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What's the story?
After missing the Impact Wrestling vs Lucha Underground show this weekend, Alberto Del Rio, known on Impact Wrestling as Alberto El Patron, was fired from Impact Wrestling.
There had been speculation that Del Rio may return to WWE, as soon as tonight, but PW Insider has confirmed that Del Rio is not in New Orleans for WrestleMania 34.
In case you didn't know...
Alberto El Patron was expected to team with Pentagon Jr against the team of Austin Aries and Fenix, ahead of facing Aries in the main event of the Redemption pay per view, at the end of the month.
But, the match was changed to a Triple Threat when it was revealed that the former WWE man was not in attendance.
Even more bizarrely, the former WWE Champion had appeared at WrestleCon earlier in the day. Impact Wrestling later tweeted that Alberto El Patron was no longer with the company.
The heart of the matter
While it had been rumored that WWE and Del Rio had been in talks about a return, speculation has been put to bed that the 40-man Royal Rumble winner, may return to the company for WrestleMania 34 tonight, thanks to PW Insider.
Mike Johnson reported today that, Alberto el Patron got himself fired from Impact Wrestling in order to return to WWE this week...
PWInsider.com can confirm that is incorrect. Patron is back home in Texas. WWE sources have indicated that Patron has not had any recent discussions with the company in regard to a return.
The website also reported that, although El Patron's Impact Wrestling contract has been terminated, it was due to expire at the end of the month. Depending on terms and conditions, Impact could possibly still enforce a non-compete clause.
What's next?
For El Patron, who knows? The news that Del Rio won't be returning to WWE any time soon, probably won't upset too much of the WWE Universe given his previous controversy.
For his former employers, Impact Wrestling, they've quickly announced that the scheduled Redemption main event between Aries and El Patron, is now a Triple Threat Match between Austin Aries, Pentagon Jr, and Fenix.
Author's take
Personally, I don't think WWE needs Alberto Del Rio back in any capacity. There's already a plethora of talent in the roster, and if WWE wants a huge Mexican star, I can think of a certain former NXT Champion who could easily be brought up to the main roster...
