WWE over the Limit 2012: The Inconvenient Truth About Alberto Del Rio

With WWE's May pay-per-view offering Over the Limit just four days away, Alberto Del Rio will once again challenge for one of the company's two top prizes, this one being the World Heavyweight Championship.

And once again, fans will not care.

The fact of the matter is that Alberto Del Rio is a tremendous in-ring worker. No one, this writer included, is questioning his abilities between the ropes. Del Rio's shortcomings during his WWE career thus far have absolutely nothing to do with what he brings to the table once the bell rings.

Alberto Del Rio's shortcomings are the result of a few factors, those being a creative team's mishandling of the performer and the performer himself being unable to live up to the heightened expectations set for him prior to his debut.

Let's tackle the latter first. From the moment that Del Rio first appeared on WWE television in the pre-taped video packages announcing his arrival, it was made clear that there were big plans for the Mexican star. He was pushed from the get-go, given a win over Rey Mysterio and set on a path to the World Heavyweight Championship.

That title win did not come as quickly as expected, however. Instead of hotshotting the gold to Del Rio at WrestleMania 27, the title remained with Edge, who then retired. From there, Christian would win the title in what was meant to be a "feel good" moment, and feud with Randy Orton over the title for the rest of the summer.

Del Rio would have to win Money in the Bank, then cash it in and effectively ruin the momentum gained by the WWE over the course of what would become "the summer of Punk." While he would be a featured star on Raw for the rest of 2011, fans never really bought into him as a main event performer, largely because he was unbelievable in the role and he failed to show intensity during his in-ring performances.

The creative team has failed Del Rio throughout his run, as well. A character can only talk about something being his destiny, then not achieve his destiny by winning the WWE Championship, so many times before fans no longer take them seriously. Add to it the fact that destiny remains the only real motivation for Del Rio. If after two years no one can tell you any changes or evolution the character has gone through, you have a situation where nothing has been done within creative to help the struggling character better connect with the fan base.

The fact that Del Rio's presence during the company's tours of Mexico have done little to increase or decrease attendance and revenue epitomizes disappointment.

At the end of the day, Del Rio was not, and is not, the performer the company thought he was. More comparable to Chris Benoit than a multifaceted performer such as Chris Jericho or Eddie Guerrero, Del Rio is a hell of a hand between the ropes, but incapable of carrying a show through strong mic skills and charisma. The band of writers currently working for the company, at the same time, is not talented enough or experienced enough in the business of professional wrestling to make up for the performer's shortcomings. Add it all up and it is a recipe for disappointment and mediocrity.

But Alberto Del Rio will once again challenge for a major championship Sunday at Over the Limit. He will probably continue to challenge for the same title for months to come. But as we have seen in the past, all of the time and energy devoted to making him a major star in the industry will be for very little return on the investment.

Sometimes, that is just how it is.