Alex Abrahantes says....
During the pandemic era, Penta El Zero M was partnered with Alex Abrahantes to be his translator for interviews. The duo became a quick hit as Abrahantes started his lines by saying, "Penta says..." before translating for the lucha star.
Appearing on AEW Unrestricted, Abrahantes explained how the partnership came together.
"I did an interview, which I thought was only going to be on social media. It was Rey Fenix and Lance Archer. Tony wanted me to interview them both and translate what Rey said. I did and was like, 'This is awesome. I'm honored to do this.' At that point, I was just going Spanish commentary, pre-show, and post-show stuff. It was used for Dynamite and I remember seeing Tony that night after it aired and he was like, 'Penta is going to be on commentary, just giving you a heads up.' I love Penta, it was fantastic. I was told day of, Penta and I got together and we were talking about the plan. I spent the entire day with him, just making sure we had it. It was his big moment because he had never spoken, for the most part, and never in English. It was a really big deal and I was so pumped for him and I was thrilled I got the chance to help him," he said.
The on-screen pairing started in March 2021 when Abrahantes appeared alongside Penta to deliver his lines in a promo against Cody.
Abrahantes continued, reflecting on that promo.
"I spent the entire day kind of prepping and I could tell he was nervous because it was live TV, Dynamite, it's his moment, we had just finished Revolution and he was going to have this match with Cody that he wanted. We start Dynamite, we're sitting on commentary, and the moment comes. Cody starts talking, Penta grabs the mic, I go along with him, 'Penta says,' essentially, 'Cody, I'm 1,000 times better than you.' At the moment, I'm processing everything and I'm thinking, 'If I say this, just as a translator, it's going to be flat. That's not what Penta is. He's about passion and excitement. When you see him, you get amped up because he's pure charisma. I said, 'I can't translate as a commentator, it's going to be flat. I have to be passionate.' I needed to match what he was saying and 'Penta says' just came out. I said 'Penta says' first, and the second time, I was like, 'Oh man, if he continues, I have to continue it, it just makes sense,'" he said.
The promo ended with Cody jumping the barricade to attack Penta, setting up a match between the two.
Abrahantes wanted to make sure he was by Penta's side for the moment.
"At Daily's Place, we're coming down the steps and I was supposed to stop halfway and I was concerned that if something went wrong, I could be there for him. I knew how important it was to get this over. I told everyone, 'I'm going to go down with him. Anything you need, I'm here with you. I wanted to make sure he felt comfortable.' We go down and here is the big moment, he's going to deliver the line that sparks Cody to attack him. It was so bizarre and surreal. I knew that if he nailed this line, it was going to be it. 'Hey Cody, you know what.' He turns and whispers in my ear and I said, 'You know what Cody, you're lucky Penta didn't break your arm, otherwise you wouldn't be able to hold your newborn baby girl.' The crowd went nuts, Cody jumped the barricade and I knew something had just happened. I couldn't explain it, I just knew it was magic. That was it and I didn't know what was going to happen next," he recalled.
Following the segment, Abrahantes became the full-time manager for Penta and eventually Rey Fenix.
"Next thing you know, I'm doing this pre-tape with Penta as his translator. The moment I lost my mind, we were filming Dynamite and the following week it was going to be Penta vs. Trent. The graphic appears on the screen and I'm behind Penta. I was like, 'What!' I was so emotional," he said.
Abrahantes has been by the side of the Lucha Bros through the ups and downs, including their loss on AEW Dynamite to Jurassic Express where they lost the AEW Tag Team Titles.
If you missed anything from AEW Dynamite, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
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