Alberto Del Rio On Offering His Wrestlers Insurance, Allowing Wrestlers To Work For Other Promotions

Alberto El Patron (aka Alberto Del Rio) and Chavo Guerrero teamed up recently to launch their own promotion Nacion Lucha Libre. A unique aspect of this promotion is that Patron is providing health insurance to his performers as a part of their overall benefits.

Patron discussed why he's choosing to do this and why this is so important to him to Wrestling Inc.

"Because I use to work for a company that for many years that never gave me that privilege. They should be doing it," Patron stated. "The pro-wrestling business is not fair. They call us independent contractors... if we're independent contractors why do you not let your wrestlers go and wrestle in Mexico for CMLL or AAA or my lucha company Nacion Lucha Libre? So, you are an independent contractor just so you don't have to give them the benefits and that's not fair.

"If I was complaining about it for so many years and go and do the same in my organization... that would make me a liar, a hypocrite, and I'm not any of that. So, the moment that I started the company I started talking to health insurances and companies and organizations to help me get this and give this to all my employees."

Nacion Lucha Libre would like to someday compete with the likes of AAA and CMLL in Mexico. But as of now, Patron isn't looking at them as competing promotions but rather as additional opportunities for wrestlers in Mexico.

He talked about giving his wrestlers the opportunities to work for other promotions which is in contrast to places that he's worked at before.

"This is the thing. Before being a promoter, I'm a pro-wrestler and one of the boys. I'm not denying anyone the chance to go and work for other organizations. The other organizations are denying their talent to come to Nacion Lucha Libre because they're scared," Patron said. "We are doing fantastic things. We've been in the business for only six months and we have fantastic ratings. Of course they've dropped a little bit because I'm not there [laughs]. I'm one of the favorite sons of Mexico. People want to see me. I've been focused on this fight. I haven't been on TV for the last two months, and it's going to be another month...and even a little bit more...to do my return to TV in Nacion Lucha Libre. But we're doing fantastic...

"I said it since day one...if they want to go to AAA, go to AAA. Just be polite and show your manners and call me and let me know you're going somewhere else. I will never give you that bulls— of, 'Oh you cannot go there because that's a different network.' That's just bullsh— because you have a contract with the wrestling companies not with the networks. You can go anywhere you want just like I do. I'm in Univision. I'm on AXS. I'm in Televisa. I go anywhere I want. The only place where I have a contract to work for them and just be with them is Combate Americas. Even if I don't have a contract...I don't want to go anywhere else. This is my family. That man over there [Combate Americas founder Campbell McLaren]... he's not just my boss. He's my friend, a real friend. Someone that has been supporting me in the good times, bad times, worst times and I'm really happy to be apart of this organization."

Patron will face MMA Superstar Tito Ortiz in the main event of Combate Americas' debut pay-per-view this Saturday, December 7th at Payne Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. His full interview with Wrestling Inc. aired as part a recent episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post.

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