Kalisto Explains Why He Nearly Retired After His WWE Release, What Brought Him Back

Former WWE United States Champion Kalisto is once again appearing across the world under his former ring name of Samuray Del Sol, but there was a period of time where he seriously considered hanging up his boots and mask for good. Kalisto was released from his WWE contract in April 2021 and shortly after, he was hospitalized for an entire month due to being diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as having a stomach ulcer and two heart attacks which nearly killed him. However, considering he is still active, what brought him back to wrestling? During a recent interview with "Highspots Wrestling," Kalisto revealed it was a charity event held by a former WWE Superstar that revived his passion.

"True story, I wanted to retire after my [WWE] release and after my health scare that I had that I nearly died, I wanted to retire. Mojo [Rawley] has this private show for the autism and the special needs [children]...the Triple V show, and it was great and they made me want to come back, the kids, everybody." A few months after this show, Kalisto would make a surprise appearance on the November 3, 2021 episode of "AEW Dynamite" where he teamed up with Aero Star to challenge FTR for the AAA Tag Team Championships.

Despite his AEW appearance, Kalisto would opt for the freelance lifestyle and has popped up in a number of well known promotions over the past few years. These include CMLL where he took part in the 2023 International Grand Prix, TNA where he appeared on the 1000th episode of "TNA Impact" in a six-man Ultimate X match, and DDT where he got to team up with the current AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita.

Please credit "Highspots Wrestling" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.