Former WWE Champion Debuts With TNA Impact Wrestling

Alberto El Patron, better known for his time in the WWE as Alberto Del Rio, has signed with TNA. Reports are out that the former 4 time WWE World Champion is debuting tonight in Orlando at the first set of tapings in the Jeff Jarrett era, part two. Impact Wrestling tweeted out the photo this afternoon of Jarrett in the ring with Del Rio.

Considering the losses this of Drew Galloway and the Hardy Boyz, Del Rio is a huge addition for Impact Wrestling at a time when they definitely needed it the most. It also gives the company the one thing the WWE is currently lacking; a big name latino superstar.

In his professional wrestling career, Alberto is a seven-time world champion, having held both the WWE Championship and WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship twice each, as well as the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship, the WWL World Heavyweight Championship and the AAA Mega Championship once each. He also won the 2011 Royal Rumble and the 2011 Money in the Bank ladder match, making him the only professional wrestler to win both in the same calendar year.

Del Rio had been released from the WWE twice in his career, and making his way to the Impact Zone always seemed like a long shot Mexican superstar could be afforded. According to reports, the original plan was to bring Del Rio on for the January tapings, and even possibly at the end of 2016.

Del Rio recently appeared on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast where he railed against the confusing writing that killed the momentum of his 2015 WWE comeback. After nearly a year away from the company Del Rio was paired up with Zeb Colter upon his return in a gimmick that the former Champion called “pretty stupid.”

“The MexAmerica storyline was so stupid because nobody understood what we were trying to do,” Del Rio said of his program with Zeb Colter. “I didn’t understand what we were trying to do, so, the people — it didn’t click with the people because it was just really confusing.”

Del Rio said WWE did everything they could to keep him there, but his unhappiness with his direction in the company was ultimately why he decided to quit. Del Rio’s fiance, Paige, is still under contract with the WWE, but has been sidelined with a neck injury for the past year.

Former WWE creatives, Bruce Pritchard and Dutch Mantell have also jumped back on with the company as have former TNA star Matt Morgan and Konnan.

The big question is how much of an impact will the signing of Del Rio make for the new era of TNA?

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