WWE News: Backstage Report on What Vince McMahon Wants from Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio received a massive push immediately upon his WWE debut, winning the Royal Rumble, Raw’s Money in The Bank match and two WWE championships within 16 months of his introduction. 

The decision to push Del Rio was well-received by some. However, it was a head scratcher for many, who couldn’t understand why Del Rio was being elevated so quickly. 

Those who disagreed with ADR’s push did so mainly because they either didn’t like that Del Rio rose to the top of the WWE so fast or weren’t a fan of Del Rio himself. For that latter group, it looks like we could see ADR changing his ways over the next several months. 

From the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via SEScoops.com): 

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Vince McMahon has been pushing Alberto Del Rio to show more “ruthless aggression” in the ring and work a more physical style.  This is the reason Del Rio has been working stiffer in recent weeks. 

RAW is lacking strong heels, with The Miz not being seen as a legitimate tough guy at this point. Vince thinks Del Rio has the size, toughness and gimmick to be a permanent main event heel, but he needs to come across as more dangerous in the ring. 

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Del Rio definitely needed to make some sort of change, and—who knows?—perhaps this could be it. 

While I was a Del Rio fan at first, the more I watched him, the more I realized that he wasn’t really a convincing heel.

I can’t quite pinpoint one thing about him that made him seem like a midcard-caliber heel as opposed to a main event one, but I guess it’s that I just don’t buy his “Mexican Aristocrat” persona and him talking about his “destiny.” 

ADR needs to completely distance himself from that gimmick. Like Vince McMahon wants, he needs to start becoming a no-nonsense heel who just beats the crap out of people. Think along the lines of a mini-Mark Henry. 

I’ve seen Del Rio in person, and he’s a lot bigger than you might think. It would benefit him to use that size to his advantage rather than being the cowardly heel like he was during his two runs as WWE champion. 

Right now, besides the fact that he’s good in the ring, ADR seems like just another heel who doesn’t really stand out from the rest of the pack. 

The mark of a great superstar is one who can adjust his gimmick when it gets stale, and Del Rio’s is like a left-open box of cereal at the moment.