WWE’s surprise acquisition of AAA was one of the biggest news items during WrestleMania weekend. Since then, few details have come out about what’s next and what WWE plans to do with the storied promotion in the future. However, Alberto El Patron, known as Alberto Del Rio in WWE was a hot topic on Monday as speculation raged about whether he’s going to return or signed to a new contract. Here’s what is known as of this writing.
A few things happened that triggered the discussions about Alberto Del Rio. For example, he was added back to the alumni section of the WWE website. When WWE is attempting to distance itself from a problematic personality, they are removed from the roster pages. But one consistent sign that someone is heading toward the company’s good graces is when they are added back to the alumni section. See Hulk Hogan’s removal, eventual return, and his involvement in WWE since as an example.
Is Alberto Del Rio signed by WWE?
Ernesto Ocampo of Superluchas tweeted that Alberto Del Rio was among other AAA performers who were signed to WWE contracts. WWE’s purchase of AAA includes the contracts of performers signed by the organization. This is the same situation that occurred when WWE purchased WCW decades ago and gained access to those contracts, leading to speculation of who would make the jump to the company when.
Luchablog, another outlet that closely covers lucha libre, clarified the matter with its own information Monday afternoon.
“To my knowledge, WWE did not ‘give’ Alberto a contract,” Luchablog posted on Twitter. “AAA signed Alberto to a contract when they decided to build the promotion around him for the last year, and WWE will assume that contract when they take over the company. I don’t think decisions have been made past that.”
Based on that information, the appearance that the only connection between Alberto Del Rio and the WWE is the fact that he’s signed to AAA and WWE is set to take over that promotion. Does that mean Del Rio will come back to WWE television? The answer to that question is months away. Should he be brought back? Absolutely not, based on his history and charges that were placed against him.
WWE is going to have to tread carefully with its acquisition of AAA. Not only will the company have to address the situation with Alberto Del Rio, but it will have to address the matter with Stephanie Vaquer and the promotion as AAA received a lot of backlash for how it handled the situation when she filed a criminal complaint against El Cuatrero when he was the company’s champion. He was arrested after her accusations of domestic violence. The matter is still under investigation.
Professional wrestling can be a messy business at times. WWE’s acquisition of AAA opens the door for things to get even more murky, with the potential inclusion of Alberto Del Rio being one of the talking points.