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Where to now, Alberto Del Rio?

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Alberto Del Rio has the World Heavyweight Championship, a personal ring announcer and a fleet of luxurious cars filled with luxurious scarves. A storm's coming, though, and it's anybody's guess where La Esencia de la Excelencia will be when it clears.

Normally, a world title victory is a sign a wrestler is a key part of a promotion's long-term plans, solidifying his place in the company and the industry.

Alberto Del Rio, in winning the World Heavyweight Championship from The Big Show, has done anything but that.

While Del Rio's title win will be a big story come Monday's Raw, it's doubtful he holds onto the belt for too long. Dolph Ziggler still has the Money In the Bank Briefcase and could cash it in on Del Rio at any time. Furthermore, he's held onto the briefcase for longer than anyone in the company's history, so is expected to use it soon. No offense to 'Berto, but Ziggler vs. Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship isn't a match that's going to draw money, or get the company any kind of buzz.

More likely than not, Del Rio is going to drop the belt, and it's going to happen soon. Just what will happen to him after that, though, is anyone's guess.

The most obvious, and thus likely, course of events would see him continue to serve as a midcard babyface managed by Ricardo Rodriguez. Del Rio's a good-looking guy who can, at least in theory, draw Latino fans, something that should leave in a relatively protected spot.

That said, considering how much has already been invested into his character over the last two years, it would be a disappointment to see a three-time world title winner feuding with the likes of Damien Sandow and The Prime Time Players.

There's also the possibility of Del Rio going back to being a heel. Despite being pushed to the moon, Del Rio as a heel never really got over, and there's no reason to believe he'll do better in the future. Blame the booking, blame a lack of charisma or psychology, even blame the faces he worked with, the fact is that crowds didn't react to him when he was feuding with Edge and CM Punk, so why would they when he's pulling the same dastardly shenanigans on Kofi Kingston or face-Miz?

One possibility that hasn't been widely discussed, is getting Del Rio involved in the tag team division. While Del Rio never connected with the WWE audience the way management hoped he would, the Jerome to his Morris Day, Ricardo Rodriguez, has. Better still, Rodriguez is a talented enough worker that he can put on a solid match with anyone, something that would help a division that features quite a few botch prone workers who aren't smooth enough to regularly do singles matches.

Rodriguez and Del Rio provide a great contrast in terms of their looks and working styles, and Del Rio could get a lot of heat by coming to Ricardo's rescue and/or eventually turning on him. The soon-to-be-signed El Generico and Tyson Kidd are two of the many wrestlers who would be perfect to pair with Rodriguez, too; while Del Rio could then go back to the singles division with loads of momentum stemming from a split.

No, Alberto Del Rio probably isn't holding onto the World Heavyweight Championship for very long, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. With a little bit of luck and some careful booking, Del Rio could manage to become a bigger star, even while moving down on the card.

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Editor's Note: This FanPost has been proofed for promotion to the front page and various sections within Cageside Seats for your enjoyment, Cagesiders. This one is an excellent read, sound off in the comments if you agree, or not.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.

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