Nineteen years ago, Jack Black starred in “Nacho Libre.”

Soft, sweet, and endearing, the film was a popular hit. But for Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, there was one flaw.

The movie failed to tell the real story of Benítez. He is better known as Fray Tormenta, the orphanage-sponsoring priest who wrestled after dark, and whose life became the backstory for the movie’s titular character.

“There was wrestling and an orphanage, but that was not my story,” said Tormenta, who wrestled under a mask to support his orphanage. “In the movie, Jack Black’s character fell in love with a nun. It was a good comedy, but it is not mine.”

Speaking through a translator, Tormenta revealed to the Boston Herald that he is writing an autobiography, which is expected to be released early next year. At age 80, with failing eyesight and frail health, he believes now is the time to share his story.

“I can’t tell my story when I am dead,” said Tormenta, who has partnered with the innovative – and aptly named – Masked Republic media organization to publish his book. “I need to tell the true story of my redemption. It was never about chasing fame, but always about the glory of supporting my orphanage.”

Born into poverty in Mexico, Tormenta was the 17th of 18 children. Now the lone survivor among his siblings, Tormenta nearly became a statistic of the saddest sort as a teenager when he wrestled with the demons of addiction.

“It’s not like I had any money, so I had to steal,” said Tormenta. “Heroin, cocaine, I had to keep the cycle going. I was on the cusp of death. My life reached the point where it was a living hell.”

Tormenta eventually found salvation through the church. Yet that was not the case at first.

“A priest told me that the church was not a place for an addict like me,” said Tormenta. “When I cursed out that priest, he threw me out. That is the moment I realized that the world would be better with caring priests, ones that wanted to help all people.”

In May 1973, at age 28, Tormenta officially became an ordained priest. Even if “Nacho Libre” did not fully capture Tormenta’s story, it was, in fact, a movie – “El Senor Tormenta,” detailing the journey of a poor priest wrestling at night to support his orphanage – that forever changed the direction of his life.

Yes, a film about a wrestling priest inspired a priest to wrestle – which then served as the inspiration for a film about a wrestling priest.

“I thought wrestling would be a perfect way to make money for the orphans, who needed more food and warmer clothing,” said Tormenta. “So I trained for a year and a half in the morning before mass, covering my bruises before I went to church. But when I had my first match, it wasn’t what I was expecting. Instead of a million dollars, I was making five dollars a match.”

Tormenta’s religious affiliation did not prevent him from getting physical with gang members attempting to stop him from spreading the gospel – or from offering another perspective with the prostitutes who repeatedly introduced themselves to patrons as they left church.

Yet becoming a priest was sacred, motivating Tormenta to hide his wrestling identity.

“I didn’t want anyone in wrestling to know I was a priest,” said Tormenta. “I wrestled for more than three years before it was discovered. When it was revealed, it didn’t upset people – or even the church. When word got out that I was a priest supporting my orphanage, we started to have sellouts. People were curious to see the wrestling priest. They waited for me outside the arena and gave me bags of rice and beans, even clothes for the children.

“God has a purpose and a plan for us. I didn’t always understand it, but I now know this was the way it was always supposed to be.”

One slight regret for Tormenta is that he has yet to visit Boston, which was home to the famed Boston Garden.

“I made it all the way to Arena Mexico, but wrestling in Boston Garden remains beyond my wildest dreams,” said Tormenta. “My friend from Mexico was a priest that spent time living in Boston, and he would dress like a clown for children suffering from cancer. Sometimes we get caught up in what we’re doing and lose sight of what is important in life. What he did was very significant for those children.”

Tormenta’s orphanage has supported more than 2,000 children over the past 40 years, illustrating that a fictional in-ring superhero can double as one in real life. And he continues to serve through car wash fundraisers, wrestling T-shirt sales, and even comic-con appearances that all raise funds for his orphanage, the Children’s Home for Fray Tormenta’s Cubs.

“That’s why I got into wrestling, to help those in need,” said Tormenta. “It is what God called me to do. Until I go to heaven, this is my mission. As long as I can, I will continue.”