5 Things you did not know about Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio is one of modern wrestling’s most tragic stories and biggest wasted opportunities. He was brought in with a lot of pomp and fanfare, defeating John Cena upon his return at Hell in a Cell to capture the United States Championship, only to be buried on television night after night. Many wrestling fans predicted his departure a long time ago, because of how he was being used on television.

His run with the title was a disappointment and his run in the League of Nations did not help things either. Since then, he’s been wrestling in indie promotions. Here are 4 things that you did not know about ‘The Pride of Mexico’- Alberto Del Rio:

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#5 Alberto Del Rio holds multiple records in WWE

While his runs with the company were largely forgettable, Alberto Del Rio has been able to get his name marked in WWE history forever. Winning the WWE Championship in 2011, Del Rio became the first Mexico-born world champion in the company. 2011 also saw Del Rio winning the Royal Rumble and the Money in the Bank contract, making him the only superstar till date to win these two accolades in a calendar year.

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#4 Del Rio almost wrestled at the Olympics

Del Rio’s Olympic story

What a lot of fans may not know is that Alberto Del Rio is not just a professional wrestler. He’s had quite an amateur wrestling background as well. And it wasn’t just a hobby for him, Del Rio was really good at it. In fact, he was a part of the Mexican national team and won several accolades and awards for his Greco-Roman wrestling skills over the years.

Del Rio was placed 3rd in the World Junior Championships, in addition to victories in the Central American and Caribbean Games, as well as the Pan American Games.

The former United States Champion then set his eyes on the ultimate prize - the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. However, due to a lack of funding, Mexico did not send a wrestling team that year. One wonders if the former WWE Champion would have won a medal if things had been different. Imagine a Kurt Angle-Del Rio feud on who was the superior Olympian in the wrestling world of today.

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#3 He hails from a prominent wrestling family

One could say that Alberto Del Rio had been wrestling in his blood from the time that he was born. Hailing from one of Mexico’s most prominent sports entertainment families, Alberto Del Rio is the son of Don Caras, a world-famous Luchador.

And that's not all. Two of his uncles - Mil Máscaras and Sicodelico, are Mexican wrestling legends in their own right. In fact, his brother Memo Montenegro was even signed to NXT but released soon after.

Two of his cousins are also a part of the wrestling business. Professional wrestling is something Del Rio was born to do. It’s a shame that things had to end the way they did in WWE.

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#3 He left WWE on bad terms in 2014

The former WWE Champion was fired for using Stephanie McMahon’s finisher- ‘The Slap’

In 2014, Alberto Del Rio was fired for slapping a fellow employee backstage. We do side with him in this case. Why you ask? Well, social media manager Cody Barbierri cracked a racist joke which instigated this action.

Apparently, he had said that the former World Heavyweight Champion needs to clean the plates in catering because he is Mexican. In fact, the same employee had cracked racist jokes about Del Rio before and tried to pass it off like it was nothing. Thankfully, the employee is no longer employed by WWE. But neither is Del Rio.

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#1 Del Rio has had a decent MMA Career

Alberto Del Rio, much like Brock Lesnar, has had a storied career in professional wrestling, amateur wrestling, and Mixed Martial Arts as well. In fact, his MMA record stands at 9 wins and 6 losses after 15 fights. He returned to the MMA ring after 9 years in 2019, when he faced Tito Ortiz and lost to him.