Alberto Del Rio Is NOT Returning To WWE (So Stop Paying Attention To Him...)

New report pours cold water on Alberto Del Rio's latest self-created WWE return speculation.

alberto del rio royal rumble
WWE.com

Alberto Del Rio will not be heading back to WWE any time soon.

While this shouldn't need to be reiterated every couple of months, it ultimately does when the former WWE Champion talks up returning to the market-leading promotion. Most recently, Del Rio told WrestlingNews.co that although he and former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis had discussed a comeback in the past, he hasn't talked about it with Paul 'Triple H' Levesque and the new regime.

Following this, Fightful Select has rubbished the prospect of a comeback, with one source stating that the prospect had never been seriously discussed since Alberto's last WWE departure in 2016. That same source told the outlet "There's no f*cking way that happens" on the same subject last year.

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Del Rio constantly bringing up the topic of a WWE return in interviews is seen as Alberto attempting to gauge interest. Clearly, this hasn't worked.

Fightful also states that the people who would need to rubber-stamp a Del Rio return haven't been keen on Alberto since his 2016 departure. Unhappy with WWE life, the 45-year-old exercised an opt-out clause on his contract that August, doing so 12 days after being served a 30-day suspension for violating the company's Wellness Policy.

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Del Rio has been embroiled in several controversies since leaving WWE. Most notably, he was arrested for alleged sexual assault and assault causing bodily harm in May 2020, before being indicted via grand jury and formally charged with aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault. Said charges were dropped the following December.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.