There is talk within WWE about Alberto Del Rio’s status with the company. Friends of his say that he is not happy with his role in the company. When he came back last year, the reports were that he was signed to a big-money deal but WWE hasn’t done much with him.
In the latest Wrestling Observer newsletter, Dave Meltzer’s source told him that Del Rio’s contract has an out clause that allows him to leave the company in September. We were told that the out clause was for October but regardless, he could be on the way out in a few months.
We’re told that a friend of his from TNA has reached out to see if there’s any interest in signing if he chooses to leave WWE. TNA can’t officially reach out to him because it would be considered contract tampering but feelers have been put out through unofficial channels. Meltzer noted that TNA has a lot of interest in him but he would be leaving a lot of money on the table if he leaves WWE. He could make good money by working TNA and the independents but it wouldn’t be on the level of what he’s making now with WWE. On the flip side, he would be home more and he can work on his own schedule on his own terms on the independents. I’m sure Lucha Underground and/or AAA would want to talk with him too.
If the money terms are right, then I’m sure Del Rio would seriously consider TNA. Earlier this month, while doing PR work for WWE, he told the press in India that he chose not to sign with TNA after his last WWE run because of their financial situation. He said, “At the end of the day you can love what you do, but you have to be rewarded. If somebody wants to have me in their organization, they have to pay me, and there is no other place like WWE, which is a major league of progress and growth. TNA does not have the wherewithal as WWE does.”