Real 2010s kids will probably fondly remember Ricardo Rodriguez as the personal ring announcer of Alberto Del Rio. Arguably, Del Rio’s most recent run in WWE was not successful largely because of the lack of Ricardo’s bombastic introductions accompanied by the incessant honking of a luxury car’s horn. Rodriguez was released from WWE in 2014, and he has said that his time with the company made him hate wrestling.
This week, Ricardo announced on Facebook that he would be retiring from in-ring competition, and this was confirmed by WrestleZone.
“So I have decided to hang up the boots and just train/teach. I’m better at that. Anyways plus real life is getting in the way.”
Rodriguez had been wrestling sporadically on the indies since getting released, but had been spending more and more time working as a wrestling trainer, including briefly serving as head trainer at Great Khali’s school in India. He is also doing work for Del Rio’s MMA promotion, Combate Americas.
Rodriguez got his start on the independent circuit as Chimaera, a masked luchador who competed in CHIKARA and Dragon Gate USA, along with many other promotions. He was signed to FCW as Chimaera, and debuted the Ricardo Rodriguez character in FCW as well, before being brought up to the main roster as Del Rio’s personal announcer and henchman. He remained on the main roster until 2013, occasionally being inserted into matches.
In 2012, Rodriguez began appearing in NXT as El Local, once again wearing a mask. He had a short-lived tag team with with a masked Tyson Kidd called Los Locales, and was one-half of the first iteration of the Lucha Dragons as Kalisto’s partner before being released in 2014.
Best of luck to Ricardo. Leave the memories alone.
