“I have really good friends over there” - Former WWE Champion hopes to join CM Punk and Chris Jericho in AEW
Former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio recently shared his interest in working with AEW or "any major company."
Del Rio (real name: Alberto Rodriguez) is currently contracted to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and provides commentary on FIght Nights. He's more than qualified for the role, being an MMA fighter before his WWE days. He has also made several appearances in companies such as IMPACT and Ring of Honor.
The four-time world champion is one of the most controversial stars in wrestling. Ever since he was accused of assault and kidnapping (the charges for which have since been dropped), he has not wrestled in a single televised match.
The 2011 Royal Rumble winner recently did an interview with Steve Fall for NBC News Boston's Ten Count, where he discussed the controversies surrounding him and his aspirations in the wrestling business. When talking about potentially joining All Elite Wrestling, he said:
"I would be interested in going to AEW or any major company as as we were saying a few minutes back I deserve to be in a major company. Once it has been proven that I was always telling the truth about those things I know, I don’t think…. I know I deserve to be out there to continue entertaining and to rebuild my legacy in the business that I love I would love to be in working for any major company. They (AEW)….. I haven’t talked to any anyone in that company. I have talked to people in from other companies, but not from from AEW," said Alberto Del Rio.
Del Rio went on to highlight his past relationships with many of AEW's current top stars such as Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Bryan Danielson:
"I have really good friends over there like Phil… CM Punk and he is one of my friends in the business. And Chris Jericho, he was always nice to me and we always had a good relationship while we were working for WWE. I know all the others and we always got along with Daniel Bryan, Jack Swagger and many others from the indy circuit.” (H/T: Ringside News)
While Tony Khan's promotion has shied away from controversial talent in the past, there's no telling what the future holds for Alberto Del Rio.
Despite his desire to join AEW, Alberto Del Rio teased a WWE return earlier this year
In January 2022, Alberto Del Rio teased a WWE return by posting an old photo of himself with Triple H. He captioned the image with an hourglass emoji, perhaps indicating that it's only a matter of time before he rejoins his old promotion.
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The photo dates back to 2011, when The Game was an active wrestler and executive of the company while Del Rio was in his first stint as WWE Champion. SInce then, the Mexican star has racked up multiple title reigns and has been released by the Stamford-based promotion twice.
The Cerebral Assassin has since suffered a major health scare and has retired from active competition. Talk of Alberto rejoining WWE seems to have died down since then as well.