Tonight I came across a video of Alberto Del Rio entering a small high school event that looked like a recital, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would bring him there. The guy is worth a few million and was a multiple-time WWE champion, so it’s unexpected to see him at something so low-key. Unless it was for charity or to support someone, it’s interesting to think about why he’d choose that route. It’s clearly not about the audience size, because even my Zumba classes draw more people than that.

I have to admit, I hadn’t heard of this wrestler until today. I’ve been out of the loop for years and missed a lot of what’s happened in wrestling since the Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, King Kong Bundy, and Andre The Giant era.

That said, I’ve met a few wrestlers from past eras. I met Macho’s brother, Lanny Poffo, Johnny Valiant, and some others whose names escape me now. They weren’t household names like the big stars, and many lived modest lives. Johnny, for example, lived quietly in Woodside, Queens, NYC. Despite his work with the WWF, he wasn’t wealthy but was a genuinely nice and funny guy. It was sad to lose him a few years ago. We had a good time hanging out at his place.

I can understand if a former wrestler like Johnny took gigs to make ends meet. But Alberto’s estimated net worth is between 2 and 6 million, so it seems he’s doing fairly well. As I’ve also heard, he comes from one of the major Mexican wrestling families, which adds to his background.

I guess he still loves wrestling, but seeing moments like this makes me wonder if the business is different now compared to before.