This past weekend (Sun. July 2, 2017) former WWE Champion Alberto El Patron (a.k.a. Alberto Del Rio) defeated Bobby Lashley to win the GFW / Impact Championship Unification match at the  Slammiversary XV pay-per-view (PPV). Following the match, El Patron decided to cut a promo on the crowd, who was chanting “you don’t deserve it.”

He started off by giving Lashley props for their match and the war they just went through, and said he’d be happy to shake his hand for every day of his life. El Patron then proceeded to put himself over by calling himself a “bad ass mother f–ker” that has wrestled everywhere around the world – “even that f–king company, WWE” which is full of losers.”

El Patron also went off on how Global Force Wrestling (GFW) is filled with ‘wrestlers’ and not ‘sports entertainers’:

“You gave me the battle of my life,” El Patron said. “And for that, and for these fans – the real fans – let’s do it again. Not for you, not for me, for the [inaudible] of pro wrestling, because we’re not f–king sports entertainers! Bobby Lashley and every single wrestler at Impact Wrestling… in this place, we are not sports entertainers, we are f–king wrestlers!”

Check out the video here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

Former WWE Superstar and current Impact Wrestling star Alberto El Patron (a.k.a Alberto Del Rio) recently did an interview for Impact Wrestling during the promotion’s tour of India. Del Rio talked about his plans after retirement from pro wrestling, including how he plans to help Impact after he’s done competing in the ring. Here are the highlights:

For a long time, you were constantly linked with Impact Wrestling, and you finally made your debut earlier this year. Can you tell us what the fan reaction meant to you, with you being one of the top acquisitions for Impact Wrestling in the recent past?

“Oh, all the fans’ welcoming made me very happy. All my videos in the first week with Impact Wrestling went viral. We had more than 4 million viewers – people were just happy. People were talking about it for days, for weeks, because nobody expected to see me at Impact, especially because of all the rumors that said that I was going back to WWE. So for me to be there, make an impact and face Bobby Lashley, becoming the champion on the very first night, it was phenomenal.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rXeo8GqA1Q

We previously talked about how long you see yourself as a professional wrestler. You said you’d be in the business for maybe 3 years. Is that still the case for you?

“Yes, definitely. Definitely. I’m not going to be doing this for too long.I’m tired, I’m just tired. I’m going to stop doing so many shows outside of the United States. I’m going to come back to India anytime they need me with Impact Wrestling. But I’m not going to do so many shows in Europe. I just cancelled my – one of the shows in Chile. I think I’m just going to take two weeks off because I want to go home and rest.

“After India, I have to go home. I think I have to be home for two days and I’m going to do some work. I was supposed to go to Chile but I cancelled it, because I want to take my kids to – I have a house in Orlando. So I’m planning on taking my kids to Orlando for the whole month. I need to rest. My brain needs to rest. And I think this is the perfect time, after this Indian tour.

“It looks like everything is going fantastically in India, and I just want it to be a surprise. I want to go home completely happy, be happy at the end of the tour, at the end of the shows. To go knowing this tour was a complete success.”

What does the future have in store for you?

“Well, I’m going to retire from pro wrestling soon. And if everything goes well, I will stay at Impact (Wrestling) working as an agent, a producer. Everybody loves my work, everybody loves my choreography. Everyone talks about the way I structure the matches and how when someone is in the ring with me, I will elevate that someone. So if that is something I can help with once I retire from my wrestling days, I will be completely happy doing it.

“So, once my in – ring days are over, I will be doing some agent/producer work for the company, and I’m going to continue working with Combate Americas and taking the company to new places, and help that company to grow. I have a lot of plans, a lot of projects outside wrestling, and most importantly, I am going to go home and enjoy with my family.”

You can check out the full interview here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

Former WWE Superstar and current Impact Wrestling star Alberto El Patron (a.k.a. Alberto Del Rio) recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated’s “Extra Mustard” to talk on a view pro wrestling topics. Here are the highlights:

His work with Impact Wrestling:

“I am so happy to work with Impact Wrestling. I have nothing but respect for them. Unlike another company, who I don’t watch, I don’t follow, and I don’t even look at their tweets. I have some real beef with some of the people in that company.”

WWE being dramatically larger than any other promotion in pro wrestling:

“It’s horrible for the business, but you cannot blame that company. That company is doing what a company is supposed to do—monopolize, get the best talent from everywhere, and try to destroy the competition. They’re smart, you cannot blame them. The problem is with the talent. Just going there to be there with the promise of being on TV, but not even charging good money for your work, is not good business. We as wrestlers need to remember that this is a business. We started because we love the business and we stay in it because we have a lot of passion for it, but you have to be rewarded for your work. I was there and saw some of the main guys, new top heels and new top babyfaces, get paid nothing for their matches. The new talent joining NXT is taking pay cuts to work there, sometimes even 80 percent less. You need to be rewarded for your work in a business.”

What his goals are moving forward in his career:

“I’m planning on retiring in two years. I’m still good to go and I don’t have any major injuries, but I always promised myself I would leave on top. I started wrestling when I was eight years old with the amateur wrestling team in Mexico. I love the business with all my heart, but my body is getting tired. It’s all the travel. I’m going to do my last two years with Impact Wrestling. I’ll continue to do some indie shows here and there, and I have a lot of projects outside the business. I am going to continue running Combate Americas, the MMA company that I work for, and I am going to start a soap opera in Mexico in two months. We also have a reality show produced by Combate Americas that was sold to Amazon. People should be able to see that in three more months. I opened a restaurant and bar in San Antonio in November. We are the place to go on Fridays and Saturdays. God is blessing me. I’m getting married pretty soon. We changed the date twice, but we’re getting married in the last week of July, so I am keeping very busy outside the business.”

You can check out the full interview by clicking this link.

WWE Superstar Paige took to Instagram to note that her engagement ring from former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio had been stolen from their hotel room. Del Rio went out and bought the former Divas Champ a brand new rock as a result, which you can check out below:

“Also he just keeps killing it with these rings. Unfortunately mine got stolen from our hotel room so he knew how heart broken I was and went and got a brand new one! This one is obviously different but it’s even more beautiful. He had me crying on the plane. This is my hubby ladies and gentleman, isn’t he just perfect?!?!?! After over a year and still have butterflies for my man. Always have and always will…”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BT9oX9YFPf6/

It has been quite a week for the World Association of Wrestling (WAW) promotion based out of Norwich, England. Having originally booked WWE superstar Jack Swagger for their TV tapings this weekend it emerged that Swagger was still in fact under contract to WWE and subsequently he was pulled from the shows. Swagger’s replacement Chris Masters went on to win the promotion’s World Heavyweight Championship during the tapings.

The biggest fallout from our afternoon show is that @ChrisMasters310 is our new Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion! #wawtv6

— World Association of Wrestling (@WAW_UK) March 11, 2017

Alberto also made the announcement that WWE/WCW legend Rey Mysterio would be making his way to the WAW TV Tapings that are taking place in May, the same month and venue that WWE will be taping their WWE UK Championship Live shows.

.@VivaDelRio just announced that @reymysterio is coming to #WAWTV7 in May!

— World Association of Wrestling (@WAW_UK) March 11, 2017

It was previously announced by UK Independent promotion World Association of Wrestling (WAW) that Jack Swagger would be making his first post-WWE appearance this Saturday as part of their WAW TV tapings in Norwich, UK against Alberto Del Rio/El Patron.

WWE recently released a statement confirming that Swagger was in fact still contracted to the company and had not been granted his release.

In a final twist Swagger has now been pulled from this weekend’s tapings and has been replaced by former WWE star Chris Masters.

UPDATE: After 3 days of discussions @RealJackSwagger will not be appearing this weekend but will appear later in the year. 1/2 #WATV6

— World Association of Wrestling (@WAW_UK) March 6, 2017

BREAKING NEWS: @ChrisMasters310 will be appearing as our special guest replacement for @RealJackSwagger this weekend at #WAWTV6.

— World Association of Wrestling (@WAW_UK) March 7, 2017

UK based Independent promotion World Association of Wrestling (WAW) have announced that Jack Swagger will be performing for the company at their March 11th TV tapings in Norwich, England.

WAW is owned by Ricky Knight, father of WWE Superstar Paige. The Knight family have a close relationship with some big names in the industry, most notably Scott Hall & of course Alberto Del Rio/El Patron. There are currently no further bookings for Swagger in the UK and his opponent for March 11th is yet to be named, however for his first stint on the UK scene since his WWE departure it is likely that he will make some more appearances over the weekend.

BREAKING NEWS: @RealJackSwagger is coming to #WAWTV6 at @EPICNorwich next weekend!

— World Association of Wrestling (@WAW_UK) March 2, 2017

Alberto el Patrón, formerly WWE’s Alberto Del Rio, recently appeared on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast where he discussed his 2014 firing from WWE after a racist backstage incident, and why his second run in WWE was a failure.

Alberto said that during his first WWE run, the company pushed him and other new stars because their old stars were either retiring or going into acting. Del Rio says he became one of the most relevant wrestlers in WWE within a period of ten months, and then a backstage “incident” caused him to leave the company for the first time.

The story goes that a WWE production worker made a racist remark to Alberto backstage, so Alberto allegedly smacked him for it. The former WWE Champion says he doesn’t understand why he was the only one in the situation who lost his job, but that the time away from WWE proved he could stay in-demand on his own. Del Rio says he turned down two offers from WWE to return, including one just a few months after his firing to come back at WrestleMania in California.

“I’m not going to lie, the first two or three days I was really worried about being fired, but after the second or third day, I had people calling me from everywhere and I did amazingly,” Del Rio said of his 2014 firing. “I was making the same amount of money that I was doing in WWE, working once or twice a week. So I was like, ‘oh my God! This is fantastic! Why was I there for so many years?'”

Del Rio returned to WWE in 2015, but he says that confusing writing killed the momentum of his comeback. He feels the storyline WWE came up with for him was “pretty stupid.”

“The MexAmerica storyline was so stupid because nobody understood what we were trying to do,” Del Rio said of his program with Zeb Colter. “I didn’t understand what we were trying to do, so, the people — it didn’t click with the people because it was just really confusing.”

Continuing on the subject of his second WWE run, Del Rio says he did everything in his power to make things work out, but says the storylines “weren’t there” and he was unhappy. He credited the younger talent in the WWE locker room as being “great, great guys,” but says they’re from different generations and he didn’t fit in.

“All my friends were gone, Rey, Edge, Chavo,” Alberto recalled. “I remember Vince saying this to me, ‘why don’t you try to blend [in] with the guys?’ I said, ‘because we’re so different.’ I read books. They play video games and they read comic books. They’re 19, 20 years old. I’m 38, 39 years old, so we have nothing in common.”

Del Rio says WWE did everything they could to keep him there, but his unhappiness with his direction in the company was ultimately why he decided to quit. You can listen to the entire interview with Alberto Del Rio on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast.

Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio was involved in another physical altercation last week and this time he was arrested. Details have been coming in over the past several days and Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed some wild details, courtesy of Austrian news outlet Krone.at.

Del Rio and his brother were in Austria on Friday and got into a bar fight with a 26 year old Austrian man, which police believe was over the Austrian man’s ethnicity. The Austrian man was beaten up so badly that he was hospitalized.

The brothers were questioned at the police station, which is where things went completely off the rails. According to police, the brothers implicated each other in the bar fight, which led to them brawling. Things got so bad that blood needed to be cleaned off the walls at the police station. They were released without any charges, but will probably face a lawsuit from the bar fight.

The news comes just weeks after Del Rio was involved in a backstage fight at a show in Mexico with a wrestling Ninja Turtle – which Del Rio said occurred after the turtle groped Paige. The turtle denied that claim.

Meanwhile, Del Rio tweeted the following:

Ok marks I'm pregnant talk about it

— Alberto El Patron (@PrideOfMexico) January 2, 2017

Paige was backstage for RAW in Tampa earlier today but she’s already left the building, according to multiple sources.

Word going around is that Paige was there to meet with WWE officials about her neck. As reported before, she had neck surgery in October and has not been cleared yet.

There was also no Total Divas footage filmed with Paige today.

As seen in the fan photo below, Paige had boyfriend Alberto Del Rio with her at the arena:

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/816011706207870976

A few news items regarding Paige and Alberto Del Rio:

– Paige’s latest ‘wellness violation’ suspension ends today. She’s recovering from neck surgery and won’t be back in the ring any time soon, but there have been some reports that she’ll be back on the road with WWE in the near future.

– They were goofing off on Twitter last night, showing off their “lifestyle change” and joking about how their days now consist of private karaoke. They posted this late night video:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/807080241747279874

– Earlier this week, Paige tweeted and then deleted this cryptic message, “When you do nothing wrong but things still bite you in ass for no reason. Always fun haha.”

– Finally, its worth noting that WWE did not include any photos or videos of Paige and Alberto Del Rio in their weekly coverage of Total Divas after this week’s episode aired on E!. This episode was the first glimpse of Paige and Del Rio’s relationship on WWE programming but there’s not one single mention of the two on WWE’s website or YouTube. There was one video going around last week that teased the Paige – Del Rio storyline for this week’s episode but that clip was released by E!, not WWE. It appears WWE is trying to act like the relationship hasn’t happened. Photos on WWE.com from this week’s episode show the segment where other Total Divas were discussing their concern for Paige but even those photo captions were left blank.

TMZ Sports has posted an interesting new video with Paige and Alberto Del Rio talking President-elect Donald Trump and the McMahons, Vince and Linda.

When asked about Trump naming Linda as his administrator of the Small Business Administration, Del Rio gives his opinion of Trump by flipping the bird. Paige says the announcement was incredible. Del Rio jokes around with Paige about being in the “WWE family” and she replies with, “I love you Vince!”

Del Rio also says he believes Trump and Linda will not do a good job but says everything is possible because Trump actually won the presidency. Del Rio also believes Linda becoming president one day is possible but they both agree that Vince could run in 2020. Del Rio says, “I think he’d do a good job because at least he’s smart.”

The drama caused by Paige’s relationship with Alberto Del Rio will be the focus of next Wednesday’s Total Divas episode on E!, according to new cable previews and a trailer released by the network.

The title of the episode is “Gone Girl” and as seen in the synopsis plus trailer below, Renee Young is concerned for Paige:

“Gone Girl: Renee must intervene after Paige misses work; Nikki asks Bryan to help with her comeback.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbbPCfiyJ_A

People in attendance at tonight’s WWC Aniversario show in Puerto Rico are reporting that Paige has proposed to Alberto Del Rio and they are now engaged.

News Flash! @RealPaigeWWE. Asked @VivaDelRio. To marry her! It all happen in PR!! #WWCAnversario43 #sisisi #thisismyhouse #Paige #ADR pic.twitter.com/XimPSy5Kk6

— Yan Rodriguez (@YanRdz19) October 17, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rlpQle2Zvo

One of the big news stories in pro wrestling so far this week is WWE suspending Paige (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) for her second violation of their Talent Wellness Program just a few weeks after her previous 30 day suspension ended. Paige and her loved starting speaking openly about the suspension almost right away, with Paige tweeting (I’ve fixed her formatting for clarity’s sake) “Same shit different day.  Kids…Please don’t get prescriptions or doctors notes. Not acceptable.” and “Rules apply depending on your status.” Her boyfriend, Alberto El Patron/Alberto Del Rio, quickly chimed in to back up her story, with her father, Ricky Knight, and brothers, Zak and Roy, all posting on Facebook that she was flagged for doctor-prescribed painkillers.

So, what makes this a violation? First, let’s reexamine the key section of what Zak wrote:

She has gone private and went to a different Dr, who is amazing I’ll add. He gave her PRESCRIPTION pain killers to ease the pain that she’s in 24/7 and I have witnessed.

They’ve not excepted [sic] this and this leads to yet another suspension.

Nobody is disputing that Paige has a legitimate neck injury to the point where she may need narcotic/opiate painkillers to be functional. It’s been reported in the past (and was alluded to by Dave Meltzer on Monday night’s Wrestling Observer Radio for F4WOnline subscribers) that WWE prefers to have talent get painkiller prescriptions from the company doctors. Presumably, this also extends to any specialists that the company sends talent to. This way, WWE avoids the perils of talent going doctor shopping, as the performers’ use of dangerous and addictive drugs is being tracks by trusted physicians

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/785511161341046784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The implication of Zak Knight/Zak Bevis writing that Paige “has gone private” is that she got a second opinion from a doctor other than the one(s) that WWE sent her to. That means that they’re going to be more scrutinizing of prescriptions for banned substances. Still, the written policy has a procedure for requesting a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to a banned drug, and there are no medications or classes of medications listed as ineligible for exemptions That said, according to the policy, it appears that the talent just needs to have the doctor provide a copy of the prescription if the drug is being taken for less than 60 days.

If “the use of such prohibited drug is required for more than sixty (60) consecutive days,” that’s when the more formal TUE process must be undertaken. According to the policy, “A WWE Talent in need of a TUE must immediately notify, or cause his/her issuing physician to notify, the Medical Director of the existence of a prescription for a prohibited drug and the medical need for the TUE.” A TUE lasts one year, and “A urine sample which is found to contain a prohibited drug will not be deemed a positive test result if such sample was provided by a WWE Talent with a valid and effective TUE for that prohibited drug.”

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/785511591353679873

If a performer tests positive for a banned prescription drug and does not have a TUE, then they “may not challenge a determination that he/she violated the Policy by contending, in connection with a ‘no fault or negligence’ defense or otherwise, that he/she believed he/she would qualify or had qualified for a TUE.” In other words, don’t plead ignorance. In Paige’s case, it appears that she’s saying that whatever happened with her, which presumably involves a non-WWE doctor, was not substantively different from other cases where the talent was not deemed to be in violation.

Also, specific to painkillers, “a test that confirms the presence of drug metabolite concentrations in excess of the levels expected when a drug prohibited by this Policy is being used consistent with the therapeutic management of pain will be treated as a positive test.” There’s no specific definition, numerically speaking, given in the policy. Since continuous use of narcotic painkillers can, even if taken as directed, lead to the patient building up a tolerance and requiring higher doses to get the same effect, this isn’t inherently a sign of abuse, but for the safety of the talent, it’s definitely cause for concern.

Following Paige’s latest suspension for violating the WWE Wellness Policy, her boyfriend Alberto El Patron spoke with ESPN and says she’s being treated unfairly by the company:

“It’s just like she said in her statement this afternoon. It’s just the same shit, different day my friend.”

The former WWE Champion also commented on reports and speculation that WWE is trying to split the couple up:

“To be honest, I don’t care what they say or what they try to do. We are together and we are happy. I know a lot of people are not happy but regardless of whatever people say, we can be happy. We can be together. And we are going to stay together because we are happy.

If someone is not comfortable or happy about it, we just don’t care. We are going to continue our life. Our families are happy and we’re happy. That’s all that matters.”

As reported earlier, WWE announced today that Paige was suspended for 60 days after her second Wellness Policy violation. Per her father on Facebook, Paige violated the policy by taking prescribed painkillers for a longterm neck injury.

Alberto Del Rio a.k.a. Alberto “El Patrón” no showed AAA’s Heroes Inmortales X event at the Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico earlier tonight. He was scheduled to team with Psycho Clown to face Dr. Wagner Jr. & Pagano in the main event

AAA has issued an official statement, this is a portion of it.

“We regret the lack of commitment of Alberto, as he fails the Mexican people who have supported him throughout his career, turning him into one of the leading figures of wrestling in Mexico and internationally.”

The statement closes by saying that they consider it important “to offer the best shows of international quality” and strengthening the position of Mexican wrestling as “the best in the world and a fundamental part of the culture of our country.”

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider sources are very quiet about what the future holds for TNA.

One thing that can be confirmed is former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio has been spotted in Orlando which is the sight of tonight’s Bound For Glory PPV.

No word yet if he will be appearing on the PPV or possibly the TV tapings that follow.

Sports Illustrated has published an interview with wrestling legend Dirty Dutch Mantell, perhaps best known to WWE fans as former manager Zeb Colter. Mantell also appeared on a recent episode of the Jim Cornette Experience podcast and told some amazing stories about his long career in the business. During his talk with SI, Mantell explained why he felt the whole MexAmerica angle and his pairing with Alberto Del Rio failed so badly.

“WWE failed to take into account that it didn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. “Remember, I hated Alberto Del Rio, and he hated me. So, all of a sudden, I disappeared and came back. But it’s not necessarily the first step in wrestling that is the most important, because it’s the second step that identifies and clarifies the first one. That’s what we didn’t do. There was no chemistry, but there was also no logical explanation as to why I would be with Alberto. I said to the guys in the back, ‘I’m not getting the story,’ but people kept saying, ‘Just wait.’ I’ve walked on enough wrestling floors, and I know if a crowd isn’t getting a certain vibe. The chemistry wasn’t there with me and Alberto.”

The alliance with Del Rio really work out, but Mantell had a different idea for his reintroduction to WWE storylines. “I suggested that I get back with Jack [Swagger]. What I really wanted to say during my return was, ‘When I was away, I realized that, instead of building walls, we should be building bridges. Instead of hating on people, I should be loving people.’ That was the build-up, but then we’d find out that, while I was away, I was really having a s— fit about every son of a b—- who f—– me over, and Alberto was one of them. So my plan was to convince Alberto to let Jack join us, and then we’d do the big turn at the end, and that would have helped everybody.”

Unfortunately, WWE didn’t see it that way and wanted Del Rio to be a heel. They worked together for a short stretch and wound up going their separate ways. Neither man is with WWE anymore, so we know how that turned out.

Former WWE Superstar Alberto El Patron is getting into the restaurant business. He and Paige announced Tuesday night that Alberto is opening a Mexican restaurant called La Cantinita. The wording that he’s making history “one restaurant at a time” and this being the “first ever” location implies more restaurants are in the works.

The restaurant will open in San Antonio on September 29th, and will reportedly have special guests for the grand opening. They’re touting amazing “authentic food and drinks, live music and a great outdoor area” for the entire family to enjoy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKUBVmcAf4f/?taken-by=realpaigewwe

WWE Superstar Paige is sporting some new ink honoring boyfriend Alberto El Patron. The two have been romantically linked since May. Paige professed her love for the Mexican wrestling champion by getting “Papi” tattooed on her finger while they were in Las Vegas together.

Last month they were both suspended by WWE within 24 hours of each other for violating the talent wellness policy. Alberto is officially gone form the company and Paige has reportedly quit the company and lawyered up in an effort to get out of her contract, which runs until 2019.

https://twitter.com/frontrowbrian/status/775619025569128449

https://twitter.com/frontrowbrian/status/775620222837370880

On Monday, Paige took another major step in professing her love — she got the name “Alberto” tattooed on her ribs. She posted a photo on Instagram with the caption:  “When you love someone so much you give it all for. Not the expression, no literally give it all for”

The post has since been deleted, but not before we grabbed a screen shot:

Mexican wrestling legends Alberto El Patron and Rey Mysterio Jr. will square off on October 12th in Yakima, WA at the Sun Valley Sundome. The match is being promoted by upstart lucha libre promotion Lucha Ilimitado.

Tickets are now available at TicketsWest.com. For more information, visit LuchaIlimitado.com.

Alberto El Patron (@VivaDelRio) will face Rey (@reymysterio) for Lucha Ilimitado Oct 12 at the Yakima SunDome. pic.twitter.com/l659pCF0tP

— Lucha Ilimitado (@luchailimitado) September 12, 2016

Alberto Del Rio was interviewed by Mas Lucha at his Friday press conference from Mexico City. The former WWE Superstar commented on what caused his Wellness Policy violation and revealed NXT star Andrade “Cien” Almas is unhappy and wants to go back to Mexico.

When asked if his suspension was a factor in his decision to leave WWE, Del Rio said, “Of course. It was. It was that and along with many more things that made me not want to be there. But there are rules. Their wellness program is one of their rules. I can’t call it absurd because when you work for them, you sign a contract. You know you are subject to terms.”

Del Rio then said the WWE suspension was caused by something prescribed to him his doctors and related to his age, a reference to testosterone replacement therapy.

“I don’t think it’s fair because there is a big difference in people using medication for performance enhancement. Where I am a 40 year old man and it is a medical matter that I have proof of from my doctors. I don’t think it is something fair. But, I come back to the same thing. It’s their wellness policy and you have to abide by it. So yeah that was part of it, but not all of it. There were many reasons. But it did help me to make the decision to say ‘Goodbye, see you later. I don’t want to be in this company.’

Alberto Del Rio also said that NXT star Andrade “Cien” Almas wants to return to Mexico. “I talked to my good friend Manny and poor guy, he wants to come back. Unfortunately, when you go to that company you have to abide by their rules. That’s just how it is. It’s the nature of our business. I always put it like this. There is a problem with all the talent that goes there, it’s the inability to speak the language. ”

He continued, “They have the talent. But when you go to work for a company like this, you have to .. I say this .. something my great mentor Dean Malenko would tell me. Everything you know, forget it. Delete the tape. You are starting from nothing. Use one of the moves or things that will help you get over but forget about lucha libre. Lucha libre will not work here. You will never be anything if you focus and stick to being a luchador in WWE.”

“I adapted and changed myself. I have been the only one to go on and win everything that I won. So that’s what I think is the formula. I told Manny this the last time I saw him. He asked me if things were different on the main roster. I told him, ‘Things are going to get worse up there! It’s up to you. Put all you can into learning English.’ I told him the exact same thing Dean Malenko told me. In my humble opinion, if it worked for me, it’ll work for you.”

Big thanks to @Luchablog, @Mas_Lucha & @LIGERFEVER for help with this report.

Alberto Del Rio held a press conference on Friday from a Hooters in Mexico City to address his WWE departure and what’s next for him. WWE Superstar Paige was in attendance, but did not sit at the press table and was not doing interviews. Here are the highlights:

– He’s will be using the name Alberto El Patron once again, because WWE owns the “Del Rio” name.

– He does not regret this run with WWE. They gave him everything I asked for, but he couldn’t keep up with the schedule. He had nothing left to accomplish in WWE and he was starting to lose his passion for pro wrestling. He is leaving on very good terms and told Vince, ‘Don’t rule out a call from me someday’.

– Alberto is free to work in Mexico immediately. He can work anywhere in the United States starting next month. There is no 90-day no-compete clause.

– Alberto does not plan on being exclusive to one promotion. He has meetings lined up with Elite, AAA, CMLL and others. He plans to wrestle a reduced schedule over the next two years and is already thinking about retirement.

– He’s already in talks with an MMA promotion to be part of their board of directors and also to be an announcer.

Video from the press conference is available on Periscope.

Alberto Del Rio is officially gone from WWE. The company website posted a message on Friday stating that WWE and Jose Rodriguez (Alberto Del Rio) have mutually agreed upon the terms of his release as of today, September 9, 2016.

While the terms of his release were “mutually agreed upon” as of today, Del Rio’s legal representatives reportedly informed WWE several months ago that he would be exercising a clause in his contract allowing him to opt-out after a year.

Alberto Del Rio will be holding a press conference in Mexico City later today to address his WWE wellness policy violation and departure from the company.

The former WWE Champion tweeted the following about the situation:

My business relationship with @WWE has come to an end in good terms…thanks for the opportunities they gave me.
Termine mi relación con WWE

— Alberto El Patron (@PrideOfMexico) September 9, 2016

For more information on what’s next for Alberto Del Rio, check out:

• Several Major Companies Interested In Signing Alberto Del Rio

Former WWE writer Andrew Goldstein points out that Alberto Del Rio is just the latest in a long line of big name stars who have recently departed the company.

Another disgruntled talent, at the top of their game gone from #WWE. Cody, Wade, Sandow, Drew, Ryback, now ADR. Alarming trend.

— Andrew Goldstein (@AngeGold) September 9, 2016