Some interesting news is making its way around the online wrestling community about Alberto Del Rio, also known as Alberto El Patron, and his potential status with the WWE now that the organization has purchased AAA. As details continue to take shape, one thing remains clear. WWE must not bring Del Rio back in any shape or form.
This situation took shape when fans noticed Del Rio was added back to the WWE Alumni section of the website. On Monday, Ernesto Ocampo reported several names who were AAA performers with contracts with WWE. Now, since WWE acquired AAA that would mean the company secured those contracts via that purchase. Del Rio is AAA’s current champion, holding the AAA Mega Championsip.
This isn’t a new situation. The same happened when WWE purchased WCW decades ago. The deal is still new, and other than AAA’s involvement with NXT Worlds Collide, there are few details on what is next to come.
However, WWE needs to send a message and not allow Del Rio back into the company.
Alberto Del Rio should never return to WWE
For those who may have forgotten, Alberto Del Rio is a multiple-time WWE Champion, holding both the WWE World Heavyweight and the WWE Heavyweight Championship two times each. He was released back in August 2014 for what was deemed “unprofessional conduct,” but that is just scratching the surface of why he should not be allowed back in the organization. He would be allowed back into the company in October 2015, only to be released again less than a year later in August 2016.
Del Rio was arrested in May 2020, in San Antonio, Texas for allegedly battering and sexually assaulting his then girlfriend. He would then be fully charged with aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault, both of which are felonies. He and former WWE superstar Paige also had a long and storied toxic relationship where both made accusations of domestic violence against one another. Alberto Del Rio should not be welcomed back, not only for his actions, but because the company is in a different place than it was more than a decade ago.
WWE is amid two major lawsuits. One is against Janel Grant, who accuses Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis of heinous actions, while WWE leadership was aware of the situation. Several former ring boys have brought another lawsuit against the WWE, accusing WWE leadership of being aware of their sexual assault at the hands of former employees. These are two major problems facing the organization, and while business is booming, they should not be ignored, no matter how much WWE avoids answering questions about them.
As those are ongoing, bringing in a performer with such a bad history sets a horrible precedence. WWE behaves as if bad PR doesn’t impact them, yet it is still a big mistake to tea up such a problem unnecessarily. This would be the definition of an unforced error when the focus should be on the company’s continued success.
Dave Meltzer reported that he was told several performers were released due to being “old.” What message would it send to performers to bring back a 47-year-old man with an arrest for felony sexual assault and kidnapping on his record? Not a good one. Alberto Del Rio has no place in professional wrestling, let alone the biggest company in the world.