Interview: Wrestling's most controversial Superstar, Alberto El Patron, talks to Sportskeeda
As awkward as it is to hear Alberto El Patron refer to himself as 'the Big Dog', his enthusiasm is infectious. He addressed the media ahead of Bound for Glory, Impact Wrestling's biggest pay-per-view event, and was warm, passionate and extremely courteous.
While El Patron's supposed exploits outside the ring had resulted in a suspension for the former champion (and also in him being stripped of the top prize in Impact Wrestling); the superstar is back, the charges have been dropped and he is gunning for the top prize in the business.
I ask him if the recent events took a toll on him mentally. El Patron was introspective as he answered the following:
In the world we live in today, your life is going to be public, for people to see. I'm old school. I'll never be happy with people just exposing their lives, and expecting you to tell them what you do, even when you just go to the toilet. It was very difficult for me to accept that everything I do is public knowledge.
El Patron then elaborated on the events of the past where he and his fiancee, WWE Superstar Paige, were involved in a public fracas in Orlando airport, also involving a female bystander who invaded their privacy. Patron cleared the air with regard to the situation:
That day, a woman decided to invade our privacy. And nothing really happened. A man and a woman were having a rough day, an argument like all the couples out there. Some arguments are worse than others. That doesn't mean that there's anything bad going on.
El Patron went on to say that not only are he and Paige completely fine at the moment, they were completely fine back then as well. The events were blown out of proportion, according to him.
After all, it was the District Attorney who cleared him and determined that he was just the victim in the situation, El Patron says. According to Alberto, the bystander just wanted her five minutes of fame. He drove the point home to end the topic:
Nothing really happened but a couple having an argument!
For the rest of the interview, Alberto El Patron seemed genuinely enthused about being a part of Impact Wrestling, and also how excited he was to be back in the company, once again.
Having seen him play a heel for most of his run, I asked El Patron if he preferred playing a good or bad guy:
If you ask me, I'd rather be a heel. I'm a bad guy, inside and outside the ring (laughs out loud). I'm a person that gives respect but demands respect. I love working as a heel.
El Patron elaborated on the psychology of playing a heel that appealed to him, and elaborated on why he enjoyed playing a bad guy:
The heel is the man controlling the match, controlling the motions. The heel is telling the audience what to do. If the bad guy wants them to cry, they will cry. If he wants them to laugh, they will laugh.
El Patron said that the only reason he was working as a babyface is that the fans wanted to see him as one. He recalled being in the locker room, telling the others that he did not like being a babyface. However, he understood the necessity for the same.
I take Alberto back in time, right to the time of the 2000 Summer Olympics. El Patron was on track to compete in the games when, suddenly, Mexico decided to not send a wrestling team for the grand event.
El Patron expressed a sense of disappointment, but also maintained that there was indeed a silver lining, too:
Of course I feel bad because I wrestled for so many years, I accomplished so many things in my amateur career. I was the best Mexican wrestler. The main goal when you are an amateur athlete is to go to the Olympics one day. Of course I was really sad and upset at the time. Luckily for me, my dream was to be a pro wrestler.
El Patron said that even though his Olympic dreams were shattered, the very next day he decided to make a foray into professional wrestling. Two weeks later, El Patron made his professional wrestling debut in Japan with his dad, Dos Caras.
Even though I never got to go to the Olympic Games, my pro wrestling career has been amazing. To travel the world, to go to the most important companies in the world and most importantly, to become champion in every single company that I worked for.
Alberto El Patron may have his demons, but is also a man that's genuinely excited about stepping into the ring, and performing at the highest level. What role will he play at Bound for Glory, this weekend? We can't wait to find out.
Catch Bound for Glory live on SONY ESPN and SONY ESPN HD, Monday at 6.30 AM!