WWE Money in the Bank 2011: Where Does Alberto Del Rio Fit In?

In 11 days, Alberto Del Rio takes part in his first-ever Money In The Bank pay-per-view. The problem is that there isn't much knowledge as to what exactly he will be at that pay-per-view.

Del Rio was announced as one of the eight Money in the Bank participants for RAW's ladder match. If Del Rio wins that briefcase, he would be given a chance to cash in a title match against the WWE Champion, who is currently John Cena.

Del Rio facing Cena has been a rumored SummerSlam main event for quite some time, so having Del Rio win and cash in quickly could set up this as a main event for SummerSlam with the WWE Championship on the line. This seemed to be a likely scenario for Del Rio, until CM Punk's worked shoot promo occurred.

CM Punk, his promo and his future in WWE is the one thing that has captivated all pro wrestling fans in the last few weeks. His promo has brought more discussion from more unlikely outlets than many other WWE story lines in recent memory.

Last week's RAW was taped the same night as CM Punk's shocking promo, meaning that his suspension and reinstatement was already making its way around wrestling sites days before it actually happened.

With that known, WWE still put on a triple threat number one contender's match on that same RAW to crown a new challenger for John Cena's WWE Championship. Del Rio competed against Rey Mysterio and R-Truth in that match, which was seldom talked about compared to the reinstatement of Punk.

All three men in the match were already a part of RAW's Money in the Bank ladder match. Logic would suggest that the winner would be pulled from the Money in the Bank ladder match in favor of the WWE Championship match, putting a new participant in the mix.

Del Rio would win the triple threat match to be named the new number one contender. Del Rio vs John Cena at Money in the Bank. Suddenly, you realize that CM Punk is reinstated and gets his match. So, what does this mean for Alberto Del Rio? Is he competing in his first Money in the Bank ladder match or is he getting his first WWE Championship match at a pay-per-view?

WWE doesn't seem to have many answers yet. There is literally no acknowledgment of the situation outside of the RAW results showing that Del Rio was the new number one contender. Considering that Del Rio's gimmick is that it is his destiny to be a world champion, his tenure in WWE, which began with vignettes on June 25 of last year, has been a little disappointing.

Del Rio has been around the title hunt for much of the last eight months. In December, his grudge match with Rey Mysterio became a part of the World Heavyweight Championship match at TLC. Del Rio would lose the match, but win the first-ever 40-man Royal Rumble in January. At WreslteMania, Del Rio's championship match would take place first, losing to Edge in Edge's final match.

Edge's retirement would push forth another WWE Draft to mix up the rosters. Del Rio was moved to Smackdown in the frenzy and did not seem to recover until recently. His feud with Big Show has seemingly been pushed onto Mark Henry in order to free Del Rio for a world title opportunity. Punk defeated Del Rio and Mysterio in a triple threat match to earn his spot, but Del Rio would win his own triple threat match to earn a new number one contender spot.

With this being the last match for CM Punk and, in storyline, a match with John Cena's career on the line, adding Del Rio would only muddy the water around this well-hyped match. Wrestling fans aren't idiots, however, so brushing Del Rio's title shot under the rug, especially if he doesn't win Money in the Bank, is only hurtful to everyone involved.

I would be interested in seeing if Del Rio wins at Money in the Bank, but I'm curious in what capacity he will be used in. Will he be used to win the briefcase and cash in on Cena after his match with Punk, sending the anti-Cena Chicago crowd home happy? Will Del Rio win the briefcase, get his title shot anyway, win the title and use the briefcase as an insurance policy? Will Del Rio lose the ladder match and lose his title shot, becoming yet another Drew McIntyre-esque casualty from WWE's creative staff?

Let me know what you think about Alberto Del Rio's situation, which will hopefully get some answers Monday night on RAW.