Del Rio's matches are top quality, always have been. I don't think anybody can argue against that with any shred of credibility. Del Rio's problem has always lied in the fact that, as a whole, he simply hasn't been able to connect with WWE fans on the level that WWE would prefer. As it often does, the blame tends to fall on WWE creative a lot whenever something doesn't work or someone doesn't get over to a certain degree. The problem, however, is that there's only so much WWE can do. If a wrestler is given a big push then he or she is ultimately the one who has to carry most of the weight and make the most of the opportunity that's given.
I like Del Rio and thought he was great for about the first 6 months or so. However, the truth of the matter is that Del Rio just isn't all that strong on the mic. His promos are often very repetitive, his thick accent does sometimes make it difficult to understand what he's saying and he just doesn't seem to have that special factor that makes fans want to rally around him. That last bit, what some people like to call that intangible "It Factor" is something that someone either has the ability to tap into or they don't. It can be nurtured along by the creative process, but they can't just manufacture it for the talent. Del Rio has a good look, he's often very entertaining inside the ring, has a great deal of legit technical ability and is part of a prestigious wrestling family. He seems to get over extremely well with Hispanic audiences. When he beat Big Show for the WHC last year on SD!, they were in Texas and the place was going ape shit when he won. Among non-Hispanic audiences, he doesn't get nearly the same sort of response.
I think one reason why Del Rio has continued to be pushed in WWE is because he's able to deliver so well inside the ring. He was given a couple of brief runs as WWE Champion and it's fair to say that they simply didn't pan out. I'm thinking that, MAYBE, it was after this that the WWE brass realized that Del Rio just doesn't have what it takes to be the top guy for any good length of time. At the same time, the WHC isn't as highly regarded by WWE as the WWE Championship is, so he's stayed within the WHC picture, generally speaking, since late last year.
I have a feeling that Del Rio's current run as World Heavyweight Champion will be his last for quite a while. If WWE genuinely does go through with the rumored plans on devoting attention to putting SmackDown! on a similar level with Raw, then one has to assume that they'll be elevating the prestige of the WHC. If that's so, then Del Ro's current run might be his last World Championship run in WWE period.
I've had no problems with WWE pushing Del Rio all in all. They've definitely given him multiple opportunities and big pushes to the top of the ladder but, at the end of the day, I just don't think Del Rio has "It". He's a very good wrestler to have on the roster, but he's been to the top of the mountain enough by now to show that he probably shouldn't be there anymore.