6 Ways WWE Can Salvage Alberto Del Rio
Is it too late for El Patron? Maybe not.
Alberto Del Rio returned to World Wrestling Entertainment on October 25th 2015 at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, shocking the world by aligning with Zeb Colter and defeating John Cena (clean as a whistle I might add) in the centre of the ring for the United States Championship.
His appearance was a genuine surprise, and the win over Cena on his first night back suggested Del Rio could once again be on his way to achieving big things in WWE.
The term 'false dawn' comes to mind, however, and the last nine months have seen Del Rio slip back to the meandering water-treader that he was in during the final throes of his previous run with the company. The MexAmerican story was a nightmare from the start, and the viewer could see Del Rio's soul seep out his body in the direction of his bank account.
Things didn't get any better with the League of Nations, and we are now in August 2016 and recent reports seem to be suggesting Del Rio might be on his way out of Vince McMahon's company once again. Would it be best to simply cut ties, leave Del Rio to work infrequent independent dates and forget the whole thing?
No, no, no and no. There must be a way to salvage Alberto Del Rio, a superior talent, in WWE.
Here are six ways that it can be done.
6. A Gimmick Return To His Dos Caras Jr. Days
I'll start with what is the least likely option (as normal) but also the most dramatic at the same time. Alberto Del Rio comes from lucha royalty. Del Rio is the son of lucha libre legend Dos Caras and the nephew of the even more legendary Mil Mascaras and, before heading to WWE, he worked under a hood as Dos Caras Jr.
The crowd isn't really interested in seeing an Alberto Del Rio treading water in a disinterested way, so why not go all-in on a story that sees Del Rio begin to resent himself and the way he has abandoned his traditions? Del Rio would have to face up to his lucha past and accept it, and through this story he would transition from the arrogant aristocrat to the masked warrior, Dos Caras Jr.
As Del Rio is doing a whole load of nothing right now, this is definitely worth a shot. Not likely to happen, but worth a shot as something decidedly outside-of-the-box.