Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Alberto Del Rio Will Be Better Off Following WWE Exit

1. A New Chapter Ahead for Del Rio 

Alberto Del Rio won't have to search long for a silver lining after splitting from WWE. He is about to go from frustrated midcarder in one world to marquee name in another, as he did in 2014.

The Pride of Mexico will be free to rule the independent circuit, to explore his options in Japan and be a megastar back home once more.

Dave Meltzer reported on F4WOnline.com that Del Rio and WWE are set to part ways: "Sources say he and WWE have come to terms on a release, leaving him free to work in Mexico and internationally imminently."

MLW Radio offered more details about the timing of the situation:

And so the strained marriage between Del Rio and WWE ends again. Two years ago, an incident backstage led to his firing. This time around, Del Rio ended a disappointed tenure with a 30-day suspension for violating the company's wellness policy.

He can't have been happy how his return to WWE has gone. After an exciting re-emergence, Del Rio found himself in the middle of a number of failed ideas.

After rejoining the company at Hell in a Cell 2015, Del Rio won the United States Championship, but his reign will mostly be remembered for the painfully bad partnership that accompanied it. Zeb Colter served as his manager as part of a misguided angle.

The two former enemies talked of forming their own nation—MexAmerica. Colter and Del Rio had zero chemistry. The concept never clicked.

Del Rio soon joined forces with Rusev, Sheamus and Wade Barrett as The League of Nations.

The faction never grew into anything. Del Rio and his crew mostly played the part of stepping stones to Roman Reigns. Like his alliance with Colter, The League of Nations only hurt Del Rio's momentum.  

He then became just another guy on the roster. Any hope of being a major player for the company seemed far-fetched.

WWE had him lose on a regular basis. According to CageMatch.net. he had just a .326 winning percentage this year, the lowest of his career. That's a clear indication of where he stood with WWE.

What lies ahead promises to be more fulfilling. It's time again for Del Rio to be on the top tier, to be the centerpiece for other companies.

After WWE fired him two years ago, Del Rio wrestled for Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground and Mexico's Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion (AAA), each promotion laying out a red carpet for him.

The Pride of Mexico won the the AAA Mega Championship and the Lucha Libre World Cup. He was quickly pushed to title contention at ROH. At Lucha Underground, his arrival was sold as an Earth-shaking event.

That's far removed from being made Battle Royal filler or a guy who often couldn't get on the card for pay-per-views.

TNA will certainly ring him up, offering him a prominent spot. Del Rio could travel to New Japan Pro Wrestling and be a part of that respected promotion, or he can return home to Mexico, where his family's legacy is revered.

The paychecks won't be quite as hefty, but Del Rio is about to stand on center stage again. 

Success outside of Vince McMahon's circus is coming. The former world champ is among those wrestlers who don't need the WWE machine. Del Rio knows that.

He told WrestleTalkTV in 2014, "I had a big name before WWE, and I have a bigger name right now after WWE." 

2. Kevin Owens' Win by the Numbers

When Owens claimed the vacant WWE Universal Championship on Monday's Raw, he joined a number of exclusive clubs.

KO's win made him only the second universal champ in WWE history. And with the first titleholder, Finn Balor, relinquishing the belt after just one day thanks to injury, Owens is in the process of extending the longest reign in the title's short history.

Owens also became just the fourth man to win a WWE world title and the Ring of Honor World Championship. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) and Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) are the only other wrestlers on that list.

In outlasting Rollins, Big Cass and Roman Reigns on Monday night, Owens joined Rollins and Balor as one of just three Superstars to win the NXT Championship and a WWE world title.

KO also created a brand-new kind of Triple Crown champ: He is the only man to win the Intercontinental Championship, the NXT title and a WWE world title.

Given the pace with which he has won gold and climbed the ladder, there's no doubt that Owens is set to keep making history.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Mr. Fuji

Another Hall of Famer is no longer with us. WWE announced on its official website, "Harry Fujiwara, known to WWE fans as Mr. Fuji, passed away Sunday morning at the age of 82."

Many fans knew Mr. Fuji more for his work as a manager. The cackling villain accompanied The Powers of Pain, Demolition and Yokozuna as they pursued championship gold.

Fuji, though, was an accomplished wrestler before that. He flourished most in tag team action, partnering with either Masa Saito or Toru Tanaka. His heel acumen is on display in this clip from 1977:

Excuse me while I go scour old clips of Fuji stomping and headbutting the babyfaces of the '70s and '80s, with a little bit of Fuji Vice sprinkled in.

4. A Contender in the Making

Don't sleep on Tye Dillinger. Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe are creating more buzz atop the NXT ladder, but The Perfect 10 is poised to become one of the brand's key stars. 

He has harnessed the power of his cocky, showboat gimmick. The shtick fits him snugly, and it's clear he's having fun out there.

That has led to an increasingly strong connection with the crowd. Despite his low position on the card, he receives some of the loudest reactions from fans each week.

Should WWE pit him against a top-tier opponent, bet on him thriving. He's one high-profile feud away from storming into the NXT Championship picture. 

5. The Boy with a Million Faces

Four-year-old Raylan Waters doesn't watch WWE Superstars; he becomes them.

His impersonations on Instagram have caught the eye of WWE.com and ESPN. And with good reason. He has delivered spot-on, decidedly cute imitations of wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Steve Austin and Heath Slater:

Amid all the bickering and frustrations that WWE fans experience each week when the show doesn't go the way they would like, Waters' videos are a reminder that wrestling is supposed to be fun, providing a world where one can escape.

6. The Art of the Vignette Still Alive and Well 

To welcome recent signee Marty Scurll, ROH produced a haunting video. It's a simple, effective clip that makes it clear who this villain is and what his intentions are in his new home:

WWE's production team has a bigger budget and has often knocked it out of the park with hype videos, but we don't see enough pre-debut vignettes like this. 

Apollo Crews would have benefited greatly from something as powerful as the Scurll clip. We have a better idea of who Scurll is from this minute-long video than we do about Crews after months of being on WWE TV.

NXT, on the other hand, has leaned on the often-forgotten art form that is the vignette, as we have seen in teaser clips for Sanity and Ember Moon.

7. The Vaudevillains Tumbling

Aiden English and Simon Gotch have to be pining to be back in NXT. The Vaudevillains were champions, contenders and major players in the developmental brand's tag team division. On the main roster, they have been positioned as fodder.

According to CageMatch.net, Gotch and English are in the midst of a 12-match losing streak. They are 6-17 since joining the main roster and have a 0-4 pay-per-view record. 

It looks like WWE has given him up on the throwback bruisers before their rookie years are even over.  

8. An Appreciation of The Miz

The intercontinental champion's verbal dismantling of Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack last week forced the WWE fanbase to start celebrating The Miz's ability on the mic.

The often underappreciated Superstar has composed some memorable action in the ring, as well. Check out some of his best work as a reminder:

• The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan: Night of Champions 2010
• The Miz vs. Randy Orton: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2010 (Tables)
• The Miz vs. John Morrison: Raw, Jan. 3, 2011 (Falls Count Anywhere)
• The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011 (TLC) 
• The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn: Extreme Rules 2016

The Miz has often thrived most when in Triple Threat or Fatal 4-Way matches, which opens the door for fans to dismiss his accomplishments, arguing that others "carried" him. That's underplaying his role in all these bouts, though.

The self-proclaimed A-lister will never be Bryan in the ring, but he's a better overall performer than many give him credit for.

9. Time for the Monster to Up its Competition

For weeks now, Braun Strowman has torn through jobber after jobber. Wrestlers no one has heard of, from Johnny Knockout to Americo, have fallen to the big man.

WWE's strategy is clearly to paint Strowman as an unstoppable predator. It's working to a degree, but eventually the quality of his prey needs to improve. 

Modern fans will quickly grow numb to the sight of someone squashing no-name opponents. For Strowman to start really capturing the audience's attention, he needs to aim his destructive powers at midcarders.

Devouring R-Truth, Goldust and Jack Swagger will have more meaning. And because of fans' connection to these wrestlers, the sight of them in need of a stretcher will be a powerful visual, one WWE can't match with enhancement talent.

10. Bubba Ray on Owens

Far from the prototypical wrestler, Owens has long heard his share of criticism of his build and look. His success with WWE has been a steady rebuttal to his doubters.

After KO won the Universal Championship, former tag team champ Bubba Ray Dudley tweeted:

Dudley would know. Despite having a non-Adonis build himself, he went on to become one half of an iconic tag team and set up himself up for a surefire induction into the Hall of Fame. 

Stardom isn't limited to the bodybuilders.

Historical championship information courtesy of WWE.com and ROHWrestling.com.