Alberto Del Rio Released by WWE

Alberto Del Rio

WWE made a fairly big move this week by releasing Alberto Del Rio; the move wasn't without some controversy as it was related to an incident that apparently occurred backstage that involved Del Rio slapping a member of the WWE.com staff.  No concrete details are available, but WWE has moved quickly in parting ways with the former WWE Champion Del Rio.

Alberto debuted in WWE in 2010 with a big buildup that almost immediately threw him into the main event picture.  His promo videos built him up as a rich snob that looked down on everyone else, which made him an easy to hate character right off the bat.  Though many may have not realized, Del Rio was no rookie at the time; the son of Mexican wrestling legend Dos Caras and the nephew of WWE Hall of Famer Mil Mascaras, Del Rio had an established history in both pro wrestling as well as MMA.

While Del Rio won both the WWE championship and World Heavyweight championship during his WWE run, it always seemed like he was missing something.  His attempt at being a "good guy" last year was an utter failure as the fans just couldn't accept it, and Del Rio was back to his villainous ways in no time.

In the past few months, word has been that Del Rio was unhappy in WWE and would be returning to his roots in Mexico once his contract expired.  Now that he will be free after WWE's 90 no-compete clause expires, it will be interesting to see if Del Rio pops up elsewhere such as TNA or even Jeff Jarret's Global Force Wrestling.

In my opinion, Del Rio has been stale for a very long while and this will be a welcome change for all involved.  Del Rio can be an aggressive heel, and I expected him to have more impact in his WWE run.  With more freedom to be his natural heel self, Del Rio can still be a big player for whatever promotion picks him up in my opinion.