UPDATE 10/26/15: On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer provided some of the backstory on Alberto Del Rio's return to the WWE.
He said that while Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) didn't hear about Del Rio's WWE deal until this weekend (as late as Sunday morning), Del Rio's talks with the WWE have been going on since his deal with Lucha Underground turned sour (Lucha Underground is a wrestling organization that ran their first season of television on El Rey, and was funded by director Robert Rodriguez). It's interesting to note that before that deal took a turn, Del Rio was OK with turning down the WWE, because he was getting good money to be a part of Lucha Underground.
In regards to Del Rio still holding the AAA Mega Championship, there is no concrete news on what will happen with that title. Some talk has Del Rio finishing out his AAA dates through November (which would coincide with prior reports that had him not taking any more bookings into December), although based on the WWE's touring schedule, it's not set in stone how many dates they'd let him honor. AAA's Vice President Dorian Roland Penadid respond via Twitter about Del Rio's win, dropping the following tweet (with an indication that more news was to follow).
In terms of Del Rio's contract, it sounds like he got a great deal. His schedule, while not as spread out as a Brock Lesnar or Chris Jericho, is said to not be as tough as other WWE Superstars (which would appease some concerns regarding the brutal schedule and not being able to see his family as often that he spoke about back in September). Meltzer also mentioned that, regarding Cena's "mystery opponent," it was always going to be Alberto Del Rio.
In closing, Meltzer dropped a poignant "time heals all wounds." The stars aligned, and it was time to bring Del Rio back into the fold.
See original story from October 25, 2015, below.
With John Cena's rumored break from the WWE kicking off tonight, many wondered who his mystery U.S. Open Challenge opponent at Hell in a Cell would be. With names like Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, and others being thrown out, one name wasn't in that talk: Alberto Del Rio. As a shock to many WWE fans worldwide, Alberto Del Rio made his return to the WWE to swiftly defeat John Cena and capture the U.S. Championship for the first time.
The WWE actually attempted to swerve fans up front, as they kicked off the match with Jack Swagger's manager Zeb Coulter (who was riding a scooter and hadn't been seen on WWE programming since the TLC event in December of 2014) with a mic. He said "it's time for people from different backgrounds and different countries to come together," mentioning that he had someone else to bring out, which happened to be Del Rio, who actually spoiled his return seconds before entering the arena.
I'm grateful for a 2nd chance to come back to @WWE #hellinacell and I'm happy to be performing again
It was a quick match, with a few holds and two-counts being thrown before Del Rio dropped that huge kick and won the title. Del Rio's return isn't a huge surprise if you've been following behind-the-scenes talk; as recent as last week, wrestling dirtsheets were discussing the talks between Del Rio and the WWE, but at that time the thought was that the deal couldn't be done, due to some creative differences.
With one swift kick, the #USTitle changes hands on @WWENetwork as @VivaDelRio defeats @JohnCena at #HIAC! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/QiANTa1j9n
For those who remember, Del Rio was actually fired from the WWE back in August of 2014 for what they called "unprofessional conduct" after an "altercation with an employee." If you remember the story, a social media manager had made a racist joke about Del Rio, and when Del Rio caught wind of it, he slapped the person (who hasn't been with the company since October of 2014). Word from journalists like Dave Meltzer said that Triple H always liked Del Rio, and initially didn't want to fire him, so the WWE wanting him to return makes sense.
What's interesting is that Alberto Del Rio, who has been wrestling in Mexico and a number of other places since he left the WWE, is the current Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) Mega Champion as El Patrón Alberto. While there's no word on how, one would have to assume that he'd be dropping (or vacating) that title, as he's now a champion in the WWE once again.
We'll update this situation when more details emerge.
