Help Me Understand: Alberto Del Rio...

[Headman]

I hate the gimmick and I hate the execution. People want to talk about guys who are shoved down our throats, well let's talk ADR. From day one they basically told us this guy was going to be champion, then they spend a year getting there with one of the most shakey build ups ever. He's agonizing to listen to on the mic, but it's the gimmick that kills it for me. He's a cartoon villain thrust in the middle of what is supposed to be a more realistic age. It's also just flat out unoriginal and boring. I would have had ADR come in as a baby face constantly putting over that he's an "International superstar" and how much they love him everywhere else. I'd make him so squeeky clean that the fans would turn on him and turn him heel. No cars, no fanfare. Just an international wrestler who feels he's being mistreated by WWE fans.

 

[Ruby Soho]

I find him incredibly boring. His broken English really brings the quality of his mic work down a lot. I'm not going to pretend that I understand the is and outs of the in-ring work, but if he's so good at it, then why does it seem that nobody at the shows care about what's going on with him? Nate always tells me, "It all comes down to whether or not they can get the crowd to invest emotionally into what's going on in the ring." I don't think Alberto Del Rio is very good at that.

 

[JAK]

Maybe I'm missing something, and if that's the case then fair enough, but I'm completely unimpressed by ADR's in ring performance. The guys is just very generic and fails to excite me or make me want to boo him in any way unless he's working a match with a wrestler who can carry him. ADR is another wrestler in a long list of wrestlers that when wrestling would give me a perfectly reasonable excuse to have a bathroom break.

 

[whoopin' ass]

agreed with others, the main reason is the Mexico market. it is the same reason a 7 foot giant who can't wrestle or speak English is on the roster - helps with markets outside of the usual. now Del Rio is a little different since he can actually wrestle but they really don't seem to be using him much. think about Edge's retirement. you want to get Del Rio over? have him go around saying he is the guy who retired Edge. have him talk about how intense their match was and that Edge just couldn't handle him. Sure, Edge kept the title but in the end it cost him his career yet Del Rio is still standing and that is the mark of a true champion. something that simple would have helped him out a ton but as usual, wwe creative can't seem to do with a simple, straightforward idea. he has the potential to be a great character and a long term champ but i get the feeling wwe won't use him properly and we will see him sitting in the same position he is(maybe a short term title run) and then leaving before long.

 

[theBusiness]

Funny this thread is brought up, I was just thinking about this earlier this week. I think most of the issues have been covered. I truly believe ADR is one of the best in ring performers in the business today. He oozes charisma but lacks mic skills to go with it IMO. Definitely top 5 in the company right now when it comes to in ring skills. Perhaps a fresh face turn will do him good in the future.

 

[Fugazi]

I'm a little late here and I'd be lying if I said i read every post so far but I myself, love Del Rio.

His in ring ability is above average. He's somewhat versitile and while he's no Eddie I think hes the top Hispanic wrestler and will be for a long while. I was questioning why last year they had him win the MitB then take the belt off Punk a bit because the following matches and ultimately Punk winning the belt back from him to start his current reign was kind of lame. They should have thrown someone else in. I would have loved to see a guy like Wade Barrett in that situation. Then they almost seemlessly put him on smackdown a couple months later which still to this day kind of bothers me since he was supposed to be on RAW no?

But all in all I like him. I think he can be one of the top heels if they use him right. Last year I really don't think they used him properly. Punk was on the heels of beating Cena and they throw Del Rio in the mix? Bad move.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He's retro and most wrestling fans don't seem to know how to appreciate that. He's not like today's wrestler; he's someone out of the 1950's. Del Rio is more like Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, and the early Ric Flair in being flamboyant, acting superior and using old-style wrestling moves to back up his act. If you like modern wrestling and can't make room for stuff that happened before you were born, you'll probably never like Del Rio.

Personally, I think he's terrific. The guy has a wrestling style that's uniquely his own, he works extremely hard in the ring.....and he makes me want to see him get his block knocked off, which is exactly what his character is shooting for. All the early promos from his hacienda let us know we were to expect an uber-wealthy aristocrat who took it for granted we would all know that he's great and everyone else is garbage. In other words, a perfect villain.

Among all the "voice of the voiceless, "one man rock band" and "Rated-R superstar," I think Alberto Del Rio is a refreshing blast from the past. He's taking what worked 50 years ago and adding his own element to it. I think he's great.

 

[Radical]

Let's not get carried away. Since his return he hasn't exactly been front and center. It's not like they are putting him back in programs with Orton, Cena or Punk. There are only so many credible heels out there. Del Rio is one of them. As much as he is disliked, he is believable in the ring. Whether it is because he is good enough, is willing to cheat or just needs the strap for an upcoming tour of Mexico, in general Del Rio is a much more believable threat to win over other heels like Swagger, Ziggler, Miz, Rhodes and I'm sorry to say even Daniel Bryan. It's not Del Rio's job to please you. Too many heels please people and it throws off the dynamic of what makes wrestling a financial success.

I do think he needs to stop wearing such tiny gold tights to the ring. It makes me uncomfortable to look at.

The reason I agree with this is because I agree he should throw on some full tights or something because he looks like a giant baby a diaper in his gold trunks.

But I agree he is a good heel because of his size and his finisher. He doesn't need to be amazing on the mic in fact sometimes it helps him not to be so good so faces like CM Punk can make fun of him and get more over.