Alberto Del Rio press conference: Cordial on WWE, Paige present but not talking

Fresh off the confirmation of his latest split with WWE, the man best known in the United States as Alberto Del Rio (real name Jose Rodriguez) held a press conference in Mexico City to discuss the split and his future.

The session was held at a Hooters, and in Spanish. Thanks to LuchaBlog, LuchaWorld and redditor WallyTHG for translation!

For starters, yes, his girlfriend Saraya-Jade Bevis, aka Paige - rumored to have just quit WWE despite having several years remaining on her contract, was there. She didn’t sit at the press table (she could be seen off to the side in the Periscope feed) and declined interview requests.

The second-generation luchador will again be going by Alberto El Patron, as WWE owns the “Del Rio” name. He had generally favorable things to say about the company, and never once mentioned his Wellness suspension, or Paige. He spoke of not being happy during his second run, claiming he was losing his passion for wrestling and thinking about leaving for several months. He indicated this was because he’d accomplished everything there was to do in the company, so there were no more challenges.

According to the former WWE champ, the exit negotiations went so well the door is open for a return someday.

El Patron said that’s also why his WWE exit is not subject to any non-compete restrictions. He’s eligible to work in Mexico effective immediately, and in the U.S. beginning in October. He’s in conversations to work with AAA and CMLL, but doesn’t plan to sign exclusively with either one. His plan is to wrestle approximately 60 matches per year for the next couple years, then retire. He indicated he’s in talks to be President and commentator of a mixed martial arts promotion (Rodriguez, as Dos Caras Jr, pursued MMA in Japan prior to signing with WWE).

With that plan, a return to Lucha Underground seems even more unlikely, but you never know. Given what he laid out here, Alberto doesn’t seem overly enthused to be in pro wrestling at all right now, so it’s hard not to assume he’s working for money only.

Hopefully now that he’s free of WWE again, he can find his smile, so to speak.

Thoughts, Cagesiders?