As noted before, The Lucha Brothers’ Rey Fenix’s contract had been originally set to expire this past September. AEW recently added almost a full year’s worth of injury time to Fenix’s contract and currently have no plans to release him.
Lalo Elizarrarás held a recent interview with Fenix. One of the topics discussed included Fenix’s thoughts about his current absence from in-ring wrestling and his recovery from injuries and other outside stuff he has been handling while away.
Rey Fenix – “Mainly, my life has always been about wrestling and it’s not like I stopped training. On the contrary, I have more time to train. I have more time to perfect my skills. I have more time to create new things, to work on my injuries, to work on my body, and mainly, to work on my head. I’m doing personal projects, like buying my house and a future for my children, but I could have had the option of continuing to work every weekend, but nobody stays in a place where they are not wanted. It’s very difficult to wear the shirt of one relationship when you need the other party to back you up, to support you, or simply not ask for anything exaggerated that you deserve as an athlete and as part of the relationship. You know that on social media they always say a lot of things to get attention or go viral, they even invent gossip and stories that leave you like “Wey, what?” but well, it happens. Every day I’m doing the best I can. We have our Republic of Lucha store, a project that was always a dream for my brother (Penta) and me, and the way things are going, I get to be the head of that project and I have more time to create projects, create designs, organize what we are going to do today, organize what we are going to do tomorrow, organize what we are going to do next month, spending more time with my children, which is one of the biggest commitments I have in my life. I believe that I want to give society and the world beautiful people and human beings, perhaps what I was not and what was not in my hands and I think that today I am working on it with my children. Every minute, man, I want to help them, I want to teach them, I want to accompany them.”
Lalo Elizarrarás – “And with that time when you’re inactive, taking advantage of handling that stuff.”
Fenix – “Of course! And the same goes for my partner. Unfortunately, our work gives us many things but there are also many times when it takes time away from us, not moments. Mainly with my eldest son, since he was born, I spent the first two years working in Europe, Japan, England, Mexico, and all over the place. Nothing to complain about, but today I see it with my youngest son. With my eldest son, I missed out on his first words and his first steps. His first word was “papa” and I was not even there. From time to time, it’s good to accept that as people we sometimes fail and there were times when I failed. I failed as a man, I failed as a partner, and as a husband, I made my mistakes, and today I try to make every day another opportunity, a different opportunity, and to be able to improve as a father, as a son, as a husband, as a man in society. As I was saying, nobody stays in a place where they are not loved in the same way or when the love you have is not reciprocated.”
Elizarrarás – “Like when the treatment you give is not the same as what you are receiving.”
Fenix – “But knowing that things like this could happen, I did it without fear because, mainly, it’s the quality of a fighter that I am. I’m not saying I’m the fucking best but I know my quality, I know what I am made of, I know what I can do, and before being the Rey Fenix that you know, I was the Rey Fenix who opened doors, who broke windows, who started to earn an international audience through pure hard work. Through sheer hard work, I earned a position at an international level together with my brother who, I don’t want to sound self-centered, but very few have achieved. After the generation of Juventud Guerrera, Rey Mysterio, and Nicho (Psicosis I), I don’t think anyone else has achieved things like that. It took us a while, like 10-15 years. We tried as independent wrestlers post-Lucha Underground, to come and earn a place here in the American independent wrestling scene and we were the trendy ones. Little by little, through hard work, we showed that we could make a difference and that we could be better, and today the proof is there. I’m not the one to say “thank you to me”, but I am aware that my brother and I made a very strong path so that today wrestling in the United States is seen differently, that luchadors have more opportunities, that we are no longer the ugly duckling or the funny duckling of the business.”
Fenix also gave his thoughts about his current contract situation with AEW and confirmed that he is still under contract with the company.
“Yes, basically I’m still under contract with an additional extension. I am waiting to be used, to be called to work, or to have my situation clarified a little more.”
Transcript h/t: Fightful.com