Interview
Deutsche VersionInterview mit Alberto Del Rio (WWE Superstar) (16.05.2011)
HH: Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Fuxx and writing for the Metal-mag Heavyhardes.
Alberto: Hi. Alberto.
HH: So, how was the flight?
Alberto: Ha, ha, it was long, ha, ha.
HH: How many hours?
Alberto: It was nine hours.
HH: So, is this your first station in Europe?
Alberto: Yes, this is the first show we're gonna have here in Europe; we have an order for eleven. We're all very excited.
Freelancer: Your first time here in Europe as well?
Alberto: No, no, no, this is my third tour with the company.
Freelancer: Do you think you're gonna win today?
Alberto: Yeah, definitely, definitely. That's my destiny. I'm Alberto Del Rio. Ha, ha!
Freelancer: How did it happen, actually, that you've become a wrestler?
Alberto: Well, in my case, I can say, it was in my veins because my grandfather was a wrestler, my father was a wrestler. I guess it was just the only way I can go.
Freelancer: Didn't you do the Greek-Romanian style before you became (a professional; correct: Greco-Roman; Fuxx)?
Alberto: Yeah, yeah, I was part of the Mexican national Greco-Roman-team. I was doing that for 14 years, just to get the transition from amateur to professional then.
Freelancer: What would you say is the difference between Greek-Romanian style and that?
Alberto: Well, it's just the fact that in WWE you perform in front of 10 000, 20 000, 78 000 people. I would say that's all the difference because we use the same moves in amateur-wrestling as in pro-wrestling.
Burning Music: O.k. we're from a kind of Rock n' Roll- and Lifestyle-paper and I was wondering how you take it being on tour and performing in all these great venues all the time, but being away from home. How's that life for you?
Alberto: You know it's difficult. While we're just here my family is far away in America, but that is what I do believe, this is what I love, this is my passion, this is my dream since I was a little kid, so, I know it's hard because I'm here, my family is not, but every time I go out there and hear the crowd that changes everything.
Freelancer: Did you ever get hurt in a match?
Alberto: Oh yeah, many times. I had a knee-surgery, broken hands, broken shoulders ...
Freelancer: So you need a good insurance, and your colleagues.
Alberto: Yes, yes, so we each do care to have a good base... they treat us well.
Burning Music: They give a special kind of health-insurance, I guess.
Alberto: Well, when we go, we have trainers, chiropractors to take care of the musculature. The company always takes care of us.
Freelancer: Now a match takes between ten to fifteen minutes' time, but how much time does it take to prepare for a match like today?
Alberto: Do you mean the way I train for the match?
Freelancer: Yeah, also like how you work together with your opponent. How does this work?
Alberto: Oh, no, we just go out there and wrestle. This is not like the independent companies; this is WWE which is the biggest company in sports entertainment. All of us are professional athletes, we don't have to go over our matches or have a choreographer or something. We just go out there. That's what we do. We just go out there and wrestle.
Freelancer: And then how much preparation time do you need for the training?
Alberto: Well, we train every single day like I said, to be honest. We landed at eight in the morning here and by ten I was actually in the gym. We have to be in the gym until four for so many times.
Freelancer: No day off? One day in the week?
Alberto: No, definitely, it's challenging, but this is my life, this is my passion, that's why.
HH: I was rather interested in the development of the character of Alberto Del Rio.
Alberto: Yes!!
HH: So, who was responsible for the basics of the character, and then the cars, the ring-announcer ...?
Alberto: That was Vince McMahon. He's a genius. He's the person who created all of us. He came up with the ideas of this character, Alberto Del Rio, but to the development: I took that character to the place where he is right now.
HH: What would you say how much of Dos Caras, you know, your old wrestling-name, is in Alberto Del Rio? You don't wear the mask anymore.
Alberto: Sure, I'm not wearing the mask anymore, plus: the way I wrestled ten years ago in Mexico, in Japan was totally different than the way I wrestle here. Plus: I was always a baby-face or a good guy in Mexico and Japan and here in the States I'm a heel, a bad guy and I can tell you this: I'm enjoying this so much that I don't want to be a baby-face, a good guy never again.
HH: Didn't you turn into a "rudo" at the end of your career in CMLL?
Alberto: Yeah, but it was just like a month. That was before I came to WWE, so I worked as a heel in Mexico, but it was just for a month. So that was like that.
Burning Music: So can you take it as good at last when they are booing you?
Alberto: You know I love it. That's what I do. As a bad guy or a heel I love it when people boo me. Ha, ha, ha, that's like they cheer me, you know.
Freelancer: You feel to be the bad guy?
Alberto: Yeah, I love it, you know. I feel like I can do what I want out there, while, when you are the nice guy or the baby-face, you'll have to be "nice", ha, ha. I can actually do whatever I want.
Freelancer: When you're not at the show are you friends with all the other professionals?
Alberto: Yeah, well, no, not with all of them. But like Drew McIntire, he's my best friend in the business, Chavo Guerrero, Cody Rhodes, those guys are my friends. We're always together, I mean I have a good relation with the other guys, but those guys are my friends.
Burning Music: Good to know. When you started in WWE, when was the moment that you knew that you made it, that you are now one of the big ones?
Alberto: I guess two weeks ago at Wrestlemania!! To perform in front of 78 000 people, you know, that was just amazing.
Burning Music: How was winning the Royal Rumble then?
Alberto: Well you know, it was a different feeling, but nothing compares to Wrestlemania!! Wrestlemania is like the Superbowl of pro-wrestling and that... that stadium, the crowd, anything. Anything was incredible! It was a new experience for me. Like I said: Nothing compares to Wrestlemania!
HH: I always wanted to go to Wrestlemania. It's a childhood's dream for me. One day I will make it.
Alberto: Maybe next year! It's gonna be in Miami. I live there in Miami and it's gonna be great!
Freelancer: Did you ever have a match with someone who was your friend, but then your opponent in the ring?
Alberto: Hmmm, not yet.
Freelancer: But it could happen.
Alberto: Yes, of course, of course. At some day I could wrestle Cody or Drew... here in WWE you never know.
Freelancer: So you actually don't have the problem to mess up your friends?
Alberto. Oh no, of course not. Because it's what we do. We wrestle! So if I'm going to have to wrestle against Cody or against Drew, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna kick their butts! Ha, ha.
HH: I guess back in Mexico you often had to do that, to wrestle friends of yours.
Alberto: Oh yeah. I worked in Mexico for over ten years, so yeah.
HH: Who were your favourite opponents?
Alberto: When I was in Mexico this guy named Ultimo Guerrero you may know. This guy is an awesome wrestler, he's an awesome performer and I always had great matches with him.
Freelancer: How do you think are your chances to be at one time the champion.
Alberto: Well, I'm sure it was really, really close to be World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania, that was two weeks ago and I'm sure I will because that is my destiny to be World Heavyweight Champion.
Freelancer: Do you have realistic chances?
Alberto: Yeah, we're gonna have a Pay-Per-View in some weeks.
HH: Extreme Rules.
Alberto: Yes, Extreme Rules. That's gonna be my day. That's gonna be the day of Alberto Del Rio and I'm gonna be World Heavyweight Champion.
HH: Is it right that you are gonna have a ladder-match with Christian at Extreme Rules?
Alberto: Yeah, now I'm gonna wrestle Christian. He's an incredible performer, an incredible athlete.
HH: And the feud is running pretty long...
Alberto: Yeah, the fans are gonna enjoy that.
Burning Music: How did you take Edge's retirement?
Alberto: Well, you know... I forced him to retire! Ha, ha, ha! He was wrestling against me for months and I guess he is just too old for this, he, he, he.
HH: Maybe one more short question. I'm writing for a Heavy Metal-magazine and there is this special connection between Heavy Metal- or Hard Rock-music and wrestling which has always been. So, what do you think is this special connection between hard rockin' music and wrestling?
Alberto: To be honest I don't know, but I guess it's because it's loud and crazy! That's pro-wrestling. It's loud and crazy and entertainment.
Burning Music: Do you like Rock n' Roll, Hard Rock? Are there any favourite bands?
Alberto: Yeah, I like it. I can't say that I'm a big fan, but I enjoy everything about it.
HH: One more thing I have to ask: have you seen the movie "The Wrestler"? Is it realistic? What do you think about it?
Alberto: No, not anymore. You know WWE is changing - the way we saw wrestlers in the 80s or the 90s. So probably that happened to somebody in the 80s or the 90s, but not anymore.
Freelancer: Did you like the movie?
Alberto: Hmmm, well, yes, I can say it's a good movie. It's a really sad movie. But I don't think I'm gonna end up like that, ha, ha. Thank you guys, thank you very much.
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