Alberto Del Rio Is The New World Heavyweight Champion

[Mitch Henessey]

So Del Rio won the WHC after bludgeoning Big Show with a set of steel steps, and throwing the announcer's table on him in a Last Man Standing match tonight. I'm not going to fake happy feelings for Del Rio's title win, but I'll admit, his win over Show was a nice surprise. Well, it would've been a REAL shocker, if WWE.com didn't spoil the results. But WWE hasn't exactly showed any true feelings of importance towards their #2 title. Sheamus hit one move to win the title in a matter of seconds at Wrestlemania last year, and if I remember correctly the match was announced on WWE.com.

Del Rio as a face champion has some potential, but I've always had this hot/cold feeling for Del Rio as a character. I loved him during his debut and feud with Rey Mysterio. He still had some momentum, while feuding with Edge and Christian. But he hit a bland period after a while. A bland period that included a forgettable MITB cash-in, and a few hot potato WWE Championship feuds with John Cena and CM Punk. And his recent feuds with Sheamus and Randy Orton reeked of disappointment.

Del Rio could breathe some new life into the WHC picture. After all, Show hit a dull stretch as a champion, and I guess WWE decided to end his stagnant reign. Del Rio received a pretty good pop after winning the title, and the fans showed legit excitement. I don't expect Del Rio to go into Wrestlemania as champion, and who knows, he might just be the guy, who keeps the title warm for Ziggler until he cashes-in. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how Del Rio's first WHC run unfolds.

Thoughts on Del Rio's title win and his future as champion?

 

[SacredMesa]

My thoughts towards this is just how pointless it is. Why have Del Rio win it? What has he done to earn it? Frankly who cares that he got it?

At this point about the only person that people are interested in seeing win that title is Ziggler because we have been waiting for it for so damn long. To this line does WWE think if Ziggler cashes in on a face Del Rio people are going to boo instead of pop? I sure as hell know I'll be coming out of my set when Ziggler cashes in and something tells me it's going to be a very similiar situation to when Edge cashed in on Cena at Elimination chamber and got the biggest pop of that year.

IMO this title change doesn't matter, it's irrelevent in the grand scheme of things, especially since it's pretty obvious they are just trying to seperate Big Show from the title picture and put the belt on a face for Ziggler to cash in on, at which point I ask WTF did he not just cash it in on Sheamus?

 

[Da Solo]

It got me interested, that's for sure. I'm sure that WWE has some plan going into this, because unless Big Show is either injured or pissed someone off, it's hard to believe that DelRio, who's been a face for all of 3 weeks (during which he ran over Santa, by the way), wins the tile by beating the man that HHH's next butt buddy/prodigy prospect Sheamus couldn't. I like ADR, and I think a face title run, backed by his defense of best friend Ricardo from Show, could make, at the very least, a good transitional champion for Dolph to cash in on.

 

[Tyrath]

As Joey Styles put it on twitter, WWE.com ruined the win because they would rather you find out from them than on some wrestling fan site.

As for the win, I was surprised it happened on Smackdown rather than at the Royal Rumble. I suppose this is their way of having Dolph cash in on a face champion and not cut their title reign short to a few minutes. This also lets them continue to push Del Rio since WWE wants him to be a face for the hispanic crowd.

I don't expect him to keep the title for too long since its been rumored that the WHC match at Wrestlemania won't even feature either Del Rio, Show, or Ziggler. And I think MiTB contracts are supposed to expire at Wrestlemania (correct me if this is no longer the case) so I expect Ziggler will be cashing in sooner rather than later.

 

[Radical]

I can't take Del Rio seriously because with his ring attire he just looks like a man in a shiny diaper. I know that's supposed to be standard attire but he just looks extra-silly to me in that.

If he wore long tights (like when he was in FCW as Alberto Banderas) it would be easier for him to be taken seriously I think, especially if he wants to be a face.

 

[lenguy]

Here's my issue with Del Rio's championship win. He spent much of the summer feuding with Sheamus and couldn't win the world title from him after what? 5 matches? Along comes the big show. He beats Sheamus after their first match. Enter Alberto Del Rio. He literally comes out of nowhere to snatch the world heavyweight title from the Big Show after one match(?). Now I'm I suppose to find that believable? Del rio failed to beat Sheamus after opportunity after opportunity. Big show has no problem beating Sheamus after their first match with each other and then beats him 3 more times. Then Del Rio beats the guy who beat the guy he couldn't after one match. I just don't buy it.

I'm all for new champions being crowned, but only if it makes sense. This just doesn't when you look at the world championship background for the past 7 months. Also,seriously what is the point? If rumors are to be true and the world title match for WM will be Orton vs Sheamus then why couldn't show just drop it at the EC PPV? I don't know. This just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Del Rio is one of the better in ring talents. Yeah his character got stale and I got tired of his destiny, but his in ring skill never suffered. He is getting over as a face, a face WWE wants to push fairly hard from reports, so put the title on him.

People are complaining that Sheamus beat him multiple times over the summer, then Sheamus lost to Big Show, so Del Rio shouldn't beat Show. Yeah a+b=c, I get that, but this is pro wrestling. Guys have been thrown off off cells and walked again, people have been crucified and buried alive and come back, and the only people who ever get arrested are the good guys.

Personally I hope Ziggler cashes in and fails, I don't like the guy, but this does set up the heel cashing in on a face. A heel cashing in on another heel makes little sense, the audience has no one to root for.

 

[GutCheck21]

I like how ADR won the World Heavyweight Championship from Big Show. Because it sets up Dolph Ziggler cashing in at Royal Rumble. I think its obvious because of the way its set up, how Big Show losses on SD then rematch already set up for Royal Rumble. Theres already not a big enough draw for a WHC match with Big Show so why not have Ziggler cash in and win. It will make that WHC match more memorable and big moment for big time PPV.

 

[AJ1981]

I don't expect him to keep the title for too long since its been rumored that the WHC match at Wrestlemania won't even feature either Del Rio, Show, or Ziggler. And I think MiTB contracts are supposed to expire at Wrestlemania (correct me if this is no longer the case) so I expect Ziggler will be cashing in sooner rather than later.

Originally MITB contracts were for up to one year when they were held at Wrestlemania and when they first moved to the MITB PPV (So July-July). But Lillian Garcia didn't mention any time limit when she introduced the WHC MITB match last year so I'm assuming Ziggler's got until July to cash in

 

[Mustang Sally]

I couldn't believe it even after it happened. I was expecting Booker T to run down the aisle at the conclusion of the match, yelling: "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, suckas!" and change the result right then and there.

Yes, this particular title changed hands in 18 seconds last year, but at least it occurred at a major PPV. Here, we see a heavyweight title pass hands on Smackdown? How often does that happen? It was a welcome surprise.

Still, I agree it was time for Big Show to lose the belt and was surprised they kept it on him this long. He had a better title run than I believed he would, but he's the kind of guy who doesn't really need the championship to be an effective force in the division. I did enjoy Show's pre-match comment about WWE wanting to stir up the Latino community in Miami by giving them one of their own to cheer. It was a Punk-like statement, the kind we usually don't hear on regular TV.

As for Del Rio, I don't see why folks would think he doesn't deserve to wear the belt again. It's not as if he came out of nowhere. He's been plugging along, jobbing when he had to and always giving a fine account of himself. Although he's given us a double dose of aggression in recent months, I find myself looking forward to his run as a face, which is something I couldn't see him ever doing during most of his time with the company.

Even so, we always have to keep in mind that Big Show could win it back in a short time. Or, even more of a possibility, Del Rio could be the transitional champion needed to pass the belt to Dolph Ziggler, which the company seems determined to do. They like heels to win the belt from faces, and vice-versa. Big Show was a heel, so it didn't figure in their theories to have Dolph take it from him. Del Rio, as a face, is a more likely victim.......but if you ask who I prefer as champion, Dolph or Del Rio?......I'd say ADR is better suited to wear a world belt than Dolph will ever be.

Anyone who says WWE never surprises them should look to this match. They pulled one out of their hat this time.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm pretty mixed on this personally. I thought they had a great match on SmackDown! last night but it's hard for me to get behind this choice right now because the WWE has made such a mess with Del Rio's character as of late. They've gone back & forth on Del Rio turning face or remaining heel before finally settling on him being a babyface.

I also don't get the reasoning behind the feud with Big Show. We're just supposed to believe that Ricardo Rodriguez is Del Rio's best friend all of a sudden after he's been treated like a door mat by Del Rio for years? Also, what babyface wrestler has a personal ring announcer? What babyface wrestler portrays the flamboyantly wealthy aristocrat who drives out in $500,000 cars? I dunno, the whole thing with Del Rio's babyface turn has been a mess and has so many logic holes that it's hard for me to take seriously.

That being said, I was surprised by how over Del Rio was last night and how well his title win was recieved. It doesn't bother me at all seeing a title change on free television every once in a while. It's a fun treat that doesn't happen very often at all. Again though, I don't really see it with Del Rio. Sheamus & Big Show have fought wars over the title with Sheamus always coming up short. Yet Show drops the strap to Del Rio in their first match, the same guy that Sheamus spent about 4 months decimating in match after match.

I get that Vince wants a latino babyface, but the execution of the whole thing with Del Rio has been pretty lousy. Maybe it'll grow on me but Del Rio as WHC at this point in time just doesn't thrill me.

 

[Pedigree1]

The only thing i didnt like was WWE announced the results on tuesday on twitter and facebook nm WWE.com. But that said Mustang Sallyis spot on again. It was still a nice surprise that show dropped the title at smackdown rather than at a ppv. Show is such a dominant force that he doesnt need the title but it sure helps his character sometimes.

Also i especially enjoyed it when he stirred up the Latino Community by saying that Latinos really havent done anything ever.. Good Promo especially on TV but smackdown as of late has been a little edgier. As far as Del Rio goes being WHC i suspect its not gonna last long! I think Ziggler will definitely cash in at Royal Rumble now. Show and Del Rio will have their rematch Del Rio will retain then show will KO Del Rio allowing Ziggler to run in and cash in! Book It

 

[SaveUsCMPunk]

I have to admit I marked out a little inside. (Even though I knew it was coming. I rarely visit WWE.com, but I saw the headline here in the news section. Thanks WZ.) I'm intrigued to see where this goes. So far, I think Del Rio has been a fairly decent face. We'll see how that goes though. I hope he doesn't turn out to be anything like what face MVP was like in the future. I imagine we'll have the obligatory rematch at the Rumble. I'm curious to know why they had a switch on free TV. Was Big Show needing to take time off? Was Del Rio really threatening to quit if they didn't put the title on him? I'm interested to see where things go from here and how long Del Rio will get to be WHC.

Show and Del Rio had a pretty good match and the finish was pretty unique.

 

[Piss Bucket]

Why?! I was fine with Big Slow as Champion, even if he is just a big man who only knows 3 moves... Alberto is annoying IMO.

 

[scottyshowman82]

I gotta agree with a lot of the sentiments already been said. It feels like WWE had a plan and something changed. Big Show has said in promos that he was going to hold the belt until he retired and the way he handled Sheamus it really looked like that. I think Del Rio is a great talent but I wasn't really buying this rich mexican aristocrat being nice to his ring announcer and now getting behind people he so readily called "peasants" on so many occasions. At least give Del Rio a storyline where he loses all his money and realizes that he was a jerk in the past and wants to change his ways. This change of heart is just too much to buy.

I gotta say though, knowing that the title was going to change hands gave the Smackdown a must see kind of feel, and it was very exciting when Del Rio won it. In the light of CM Punk's long reign as WWE champ, major title changes do seem a little more special as of late and for that I say good job to WWE.

I'll go with the theory given out in this thread that it's a way for Ziggler to cash it on someone who isn't The Big Show and that it will most likely happen after Del Rio and Show's rematch. Hopefully then Del Rio will go back to being heel. I very much enjoyed the Triple Threat matches that Del Rio Ziggler and Sheamus had in 2012 and wouldn't mind seeing more of that around the title but a Del Rio, Ziggler, Show world title dynamic seems more plausible. All in all it will be interesting to see how this unfolds in the coming weeks.

 

[GameOver]

Here's my issue with Del Rio's championship win. He spent much of the summer feuding with Sheamus and couldn't win the world title from him after what? 5 matches? Along comes the big show. He beats Sheamus after their first match. Enter Alberto Del Rio. He literally comes out of nowhere to snatch the world heavyweight title from the Big Show after one match(?). Now I'm I suppose to find that believable? Del rio failed to beat Sheamus after opportunity after opportunity. Big show has no problem beating Sheamus after their first match with each other and then beats him 3 more times. Then Del Rio beats the guy who beat the guy he couldn't after one match. I just don't buy it.

I'm all for new champions being crowned, but only if it makes sense. This just doesn't when you look at the world championship background for the past 7 months. Also,seriously what is the point? If rumors are to be true and the world title match for WM will be Orton vs Sheamus then why couldn't show just drop it at the EC PPV? I don't know. This just doesn't make sense to me.

Wasn't there first match they'd battled many times b4 over the title and fueding and Del Rio came up short but i did think the same, Big Show though not decisevely beat Sheamus time and time again, Sheamus had no troubles beating Del Rio over and over yet Del Rio can withstand Big Show and beat him in a hardcore environment and with really only one big move? yeah right... It's like the Rey Mysterio syndrome all over again. Gee there could be the answer

Good for him though least it gets him out of the rut he was in and Big Show was portraying nothing more then a Big dissapointment instead of a dominant giant he should be portraying, which is the issue most of his career. Seems odd that it was 3 weeks from Royal Rumble tho and not at the PPV itself, unless Show is gonna win it back did seem like it was a last minute decision given there was only a few weeks leadup with no matches between the two during that time. as for Rumour Mills, they are just that RUMORS, if you believe everything that's said is true then what's the point of watching, there's no suspense cause you know what's gonna happen and Cards are subject to change at a moments notice anyway. Orton is not ready to turn just yet, they are only hinting.

Personally i think it was just a grab at getting some attention for the Raw 20th Anniversary and next weeks Smackdown given Del Rio and Big Show will likely be at RAW in some form

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Terrific match. I generally don't give a shit about the belt but Del Rio's victory really made me feel something for the guy. He puts on some of the finest matches consistently in WWE and has been nothing but shit on from a large portion of the IWC for a couple of years just because his promos were not entertaining enough (here's a secret, he was a heel, you are not supposed to like him).

I remember two years ago a heel Del Rio fighting a face Show in a cage and thinking of how much I was impressed with the way Del Rio was working Show's legs and staying competitive with Show without having to hit him over the side of the head. Del Rio and Show did it again last night even better (I think the match I am thinking about ended with interference from Henry). Great stuff from two vets.

Going forward I don't know what to expect from Del Rio. He may stay a face and champ, or go back to heel and lose the belt this Monday. Everything is a surprise. I'd like to see this all play out. Maybe a feud with a heel Orton or maybe they fast track Cesaro to a WHC feud. Great match last night and a really entertaining SD.

 

[thebarber]

great for Del Rios and great for future booking. Ziggler needs to cash in on a face, Big Show was always a caretaker champion. I guess this also nullifies Ryback winning the Rumble, so he can fight Big Show at Mania without the title being involved. Im guessing Mania 29 will see the World Title being a three way or fatal four with Del Rios vs Sheamus vs Orton vs Ziggler. Either way, I see Ziggler cashing in if he isnt successful in winning the belt and leaving Mania with the WHC Title. Thus Smackdown's main events are covered for Mania.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm happy for Alberto Del Rio, although this seems like a rather random title change. I highly doubt it's going to last very long. At this point it's all but certain that Ziggler will be the next World Heavyweight Champion, the question is when. Now that we have a face champion it makes our heel Money In the Bank holder much more likely to cash in. Dolph wasn't going to cash in on Big Show unless perhaps it was to begin a face turn for Big Show. Del Rio as a face will be something that I look forward to seeing how it will turn out. He's a great heel although I am interested in seeing just how good of a face he can be.

I just don't see this reign lasting particularly long. There are not very many options for Del Rio to face when it comes to heels who are higher up on the card. He will most likely get a rematch with Big Show and then either feud with Dolph Ziggler and/or get cashed in on. Most of the names who would make good candidates for feuds are either inactive or injured. That leads to me to believe this will be a short reign. Hopefully WWE will prove me wrong there. Regardless, I'm glad for Del Rio that he is getting a third world title reign and a chance to be a face champion.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I love the irony of how ADR finally wins something in a way that nearly everyone supports yet the timing couldn't be shittier! He wins the WHC title with Ziggler lurking in the shadows ready to obtain what he has been deservedly fighting to attain for years now. However if this is the start of a feud between the two, it couldn't have been kickstarted in a more exciting fashion. ADR has been fighting for relevancy ever since his run began to stall in the beginning of 2011 before losing to Edge at WM. Even after that, he won the WWE title in a meaningless, forgettable, short run that saw him losing to The Best In The World.

The match between he and Big Show was one of the most exciting spot-filled matches I've seen on Smackdown. Even after knowing that ADR was going to win it, I was still very entertained. Credit should be given to both men. Big Show has had as decent of a run as he can pull off and I'm glad that he has stayed as healthy and consistent in his career as he has to continue putting poeple over the way he has. ADR as a face is not what I want to see but if he can find a way to bring back his lavish-lifestyle schtick and keep the face thing going, then I think we're looking at another Sheamus-esque run. Which is not a bad thing at all. Dolph Ziggler could finally obtain a rival in a version of ADR that most people can support. Let's not forget, this could be the best feud Ziggler has had since MVP! ..Yes it's been that long.

So kudos to the writing/booking with ADR, this could be the start of something next-gen and cool!

 

[LoudClearVoice]

The timing of this title change is interesting in that we're close to the Rumble and we know DZ is going to cash in soon.
With reports that they want the main event for the world title at WM to be Sheamus vs. Orton, that means that Sheamus or Orton has to get the belt at either the Rumble or Elimination Chamber. I'm assuming we're going to have an ADR-Big Show rematch at the Rumble for the belt. Meaning that either Sheamus or Orton will win the World title at the Elimination Chamber. If that's the case, then why give ADR the belt?

Well, some would say it's so a face champ has the belt for DZ to cash in on. If that's the case, again, he's going to drop it to Sheamus or Orton prior to WM, so after all that build for DZ, why do that?

The best option, IMO is for DZ to cash in MITB at WM on the winner of the World Title match.

So again, I ask, why give ADR the belt right now? At this point, it makes very little sense, unless Big Show has some kind of injury that we don't know about.

 

[ndotk2012]

Personally I think Del Rio is one of the best WWE in ring performers and regardless of how long his title reign is I'd expect some pretty decent matches whilst he is Champion...

Someone stated earlier that Lilian Garcia never mentioned a time limit in which Dolph Ziggler must cash in when he won the WHC MITB contract. True I have never heard any commentator mention this as well so personally I see Sheamus Orton for WHC title at Wrestlemania.

Where would this leave Del Rio & Ziggler? Who knows with the WWE!

 

[Slash-LN]

I didn't watch Smackdown this week and there was a title change? Awesome.

I'm not a fan of the Big Show so I wasn't a fan of him being champion. I'm even less of a fan of ADR so I care even less about him being champion. Looking at the top contenders on Smackdown (Big Show, Sheamus, Randy Orton and ADR) there is no one I want to see as champion so I lose out anyway.

I haven't seen enough of ADR as a face to really determine what kind of face champion he'll be but at least Ricardo is awesome.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Personally I think Del Rio is one of the best WWE in ring performers and regardless of how long his title reign is I'd expect some pretty decent matches whilst he is Champion...

Someone stated earlier that Lilian Garcia never mentioned a time limit in which Dolph Ziggler must cash in when he won the WHC MITB contract. True I have never heard any commentator mention this as well so personally I see Sheamus Orton for WHC title at Wrestlemania.

Where would this leave Del Rio & Ziggler? Who knows with the WWE!

I thought that the MITB holder has a year to cash in the case or else they lose it. Someone told me that the MITB holder has to cash it in by WM. So, I'm not sure what the correct answer is.

 

[berlinbrawler]

The whole thing strikes me as odd for several reasons.

For starters I thought Big Show was doing a nice job as champion. I admit I'm probably in the minority on this one, seeing as I'm one of the very few who will admit that Show has some athletic ability and can have great matches.

To just unceremoniously end it just like that seems weird. Why did they have Show beat their top Smackdown guy Sheamus over and over just to hurriedly pass the belt to someone else? All this effort to make him look like this unbeatable monster to just pull the plug out of the blue? Not even at a PPV? It makes no sense.

Why Alberto del Rio? I like Berto, but I don't think he's "there." He was somewhat struggling to be relevant as a bad guy. As a good guy I'm not feeling him at all. He wants to protect his buddy Ricardo. Ugh. Lame. Not buying it. And it's not just me. The crowd reaction to babyface Berto is lukewarm at best. They're not even sure yet he's really a babyface. Everything about him screams heel - the music, the look, his elitist aura. Sometimes there are characters that just aren't babyface-material at all and Berto is definitely one of them.

The only thing that would make sense to me would be if Show was injured or suspended or whatever and they had to get the belt off him quickly, so they came up with this emergency plan. But I haven't heard anything to that end, so apparently that's not the case.

Simply poor booking.