What's next for Alberto El Patron?

Last August, Alberto Del Rio made headlines when he was abruptly fired from the WWE after he slapped a social media employee for making a disparaging joke about Mexican heritage. First, I don't blame Del Rio for slapping someone that made a rude comment and the social media person deserved to be slapped, but the WWE is a corporation so the release was probably more to avoid a lawsuit than anything. That being said, the dismissal from WWE was actually a chance for Del Rio to rejuvenate his career, as he was somewhat lost in the shuffle in the months prior to his release and it seems like the WWE didn't really know what to do with him for storylines.

Almost immediately following his departure from WWE, Del Rio returned to Mexico, where he was a major star before signing a WWE deal and his return to AAA was a major draw for the promotion. Without the restrictions of a WWE contract, Del Rio began working multiple promotions and the start of 2015 was very lucrative for him, as he was announced to work for Ring Of Honor and Lucha Underground. Under the name "El Patron," he made great money in AAA, where he won the Heavyweight title, worked regularly the past few months for ROH, and had the TV exposure in the United States from Lucha Underground. Along with AJ Styles, Patron is probably the most in demand freelancer in the world in recent months. Plus he made a few appearances in Japan and with the Japanese wrestling scene getting a resurgence since the expansion of New Japan, there's definitely the potential for money to be made there as well.

Ultimately, Alberto proved that there's a legitimate career outside of the WWE and that money could be made working independently for a variety of promotions. Obviously, the WWE exposure elevated his profile in the United States, but the point is Patron remains relevant on the global scene instead of a competitor taking bookings specifically because they're a former WWE star. The international scene continues to generate some buzz among fans, as Rey Mysterio was announced to appear for AAA after his WWE contract expired. At the press conference for the Mysterio announcement, Patron appeared along with Mistico, the original Sin Cara and it was announced that they would be a team for an upcoming tournament in Mexico. With Rey returning to AAA and his debut for Lucha Underground, Alberto could be an important element, as it gives Rey another major star to start a feud and it could be based on their previous history in the WWE. An Alberto/Rey feud could draw major money in Mexico and it could be used to bring more notoriety to Lucha Underground.

However, it was reported that Alberto suffered an injury last week and he was limited during in ring action at an independent show this past weekend so one of Mexico's biggest stars could be on the sidelines. Some reports suggest that it could be a torn quad, but it hasn't been confirmed. If Alberto did actually tear a quad, it could be almost a year before he could return to the ring and it would have a major effect on the plans for AAA. Patron has had a good run since his WWE departure and hopefully it's not a major injury because it's great to see a competitor continue their career as top stars outside of the WWE. It should also be noted that Patron's success as an independent performer makes wrestling better because there are more options for the fans, which helps the entire wrestling business.