Ricardo Rodriguez Reveals Transition Struggles from Wrestler to Announcer Role in WWE

Over the years, WWE has introduced many managers, and Ricardo Rodriguez is one of the most memorable from the early 2010s. However, his journey wasn’t easy as Ricardo revealed the challenges he faced while transitioning from being a wrestler to becoming an announcer in WWE.

Ricardo Rodriguez joined WWE in 2010 and worked with the company for nearly four years before his contract ended in April 2014. During his time in WWE, he became widely recognized as Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer and their partnership clearly worked out well for them.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Ricardo Rodriguez talked about how hard it was for him to switch from being a wrestler to a ring announcer in WWE. Wrestling was all he knew. He spent years traveling and wrestling in the U.S., Europe, and Mexico, but then he couldn’t do it anymore.

Rodriguez explained that he had to prove himself in the locker room again and couldn’t just jump back into the ring. This was tough for him, and he felt frustrated. He even hated it at first because it was so different from what he was used to.

“That was definitely a struggle, the idea of, ‘Hey, now I’m a ring announcer, not a wrestler anymore.’ Because that’s all I knew at the time, right? I spent so many years going up and down the West Coast, the U.S., Europe, Mexico—wrestling. And now I can’t.

I’m still trying to earn my stripes in the locker room, so I can’t just go into the ring. I had to wait. That’s where the ego came in, and I was like, ‘Man, this sucks. I hate it.’

Over time, things got better as WWE gave him better positions to be involved in and his first big moment came when Rey Mysterio attacked him. Rodriguez had to sell the move and get into position for Rey’s 619. Afterward, backstage people praised him for how well he did.

Rodriguez also mentioned that only a few people knew he had been a wrestler, so it was hard to adjust. Letting go of his serious persona and learning to be more goofy as an announcer was difficult for him.

“But as time went on, they started putting me in positions. I think the first time I got attacked was with Rey, so I had to sell for Rey. He hits me in the back, I get into position for the 619. I remember when I got to the back, and they’re like, ‘Man, you sold that really well.’

Because nobody knew. The only people who were there for the tryouts were Jamie Noble, Tyson Kidd, and Matt Sydal. So they knew I wrestled, but no one else did. That was tough at first, just to kind of let go of the ego that I’m no longer a wrestler. I’m a ring announcer now. I have to be goofy. I was serious—my persona used to be serious.”

Last year, Ricardo Rodriguez worked as a producer for MLW and he is also wrestling there from time to time. While fans want to see him back in WWE, only time will tell what the future holds for Rodriguez but he is more than happy with his current position in the world of profession wrestling.

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