Much has been written and said about Alberto Del Rio in the past few weeks. Ever since the Mexican stars release, fans and media have been scratching for any tiny detail they can get. Furthermore, many have debated about whether it was the right thing to do. Del Rio may have moved on -- to Mexicos AAA promotion -- but the internet wrestling community has not. By now, a good amount of details, facts, and rumors have come out about the story, but one new detail is emerging that likely played a large part in Del Rios firing. News came out back in mid-2013 about a lawsuit filed by a former WWE employee against both the company and WWE superstar, the Big Show -- real name Paul Wight. Former WWE road producer, Andrew Green, filed suit against the company and superstar following an incident with the Big Show. Green alleges that he was asked to film an interview with Show at the January 27th, 2013 television taping in Phoenix, Arizona. Big Show initially refused the interview until he was told that then-WWE Senior Vice President Eric Pankowski was the one who requested it. Show allegedly agreed to the interview, but not without a bit of a fit. At some point, Green alleges things turned physical, and he was roughed up by the Big Show. With this lawsuit still ongoing, WWE felt that the similar incident between Alberto Del Rio and social media manager Cody Barbierri would be potentially harmful to the company during the current suit. The feeling seems to be that company officials were afraid if Barbierri also filed suit, it would strengthen the lawsuit of Andrew Green. As previously reported, WWE had initially suspended Alberto Del Rio until after SummerSlam, but when Barbierri threatened to sue the company and Del Rio, the Mexican superstar was let go. The fear of not only a lawsuit from Barbierri but also the current legal action from former employee Andrew Green undoubtedly played a major part in Albertos firing. From a company perspective, the move made sense -- although debate will still take place over the firing due to the alleged racial aspect of the incident. Del Rio, on the other hand, has a right to be bitter about the whole situation, but it would seem that at the end of the day, things may have worked out for the best for ADR. Hes back in Mexico with AAA, which is where he wants to be anyway.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
