Heres one return that we just dont understand whatsoever. John Cena was taking some time away, and needed to finally lose the United States Championship strap. He had successfully defended it for many months against the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and several other beloved wrestlers in the IWC. When he finally dropped the title, it was to a mystery opponent than turned out to be none other than former WWE Champion, Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio had torn up the independent circuit, wrestling in matches for companies like AAA in Mexico and Ring of Honor in the United States. He had even settled down in Lucha Underground as the flagship superstar of the program before inevitably being replaced by Rey Mysterio. The ongoing rumor is that Alberto Del Rio received an offer that he simply couldnt refuse, and rejoined the WWE instead of his lucrative, selective dates on the indy scene. The immediate result was a success. He received a huge crowd reaction, and defeated John Cena to win more WWE gold on his first night back in with the company, which originally let him go when he stood up to a racist bully who ran WWEs social media. The fallout has been less than stellar. Relegated to a mid-card once-attraction, Del Rio moseyed along in his role as the U.S. Champion, which was far less interesting than when Cena himself held the title, as the U.S. Open Challenge was one of the most exciting portions of RAW every week. It became rather apparent that creative had no plans for Del Rio; his character development has been non-existent. The trek into the League of Nations was a great idea on paper, but the group has continually been made the fool on television to the point that no one takes them seriously. Theyve become the foil for the likes of Roman Reigns while never picking up wins themselves. The way to salvage Del Rio would be another breather from the character, and to bring him back with the oft-missed Ricardo Rodriguez, who complemented Del Rio's persona.
David McCutcheon is an American freelance journalist and writing consultant. Over the course of sixteen years, he has written for the likes of IGN, Future US, GamesRadar, PlayStation Magazine, Shout! Factory, and many others in the fields of video games, movies, and more. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife. You can find him on Twitter @ZoopSoul.
