Alberto Del Rio: A Royal Jack Swagger

[H33LTurn]

When I think of Alberto Del Rio I think of a guy whos great in the ring, has a semi-recycled gimmick, and a mediocre title reign under his belt. After further inspection I concluded that hes Jack Swagger with a nicer bank account. Hes Swagger with a tan, golden trunks and a manservant. Hes a guy who had an incredible amount of potential but hasnt been able to capitalize on any of that for a while now. A number of rivalries with Cena, Punk, Rey, Christian, and Edge have done nothing for the man whos now been subjected to a midcard feud with Santino. But theres one thing that's always linked Swagger and Del Rio in my mind. A while back someone asked on this forum, even if Swagger is given a half descent push, do you honestly want to see more of him? The answer is no, at this point I dont think I want to see more of Swagger or Del Rio at this point. In my opinion both men lost a lot of their luster very early on in their careers.

Anyway, here are my questions:

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

Any other comments on the direction of ADR's character are welcome.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I don't think Alberto Del Rio is anything like Jack Swagger. While Jack Swagger debuted with momentum and then became World Heavyweight Champion, he fell off the map shortly after losing the title and hasn't been able to re-catapult himself into relevance. Alberto Del Rio lost steam in terms of entertaining qualities of his character, but he has been consistently pushed to accomplish relevant rewards (ex. Royal Rumble, WWE Championship, win against John Cena and CM Punk). The only thing that Jack Swagger had under his belt was a slightly better World title reign than Alberto Del Rio's two WWE title reigns combined. While Jack Swagger certainly excels in wrestling just like Alberto Del Rio, Del Rio still has more hints of charisma and embodiment of a main eventer, whereas Swagger had barely. My honest opinion.

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

The two laughable WWE Championship reigns and his deteriorating character. For all the competition he was able to dish out prior to ever winning a WWE title, he had a pansy run. It was so forgettable to the point where his career would have been the same without a WWE title reign. His character has gotten stale with no development whatsoever. It's the same old promos.

Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?

The only way I can see him recovering is if he gets a gimmick change instead of quitting and returning to Lucha. I don't know. Perhaps he can disappear and like I jokingly said in another thread, return as Dos Caras Jr under a mask. He can have some of his original moves back and possibly have equal-quality promos as Rey Mysterio. At least it'd be fresher than what he's doing right now. And personally? I wanted to see ADR enter the WWE as Dos Caras Jr. I thought that's the character he would bring. I am a fan of that character. I also want to see Ricardo return as Chimaera, as unlikely as that seems. The in-ring abilities of that man are actually insane and quite complementary to ADR's Dos Caras Jr.

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

See above. I guess I just integrated two answers into one.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

What is wrong with Del Rio's current WWE run?

Personally I don't see anything wrong with Del Rio's run at all. He's a good heel and a good character. Maybe he shouldn't have been pushed as quickly as he was but nonetheless its not like he's ruined in the WWE or anything. He's still over as a heel, he still gets heel heat. Seriously, what do you expect?


Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?


Yes he can recover as the so called slump isn't nearly as bad as you are making it out to be. He has been injured and is just recently getting back into the groove. Sure nothing has really changed in result to his character but saying he's boring is very subjective. He still competes with the main eventers, is still one of the top 5 heels in WWE and still gets a reaction. He doesn't really need to change much at this point.

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

Nope. Keep his gimmick as is. If you want to make him Dos Caras again and ruin his WWE career completely sure, go for it. Just because he was over in Mexico and Japan as Dos Caras Jr. doesn't mean that will fly in WWE. Just ask Sin Cara, or Tensai, or any of those other wrestlers that did well in international waters and sunk quickly in the WWE.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Nope. Keep his gimmick as is. If you want to make him Dos Caras again and ruin his WWE career completely sure, go for it. Just because he was over in Mexico and Japan as Dos Caras Jr. doesn't mean that will fly in WWE. Just ask Sin Cara, or Tensai, or any of those other wrestlers that did well in international waters and sunk quickly in the WWE.

Yeah, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho all did well in Japan and International waters. For every flop, there is success. His WWE career wouldn't be ruined for changing his gimmick into something that people can't even see his face for nor know nothing about. It's fresh. Lucha is sort of missing in WWE. You got one guy named Sin Cara flying around and that's it. Plus, there's a possibility that ADR could use his Dos Caras Jr gimmick as a face and his ADR character as a heel and go through some kind of identity crisis without spoiling it to the people that they're both the same guy. I'd find that much more entertaining than "My name is Alberto Del Rio! But you already knew that!" and all the other repetitive jargon he has used. He's still the same guy that debuted and beat Rey Mysterio. What more can he do as the rich guy?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Yeah, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho all did well in Japan and International waters. For every flop, there is success. His WWE career wouldn't be ruined for changing his gimmick into something that people can't even see his face for nor know nothing about. It's fresh. Lucha is sort of missing in WWE. You got one guy named Sin Cara flying around and that's it. Plus, there's a possibility that ADR could use his Dos Caras Jr gimmick as a face and his ADR character as a heel and go through some kind of identity crisis without spoiling it to the people that they're both the same guy. I'd find that much more entertaining than "My name is Alberto Del Rio! But you already knew that!" and all the other repetitive jargon he has used. He's still the same guy that debuted and beat Rey Mysterio. What more can he do as the rich guy?

None of those guys you just mentioned are masked Luchadores with no personality. Fresh doesn't necessarily mean better and outside of Rey Mysterio masked luchadore's don't really have a great track record in WWE. He's only been in WWE for less than 2 years and he's done quite a lot in those 2 years. a lot more than Dos Caras Jr. would have ever done I'll tell you that much. Guys like The Million Dollar Man didn't change much throughout his tenure in the WWE and it never hurt him so why would it hurt Del Rio?

Del Rio is a heel, he doesn't need to change much and as long as you got a reaction you're pretty much golden. I get that you are bored of Del Rio, I get some of the IWC is bored with Del Rio but most of the fans still like to boo the guy. If he came out, got zero reaction and put the audience to sleep then I may agree, that's not happening yet so don't change what isn't broken.

I'm all for Del Rio adding on some more depth to his character, that always helps a person's longevity but there's no reason to completely revamp him. There is quite a few avenues you can go down still with Del Rio, he can still add more depth to his current character but can do it without doing a revamp.

Sorry, I really don't see the need to change him at this point in time. I get you are bored with Del Rio's character but as long as most still enjoy to boo him there's no reason to change.

 

[DX Mols]

I agree. Neither one of these guys ever truly connected with the audience or got over. ADR did nothing to impress me in his debut year and I never understood the push he got as his mic work was mediocre at best.

They're both solid in the ring but they just lack that one piece of the puzzle that truly gets them over. John Morrison is another in this category, though he never won a World title.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

None of those guys you just mentioned are masked Luchadores with no personality. Fresh doesn't necessarily mean better and outside of Rey Mysterio masked luchadore's don't really have a great track record in WWE. He's only been in WWE for less than 2 years and he's done quite a lot in those 2 years. a lot more than Dos Caras Jr. would have ever done I'll tell you that much. Guys like The Million Dollar Man didn't change much throughout his tenure in the WWE and it never hurt him so why would it hurt Del Rio?

You mentioned Mexican and Japanese or International wrestlers. Among them, you also mentioned Tensai who was Prince Albert in the US before going over to Japan to become Giant Bernard, so in that regard, I was giving examples of guys that found success Internationally. Eddie Guerrero was Black Tiger II in Japan -- a masked wrestler.

How many masked Luchadores have been given something serious to work with in the WWE? If the WWE had WCW's Cruiserweight Division, it would've definitely been a success. That was some of the best wrestling ever. Yeah, Del Rio has only been in the WWE for about two years, but it only takes two years to know if a gimmick is boring or not, ESPECIALLY when there is no development in that gimmick. See guys like Daniel Bryan. He went from a guy that had stellar matches but didn't exactly ooze personality or charisma. Now look at him. He developed. He improved. His years in the WWE were near the same length as Del Rio's. I'm not saying Dos Caras Jr would be a guarantee success, but seeing how that's his gimmick like Rey Mysterio's is Rey Mysterio's it'd be interesting. The Million Dollar man used his charisma to get over. He was always doing something entertaining whether by promo or by wrestling. Ted DiBiase was MADE for the Million Dollar gimmick and he utilized it whatever way possible in all of his matches. His affiliations to his finisher all had something to do with money. Top that off with his great wrestling and you got a winner. ADR is NOT the Million Dollar Man. ADR is like the Mexican version of JBL with some tweaks.

Del Rio is a heel, he doesn't need to change much and as long as you got a reaction you're pretty much golden. I get that you are bored of Del Rio, I get some of the IWC is bored with Del Rio but most of the fans still like to boo the guy. If he came out, got zero reaction and put the audience to sleep then I may agree, that's not happening yet so don't change what isn't broken.

His reaction isn't anywhere near the level it should be, seeing how it used to be louder earlier in his WWE career. The fans just don't care as much as they used to and maybe they're booing him 'cause he's stale, not because he's interesting. You're not doing a good job as a heel if you're just repeating yourself with the same old stuff all the time instead of reeling heat by getting on people's nerves. ADR has tremendous in-ring skills, but when that's the only part of him that's entertaining, then I only see a roadblock. He isn't cutting any promos that make people want to hate him and he's not involved in anything that makes me want to watch him as a character. Sure, he's doing better than Tensai, but come on, is he really where he should be as a character after doing things such as winning the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship twice? Take a look at a heel like Cody Rhodes. Boring as all hell at the start, splits away from Ted DiBiase and has three stellar transitions all with one base. He made each one entertaining and I wanted to see how his character would develop. ADR has one gimmick and this is all he can do with it?

I'm all for Del Rio adding on some more depth to his character, that always helps a person's longevity but there's no reason to completely revamp him. There is quite a few avenues you can go down still with Del Rio, he can still add more depth to his current character but can do it without doing a revamp.

Sorry, I really don't see the need to change him at this point in time. I get you are bored with Del Rio's character but as long as most still enjoy to boo him there's no reason to change.

Okay, let's forget about the revamp for now. Let's just see what ADR does for the next year. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that his character is disposable. It's the same old song on replay.

 

[TempestH]

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

There was nothing wrong with the way they pushed him, other than taking too long to pull the trigger on him. Edge's forced retirement probably ruined him. He should have won the World heavyweight Title at WM27 whether Edge was going to leave or not. But because of Edge's retirement, they pretty much HAD to give the belt to Christian for a "feel good" moment. Drafting him to RAW ruined him even further, as he pretty much coasted around, not feuding with anyone until he became WWE Champion.

Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?

Del Rio is fine in his role now. I'd hardly call Del Rio in a slump. WWE Management really wants Del Rio vs. Sheamus to happen.

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

I actually think that they should just have Del Rio and Ricardo form an official on and off tag team. Del Rio can stay the same, he just needs more interesting promo material. Tweak Ricardo's gimmick to something similar to Mr. Kennedy/Anderson, and he can continue introducing Del Rio as he currently does. It adds a new team to the tag division. Also, the Tag Team Champions get to be on both shows anyway, so if you gave Del Rio and Ricardo the belts, Del Rio's alone adds star power to both shows (Think Chris Jericho & Big Show) and negates the need for the SuperShow.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

You mentioned Mexican and Japanese or International wrestlers. Among them, you also mentioned Tensai who was Prince Albert in the US before going over to Japan to become Giant Bernard, so in that regard, I was giving examples of guys that found success Internationally. Eddie Guerrero was Black Tiger II in Japan -- a masked wrestler.

How many masked Luchadores have been given something serious to work with in the WWE? If the WWE had WCW's Cruiserweight Division, it would've definitely been a success. That was some of the best wrestling ever. Yeah, Del Rio has only been in the WWE for about two years, but it only takes two years to know if a gimmick is boring or not, ESPECIALLY when there is no development in that gimmick. See guys like Daniel Bryan. He went from a guy that had stellar matches but didn't exactly ooze personality or charisma. Now look at him. He developed. He improved. His years in the WWE were near the same length as Del Rio's. I'm not saying Dos Caras Jr would be a guarantee success, but seeing how that's his gimmick like Rey Mysterio's is Rey Mysterio's it'd be interesting. The Million Dollar man used his charisma to get over. He was always doing something entertaining whether by promo or by wrestling. Ted DiBiase was MADE for the Million Dollar gimmick and he utilized it whatever way possible in all of his matches. His affiliations to his finisher all had something to do with money. Top that off with his great wrestling and you got a winner. ADR is NOT the Million Dollar Man. ADR is like the Mexican version of JBL with some tweaks.

Guerrero never wrestled in the US as Black Tiger II, he wrestled as Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio is the only real luchadore who had great success in the States. Some have done decent but none have really broken through the ceiling besides Mysterio. Del Rio is a lot easier to get over in the states than Dos Caras is.

JBL was entertaining throughout his whole gimmick too, or at least I thought he was, I always enjoyed JBL personally. Of course that's just me but once again he got booed so I'm guessing he did his job well, like Del Rio. Del Rio has also been out of the loop since December (a PPV which he main evented BTW). Since December he's been getting injured on a consistent basis so he hasn't had much of a chance to do much lately, Rodriguez has done more than Del Rio since December. Before he got injured he was feuding with Punk and Cena, since he got injured he hasn't been able to get his feet under him because he keeps getting injured.

Also, Del Rio is in a different role than he was 6-8 months ago which is perfectly fine.

His reaction isn't anywhere near the level it should be, seeing how it used to be louder earlier in his WWE career. The fans just don't care as much as they used to and maybe they're booing him 'cause he's stale, not because he's interesting. You're not doing a good job as a heel if you're just repeating yourself with the same old stuff all the time instead of reeling heat by getting on people's nerves. ADR has tremendous in-ring skills, but when that's the only part of him that's entertaining, then I only see a roadblock. He isn't cutting any promos that make people want to hate him and he's not involved in anything that makes me want to watch him as a character. Sure, he's doing better than Tensai, but come on, is he really where he should be as a character after doing things such as winning the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship twice? Take a look at a heel like Cody Rhodes. Boring as all hell at the start, splits away from Ted DiBiase and has three stellar transitions all with one base. He made each one entertaining and I wanted to see how his character would develop.

Once again this is where we disagree, a lot of Del Rio is entertaining. Rodriguez (which is part of Del Rio's gimmick) is entertaining which in turn helps Del Rio be entertaining, I still love his entrance, his promo's aren't great but they are enough to get the job done. Like I said before though its not that I don't think he couldn't use some work and change a bit but I think for the most part he's fine and doesn't need a complete revamp of his character. Could he be doing better? Sure he could but then again a lot of guys could be doing better. I will take a Del Rio over a Ziggler or Swagger any day of the week.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

I think what really hurt him was losing to Edge at WrestleMania. I don't blame creative for going that route given Edge's impending retirement, but it didn't help del Rio's career any. They pushed him too far too fast, and the only way to save it was to actually give him the title for their trouble. I'd rather him have had an actual title reign and then reign him back in to work on his character, but that loss kind of hurt the legitimacy they built up in the RUmble win and "injuring" Christian and Rey Mysterio.

It also didn't help that he kind of fell off the face of the earth after they gave del Rio's title reign and summer feud with Randy Orton to Christian, to play off of Edge's retirement. By the time he actually got involved with Cena and Punk, I just didn't care. Plus, when it was clear he couldn't hang with Punk on the mic (he has a profound inability to improv anything) I gave up altogether.

Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?

Anybody can recover from just about anything in professional wrestling. Even Matt Hardy. I'm sure CMLL would take ADR made with open arms and a great contract, but there's no way they can offer him the same sort of money, exposure or opportunity. That's like asking a Hollywood actor if he wants to go back and do college productions because he hasn't made a decent movie in awhile...

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

As much as I don't like him, I think his gimmick works. Changing it for no real storyline purpose is just going to tank his credibility all the more. The rich, mexican douchbag routine is perfect for him. All he needs is to take a few improv classes and not get matched up with people like CM Punk. Stick with the more copy/paste faces like Sheamus. I know it's easy to give up on a guy after a bad year, but let's be real...he's a very young talent in terms of his work with the WWE, and he's been facing guys with a lot more experience on a consistent basis. Not everyone can just show up and rock everybody's world...

 

[jared96]

Jack Swagger has a wrestling abilty like kurt angle his styles is wrestling holds.
while alberto is all kicks flips and bumps he never fights with his hands if you watch him his only moves are kicks. however swagger has better skills.
mic skills alberto gets more a reaction than swagger but swagger is better in the ring by far. no competiton like i said alberto gets more a reaction but he still isnt over.
and thats bad becuz he has been mitb royal rumble winner 2 wwe champ and still aint over thats sad.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Guerrero never wrestled in the US as Black Tiger II, he wrestled as Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio is the only real luchadore who had great success in the States. Some have done decent but none have really broken through the ceiling besides Mysterio. Del Rio is a lot easier to get over in the states than Dos Caras is.

You're missing the point. Eddie Guerrero and Black Tiger II are the same person, so Eddie Guerrero is a guy that found international success.

JBL was entertaining throughout his whole gimmick too, or at least I thought he was, I always enjoyed JBL personally. Of course that's just me but once again he got booed so I'm guessing he did his job well, like Del Rio. Del Rio has also been out of the loop since December (a PPV which he main evented BTW). Since December he's been getting injured on a consistent basis so he hasn't had much of a chance to do much lately, Rodriguez has done more than Del Rio since December. Before he got injured he was feuding with Punk and Cena, since he got injured he hasn't been able to get his feet under him because he keeps getting injured.

Also, Del Rio is in a different role than he was 6-8 months ago which is perfectly fine.

JBL was better. His promos during his feud with Eddie Guerrero were great.

And Ricardo Rodriguez being a part of ADR's gimmick is like Vickie Guerrero being a part of Dolph Ziggler's. It's all a matter of perspective/preference if you want to put it that way. Anyway, this is circular and debatable. I'll leave it at that.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

You're missing the point. Eddie Guerrero and Black Tiger II are the same person, so Eddie Guerrero is a guy that found international success.

Irrelevant, that's assuming both would have gotten over the same in WWE because the same person played both gimmicks which is untrue. I highly doubt Black Tiger II would have been WWE champion or gotten over anywhere near the level Eddie Guerrero's lie, cheat and steal character did. Black Tiger II just isn't as entertaining to an American audience much like Dos Caras Jr. Isnt as entertaining to an American audience as Alberto Del Rio is.

JBL was better. His promos during his feud with Eddie Guerrero were great.

And Ricardo Rodriguez being a part of ADR's gimmick is like Vickie Guerrero being a part of Dolph Ziggler's. It's all a matter of perspective/preference if you want to put it that way. Anyway, this is circular and debatable. I'll leave it at that.

True, nothing wrong with a character having a manager or valet to get over more. Mr. Perfect was great by himself but was made better by his association with The Genius and Bobby Heenan. He was able to play off these guys to help him get over better and easier, much like Del Rio does with Rodriguez. Dibiase having Virgil helped his gimmick out much more as well.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Irrelevant, that's assuming both would have gotten over the same in WWE because the same person played both gimmicks which is untrue. I highly doubt Black Tiger II would have been WWE champion or gotten over anywhere near the level Eddie Guerrero's lie, cheat and steal character did. Black Tiger II just isn't as entertaining to an American audience much like Dos Caras Jr. Isnt as entertaining to an American audience as Alberto Del Rio is.

I wasn't talking about characters finding success internationally. I was talking about the individuals behind the characters finding success internationally. Eddie Guerrero as Black Tiger II did well in Japan. Eddie Guerrero as Eddie Guerrero did well in the US. Eddie Guerrero, the man behind those two characters succeeded on an international level.

Regardless of the different characters played by the same guys, you will never know if they could or would have been successful in the WWE because they never had a chance. Like I said before, if the WWE had the WCW's Cruiserweight Division or something that could showcase Lucha Libre wrestling, I'm sure PLENTY of people would have found it entertaining. Sure, they wouldn't have reached the heights of WWE Championship success, but success nevertheless in entertainment.

And like I said before, I find Alberto Del Rio more entertaining as Dos Caras Jr, so once again, it's a matter of preference.

 

[Headman]

I don't find much of anything entertaining about him but I probably wouldn't hate him as much if he weren't pushed to the moon last year. If he were extremely over or garnering massive amounts of heat I would understand leap frogging the entire roster like he did, but he's not. As for your comparison with Swagger (My least favorite person on the WWE roster) I'll give Del Rio a little credit for being better than that human paper weight. Del Rio would make a serviceable midcarder, but Thwaaaagger should feel lucky to be kept on as a jobber.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

Edge retiring. Del Rio wins the first ever 40 man rumble and seemed to be picking up steam. When he didn't win the title at Wrestlemania his character just kinda flatlined. I always thought Edge should have dropped the title to Del Rio whether it was possible or not. Then when Christian took the title next Del Rio was moved to Raw...and honestly no one wanted to see him with the belt with CM Punk catching fire.

What is wrong with Del Rio's current WWE run?

He's bland as hell despite the "flashy gimmick". No one gives a crap about his exotic collection of rental cars and just looks like a guy pretending to be rich. He might be even more bland than Ted Jr was as the second coming of the Million Dollar Man gimmick. Great wrestler, but his announcer is far more entertaining...too bad we can't combine them into one guy.

Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?

I think it has more to do with crappy writing and character development than anything because Del Rio is great inside the ring. There are alot of guys on the roster in his exact situation sadly, which sucks for the fans.

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

Hell yes it is and I know exactly how to at least give him a purpose: make Del Rio go broke. That would be something fresh we haven't seen. Have him come out in a nasty looking car like the one Ricardo had at the Royal Rumble. Then you can have guys like Hunico and Camacho come and beat him down, because without his money he's no better than them and is just a regular latino now. That's a start but you get the idea..

 

[Jomo_mark]

In your opinion, what was it that ruined it for Del Rio's run with the WWE?

Well I don't know about others, but I am sure I'm not the only one feeling this way. Del Rio to me is simply boring. Sure, he has good ring work, so do a lot others. His mic work is horrible and I find his accent very annoying and hard to listen to. The problem with him is, he's just a typical heel, running around insulting and taking cheap shots at faces. NOTHING about him is special.

Can Del Rio recover from this slump or should he really just quit and go back to mexican lucha?

Well after all I just said, my answer is pretty obvious, in my opinion he's boring, so yes he should quit.

Is it time for a gimmick change? If so what ideas do you propose.

No, I don't think so. I think the only problem is Del Rio, sure his matches are good but I get bored to death whenever I hear him speak.

 

[sXeB34ST]

I genuinely don't see, nor have I ever seen what it is about Alberto Del Rio that people love. I understand. He's a very smooth in-ring worker, however that's all he's really got going for him, other than being Mexican. Not trying to be insensitive, but the Hispanic market is huge to WWE, which is why they push him. I mean; Del Rio is an arrogant douche bag backstage from what I've heard and read. I don't know for sure, because I'm not going to be the typical mark online who makes shit up and say I've met him, because I've never done such.

He seemingly has an awful attitude, goes against what agents say and thinks he should be "higher on the card" while he's been the most consistently pushed guy in the WWE over the last three years, or at least, one of them. He's mad about being in World Heavyweight Championship feuds with a guy who WWE wants to be John Cena's predecessor. Wow. Yeah. Fuck that shit, ask for a push!

He's stiff, CM Punk has claimed on several occasions that Del Rio "beats the shit out of him" in the ring. And I know, it's not ballet, and I fully understand that working tight and snug is a good way to get a real, genuine feel from a match. However, in that same breath, working stiff just as a habit isn't okay. If you hurt people, AND had a bad attitude, you're likely to cause colossal problems. Not to mention, Del Rio's had the same exact promo since he debuted. He's just, flat.

Shitty gimmick. It's Randy Orton circa-2004 and JBL, with a Spanish baby mama. Oh boy. Super original. Now, I wouldn't mind. You need a rich, snobby character around, and that's perfectly fine. But a guy who supposedly parades around backstage trying to play politics, when the crowds don't buy him, and a ring announcer whose more over and is more entertaining, isn't okay. Especially if he's upset about being primed to be a top guy and would gladly leave the company because money isn't an issue.

Fuck Del Rio. My personal opinion. Don't get me wrong, the guy has upsides, and he can work his ass off, but I genuinely think his lack of charisma, originality, mic prowess and flat character just turn me off to him. Douche-baggery aside, I honestly didn't even read the beginning of this post. I just wanted to shit on Del Rio because I'm an opinionated asshole. Swagger's very similar, though.

Loads of physical talent, but he has no idea what he's doing in a wrestling ring. He's been around since 2008 and honestly has made very minimal improvement, if any. Also, needs a manager, haircut, to hit the weights harder and roll around with a guy like Daniel Bryan and try to up his "technical prowess" that everyone pins to him, because while I see sheer athletic ability, I see a whole lot of nothing special in Swagger.