Alberto Del Rio interview - goal to become Top 5 star & World champ, advice from McMahon, inspiration for Del Rio character
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor
WWE wrestler Alberto Del Rio covered a lot of ground on his first four months in WWE in an in-depth interview with Matt Bishop of Slam Wrestling. The following are highlights of Del Rio's interview.
-- Del Rio, who will be added to the World Hvt. Title match at the TLC PPV on Sunday, vowed to become WWE World Hvt. champion "very soon." He said his personal goal is to become a Top 5 star in WWE within the next two years.
"That's the reason I came here, that's the reason I left everything behind - my friends, my family, my house in Mexico, my status," he said. "I was a big superstar in Mexico and when I came to WWE, no one knew me. Now I'm building my career here in the States, little by little and I'm sure I'm going to be one of the main guys pretty soon."
-- Del Rio, who mainly worked as a babyface in Mexico, said he transitioned into playing an arrogant, aristocratic heel by tapping into the characteristics of the people he strongly dislikes.
"To develop my character, I only used experiences from people I hate," he said, laughing. "That's making my job really easy. All your life, you have the chance to know people where you hate the way they talk, the way they walk, the way they express themselves and that's what I do to develop my character. I just remember people I hate through the years and that's Alberto Del Rio right there."
Del Rio said he listened to advice from WWE CEO Vince McMahon on how to portray his character. "Before my debut, Mr. McMahon told me, 'You gotta believe to make people believe.' When he told me that, I was like, 'Okay, all that I need is to believe my character.' ... That's what I do every time I go out, I really believe I'm Alberto Del Rio. I really believe I have all those cars, all those millions."
-- Del Rio said it was "really hard" working without a mask when he first appeared on WWE TV. He said he had to re-learn how to tell a story after working under a mask for ten years in Mexico.
Del Rio credited Norman Smiley, Dr. Tom Pritchard, and Dusty Rhodes for working with him on his facial expressions and body language at WWE's FCW developmental territory.