Ricardo Rodriguez, the renowned former WWE ring announcer, is astounded by the fact that he was the last competitor in Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart’s illustrious wrestling career.
In Hart’s last match on September 12, 2011 during a RAW event, he and John Cena triumphed over Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio.
While appearing on a recent episode of the “Insight” podcast, Rodriguez shared his experience of being part of the Canadian wrestling icon’s final match. He recounted,
“The entire situation was surreal. We were in Ontario that day, Alberto and I, and we got a message from Road Dogg outlining the evening’s schedule. According to him, Alberto and I were set to face John Cena and Bret Hart. We waited for the punchline, the ‘LOL’, but it never came. I was surprised and thought, this is actually going to happen.
“With Ricardo not being a seasoned wrestler, I had to think on my feet. We were at a gym that sold women’s exercise tights, which I preferred due to their range of colors and designs. I bought a few pairs and showed them to Road Dogg who approved of the choice.
“Even as we went over the match, the enormity of what was happening still hadn’t sunk in. It was only when we stepped into the ring that it hit me – I was wrestling with John Cena and was about to be put in a sharpshooter by Bret Hart, in Canada, no less. It was a unique and unforgettable experience that I’ve immortalized with a printed image in my office.”
Best remembered as Alberto Del Rio’s ring announcer, Rodriguez wrestled in the WWE ring under his name or as El Local on 49 occasions.
During his tenure with WWE from 2010 to 2014, Rodriguez partnered not only with Del Rio but also with Rob Van Dam in 2013.