Update On Alberto El Patron Joining TNA
Will the former WWE Champion be coming in?
Since leaving WWE last summer, Alberto El Patron has been rumored to be heading to TNA. However, the demotion of former WWE producer John Gaburick has taken a major ally in the company's upper echelon, and PWInsider is reporting that he is no longer expected to join.
El Patron returned to WWE in October of 2015, having left the company a year earlier following an altercation with an office employee who made a racist remark. Though he cleanly defeated John Cena for the United States Championship in his first match back, he was quickly mishandled by the company and within a matter of weeks, felt like a midcarder.
In August of 2016, he was suspended for a violation of the company's Wellness Policy, and it was soon reported that the former WWE Champion would be exercising an "out" he had in his contract in order to leave the company early. The following month, his release was made official.
Since then, El Patron has been competing for independent promotions, but the 39-year-old has also made it clear that he wants to work a reduced schedule leading into an eventual retirement. He was meant to start with TNA at the tapings this week, though that plan looks to now be off the table.