“The decisions that you make can shape your life forever” – A Bronx Tale, 1993
Chaz Palminteri’s 1989 one-man stage show was eventually adapted to the big screen for the semi-autobiographical story that was released on film in 1993. The cult classic has many wise narratives, aside from that one, the other being, “the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” Essentially, it boiled down to the consequences of choices and the ability to live up to the fullest potential.
There are countless stories of wasted potential, both inside and outside of the pro wrestling business.
That’s why I was disappointed to read that second generation grappler, Ludwig Kaiser, who achieved wild popularity in Mexico as El Grande Americano, was arrested earlier this week after a dispute in an elevator at his apartment complex that led to a physical altercation.
The real-life Marcel Barthel was alleged to have attacked a man after the victim in the case objected to Barthel and a female companion being overly passionate in the public space of the elevator. The alleged victim claims that after the elevator stopped, Barthel attacked him. When the victim filed a police report, there were said to be fresh scratches on the back of his head, and there’s said to be video footage of the incident. The altercation actually last month, but with Kaiser wrestling primarily in Mexico, he agreed to turn himself into authorities when he returned to the United States, leading to the official arrest with the mug shot earlier this week. As of this writing, Barthel entered a plea of not guilty and requested to continue traveling, both domestic and internationally, based on his job with the WWE. As more of the story unfolded, there was speculation among various online sources that the victim, who is a neighbor that lives in the same apartment complex as Barthel, made a derogatory remark about Andrea Bazarte, the WWE Spanish language host that is said to be in a current relationship with Barthel. One of the reasons I waited to cover this story until more information was available was that it just didn’t make sense for Barthel to randomly attack someone for no reason, especially when you take into account that legal trouble could effect his job. Obviously, the legal process will have to take its course for the facts of the case to be made completely public. If the neighbor made a derogatory remark toward Bazarte then he deserved to get smacked. That being said, that does absolve Barthel of legal repercussions, even if he was morally right in this situation.
Given that he made arrangements to turn himself into authorities, I find it doubtful that he would be denied the ability to travel so the highly-anticipated mask vs. mask match for AAA in Mexico next week will probably take place as scheduled.
Still, could this incident have an overall detrimental effect on Kaiser’s career going forward?
It goes without saying that the bigger the star, the more they can get away with and still keep their job in the WWE. Years ago, when Randy Orton was an immature performer in his 20s, he was notoriously difficult to deal with, but he was kept under contract, not only because of the value that he had to the company at the time, but also where the company saw him as a star in the future. Both of the Usos had arrests at different times for DUI, but it was quietly swept under the rug. It’s not fair, but someone like Terry Taylor or Disco Inferno wouldn’t get leeway from a publicly-traded corporation since they would be considered expendable in the grand scheme of things.
That’s the reason that Ludwig Kaiser is walking a thin line right now.
Kaiser has been under contract to the WWE for almost a decade and within that time has done well with what he was given to do. Sure, he was in a secondary role within the stable with Gunther, but it was a way to introduce him to the main roster audience. For him to get arrested at this point when he has the biggest exposure of his entire career, it could definitely alter his overall career trajectory. Yes, the Grande Americano feud has done very well for AAA, which is exactly what the WWE needs if they truly want to establish a foothold in Mexico, but that doesn’t mean that Kaiser isn’t expendable if he becomes too much of a head ache. That’s why this is sure an inopportune time for something like this to happen, as it’s the biggest spot of his career, but he’s not completely cemented as a star yet, because depending on the result, the finish could theoretically be used to write him out of AAA.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Ludwig Kaiser has no value to the organization. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It would be disheartening if a guy threw away his chance to be solidified as a major star with the biggest opportunity of his career because he lost his cool in a rather bizarre incident in an elevator. Yes, the neighbor might’ve deserved it, but a level of restraint must be taken into account, considering that Kaiser is a public figure and has something to lose in the worst case scenario. Hopefully, this isn’t a situation where he assumed that he could get away with something like this because of his WWE exposure since those situations usually don’t end well. It’s important to note that Kaiser claims that he’s not guilty, and we only know one side of the story at this point so the case itself will have to unfold to get a better picture of the incident. That being said, the security camera footage of the alleged altercation is how Marcel Barthel was identified so if that footage confirms that victim’s story, it might be difficult for Barthel to maintain a not guilty plea. Again, Barthel might’ve been morally right, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be held legally responsible.
As far as the legal process, as I said, given that Barthel turned himself into police and has a public profile, he will probably be allowed to go to Mexico for the Grande Americano mask vs. mask match. Plus, the WWE is a powerful organization with a lot of connections. Don’t forget, the orange blob in the White House got the criminal investigation into Vince McMahon dropped after he took office for a second term. That six million dollar donation to the campaign paid off. So, Kaiser will be able to go to Mexico, but it’s possible that he will end up paying a settlement to the victim if he’s found liable for any injuries.
At 35, Ludwig Kaiser should be in the prime of his career, especially with ten years of experience in the WWE system. The entire point of the WWE purchase of AAA last year was for the company to finally be able to generate a profitable revenue stream from lucha libre. It goes without saying that it’s very important for the WWE to continue to integrate itself into the fabric of lucha in Mexico so that the fan base will embrace it as a native product rather than an American export. It might not be the focus of the domestic product, but the successful expansion into Mexico and thus the success of AAA itself is a key piece of the puzzle for the overall globalization of the product for the TKO corporation. The role in AAA for any performer that management decides to invest in through a featured spot in Mexico isn’t some type of side gig, nor should it be treated as such. Endeavor, the parent company of TKO, didn’t become a conglomerate worth billions because they invested foolishly.
Chad Gable is a top-notch performer, even if the way he’s booked in WWE doesn’t reflect that, and there’s a reason that he was booked in the main event spot for this anticipated AAA bout. Along the same lines, Ludwig Kaiser could be a guy that really elevates himself to be one of the cornerstones of AAA under WWE ownership. Gable is an example of how the Mexican platform can boost a performer’s overall value to the company, and Grande Americano could be the same opportunity for Kaiser. As mentioned, a lot of how this situation is handled going forward will be based on the results of the actual case, but the biggest takeaway from this incident should be a cautionary tale for talent to keep in mind that the anonymous yo-yos that usually provoke this type of stuff don’t have anything to lose, but the wrestlers have a national contract on the line in the situation.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
