With the shocking return of Alberto Del Rio, PWP’s Josh Gibbs wonders if having him back is truly best for business.
The WWE is a business and as such, real-life feuds end and personal disputes are put aside with a handshake. Some bad blood takes longer to thin (i.e. Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior) but Father Time is the ultimate equalizer. He makes us realize that the petty squabbles and macho standoffs of our youth are, in hindsight, nothing more than us wanting respect in a world where it’s harder and harder to earn. The brashness and inexperience of youth give way to wisdom and forgiveness and the industry is better for it.
Case in point, Alberto Del Rio.
Most of us remember his highly publicized exorcism from WWE last year after a backstage altercation with an employee who allegedly told a racist joke directed at Del Rio who subsequently confronted and assaulted him. While some people sided with Del Rio, arguing that he was simply standing up for himself, I firmly believe the fault and responsibility with incidents like this lies with the one who has the power.
Regardless of what was said to him, Del Rio was the one with something to lose and by choosing to respond with physical violence he allowed himself to be placed in the role of the victimizer and not the victim. There were better ways to solve this particular issue and his choice cost him a job in the WWE.
Until Hell in a Cell 2015.
There was speculation about who would come out to challenge John Cena for his U.S. Title but most of us assumed he would lose since the news of his impending absence had already broken. The question was to whom? I heard rumors of NXT star Tyler Breeze making his main roster debut. I heard Daniel Bryan may appear in a triumphant return.
All the rumors were cast aside when resident xenophobe Zeb Colter wheeled himself out and launched into what we assumed would be his familiar anti-immigrant rambling. Surely this means the introduction of a Real American, right? Jack Swagger? Cesaro? Not even close. Instead, he’s firmly on the side of Mexican superstar, Alberto Del Rio.
Wait, what?
Alberto Del Rio, the affluent foreigner who throws his wealth and talent in your face and isn’t shy about talking up his Mexican heritage and talking down to Americans. He is living the American dream and he’s not even American! The nerve! The audacity! And to make matters worse (or better if you hate John Cena), Del Rio made relatively quick work of the champ, dismantling him with ease and taking the U.S. Title in about the same amount of time as a standard Divas match.
The crowd was ecstatic to see Cena lose and those who either don’t remember or don’t care about why Del Rio was fired were happy to see him return. But the pairing of Del Rio and Colter, who is (or at least was) the embodiment of a Donald Trump supporter, still puzzles me.
Basically, WWE wants us to accept that Colter went from being a staunch jingoist to advocating globalization and merging the U.S. and Mexico (Meximerica) because…reasons.
I really enjoyed watching Del Rio in Lucha Underground (as Alberto El Patron) because the gritty realism displayed in that promotion seemed closer to who he really is as he carries a confidence that only comes from being part of wrestling royalty. Lucha Underground had a more rough and tumble atmosphere and you can see that style playing out in Del Rio’s first few matches back in WWE.
As Cole & Co. reminded us this past Monday during RAW, Del Rio is the son of famous luchador Dos Caras and nephew of Mexican lucha libre legend Mil Mascaras (1000 Masks) who is one of the “Big Three” of the lucha libre tradition (along with El Santo and Blue Demon). He popularized and introduced this style of wrestling to fans around the world and somehow also found time to star in over 20 films in his home country. He is a cultural ambassador for Mexico and has appeared on three postage stamps.
It seems that Alberto Del Rio may have inherited at least some parts of his fiery attitude from his famous uncle. Mascaras was said to be notoriously unwilling to sell his opponent’s moves or help put them over during matches. Both Mick Foley and Chris Jericho confirmed this aspect of Mascaras’ personality in their respective books and as recently as 2012, JBL said during a pay-per-view in which Del Rio was participating that Mascaras was “the most egomaniacal, selfish human being that ever lived.” Knowing JBL, this was probably a compliment.
Mascaras never denied these claims and instead embraced them by attributing his actions to the overall culture of Mexican lucha libre, which takes the sport of professional wrestling just as serious as Americans take professional football. Speaking to Filmfax Magazine in 2012 Mascaras said, “One problem is that in the U.S. some wrestlers focus more on their image than their skills.
I understand because I understand the business. I don’t criticize them for that, but they should understand that for me wrestling means something more. If a guy doesn’t execute a move, I don’t pretend that he did. If I miss a move, then I don’t ask anyone to make me look good.” You can see this tradition carried on in the way Del Rio wrestles. He is focused on ensuring each move is executed properly and deliberately.
Whether or not Del Rio can conduct himself professionally remains to be seen. With both Cena and Randy Orton gone, WWE needed a big name to fill the void but Del Rio has a sordid past with the WWE which goes beyond just the employee altercation. He is notoriously difficult to work with and by his own admission he had pay issues with WWE. He felt as though he deserved more and would simply walk out if necessary to get what he believed was owed to him. In his own words, Del Rio claimed to have told a top WWE official, “I was someone before you and I will be someone after you.” He also said, “I don’t need WWE.” Sure, this was last year and may have just been post-firing sour grapes, but hey, in vino veritas.
My concern is that it won’t be long before something else happens and Del Rio threatens to run back to Mexico or Lucha Underground, who would both welcome him with open arms. The WWE routinely puts itself in these compromising positions by granting so much power and leeway to a single superstar because they are (or were) a major draw.
This is the same reason Brock Lesnar was able to dictate his own terms when he chose WWE over UFC or why Chris Jericho can work such a varied schedule. There was never a doubt in my mind Lesnar would choose WWE because Vince McMahon was giving him the keys to the kingdom and everything else he wanted just so he would stay and become the face of the franchise. Similarly, in the corporate world, having the right company director can provide the leadership and vision necessary to drive a business to success.
Alberto Del Rio is a solid talent who can draw a ton of heat while also delivering some enjoyable matches. I just hope he realizes that if he again claims to not need WWE, that kind of attitude may cause his spot on the roster to fall when Cena and Orton return.
If you’re going to pin your hopes on someone, make sure that person isn’t a balloon ready to burst.
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