As a hardnosed, pugnacious babyface champion, Del Rio would be more than willing to defend the US title against all comers and the character would provide the perfect opportunity to run babyface vs. babyface angles over the championship. Its a common fallacy that babyface against babyface doesnt work at all. In grudge matches, its true: when good guys fight good guys over a personality clash the situation is usually hopelessly contrived, just as it is in Marvel movies when fellow Avengers face off against one another. Added to that the audience, conditioned to find one man to blame, often gets confused: one performer inevitably ends up losing heat over it, as the other is supported despite him. In competition, however, especially in short-lived angles, babyface vs. babyface works like gangbusters. Two well-liked good guys, both of who clearly respect one another, fighting over a championship: thats a scenario that a crowd can get behind. A babyface Del Rio of the kind Ive described would be perfect against Cesaro, for example, or Daniel Bryan, or a babyface version of Rusev. Evenly matched wrestlers that can really go in the ring, swapping the title between them every other week until a third blow-off match gives us the decider thats compelling pro wrestling television, and both men get over. Even more compelling would be the introduction of Kurt Angle into WWE programming again to run the long-discussed retirement lap year in WWE. Ive already been over how I think the company wasted an opportunity to begin the angle in 2014 and again in 2015: well, theres still a slight window open for 2016 to make up for it. Personally, I would pay real money to see the Wrestling Machine Kurt Angle and El Patrón Del Rio face off like that, and Im not the only one and there arent that many people left who are capable of spending their last year in the business putting over the best of the new generation without losing their shine. Angles one of that dwindling pool of people and, booked right today, Del Rio could be another one tomorrow.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
