Alberto Del Rio's Finisher Stops Him from Getting over with the WWE Universe

If a marketing man were to draw up the perfect wrestler to breakthrough into today's WWE, Alberto Del Rio would be that superstar.

Del Rio stands at 6'5", which is the ideal size for a traditional main event superstar, while his familiar lineage as a second generation wrestler gives him credence in the eyes of older fans.

The Mexican star is also a classically trained amateur wrestler who medalled at the Pan American Games, and then went on to have a brief MMA career before taking up the Lucha Libre style.

This makes Del Rio perfect for the modern world of American professional wrestling, which utilizes amateur wrestling and striking for the majority of the match until commercial breaks and the finish where a spectacular, over-the-top, spot is required.    

Del Rio starts to look like a gift from the wrestling gods when intangibles like possessing natural charisma, having an undeniable in-ring presence, and being able to garner a strong reaction from the crowd are added to the mix.

So why has Alberto Del Rio never been able to get over with the WWE audience?

Several suggestions have been made in the past.

The most popular one was the 'This is my destiny' catchphrase, which became repetitive quickly, but that has been dropped for several months now with little change to his popularity.

Another thought was that Del Rio was not strong enough on the mic, possibly because he was not speaking in his native tongue, but that has been less and less of a factor over recent months. If anything Del Rio's facial reactions and comedy timing, alongside personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez, have been some of the brightest spots on recent shows.

The other significant opinion was that Del Rio was pushed too hard with an unpopular gimmick. The gimmick, as a rich aristocrat, had been successful in the past and he was pushed so forcibly because someone had to fill the void where a top heel should have been.

This means that problem is likely to be elsewhere.

Weirdly, the issue may lie in Del Rio's finisher. It might seem a peculiar reason to bring to the fore, but the armbar finisher does have a limiting factor in the way a match can progress.  

Most wrestlers look to wear their opponents down with technical moves, or use power moves to physically beat down their opponents. Despite only being issued with a small catalogue of potential moves, most wrestlers can create different combinations to keep their matches feeling fresh and different.

Del Rio suffers from monotonous matches compared to the rest of the locker room as he is limited to attacking the arm so he can secure his finisher.

This issue cannot be identified by watching just one match, as Del Rio's technical ability is very effective at selling that type of assault, but fans are easily bored. Some fans may not even realize why they are bored of Del Rio's matches, but there is a good chance that these restrictions are the source of the frustration.  

Wrestlers using leg locks, such as the anklelock used by Kurt Angle, should have the same limitations but this is the difference between the presentation of the submissions. Both the anklelock and armbar can break bones and ruin tendons if applied in real life but the anklelock is deployed as a struggle submission.

The lock creates great pain and will, if applied for long enough, break the bone. It is up to the person being submitted to judge if they can get to the rope before pain overwhelms them or something breaks.

The armbar has no struggle to it, as the move can only be reversed before it is locked in. The wrestler who is on the receiving end is on their back making it difficult to get to the rope, and movement is only likely to cause more damage.

Some false excitement cannot be interjected either, as escaping the armbar once it is fully applied tends to look particularly fake and that has a negative effect on both performers.

This means there is far more drama when the anklelock is applied as there is always the chance that wrestler will survive and make the bottom rope, which is more exciting for the crowd. The application of the armbar means the match is over, which leaves many fans feeling flat, and that anticlimactic emotion has an effect on how people perceive Del Rio.

Ultimately this may well be a good thing for Del Rio as the addition of a second complimentary finishing move could solve many of his issues. Not only would it add the excitement that is sorely missing from the armbar, but it would also open up more of his arsenal in the ring.

Del Rio still has a great deal of potential and a good chance of being the big star that the WWE anticipated him being when he joined the company. It might just be the smallest tweak to his move set that paves the way.