6 Ways WWE Can Salvage Alberto Del Rio
2. Let Him Be El Patron
In August 2014, Alberto Del Rio was released from his contract with World Wrestling Entertainment after striking a backstage worker who had been spouting off some awful racist jokes. Del Rio was gone and, whilst many lamented the loss of the Mexican Aristocrat, no one was truly in tears. He had underwhelmed on the whole, growing stale in the process.
Which made it all the more incredible that Del Rio turned up in various promotions outside of WWE as the fiery babyface WWE had always wanted him to be. In fact, Del Rio may be one of the best examples of the restraints WWE puts on its performers having a most negative effect.
In WWE he looks tired, dead behind the eyes and generally disinterested. When he was working as Alberto El Patron in Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor and other promotions, he was the Latino star that WWE so desperately craved. If WWE just let him be a fiery babyface they could have something special on their hands.
As it is, Del Rio continues to spin his wheels because that is exactly what is expected of him.