Alberto Del Rio Tells ESPN Why he Left WWE
08/31/2017 06:05 pm EDT
Alberto Del Rio, now called Alberto El Patron of IMPACT Wrestling, recently joined ESPN to chat about his life in the sport. He revealed who he'd like his final opponent to be (Rey Mysterio) and his feelings on the Mayweather-McGregor super fight. But most relevant for WWE fans, El Patron discussed the real reason he left the wrestling conglomerate.
When asked about WWE's schedule:
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"That's actually the main reason I decided to leave WWE, the brutal schedule that you have when you work for a company like WWE. I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to be on the road for 210-220 days per year. That was one of my first things when I started having conversations with Impact Wrestling. They were asking me for a certain number of dates, and I said, 'There's no way I'm gonna do those dates because I also have my dates with Combat America, the MMA company. If I put all of those dates with you guys, I'm gonna end up doing what I was doing with WWE and that's something that I don't want. I want to be able to enjoy my ride. Of course, I want to continue doing pro wrestling shows, but my time is for my family. So if you guys aren't comfortable with this, I can give you this number amount of dates, and I promise I will give you my best.' And of course, they said yes. That's the reason they're happy with me. I'm happy with them."
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WWE's schedule is infamously brutal. As El Patron mentioned, WWE superstars are working about 70% of the year. Kurt Angle cites this very reason for why left the company for TNA in 2006.
For El Patron, the reasons for leaving may be multifaceted. Rumors have he and Triple H being adversaries and Patron himself has been attached to multiple backstage incidents. On top of everything, Patron entered a relationship with WWE superstar Paige. Love and wrestling go hand in hand, but their relationship had a bad habit of making headlines.
All in all, El Patron's departure was likely mutual. He seems happy over at IMPACT if nothing else he finds himself at the top of IMPACT's card. On Sunday, July 2nd, El Patron will go head to head with former WWE Superstar, Bobby Lashley for the promotion's top title.
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