Kalisto was seconds away from retiring following his WWE release.
There was a point where it seemed that the company was pushing him to be the next Rey Mysterio. He won the United States Championship twice in early 2015 and though he only kept the belt for 119 days, he was still in the loop of the title scene.
But as the years passed, so did Kalisto's time in the spotlight. WWE had seemingly given up on Kalisto’s push when 2021 rolled around, so it wasn’t particularly surprising that he was released during a round of cuts.
But that release wasn’t easy for the former United Champion. Kalisto seriously contemplated retiring, until a special show changed his mind.
“I wanted to retire after my release and after my health scare that I had, I nearly died. I wanted to retire. Mojo [Rawley] had this private show for the autism and the special kids, the triple G show. It was great, and they made me want to come back. The kids, everybody, ‘Lucha, lucha.’ Just the fact of having one of them be my tag partner and getting the count to three, it was a special feeling, and just seeing their smiles, man, it reminded, that’s the reason why I’m here. That’s the reason why I’m a teacher, too. I just love giving back and I love helping," Kalisto said on Virtual Gimmick Table.
The former Kalisto remains active on the indie scene, notably doing AAA Lucha Libre, The Wrestling Revolver, and Adrenaline Championship Wrestling. Kalisto did have one match in AEW against FTR for the World Tag Team titles. He represented AAA. He teamed with Aerostar and had a solid back-and-forth encounter with the former tag champs. But he never received a call back from AEW. There’s no reason why AEW passed on doing something with him long term.
Kalisto’s release reportedly stems from him being unhappy with his position in WWE. According to Dave Meltzer, the former WWE star “cut his own throat” by asking to be separated from the Lucha House Party. He eventually was, but his screen time on Main Event and dark matches resulted in him barely being used in any capacity.
It’s good that Kalisto still has a passion for pro wrestling beyond being in WWE. We’re living in a day and age where guys on the indie scene don’t necessarily need to be in the WWE to make money. Kalisto was always a good performer, so hopefully he continues to get work that showcases his talents.