WWE WrestleMania 28: Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title?

So, we all know Daniel Bryan will retain the World Heavyweight Championship at the Elimination Chamber, right?

Let’s be honest: Randy Orton’s absence has left the SmackDown match with no other real options to win the title and main-event WrestleMania 28.

Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett have taken too many defeats in the past weeks, not exactly the build-up a future world champion should get.

Santino Marella is clearly very popular, but nobody sees him as main-event material.

The Great Khali? Hell no.

We already know that Big Show is headed to a match with Shaquille O’Neal at WM 28; I don’t think it will be for a belt.

In addition to that, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus already had a match this week and the way it ended provides the Great White a good reason to go for the World Heavyweight Championship instead of the WWE title.

A bit too predictable, isn’t it?

Since The Great Khali was announced as a participant in this match many have expected—and wished—him to be taken out by a surprise return; now that Santino has replaced Orton, the SmackDown chamber looks really weak.

But what if we do get a surprise entrant? How about one guy who already returned in house shows and is a two-time WWE Champion?

Yes, I’m thinking about Alberto Del Rio.

The Mexican Aristocrat already main-evented WrestleMania last year as Royal Rumble winner, although he couldn’t take Edge’s World Heavyweight Championship.

Coincidentally, one year earlier Edge had been the Royal Rumble winner and also lost the match for the WHC.

Del Rio is definitely a credible enough star to enter the chamber and leave it as new champion.

To be honest, I would take Sheamus vs. Del Rio over Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan without a doubt.

It’s not because Del Rio is Mexican and so am; it’s the match just seems more even, while Bryan would just keep weaseling like he has done in the past two months against Mark Henry and Big Show.

Also, there are two details that make me thing this could actually happen:

1) The WWE attributed Orton’s absence from the Elimination Chamber to a concussion caused by Bryan; do we really expect The Viper to do nothing about it?

After his feuds with Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett, there is no clear opponent for Orton heading to WrestleMania, so starting a feud with Bryan would make sense.

Sure, Teddy Long could add Orton to the WHC match and make it a triple threat, but I just don’t like the idea.

2) Despite being a RAW Superstar, Del Rio has made his return in SmackDown house shows—in which he has faced Sheamus in an arm wrestling challenge.

It could be just that the WWE decided to put Alberto in those shows to add star power to the decimated SmackDown roster, but it could also be a way of testing the chemistry between him and the Celtic Warrior.

Allegedly, Del Rio hasn’t been cleared to compete, but it has been two months since he got injured and then the WWE reported that he would be out between four and six weeks; I really doubt he is not ready to wrestle yet.

Also, we know Sheamus has gotten a Cena/Orton-like booking in the past months, not losing cleanly since his match against Mark Henry at SummerSlam, which he lost by count-out.

Who was the last man to actually pin the Great White? It was Alberto Del Rio, on the October 14th edition of SmackDown.

Maybe it’s his destiny to do that again.

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