The 2020s have brought several names back to mainstream wrestling, with Adam "Edge" Copeland, Christian Cage, Saraya, and Carlito as a few notable examples. Within the current free agent landscape, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray sees potential for a former WWE star to follow suit in the near future.
"I have very quietly been following what's been going on with [Alberto Del Rio] for the past year or so. There's been a very beneath the radar groundswell going on for Del Rio again down there in Mexico and what he's doing," Ray said on "Busted Open Radio.""I have no idea what the deal is, but there's something going on where I wouldn't be shocked if this guy showed up back in the mainstream. I don't know where. I don't know what company, but if he showed up back in the mainstream sooner than later."
For the last two years, Del Rio has spent much of his time in AAA, which was acquired by WWE in 2025. In May, however, he lost the AAA Mega Championship to El Hijo Del Vikingo. Two months later, he exited AAA when he fell short to El Mesias at a July television taping, which stipulated that if Del Rio lost his match, he'd be forced to leave AAA. Del Rio made a brief return to AAA at an August 9 live event, but has not appeared since.
Del Rio's last performance under the WWE banner came against John Cena on an August 2016 episode of "WWE SmackDown." In the years following, WWE officials have reportedly remained disinterested in the former WWE Champion's potential return to their company, so much so that they'd made a conscious effort not to mention his name when promoting AAA on WWE platforms. As of now, it is unclear if Del Rio could surface in another major promotion, such as All Elite Wrestling.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
