10 WWE Wrestlers Whose Patriotism Limited Their Potential
8. Alberto Del Rio
When Alberto Del Rio made his WWE debut on SmackDown in 2010, his character drew many comparisons to Eddie Guerrero and JBL, and for good reason. He was apparently being groomed to be what Eddie once was and what Rey Mysterio could have been had it not been for his various injuries: their top Latino star.
That much was apparent when he was booked to beat Mysterio clean in his first ever match on the blue brand, and in the year that followed, WWE did all they could to get him over with the audience: a Royal Rumble win, headlining WrestleMania XXVII, capturing the WWE Championship, etc.
Del Rio had some compelling character work at that time, but the "Pride of Mexico" gimmick was only going to get him so far. After he was fed to Cena, he was reduced to nearly nothing, and turning babyface (albeit a bad move) was their last resort.
It wasn't the worst idea to have him represent the Latino fan base as a fan favourite, but he bored people to tears with his rally speeches and lack of intensity in the ring. That was what made him a great heel to begin with, and even after he went back to being a heel, he still stuck with the "Mexican Aristrocrat" nickname.
Needless to say, it did him no favours and his future with the company remains in question.