Alberto Del Rio recently shared what he claims are the personal details behind his former WWE personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez’s battle with alcoholism, citing a story of family betrayal.
Rodriguez (Jesús Rodríguez) has spoken publicly about his battle with addiction in the past. In a 2024 interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rodriguez explained that after leaving the WWE grind, he had nothing to fill his time and turned to alcohol. He revealed he was “chugging whole boxes of wine” by himself before realizing he had a problem. During his addiction, Rodriguez admitted to being “angry and bitter” and pushing many of his close friends away.
Alberto Del Rio’s Claims
In a clip posted by @MDALuchaLibre on Twitter, Del Rio provided what he alleges is the cause of that depression and alcoholism.
“He became an alcoholic,” Del Rio said. “He’s been clean for two and a half years now… My Rich, congratulations, I love you, it takes a special strength to beat those demons.”
Del Rio quickly clarified that he had started the story incorrectly. “I started the story badly,” Del Rio said. “His wife cheated on him with his brother and cleaned him out… I mean, they cleaned him out, poor guy, they left him on the street, and that plunged him into a depression that led to alcoholism.”
Rodriguez’s Path to Recovery
In his 2024 interview with Van Vliet, Rodriguez detailed how he found a path to recovery. He put out a tweet asking for help, which was answered by a man named Christopher Dreisbach. This led Rodriguez to contact his friend, Drew McIntyre, to get information about WWE’s wellness program.
“WWE has this really cool wellness program part where if you’ve been with them and you encounter a similar situation, they can help you out,” Rodriguez recalled. “So I got in contact with WWE, and this is where a good friend of mine Drew McIntyre comes in. I sent Drew a message, and I was like, ‘Hey, can you find out the information of the wellness policy, who’s in charge or something.’”
Rodriguez explained that McIntyre successfully made the connection. “So then he dug around, and he got me the info. I contacted WWE… and he’s like, oh, and we’ve done stuff with them before. Go ahead and set it up, and we can figure out the details later. So yeah, Drew was a big part of making that connection.”
Rodriguez told Van Vliet that it remains a “daily battle” but he has learned to manage his addiction and be grateful.
Current Status and In-Ring Praise
In the recent clip, Del Rio also gave an update on Rodriguez’s current activities. “When he returned, after he beat his demons, he returned to the industry but opened his little company, his wrestling school,” Del Rio said.
Del Rio also offered high praise for Rodriguez’s in-ring talent. “Even though he was my announcer, he is a fantastic wrestler. Technically, he is a fantastic wrestler, but he doesn’t have the look, or the aesthetic, or the physique to be able to be sellable, profitable. But, a fantastic wrestler. He opened his little school, he lives there in Lancaster, Philadelphia.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit the clip posted by @MDALuchaLibre on Twitter with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
Alberto Del Río habla, Sobre Ricardo Rodriguez, Su Presentador #albertodelrio #wwe #LaGranjaVIPMX pic.twitter.com/vSEvepg9yz
— MDA Lucha Libre (@MDALuchaLibre) October 20, 2025
