Revamping the Roster #2 - Alberto Del Rio

[Shotaro]

Previous editions: AJ/Aksana

So, Del Rio, wow, where to begin?

I think his entrance works just fine for his current gimmick, but in my opinion the guy just isn't fully ready for the main event yet, he totally tanked as Champion so far, TWICE. People seem to hate him since he got fairly aggressively pushed down our throats last year. He needs to be made relevant, here's my idea and how his Wealthy aristocrat gimmick can be resurrected.

Step 1: Turn him Face:

ADR could be a face, he just needs a reason to be a face, have him be humbled, have him GO BANKRUPT, he has to earn it and he has to start sticking up for the little guy because his new-found poverty has humbled him.

Step 2: The feud:

Del Rio is bankrupt, he spends a few months trying to find out who is responsible, well there are options here, they're plugging Jinder Mahal as someone with money, but I think that Ted DiBiase could do with a strong mid-card push and a personal feud with Del Rio would do that. Imagine a heel DiBiase offering to give Del Rio some of his money back in exchange for humiliating tasks, making Ted a bigger heel and ADR a bigger face.he has to let Ricardo go he has so little money left. He only manages to cling on to one possession, his house, but he can't even afford a realtor to sell it.

Step 3: The Heel Turn:

Eventually after several months, the feud culminates in a match at the granddaddy of them all - Ted's money versus the last thing Del Rio has, his house and his job. Del Rio wins gets his massive Wrestlemania Monet as a face winning a months long feud Del Rio has money again. He grabs the microphone and humiliates DiBiase, he goes full on heel within a matter of minutes, makes his heel character relevant again and DiBiase leave the WWE with his tail between his legs. Then he simply buys his way to the title, no destiny, he outright and openly BUYS his title shot - winning the title and retaining it for some time by bribing the referees. After a long feud Del Rio is looking at the following years Wrestlemania, in a one on one match, the opponent doesn't matter, the special guest referee as Ted DiBiase does.

Is it a long game? Yes, but it builds two guys to be main event level stars in a feud that doesn't directly involve the title, the WWE is lacking in feuds like this and seems to have lost sight in how useful they can be at building stars.

As ever, comment below, next week's edition: Alex Riley/Alicia Fox

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I think they should bump him down to upper midcard status for a while and give him a US title run. Then do an angle where he changes the name to the Mexican title and run with that for a little while so they can actually build him to main event status this time instead of forcing it with an unexpected Rumble win and cheap MITB cash in.

Plus I think changing the title name would finally give him some legit heat

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I can see where your idea came from, but I'm just not sold on it. (Pardon the pun)

DiBiase as a heel was completely forgettable. He got his dad's belt and Maryse yet couldn't get himself over. For the kind of feud you're suggesting, promos are going to be integral to prolonging the feud but neither guy is strong enough on the mic to carry the other unlike the JBL - HBK angle from a couple years ago. While there was a sense of, "...what?" to HBK being broke, JBL sold himself as an utter boss bastard to the extent that you wanted, perhaps needed, to see HBK superkick the smug smile clean off JBL's face. I honestly doubt that Ted and ADR are going to be able to come anywhere close to that level of intensity. (Same goes for Mahal in place of Ted)

Del Rio dropping down to the upper mid-card area isn't a bad idea, but neither Mahal or Ted are upper mid-card guys.

He definitely needs a good feud when he returns, but he needs the right opponent and story to get momentum back. A lot of people are going to be tied up in the lead up to WrestleMania so there's no great rush at the moment but I agree he does need something new to do when he returns. How long is he out for anyway?

 

[SD619]

Del Rio is an example of a guy who was pushed too much too soon. While his feuds with Mysterio and Christian were good and gave him some heat, his shortcomings were blatantly exposed against the likes of Punk and Cena. Del Rio is not yet ready to be the top heel. He needs to be built in a more slow and traditional manner in order for his career to progress.

My suggestion would be to turn him face, drop all the destiny speeches and go for the IC title, and probably draft him to SmackDown too. The US title would be too much of a depush for him.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Modern wrestling fans aren't used to what Del Rio is bringing. He's an old style wrestler who generates heat during a match by telling a story, rather than going for high flying moves or hitting spots to secure victory. He wrestles the way top guys used to before we were born. If you watch some of the people in the front rows at Raw and Smackdown, you see that they have no patience watching two guys work a match; they're more excited by the pyrotechnics they see at the beginning of the show.

Given this, I don't know if there's a place for Del Rio. I enjoy his stuff, but many of you don't. I can't see him as a good guy; his sneaky tactics and intricate maneuvers don't fit the face persona......and if you don't like him as a bad guy, there's nowhere else for him to go.

Maybe Del Rio needs to keep his ring repertoire the same, but get people to hate him with even more bad deeds. Perhaps he could use a female valet to stir up trouble on his behalf. Or maybe they should get Ricardo Rodriguez even more involved, which events at the Rumble indicate might already be happening.

The promos he did from the hacienda before he debuted were an indication he was going to function as a character out of the past. I think he's just fine as he is, but if he can't generate heat from today's wrestling fans, a change is needed......or, at least a few tweaks.

 

[Shotaro]

I agree, Del Rio is a wrestler who was born a Generation or two too late. Nowadays he needs to be able to do decent mic-work. The matches where he has time to work are usually very high quality but he seems to be lacking the it factor modern audiences are clamouring for.

As for Ted DiBiase, he needs a make or break chance, his father is a legend for a reason and all Ted would need to do is sit down with his father to learn how to be more effective. I am certain DiBiase Sr would help Jr if he was in a make or break situation and frankly I think that's what Ted needs to succeed

 

[pkrebel]

to be honest I never seen much in Del Rio (character wise) and I think they should have him start his way up to the top again, have him fued for the IC/US title for a few months and tweak his character because his character before he went was very stale and I just weren't in to it when he became wwe champion

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Modern wrestling fans aren't used to what Del Rio is bringing. He's an old style wrestler who generates heat during a match by telling a story, rather than going for high flying moves or hitting spots to secure victory. He wrestles the way top guys used to before we were born. If you watch some of the people in the front rows at Raw and Smackdown, you see that they have no patience watching two guys work a match; they're more excited by the pyrotechnics they see at the beginning of the show.

Given this, I don't know if there's a place for Del Rio. I enjoy his stuff, but many of you don't. I can't see him as a good guy; his sneaky tactics and intricate maneuvers don't fit the face persona......and if you don't like him as a bad guy, there's nowhere else for him to go.

Maybe Del Rio needs to keep his ring repertoire the same, but get people to hate him with even more bad deeds. Perhaps he could use a female valet to stir up trouble on his behalf. Or maybe they should get Ricardo Rodriguez even more involved, which events at the Rumble indicate might already be happening.

The promos he did from the hacienda before he debuted were an indication he was going to function as a character out of the past. I think he's just fine as he is, but if he can't generate heat from today's wrestling fans, a change is needed......or, at least a few tweaks.

I agree, Del Rio is a wrestler who was born a Generation or two too late. Nowadays he needs to be able to do decent mic-work. The matches where he has time to work are usually very high quality but he seems to be lacking the it factor modern audiences are clamouring for.

As for Ted DiBiase, he needs a make or break chance, his father is a legend for a reason and all Ted would need to do is sit down with his father to learn how to be more effective. I am certain DiBiase Sr would help Jr if he was in a make or break situation and frankly I think that's what Ted needs to succeed

I know that a lot of people think of the fast paced high flying style when they think of Lucha Libre, and they do have some spectacular matches that way but there is also a lot of technical wrestling, which is what made him such an over face in Mexico.

For whatever reason the move sets that people use in American wrestling are almost reversed in Mexico. The faces use a very slow, methodical technical style, where as many of those who use that style in America are heels in todays business. The heels in Lucha often use a style based around brawling. Mic work is also less important in Mexico so in Mexico he made a great face but here in the States he is still adapting. Like you guys said, twenty years ago he would have transitioned flawlessly.

 

[theBec2101]

Alberto Del Rio, I think needs a whole new gimmick. It's like he is the Mexican version of JBL. He comes out in a luxury car, has a towel around his neck, Del Rio has an announcer and JBL had a driver (granite he want really part of the work). Seriously it is the same thing, all Rio needs is some kind of hat.

I would turn him face only because he doesn’t come off as a heel, more of just and asshole which doesn’t make you a heel just someone we don’t want to see. He needs better mic skills and hopefully he gives up on the whole destiny thing. Another story line would be great to. I still say if you want him to be heel put him in a stable. You can team him up with Hunico and that other guy. Storyline could be like hired hit men or bodyguards. Even put him with Primo and Epico a new version of LWO. Something, stables help.