2. The World Heavyweight Championship Scene
Now, John Cena's injury won't necessarily have a staggering impact on what happens with the 'Big Gold Belt'. The last time he held the championship was in 2009, and he hasn't really been involved with it since. However, with Cena injured, now might be the ideal time to give the title scene an interesting spin, as the feuds and story-lines surrounding the belt have been lacklustre as of late. There are many different opinions on how best to improve the title scene, and with the introduction of The Corporation, could we see the current or future champion involved in Triple H's ruthless regime? Before I examine the possibilities of the World Heavyweight championship scene, firstly, I'd like to analyse Alberto Del Rio's current reign as champion. Del Rio has had one of those years in the business; the creative team have played around with his character, who have tried their upmost to sell him as a face who was living 'The American Dream'. It sadly, for whatever reason, didn't quite catch on, even with his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez providing a comedic edge, and he was involved in fantastic double turn with Dolph Ziggler at the Payback PPV in June. Arguably, the Del Rio/Jack Swagger feud which built up to WrestleMania had some great moments, both funny and exciting, but the match itself did not live up to the hype of the promos that preceded it. Even in a year in which he has picked off the likes of The Big Show (twice), Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler and Christian, Del Rio still finds himself in a bit of a limbo state. Despite his brilliant rivalry with Ziggler,
which started in quite emphatic fashion, Del Rio is a champion who, despite his best efforts, has failed to gel with the WWE crowd, whether that be as a face or heel character. But, (and I believe this is the biggest 'but' of them all) that could all change if he is booked well and better utilised in more prominent story-lines. I mentioned previously that the powers that be may include CM Punk in The Corporate angle, but I believe that Del Rio might need it a hell of a lot more, especially if he drops the championship. It would be a shame to see such a talented professional, who has had such a brilliant start to his WWE career, wasted away with pointless feuds (see current Rob Van Dam feud) and underdevelopment. The WWE have shown a tremendous amount of faith in Del Rio since his debut, with two WWE title reigns, two World Heavywight title reigns, a Royal Rumble win (2011) and then a Money in the Bank winner (2011). I, for one, am a big fan of Del Rio, but I do believe that something needs to be done to ensure his career stays on track. Should Del Rio drop the belt to RVD at Night of Champions, it could be the start of dismal spell for The Pride of Mexico. RVD does not need to be the champion to sell t-shirts; he will forever be one of the most over superstars on the roster through in-ring ability alone. Hopefully, Del Rio's reign as champion will continue for a little while longer at least, and a possible allegiance with The Corproration might pop up eventually. If Triple H has a hand in both the WWE's major titles, we could see a resurgence in importance for the World Heavyweight Championship that hasn't been seen in many years.