As noted recently, Alberto Del Rio and WWE reached a joint-settlement regarding his non-compete clause with the company. The settlement was officially announced by both Del Rio and WWE.

The belief is both sides agreed that Del Rio would no longer make negative comments about the company in public, most notably racism claims against top WWE officials and talking about racist jokes that go on behind-the-scenes. In return, Del Rio received a financial settlement that included his non-compete being dropped, as long as he doesn’t use the Del Rio name.

WWE has apparently been worried for a while about keeping their Hispanic audience and growing it, so they were said to be very conscious about being tied to any sort of racism against Hispanics.

According to a source close to the situation, the settlement between Del Rio and WWE was said to be a last-minute thing. There was reportedly a joint settlement at one point that was expected to include a stipulation that would see WWE issuing an apology for inappropriate comments. WWE had reportedly agreed to that but it was later taken out of the deal in their written settlement agreement. Apparently Del Rio had already agreed to the financial settlement and the non-compete being dropped, so he didn’t press the apology stipulation.

Additionally, it’s believed that the settlement included an agreement that states Del Rio would not sue the company.

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(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)