Alberto Del Rio gave a lengthy interview in Mexico to Televisa's Primero Noticias in which he discussed his firing from WWE, the alleged racial comments that were made that led to his slapping a Social Media Manager, what his future holds, and so much more.
Let's hit the bullet points on what he said:
- He couldn't go into great detail for legal reasons but he confirmed that he did slap a Social Media Manager at WWE after he was the victim of racism.
- Del Rio claims this wasn't the first time he was the victim of racism from this very same person he slapped. Last time, the man tried to play it off as a joke and when he went to shake hands, Del Rio slapped his hand away. This time, he demanded an apology but he claims the man stood up, got in his face, and smirked. It's at that point Del Rio slapped him.
- He admits to handling the situation poorly and he was wrong for how he conducted himself after the racist comments were made.
- Jack Swagger, a referee, and members of the WWE crew were all apparently right there for the incident.
- He talked to Vince McMahon after everything happened and Vince told him he understood why he reacted the way he did. He felt like after his talk with Vince everything was fine and the situation would blow over. He was suspended.
- Triple H was the one to call him later and say that it was a big blow to WWE after investing so much money and time into him but they had to let him go. He isn't sure what changed between the suspension and the decision to fire him.
- He hasn't planned on legal action against WWE but once they implemented a one-year no compete clause in the United States that changed everything.
- He confirmed most major promotions, from AAA to some in the States to Japan, called him after he was released. He has yet to talk to WWE since leaving the company.
Just last night, Del Rio appeared at TripleMania for AAA and cut a promo referencing this incident. Watch it here.
Update: I asked WWE for a statement on this matter and received the following:
"This was an unfortunate misunderstanding that led to an unfortunate incident. WWE does not condone any type of discrimination and is adamant about maintaining a respectful and safe work environment."