Back in November of 2015, NJPW and CMLL star La Sombra was a huge “get” for WWE. He made his much-anticipated NXT debut as Andrade “Cien” Almas, and has been blowing up on television ever since. According to former (again) WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio, that might not last for much longer.
Del Rio and WWE have always had a contentious relationship, but during a recent interview with Mexico’s Mas Lucha, he admitted that he’s not the only one who has struggled to maintain his lucha roots in WWE:
I talked to my good friend Manny and poor guy, he wants to come back. Unfortunately, when you go into that company you have to abide by their rules. That’s just how it is. It’s the nature of our business. I always put it like this. There is a problem with all the talent that goes there, it’s the inability to speak the language.
They have the talent but when you go work for a company like this, you have to, I say this, something my great mentor Dean Malenko would tell me. Everything you know, forget it, delete the tape. You are starting from nothing. Use one of the moves or things that will help you get over but forget about lucha libre. Lucha libre will not work here. You will never be anything if you focus and stick to being a luchador in WWE.
Welp, that’s one way to keep it cien. Here I would have guessed it was the awful suspenders. With the recent focus on cruiserweights, and the acquisition of Gran Metalik, hopefully that will signal a sea change in how lucha libre is portrayed in WWE before more people decide to part ways with the company.
