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As we recently saw on Smackdown, Alberto Del Rio won a fatal four-way match to become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship…again! Alberto Del Rio has gone from promising star to WWE Champion to stale upper mid-carder who does not stand a chance against Sheamus. There are a number of reasons why Alberto Del Rio was not the right choice for #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship and here are some of those reasons:
Reason #1: He Just Had His Chance!
At the most recent WWE pay-per-view, it was Del Rio who had a chance against Sheamus. Despite the fact that he was supposed to get a chance at No Way Out (which yours truly attended!), his chance was postponed due to a concussion until Money in the Bank. If he wasn’t going to win at No Way Out, why did WWE insist that the match happen a month later? I believe everyone enjoyed the Sheamus-Dolph Ziggler matchup more anyway. I know I did! Regardless, not only did Del Rio get his chance at Money in the Bank, he lost CLEANLY to Sheamus. There was no controversy, no reason for him to deserve another chance!
Reason #2: He May Be Leaving WWE Soon!?!
There have been reports for a while about Del Rio possibly leaving WWE in the near future. WrestlingINC has the details from F4WOnline.com:
“F4WOnline.com reports that Del Rio clashed with upper-level management that day and threatened to quit WWE. One company source says Del Rio was frustrated with his standing and contemplating a departure. A second source said the incident ‘wasn’t that big a deal’ and that both sides were wrangling over a contract matter. A third source believes the spat was a combination of both accounts.”
If the rumors have any bit of truth to them, then I cannot see why they would give Del Rio a push at all – even if it were just as the #1 contender. Del Rio is not the only superstar that deserves this push, which brings me to….
Reason #3: Other Superstars Deserve A Chance!
I would have preferred a win by any of the other three superstars in the fatal four-way match and I will explain why for each superstar.
Kane – Although I have seen Kane more more more than enough in the WWE and WHC title picture in the past, I can’t help but wonder how the matchup of the Great White and the Big Red Monster would look like. Both superstars are super strong and athletic for their size. I would not want to see Kane win the WHC, but then again, I don’t want to see Del Rio win it either.
Rey Mysterio – I am not a huge fan of a face vs. face matchup, but Rey certainly deserves the chance more than Del Rio. Rey Mysterio by name is a huge star and coming back from injury, I am sure his fans (anyone under the age of 12) would love to see him as champ again. Let’s also not forget, he was the face of Smackdown years ago, now I think we would all agree Sheamus is.
Daniel Bryan – YES! YES! YES! I chose to write about Daniel Bryan last because well, I think he should be the #1 contender. It was Bryan who Sheamus beat (in 18 seconds) at WrestleMania and I know Bryan will never forget that. The main reason why I would like to see Bryan over Del Rio as the #1 contender is Daniel Bryan’s popularity has grown so much since his slogan has taken off. I see Daniel Bryan as a tweener – not a face or heel. I think there are plenty of WWE fans (including myself) who see Bryan as a great wrestler, great on the mic and have gotten the WWE Universe repeating his slogan over and over again. Now that Bryan is done with Punk, why didn’t he win the fatal four-way match? Smh.
Reason #4: His Gimmick Has Gotten OLD!
The final reason why Alberto Del Rio should not have become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship is because his gimmick has not changed (though thankfully he stops talking about his “destiny”). The best WWE superstars are those who keep their gimmicks fresh and can adjust their gimmicks as time goes on. CM Punk can be a face straight edge superstar or he can be a heel straight edge superstar. I read in a recent WWE magazine, a comparison made between Del Rio and the Million Dollar Man. This was a great comparison in terms of their gimmicks and the WWE would be wise to use Del Rio similarly to how they used Ted Dibiase Sr. Does anyone remember the Million Dollar Corporation? How about having Del Rio start a new Million Dollar Corporation style stable and “buy” other Mexican superstars such as Sin Cara, Hunico, Camacho, Primo, Epico and Rosa Mendes. I could see them try to “buy” Rey Mysterio, but thanks to the young audience and merchandising, Mysterio (just like John Cena) will never turn heel.
What do you think? Are you sick of seeing Alberto Del Rio? Was he really the best choice for #1 contender? Really? REALLY?
I agree wholeheartedly. Having Del Rio win again is pointless and nobody wants to see it. There was absolutely no build to their original match at No Way Out, no build to their rescheduled match at MITB, and I don’t see how they can make any sense of their Summer Slam encounter. The only thing entertaining about this feud is when Sheamus calls ADR “Berty”. I have also read that ADR is on his way out, so to keep him in the spotlight also does not make much sense. The only logic I see is that the powers that be are trying to capitalize on the Hispanic market, and with Rey Mysterio out for so long, ADR is the only one with any drawing power. However, Rey is back now. Hopefully he won’t re-tear another ACL or get his third wellness strike and can take ADR’s place sooner than later. Looking at ADR at the beginning of 2011 and now, the way he walks to the ring, cuts promos, etc., you can almost tell that he doesn’t want to be there and is counting down the days until his contract expires. A Hispanic stable with ADR at the helm would be great. They could get all the heels together, turn Sin Cara heel (the guy will never get over without cutting a promo), and then try to recruit Rey Mysterio, similar to how the Nexus tried to get Cena. This could get you through a minimum of two-three months of entertaining programming.
I would have much rather have seen a triple threat between DB, Kane, and Sheamus. Then put ADR and Rey in a grudge match. The Summer Slam card is looking pretty decent so far though. HHH will undoubtedly go over Lesnar, the triple threat for the WWE title should be pretty good, and I really hope they have a sweet build to what looks like will be Jericho and Ziggles.
Hey Schneids! Thanks for your comment. The triple h – lesnar feud is dumb and no one cares. Triple H will win because Brock doesnt care about winning. Big Show? What’s the point of him being in that match? He is only going to make the match worse. Jericho and Ziggler will be AWESOME!