Alberto Del Rio is far from the first WWE Superstar to "hit the ground running" in the upper echelon of WWE upon arrival. In fact, given the push he's received since his debut in August 2010, it's nothing short of amazing that WWE held off on bestowing upon him a world title until the end of his rookie year: Del Rio won the 2011 Royal Rumble, earning a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania, but it wasn't until winning a Money in the Bank contract that the Mexican aristocrat was able to achieve his so-called destiny.
The Super-Push Problem
In recent years, WWE has had a tendency to place massive emphasis on incoming talent that they feel may be the next hot ticket. Whether trying to expand into a new market, or due to lack of faith in existing talent, these pushes result in too much pressure being put on a new talent who, like a high school athlete brought straight to the majors, is never given a real chance and more often than not flounders.
Drew McIntyre, for instance, came into WWE as "the Chosen One," hand-picked by Mr. McMahon to be a future champion. Although he began his push in the midcard, it was obvious WWE planned on making him a big name. Except McIntyre never caught on, and now is rarely seen on television.
Another potent example is Wade Barrett, NXT standout and former leader of the Nexus and Corre groups. Barrett spent much of 2010 feuding with John Cena and Randy Orton over the WWE Championship. Now, despite a reign with the Intercontinental title, he is in midcard limbo. More shocking, in a recent match with Cena on Raw, a man he'd stood on almost even ground with a year ago, Barrett was unable to mount even a single offensive maneuver.
Once management derails a push, it usually takes years to rebuild these talents as credible contenders. Orton, who won his first world championship at age 24, is a lucky success story, although it took until 2009 for him to finally be seen as a legitimate champion. Sheamus, too, appears to be recovering from his bad bout of "too much, too soon." However, most Superstars, such as Carlito and MVP, go on to lead mediocre careers before seeking greener pastures.
Rotating Titles and Rental Cars
Alberto Del Rio's first WWE Championship win was immensely anticlimactic: following a stellar match between Cena and CM Punk, Kevin Nash assaulted Punk and Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to steal the title. The ensuing feud between Cena and the new champion was unimaginative and did nothing to protect the fledgling champion: Cena called Del Rio out on his high-priced rental cars, and said he wasn't deserving of the championship. The former was a weak, pointless insult, while the latter was proven true when Cena won the title back at Night of Champions. Del Rio, who couldn't defeat Edge at WrestleMania or win a championship except through picking the bones of another man's assault, couldn't survive through his first title defense.
And yet, a matter of weeks later, Del Rio regained the title at Hell in a Cell. The WWE Championship has been passed around like in a game of hot potato since May. Some men are cheated out of their deserved spot, like Punk; others, such as Mysterio and Del Rio, come off as "not having what it takes" to be a champion. And yet, how is Del Rio supposed to grow into a future superstar if his championship runs are already tainted by illegitimacy?
Where Does WWE Go From Here?
Unlike Sheamus, Del Rio didn't lose his first championship in a brutal multi-man match to protect his legitimacy. He lost one-on-one, and now it seems obvious that it's only a matter of time before he loses the title again. Barring a reign reminiscent of JBL in 2004, wherein the champion has a chance of earning some grudging measure of respect from the fans through tenacity in retaining the title by any means possible, there is likely no good outcome for Del Rio: he's already lost most of the wind in his sails. When he loses the belt, he will likely fall to the wayside and spend years attempting to rebuild to championship contention. The bulk of Del Rio's potential was wasted by WWE's recklessness and impatience.
As for Cena? Although he is constantly winning the championship, his inability to keep it has done nothing except hurt his character these last several months. He may not recover the lost ground before his WrestleMania confrontation with The Rock, no matter how many more title reigns he racks up along the way.
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