WWE Releases Ricardo Rodriguez

The former ring announcer of Alberto Del Rio is a pre-victim of the talent cutting that's expected with the low Network subscriber number reveal today.

WWE have released Ricardo Rodriguez on the eve of the latest Network subscriber numbers announcement. WWE.com revealed the news, wishing him the best in his future endeavors. Last night it was speculated that mass layoffs at Titan Towers are due imminently with the latest WWE Network subscriber numbers expected to be low. As significant as 10% of WWE's staff could be in danger of losing their jobs and it's unlikely Rodriguez will be the only notable name layed off. We are hours away from that subscriber number announcement. Here's how Ricardo addressed the release on his Twitter account. https://twitter.com/RRWWE/status/494598019971436545 He doesn't seem too upset about it probably because he knows that when you're not featured on television regularly you're susceptible to something like this. If they want to save money it makes sense that they would say goodbye to a guy like Rodriguez, who has barely done anything on the main roster in the last year. One year ago he was also suspended 30 days for a Wellness Policy violation. Ricardo is 28 years old and signed with WWE four years ago. He is a trained wrestler although WWE rarely put him in the ring. When they did it was either in a comedy match or with a mask on his face as El Local. Most recently he was serving as a Spanish language announcer on PPV broadcasts. Ricardo's biggest success (and lasting WWE memory) came as he thrived as the personal ring announcer/driver/friend of pompous Mexican superstar Alberto Del Rio, which lasted from his August 2010 until last summer. When Del Rio was at his best in his career it was when Ricardo was at his side. That's because he was such an entertaining manager. What we'll remember most are the spectacular intros he would do that really helped make Del Rio a star from the moment he debuted in late 2010. Their downfall may have taken place in early 2013 when they turned babyface. That lasted about six months and once Del Rio went back heel, he went against Ricardo. That was pretty much for Ricardo. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Ricardo back in WWE one day just because he's a talented guy that can do a lot of things and he's not even 30 yet. For right now it's obvious that he was an expendable performer. While we may get mad at WWE for firing people from time to time, it's certainly understandable in this case. We will continue to update you on any other WWE stars that may be released in the coming days and weeks ahead.
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John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.