Where Would Del Rio Be If Edge Hadn't Retired?

[Kermit]

I wanted to try to make an excuse for why this isn't one of those hated "what if" threads, but I couldn't come up with a valid one. I'm interested to hear where you guys think ADR would be right now, or have accomplished, if Edge had never retired.

I believe the dirt sheets were saying that Christian would of turned heel on Edge and cost him the title at WM27 or at Backlash if Edge had not been forced to retire. That means that ADR either wins at WM27, after winning the Royal Rumble, or at Backlash.

I truly believe that it was going to be at WM27, because Christian was "in Edge's corner" for that match. It was just screaming for a bitter heel turn from a jealous brother. This means that ADR wins at his first Wrestlemania and captures the World Heavyweight Championship.

I believe at the time we had Kane, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, and probably some other big face that I'm forgetting for a possible challenger, on Smackdown, after Edge veers off into a feud with Christian. I highly doubt that ADR loses the title so quick or even into his first feud. WWE was very high on him, and arguably still is, at this time. He won the Royal Rumble and was getting the 5-star entrance treatment with his nice collection of cars.

I believe that ADR would probably have lost the title by now to a face that came over in the draft. Randy Orton would be my biggest pick. However, he would have gained a good reign as the WHC for a few months and not have had his momentum stalled because of Edge retiring.

What do you guys think? Does he win the belt at WM27 or Backlash? Would have he been better off if Edge had not retired, or do you think Edge would of held onto the belt regardless?

 

[Headman]

I don't think Christian would have ever won the title. I do think that ADR would have won the title much earlier and held the belt til Summer Slam where he loses it to either Edge or more likely Randy Orton. I think his generic gimmick and poor mic skills probably wouldn't have set the world on fire but they would have been good enough to keep him on top of Smackdown while all the attention was on Cena/Punk. Ultimately I think by now he would be back on the midcard where he belongs. So in the end it won't make much of a difference for him. Christian on the other hand, I believe it meant everything to him.

 

[ortron333]

umm you do know that backlash isn't a pay-per-view anymore right? but anyway i was thinking that edge would retain at wm 27 and del rio and edge would continue to feud and then a few months later brodus clay would "make christian retire" and then start becoming a monster that del rio would lose control of and then might get a main event push and challenge edge for the whc with del rio interupting constantly until they start a feud awayfrom the whc and christian returning the pay per view before money in the bank and win the smackdown money in the bank match and then turn heel after christian cashes in on edge

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

ADR would probably be in the same spot. They probably planned a lot of his stuff way in advance. Christian's stuff seemed more ad-libbed so to speak. It seemed all along, from the vignettes to start his career, to winning the rumble, to all the destiny stuff, to investing a lot in his entrance and character, that they were going to try to make him a star.

 

[nxtgeneration]

i think the biggest change would probably be that he would still be on smackdown and orton on raw. losing edge probably caused the swap, and with del rio went from being the big fish in the little pond to the little fish in the big pond

 

[The Calgary Kid]

I think that people need to get over the idea that the booking for Wrestlemania was changed or in any way altered or augmented because Edge had to retire. Edge retired because he was risking severe consequences like death or paralysis by continuing to perform. It has been stated far too often that he left WM with the title as a "going away present" or any kind of bullshit like that.

If doctors had found out prior to WM that Edge's condition was as it is/was, that match would never have happened. People are quick to forget that they were building the Extreme Rules match and Edge's spear on Brodus Clay was his final action. Say what you will about Vince McMahon, WWE Creative or anyone backstage, there is no fucking way that anyone would have heard the doctor's news and said, "We need you to go at Wrestlemania, but don't worry, we'll change the booking so that you keep the title."

Not only would that not have happened, but Edge wouldn't have let it happen, nor would Christian, nor would Del Rio, nor would anyone backstage or in the locker room. It's disgusting and insulting to think otherwise. Even if he only (only!) ended up paralyzed, it would still be a publicity nightmare and the inevitable lawsuit would not be pretty. If Edge died in the ring at Wrestlemania because the COMPANY wanted him to go against the strictest possible doctor's orders, that would turn into a scandal capable of destroying the industry as a whole. Benoit was one man who went nuts. Owen Hart died in a freak accident. You thought those situations were bad for wrestling? People need to use their heads. WWE, Edge, et al did and it had nothing to do with Wrestlemania or immediate plans for Del Rio being altered.

 

[Dagger Dias]

If Edge had not retired then I think Alberto would have won at Wrestlemania. All the signs of a victory were there in his push. The title reign would have lasted up until the following PPV where Christian would still have won. Smackdown would then see Edge and Christian feuding over the World Championship while Alberto still goes to Raw and his booking would have played out the same way it actually did. It would have changed things for Christian more than Alberto had Edge not retired because the Orton feud would have come later on, if at all, and Edge would have feuded with Christian first.

 

[neildittmar]

I think that people need to get over the idea that the booking for Wrestlemania was changed or in any way altered or augmented because Edge had to retire. Edge retired because he was risking severe consequences like death or paralysis by continuing to perform. It has been stated far too often that he left WM with the title as a "going away present" or any kind of bullshit like that.

I can't speak for other people, but I personally can't get over it because more than likely it was true. There was absolutely no logical reason to keep the title on Edge, especially given the circumstances surrounding his health and well-being.

I think it's safe to say that the physical condition of Edge wasn't this big secret that all of a sudden came to light post-Wrestlemania. More plausibly, Copeland (if not the WWE as well) had an idea that there was a very real possibilty that "Edge" wasn't going to be a factor going forward due to medical reasons. Whether it was for an extended period of time, or unfortunately permanently, I have a feeling everyone major involved knew Edge would be out of action and thus, unable to compete post WM.

That brings us to ADR. Though I didn't (and still don't) understand it completely, his star has been consistently on the rise. This was particularly true going into Wrestlemania 27. He was given all the "marketing" that one could be given, especially since he was still relatively new to the audience. He was booked extremely strong, particularly in his feud against Rey Mysterio. His victory at the Royal Rumble to get him his spot essentially sealed the deal. It was abundantly clear that WWE were building him up to be the next top heel and in short order.

That said, it remains a mystery to me why the title was kept on Edge, even if the original plans called for it. Under the circumstances, why book Del Rio to lose after building him up so strongly in the weeks and months prior? Furthermore, why have a guy that you know is going to be on the shelf at least in some capacity keep the title, just so he can relinquish it later? It makes absolutely no sense.

Conversely, Del Rio should've won the title at Mania and "took out" Edge in the process much like he did to Mysterio prior. This would've solved the issue of Edge's "sudden" retirement, Del Rio would've continued being established as the dominant heel, and Christian would've been perfectly situated as the logical "next in line" challenger in probably one of the most emotional storylines in recent memory, given his close friendship with Edge.

To address the OP specifically, if Edge hadn't retired I think his feud with Del Rio would've continued for much longer. It would've made much more sense to give Edge the victory at WM after a hard-fought, knock down drag-out with Del Rio. Their feud could've then continued into the following PPV and probably the one after that. It might've taken a bit longer for Del Rio to pick up the strap against Edge, but it would've happened eventually. I also agree that a Christian heel turn was inevitable and probably would've been the catalyst to Del Rio's victory over Edge for the belt. Del Rio would've moved on to other challengers and an Edge/Christian feud would've been established.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Del Rio's career path would have been essentially the same had Edge not retired, although if Edge had stayed, the feud between the two Smackdown stars would have lasted longer, perhaps delaying the necessity of moving Del Rio to the other brand. Obviously, this would have changed Wrestlemania a lot, but ADR's ultimate destiny would have remained the same.

Del Rio and Edge would have made a fine, long-lasting program because the two were so diametrically different from each other. Edge was the "Rated R" superstar who operated just inside the rules while Del Rio is the quintessential old-style wrestler, In that regard, it almost seems as if Edge should have been the heel and Del Rio the face; it's a tribute to WWE's character building abilities that the opposite was true.

Edge's retirement delayed the inevitable, but it didn't alter it otherwise.

 

[xavyer]

I agree with Calgary Kid, before wrestlemania no one knew about Edge's condition, if anyone knew,and more important,knew the risk, the WWE woud have not let Edge compete,but if he hadn't retire it would have benefit Del Rio because that feut would have go longer, and the title could have change hands back and fourth, but with Edge's sudden retirement he had to go basicly back to the begining and switch to raw to build a storyline against another couple of big stars, but if Edge didn't retire he probably could still be on smackdown and be one of the big dogs there, i think it would have made Del Rio on smackdown what id did to the Miz at raw when he was in a feud with Cena,it help The Miz to become big star,and i think the Edge/Del Rio feud could have done the same for Del Rio......

 

[kokoBawesome]

There is zero chance Vince knew about Edge's condition. I admit the finish to the Del Rio feud makes no sense, but that seems to be the WWE's M.O. right now.

The most important thing to remember is that the pay per view we're talking about is Wrestlemania. All the great Wrestlemania moments over the years, the entire legacy, would be ruined if Edge was carried out on a stretcher. Wanna see Linda MacMahon's political career end in flash? Just wait til CNN finds out Vince let one of his wrestlers paralysis himself for the sake of a few more PPV buys. Vince is an arrogant prick, not an idiot.

Del Rio would have moved to Raw anyway, Edge would have kept the title and Feuded with Christian, and Randy Orton would have been the one with nothing to do all summer.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

No way would he have entered that ring. ADR would have refused to work with him, you think someone like Taker would allow it? He'd have no problem telling Vince "he gets in the ring, I don't".

ADR didn't suffer one iota from Edge retiring, in fact it meant he won the title from the biggest guy in the biz... Beating Super Cena for a title means more in todays WWE than beating Edge did. Other talents may have gotten different pushes rather than ADR. Henry might not be where he is, he might have stayed on RAW. Someone like Barrett might have been the one to stay on RAW and feud with Cena or Punk longer. Its why I hate what ifs? Literally anything could happen..

 

[xBANEx]

I have to agree with what's been said already: Edge would had still won at WM.

While you may or may not agree that there was no reason to keep the belt on Edge, Vince clearly disagreed. No way the match would have happened if they knew how serious things were. I'm thinking ADR is still a bit too early to beat a ME talent like Edge at Wrestlemania, personally, no matter how high Vince is on him.

I do, however, believe ADR would've won the belt off Edge a month or two later via Christian turning on Edge leading to a fued for them. I also believe ADR would still be on Smackdown (Clearly Edge retiring is what brought Orton to SD!) and probably a whole lot more interesting now than he is on Raw. I was a pretty big fan of his until he traded shows.. just seems like he isn't ready for a big thing like that yet.

 

[sdaniel1977]

Had Edge not been forced to retire I personally think we'd have never been subjected to the horrible whining mic work of Christian or the horrible in ring work and impossible to understand accent of ADR. How did ADR get his push anyway, was he Vince's gardener?

 

[GameOver]

Simple answer

He would've won WrestleMania that first time around i'd say and would've continued there fued. Christian would not have been world champ any time soon either.

ADR's push was in many's opinion a way to hype up WWE moving into South American territory as far as advertising, shows and stars is concerned, plus maybe wanting to replace Rey Mysterio given he can't be much longer b4 retirement

Personally i don't dislike ADR, his mic work is really annoying but the look is there and he's not incapable of "wrestling" like many others on the roster, the character is just dull now.

 

[RKOPUNK]

That said, it remains a mystery to me why the title was kept on Edge, even if the original plans called for it. Under the circumstances, why book Del Rio to lose after building him up so strongly in the weeks and months prior? Furthermore, why have a guy that you know is going to be on the shelf at least in some capacity keep the title, just so he can relinquish it later? It makes absolutely no sense.

Maybe the original plan also had Del Rio being moved to Raw, as happened. If that is the case, then why put the title on him when he's switching brands in the near future? His main event run on Smackdown! was to test the waters for his planned run in the Raw main event scene, nothing more.

I know that Edge's retirement did mean they had to have the draft earlier than originally planned, but it was only brought forward but less than two months, which means if he had been given the title he would have lost it soon after anyway.

As for where would he be if Edge had not retired, I think he would be in the exactly the same place he is now. He'd still be on Raw, he'd still be a former 2-time WWE champion, and he'd still be a glorified main event jobber to Punk and Cena. He would also still be boring. The only reason he ever won the title is because he's Latino, being Latino make him marketable.

If he wasn't Latino he would be a jobber to the stars at very best.

 

[neildittmar]

Maybe the original plan also had Del Rio being moved to Raw, as happened. If that is the case, then why put the title on him when he's switching brands in the near future? His main event run on Smackdown! was to test the waters for his planned run in the Raw main event scene, nothing more.

This certainly makes sense, assuming that the plan was to move Del Rio to RAW shortly after WM all along. I simply don't think that was the case though, and my reasoning centers around that "Latino" demographic you mentioned.

Vince and WWE have known for quite a while that they're going to lose Rey Mysterio. Whether that translates into extended periods of time while Rey "heals up", or permanently due to retirement. Added to which, there is a reason that an overwhelming majority of Rey's tenure has been on Smackdown... yup, it's that "Latino" demographic that makes up a sizeable portion of both the viewership and live Smackdown show attendance. You lose a top "Latino" star, you potentially lose a sizeable portion of the audience. It really is that simple.

That said, I feel there was a reason that Del Rio was brought up the way he was, on the brand he was, and why he consistently went over Rey Mysterio the way he did. I think Creative were attempting an "audience shift" from Mysterio to Del Rio despite ADR being a heel. Perhaps the mindset was much like how Bret Hart was received back in the mid-90's. He was a top heel and booed mercilessly in the US and elsewhere, however he consistently received a heroes welcome in Canada and was cheered regardless of what he or the Hart Foundation did. That segment of the audience didn't care what Brets "status" was, they felt a connection and identification anyway. Likewise, so goes Del Rio... or that was the idea anyway.

I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I was quite surprised when Del Rio suddenly found himself on RAW during the draft. Perhaps you're right and that was the plan all along. I have my doubts though given my reasoning above. Most likely it was due to a variety of factors, primary possibly being the reigning in of all the "stars" into the flagship program to boost ratings that were progressively getting worse and worse.