across the socioeconomic strata. Lucha Libre USA’s mission is to introduce Americans to the global phenomenon that is Mexican wrestling. Lucha Libre USA regularly produces live events in major US venues.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man’s best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
About Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más
Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más, owned and operated by MTV Networks Latin America, reaches 7.4 million Hispanic TV households (58% of US Hispanic Total TV HH) and 39 million total TV households. The network’s programming embraces the trilogy of cultures that represents Latino life – Latin American plus American equals US Latino – through original productions, key acquisitions, and content from MTV Networks’ portfolio of entertainment brands. Tr3s embraces the key lifestyle aspects of Latino identity — milestones, making it and music — as well as social responsibility through its initiative “Agentes de Cambioâ€, which tackles issues that affect Latinos today. The network also taps into the growing number of Latinos that are digitally connected thru www.tr3s.com.
