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We caught up with GFW Global Champion Alberto El Patron during Impact Wrestling’s historic tapings in India. We spoke about everything from Impact Wrestlings expansion in India to his career plans and his love for Indian food.
Q: You recently signed with Impact Wrestling and found success immediately after your debut. What are your thoughts on your instant success?
A: I always wanted to come to Impact Wrestling. I was actually about to join the company 3 years ago but some circumstances didn’t let it happen. This time, everything was perfect and in line for me to join Impact.
They had the right people owning the company, the right people directing it and the right talent, so it was the perfect time for me to sign. As I’ve been doing my entire career, I came here to win titles and I want the company to grow. I also want to refresh my image and give something new to my fans.
Winning the title on the first night was something that I’d been planning on doing and thankfully I did it.
Q: You’ve already had some great matches with Bobby Lashley since your return and you will be facing him once again at Slammiversary. What are your thoughts on Lashley?
A: Bobby Lashley is a fantastic competitor. He is one of the best wrestlers/fighters in the world. There are actually 3 hybrid pro wrestlers/fighters in the business - Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley and Alberto El Patron.
We made the transition from amateur, to professional to MMA. There’s only the 3 of us and because of that, I have a lot of respect for him. He’s one of the best in-ring performers. We have a lot of chemistry. That’s the reason why we had such an amazing match on my very first night on Impact.
Q: You started wrestling around the age of 8. So it’s been more than 3 decades that you’ve been wrestling. What has the experience been like and how long do you plan to continue?
A: I’ve been wrestling for almost my entire life and I’m starting to get tired. As you can see, I’m completely exhausted right now. I’ve been doing shows everywhere. I went from New York to Qatar to Newcastle before flying back to Mexico and now I’m in India.
I just got here yesterday. I landed and was in the ring 2-3 hours later and to be honest, I’m not sure which time zone I’m in right now.
I do it because I love wrestling. I love the business. However, I think that I’m getting close to my last years. I’d say that I’d wrestle for just another two more years. I’ll wrestle this year and next year and after that, it will probably be time for me to say thank you and go home.
Q: What are your plans after your retirement from the ring?
A: I’m sure I’ll be involved in wrestling in some way – as an agent or maybe as a producer. I’d love to stay in the business in a different role. Like with MMA, I don’t fight anymore but I’m involved in the business in a different role.
I’m the president of a company called Combate Americas. We’re doing fantastic and we’re growing, going to new places every month and getting new fighters. That’s something that I want to do with pro wrestling because, at the end of the day, pro wrestling is my love and passion.
I ended up doing stuff in MMA because of destiny but I’d love to stay in pro wrestling in a different role.
Q: As someone who’s competed as a pro wrestler and an MMA fighter, what’s the biggest difference between the two when you go in as a competitor?
A: It’s totally different. When you fight in MMA, you have to stop doing everything else and focus on your fight and your opponent for at least 3 months. You just eat, sleep and train.
When it comes to pro wrestling, it’s more open for you to do other stuff. You have to train every day and stay in shape but you can also enjoy life. That’s why I decided to stop fighting and focus on pro wrestling.
Q: What were your thoughts on the crowd in Mumbai? They were vocal and chanting “Si, si, si” with you. Did that surprise you?
A: To be honest, when I cut the promo in the ring saying I was completely exhausted and not feeling well, I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t feeling up for it but when I crossed the curtain and entered the arena they were chanting “Si, si, si” and “Patron”, they gave me an adrenaline boost and because of that, I was able to perform.
To be honest, it’s like that on a lot of nights. Sometimes we get caught in the moment and after so many years, we sometimes need that to keep us going and that’s what happened in Mumbai. I don’t remember how many fans we had in the arena but hearing them all chanting “Si, si, si” caught me by surprise.
Q: Do you guys have any plans to return to India after this set of tapings?
A: Definitely. I don’t know when but I know we will come back here soon. This is a fantastic market for pro wrestling. I remember that other company trying to come to India and do business here before they didn’t do it for whatever reason, I don’t know why.
But I’m glad they didn’t. I’m here with my new home, Impact Wrestling. I’m happy, the fans are happy and we are happy. We’re pretty sure of coming back again sooner rather than later.
Q: What convinced you to sign with Impact Wrestling?
A: It’s a company that I’d always wanted to work with. I’ve worked with all the top pro wrestling promotions in the world from Japan, Mexico and Europe to the US with the only one missing from my list was Impact Wrestling.
As I mentioned before, all the elements were there for me to sign this time. Friends that I met while working for WWE are here at the moment, they have the right people behind the wheel taking the company to the next level and they have the right owners. It just felt right.
Q: You’ve wrestled all over the world. Is there any country where you like performing the most?
A: Every single country has something to offer for me. I love India. Last time I was here, I was just supposed to promote the company. The people welcomed me in an amazing way and as I was telling you, the tapings were fantastic. Everyone went crazy. India is now definitely one of my favourite places to wrestle.
Q: Who are you looking forward to facing inside the six-sided ring in the future?
A: Like I said, it’s more about them wanting to face me than me wanting to face them. All the wrestlers know that I’m a multiple time champion. They know I’m a big name in pro wrestling so it’s about them wanting to face me and get better. I just go out there and wrestle, I don’t care who it is and I don’t look down on any wrestler.
The other day I faced Eli Drake, who according to Impact is a wrestler in the process of becoming a big star and just because he was in the ring with me, he brought the best out of himself and he fought me. We gave the fans an amazing match.
Q: You’ll be facing Bobby Lashley at Slammiversary. If you win, do you have any plans to unify the Impact Heavyweight Championship and the GFW world championship?
A: Well, that’s the idea. We’re unifying the titles that night. We’ll have a title for title match that night to determine the undisputed champion.
Q: What are your thoughts on India?
A: It’s amazing here and I love the food. The food here is fantastic and the people here are great. They want to make you feel happy and welcome.
The last time I was here, I got the chance to see many things. Of course, I wasn’t wrestling and I wasn’t tired. This time I’m just going to stay in the hotel because I’m really tired. However, I love the country and I’m looking forward to coming here again.
Q: Your fans in India have been watching you on television for nearly a decade. Do you have any message for the fans?
A: Keep supporting wrestling. Keep supporting companies with good content. Stop chewing the product that everyone else does because that isn’t wrestling, it’s just entertainment. At Impact Wrestling we have a good product with good people who have love and passion for the business.
You guys keep supporting us and we will keep doing amazing things for you guys.
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