Alberto El Patron Reveals His New Promotion Will Offer Health Insurance To Its Wrestlers
Former WWE superstar Alberto el Patron, f.k.a Alberto Del Rio, spoke with the Miami Herald about his new wrestling promotion Nacion Lucha Libre. Patron highlighted the fact his promotion will be offering health and life insurance to his performers unlike most wrestling outlets.
"We're always going to have doctors," Patron said. "[Our wrestlers] are going to have health insurance and life insurance. Stuff they don't have in any other companies."
"Most of the companies, including WWE, they have their own doctors," Patron claimed. "They don't provide you with health insurance. They force you to get your own health insurance. If you don't get you own insurance, you're not allowed to perform. If anything happens in their shows, yes you're completely covered, which I think is the only company doing that. Me, I remember having a terrible injury about eight years ago and they took care of everything. I think they're the only company doing that but they don't actually provide you with health insurance. They're just covered in their events."
Patron, who is partnering with former WWE superstar Chavo Guerrero Jr. in constructing Nacion Lucha Libre, offered insight into his health insurance plan for wrestlers. Nacion Lucha Libre will be offering health insurance, life insurance, and retirement to their workers.
"The insurance I'm going to be giving the luchador wrestlers in Nacion Lucha Libre, it's going to cover them inside and outside the ring," Patron said. It's really important to give a worker everything they deserve: health insurance, life insurance, a retirement plan. Stuff they've never had before."
Patron took pride in being able to offer such health benefits for the promotion's roster. As a wrestler and a promoter, Patron said he's trying to change the narrative that most promoters view talent as units.
"At the end of the day for promoters, [wrestlers] are just meat," Patron said. "Wrestlers are just another name. They don't care one hundred percent about wrestlers. They care that we're on top and producing money for them. It's the nature of the business. It's not just professional wrestling, it's any other sport: boxing, MMA, any other sport. They're only looking for their own interest and to help their bank accounts."
Nacion Lucha Libre will begin airing television in July on Imagine TV. The promotion is set to debut on Friday, July 11 from Mexico City, Mexico.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Miami Herald with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.