Here are some interesting highlights from an interview the former Alberto Del Rio, for the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Podcast
On his frustrations with his WWE pay considering the fact that he was already an established wrestling star in Mexico before arriving there:
Actually, that’s something I said to somebody over there when they tried to be pay me $800 for one show. I said ,’Here you go. Here’s your check. Probably, you need it more than I do. I was doing more money than this when I started 15 years ago in Mexico. I was somebody before you. And I’m going to be somebody the day I leave WWE.’ Of course, they fixed it, because they knew I wasn’t happy. And maybe they weren’t happy because I was always complaining about the money. And they would always fix it. I’ll give them credit for that. But it was my eternal battle. Every single week going to that office and complaining about the money and fighting for what was mine—my money for my hard work that I always did in the ring.
On whether he and CM Punk may have started a trend of wrestlers standing up to WWE management:
I don’t think that’s going to happen, because nobody wants to lose his job. We al have families or a goal in life. We want to save money. It’s a difficult situation. I did it, because I was thinking of not staying with them, and I knew I was going to be fine outside of WWE. That’s the reason I didn’t think twice about fighting for my rights and fighting for my beliefs. But maybe six years ago when I started, if an incident like that would have happened, I don’t know if I would have done the same thing.
On the alleged lack of ambition in WWE’s locker room and why wrestlers are afraid to veer off script:
People need to understand, when you work for that place, you are like a robot. You need to do exactly what they say and how they say it . . . You could get fined over everything . . . Everybody is terrified. We all were—or they are—terrified of changing something or trying something new. Of course there are some exceptions who can do and say whatever they want. But that rule doesn’t apply to 90 percent of the wrestlers.
