To begin with, what is Lucha Libre and what is a luchador?
Lucha libre directly translates from Spanish into “freestyle fighting” in English. It’s a little more complicated than that though. In the words of the professional Latin Thunder, it is, “The high flying fast-paced style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico where colorful masked ‘Luchadores’ perform in front of their passionate fans.”
He is familiar with this type of wrestling and has been in and out of many matches. But, his story didn’t start in Mexico like other traditional stories. Instead, it began at the most pivotal point in any teenager’s life, high school.
Latin Thunder, also known as Mr. Fourneau, shared, “I began to dream about being a pro wrestler while attending MHS.”
The path to pro wrestling wasn’t as easy as putting on the singlet and getting onto the mat. It was difficult in the early nineties to find out more about the seclusive art of lucha libre. There wasn’t much available information for schools to teach students about professional wrestling.
“I always envied people who could walk down to their school counselor and say, ‘Hey, I want to be a teacher, or a fireman, or a lawyer, how do I do that?’ And then they got a very easy-to-understand method to begin their career.”
Performative and highly skilled wrestling is unique compared to other career paths. Resources were limited, so he learned a lot by making mistakes and figuring things out on his own.
“I had no roadmap, the internet wasn’t around in 1991 when I graduated high school and the wrestling business was very secretive, kind of like magicians and the mafia, where they didn’t tell outsiders anything about how the industry operated.”
Information on the subject was not easily or quickly accessible to the public. Through life experiences, setbacks, research, and hard work, Mr. Fourneau finally began his journey to become Latin Thunder. After high school, he found a way toward his career in wrestling.
“I found an excellent wrestling school and reported to camp on October 5th, 1994. After more setbacks and delays I made my professional wrestling debut at the world-famous Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas.”
Even before he was set on what he wanted for his future, he was sure to tell others about his dreams and aspirations.
“I was always telling my friends I was going to be a pro wrestler someday when I was in high school.”
Very obviously, that came true for him. After years of school, practicing, hard work, and putting together an entertaining character that fit him, his dreams became reality. Since then, he has had first-hand accounts in the ring, most recently being featured at Viva Muscatine. Partnering with Rey de la Muerte, the two defeated both Eric Eznite and Malik Champion.
He enjoyed Viva and shared, “It was a lot of fun! I always appreciate wrestling in front of my hometown, and bringing Lucha Libre to Viva was neat. The masked Mexican Luchador is famous all over the globe, it’s iconic, and Mexico is where it was born. It’s a piece of our culture that I love bringing to the Midwest.”
His skill and knowledge in wrestling make him a role model within the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy. He pointed out that one of his favorite things about having his amount of involvement is helping younger wrestlers become their best while learning how to be safe as they compete.
The other wrestlers that are a part of the academy have similar reasons to his that motivate them to continue performing. Everyone involved is willing and desires to put in the hard work to maximize their skills.
“I love being around these young folks! Their enthusiasm and desire is infectious to be around,” Fourneau said.
The art and the skill are very demanding. It is extremely physical and each wrestler needs to learn how to endure the pain of each hit or move made against them. They also need to master multitasking. This means they are not only wrestling, but also performing for audiences. The star made note of the balance each wrestler must have, and said,
“It is 50% athletic and 50% performance. You have to be a great entertainer and create a compelling character to succeed in pro wrestling.”
The audience sees his moves and his acts, but what’s behind the mask? Besides being known as the infamous Latin Thunder, he is also the father to both Alex and Arabella Fourneau. Having both the role of father and fighter means making hard decisions for them because of his familiarity with the art.
“I have actually forbidden both of my kids Arabella and Alex from pursuing wrestling… neither of them love or are obsessed with pro wrestling. And they are excellent students, so I hope they use more of their mind to make a living,”
Although he is passionate about the sport, it is dangerous and he wants to prevent his kids from being involved in it. He sees their other abilities as more promising. Having a daughter as part of the MHS Auroran has made him happy.
“I’m proud to see my daughter Arabella writing!”
But she’s not the only one in the family that has a creative side. Mr. Fourneau has been into both writing and reading. He wrote a book about memoirs of how he went from a student at Jefferson to being involved in the seclusive world of pro wrestling.
The book, Latin Thunder: The Journey of the Top Rope is very personal and gives a bigger picture of each part of life that has been significant to him.
“My memoirs talk about how I navigated that journey, and some of the mistakes and regrets I had in pursuing what I loved. Like not working hard enough, not understanding the sacrifices that this passion would take, and how much time it would really take to learn my craft.”
His passion for wrestling pushed him to write to share the trials he endured to follow his dreams. All of this has done more than just get him in the costume and the ring. It has taught him life lessons that he has gone on to share with others. It has taught him to never stop trying when it comes to following your dreams. Most of all, this love for fighting has shaped him to become a different person.
He said that he wants to be remembered as, “A Hispanic kid from this blue-collar rivertown who had a dream and kept doing it until finally, he put on the Mexican Luchador mask to honor his roots. He gave his dream the hard work, the consistency, and the dedication it deserved. When he finally did, he was rewarded with some priceless moments and friendships that taught him lessons he will share with anyone who will listen.”
