Alberto Del Rio left WWE this past week, less than a year after having returned. On thursday night, WWE announced that both parties had mutually agreed to release a month before his contract had expired. On Friday, Del Rio held a press conference in Mexico City, where he addressed the release, the reason behind it, his suspension, his future, and more. He revealed in an interview with Mas Lucha the same day that he was good friends with Andrade “Cien” Almas of NXT, and also proceeded to reveal that he isn’t happy at NXT.
”I talked to my good friend Manny and poor guy, he wants to come back. Unfortunately, when you go to that company you have to abide by their rules. That’s just how it is. It’s the nature of our business. I always put it like this. There is a problem with all the talent that goes there, it’s the inability to speak the language”“They have the talent. But when you go to work for a company like this, you have to .. I say this .. something my great mentor Dean Malenko would tell me. Everything you know, forget it. Delete the tape. You are starting from nothing. Use one of the moves or things that will help you get over but forget about lucha libre. Lucha libre will not work here. You will never be anything if you focus and stick to being a luchador in WWE.””I adapted and changed myself. I have been the only one to go on and win everything that I won. So that’s what I think is the formula. I told Manny this the last time I saw him. He asked me if things were different on the main roster. I told him, ‘Things are going to get worse up there! It’s up to you. Put all you can into learning English.’ I told him the exact same thing Dean Malenko told me. In my humble opinion, if it worked for me, it’ll work for you”
One would hope that Andrade “Cien” Almas adapts soon. NXT is a great platform, and Triple H, among others, clearly see huge money in him as being the next big Latin star. He is clearly a huge talent with a great look. It is true that he is still finding his footing in connecting with the crowd in NXT, but he is still young and has a long way to go. Del Rio’s comments give a great insight into how it is for Latin Stars in the WWE with a language barrier. Clearly, he, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero did not face such problems as they spoke fluent English. Ultimately, it is the performer’s choice, but if Andrade truly adapts and decides to stick on, then the sky is the limit for him.
