Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Alberto Del Rio Held Back by Poor Writing

1. Why Should We Root Against Alberto Del Rio?

In a world of heroes and villains, black hats and white hats, Del Rio is stuck in limbo between WWE's two extremes. He is a heel with no heat, a scoundrel in name only.

WWE hasn't painted a clear enough picture of who Del Rio is since his return to the company. Confusion has hung over his comeback from the get-go. 

At Hell in a Cell, Zeb Colter rode out to announce that it would be Del Rio who would take up John Cena on his latest open challenge for the United States Championship. When we last saw Colter, he was defending America against a Russian monster. He was a flag-waving patriot willing to put himself at risk for love of country.

That's not exactly the guy you want to pair a heel with to kick-start his latest run.

He and Del Rio now seek to build a new nation, one where Mexico and the United States merge. And it's not as if he's attempting to do so by some villainous means. His message is one of peace.

On Monday's Raw, he told his old ally, "It's time for reconciliation. It's time to unite, not divide."

This is miles away from the xenophobic stance he once took alongside Jack Swagger. Back then, it was clear why he and the man he managed were heels. He was intolerant, racist, disparaging. 

WWE has wiped that away and asked the crowd to still consider him a bad guy.

The purpose of then aligning him with Del Rio is unclear. He's not spitting hateful rhetoric to churn up dislike for the U.S. champ; he's sounding quite reasonable instead.

And WWE hasn't scripted anything dastardly for Del Rio either. Del Rio is a heel only in the sense that he's pitted against the babyfaces, as he has so far taken down Neville and R-Truth.

He defeated Cena within the rules. He has not cheated in any of his other wins. He hasn't assaulted anybody backstage or roughed up any referees. The only heel-like move he has made is being extra-aggressive in the ring.

That's nearly enough.

Del Rio can't succeed without a clearer role. Unless he starts to say and do things to generate hate, he can't be an effective heel. 

Credit: WWE.com

Fans are going to be too busy trying to sort out where Del Rio stands to invest in what he's doing.

The audience is not supposed to like Kevin Owens because he won his title by way of an illegal eye rake. He is boastful and taunts his foes mid-match. He retreats when things get tough and has abandoned a number of tag team partners.

Those are all clear heel traits. Del Rio is left to play a similar role without any of those characteristics. WWE has to give him more to work with, either painting him as someone more worthy of our disdain or moving his character in the opposite direction.

Right now, Del Rio is not inspiring cheers or boos, but head-scratching instead.

2. Bray Wyatt, The Man of .500 Truths

For Wyatt to be the monster he so often claims to be, WWE has to make a commitment to him in terms of wins and losses. 

He's a soul-devouring deity, a sadist with a band of man-mountains behind him, but his record turns him into something less scary. While WWE portrays Brock Lesnar as nearly unbeatable, Wyatt is made to look average.

According to CageMatch.net, The Eater of Worlds has just a .536 winning percentage this year. And starting with his battle at WrestleMania XXX against Cena, Wyatt is just 7-7 in pay-per-view matches other than the Royal Rumble.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

While he came out on top in his feuds with Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose, he has also fallen short to Cena, Roman Reigns and Undertaker in other rivalries. Going 2-3 in rivalries isn't exactly the path to generating fear.

Wyatt is now poised to battle The Deadman again. This is WWE's chance to truly showcase Wyatt, to force fans to take him seriously. Otherwise, he may have to start calling himself The New Face of Mediocrity.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: William Regal 

Fans hoping for a brief comeback from Regal at NXT TakeOver: London were deflated in a hurry when he posted a graphic photo following his neck surgery (NSFW).

There is no way that man will be ready to wrestle by December.

We will instead have to settle for reliving Regal's past. A clip of him during his WCW days (he was known as Lord Steven Regal back then) is a reminder of just how good a snobby heel he was:

His disgust at all the low-class elements of the wrestling world always felt so genuine. And he seemed to truly believe all the boasting he did.

Tyler Breeze, a promising narcissistic, holier-than-thou heel himself, would be smart to spend some time studying Regal's work.

4. Cesaro, One-Man Wrestling Exhibition

If WWE isn't going to give Cesaro a storyline that actually advances him or the push that his fanbase have been demanding, he'll apparently just be a showcase of wrestling talent, a one-man athletic circus.

He has taken to wowing crowds with his robust array of moves, some of which are clearly more for show than a part of his in-ring strategy. 

On Monday's Raw, in a battle against The Miz, he escaped a wrist lock via five consecutive kip-ups. His new habit of rattling off a series of running European uppercuts is a crowd-pleaser, as is his Cesaro Swing, a move that first helped him get noticed.

It doesn't look like Cesaro is going to make progress up the WWE ladder by way of the company's support. It's going to be a case of his having a blast in the ring like he has been of late to propel his popularity.

5. Stu Hart International?

A wrestling legend could be honored in unique fashion. WWE is supporting a Change.org petition to name the Calgary International Airport after the patriarch of the famed Hart wrestling family.

Hart trained countless wrestlers in his famed "dungeon" and was at the helm of Stampede Wrestling for nearly 40 years. His contributions to Canadian wrestling were enough to earn him an Order of Canada pin in 2001.

Perhaps the late grappler's family will now see his name on an airport.

6. The Return of the Jobber

The expectation of today's wrestling fans is that every match be competitive. The star-versus-jobber bout had mostly vanished. Those one-sided contests were real chances to elevate a wrestler.

They were resume-padders and a means to introduce newcomers.

NXT has returned to that tradition. Squash matches against no-name opponents are how the developmental brand built up The Ascension, welcomed Baron Corbin and more recently showcased James Storm and Nia Jax.

It's a useful part of the wrestling landscape. 

Wrestlers like Jax can use these dominant wins to begin strong. And it makes sense for them to eat up those residing at the bottom of the food chain before slowly climbing up the rankings.

WWE would be wise to bring back this strategy to some extent on Raw and SmackDown. It allows the writing team to hand someone a win without the risk of hurting others in need of their own pushes.

7. A Familiar Face

On Monday's Raw, Paige won her way into a title match against Charlotte at Survivor Series.

That's certainly not anything new. WWE has kept a short rotation in terms of who resides in the Divas Championship picture. 

Credit: WWE.com

Survivor Series will mark the 17th straight PPV or WWE Network special featuring a Divas title match with either Nikki Bella or Paige involved, as noted by TheHistoryofWWE.com. That streak stretches back to Feb. 23, 2014 at Elimination Chamber, where AJ Lee and Cameron were fighting over the gold.

Moving forward, WWE has to remember that it now boasts a deep women's division. Variety at the top will keep things fresh.

8. Samoa Joe's Pre-WWE Hit List

At NXT, Joe has had strong matches against Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin and Rhyno but has yet to have a classic at his new home. 

To get a better of idea of what The Samoan Submission Machine is capable of, one has to dip into his past. He's had some tremendous showings that rank among the best bouts in both TNA and Ring of Honor history.

Be sure to check out these thrillers:

• Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk: Ring of Honor Joe vs. Punk II
• Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi: Ring of Honor Joe vs. Kobashi
• Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles: TNA Turning Point 2005
• Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle: TNA Lockdown 2008 (Six Sides of Steel)
• Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels: TNA Turning Point 2009

Joe had tremendous chemistry with Punk, Angle and Styles. He hasn't yet found that perfect foil at NXT, however. He's been tasked more with working with younger talents, playing in-ring professor.

Should his and Finn Balor's issues progress, though, that showdown promises to be Joe's best shot at adding another gem to his resume.

9. Women's Division in Need of Non-Title Feuds

With Paige and Charlotte now set to clash for the right to wear gold, WWE can't forget about the rest of the division. The company has a bad habit of zeroing in on the latest champion-versus-challenger battle and not telling stories elsewhere.

There are a number of promising possibilities to supplement Charlotte vs. Paige.

Have Becky Lynch prove herself against Sasha Banks. Have Naomi, Tamina and Banks and Natalya go at it, building on Team B.A.D.'s recent attack of the former champ.

There needs to be a narrative involving the next challenger's rise to the No. 1 contender's spot. Should Banks make her way past Natalya and Lynch and then Paige, WWE would set itself up for a huge match with her and Charlotte.

It takes an early commitment, though, to start building that arc. And along the way, fans are sure to see some eye-catching action, as well.

10. "Stone Cold" Shares Some Wisdom

Steve Austin spits out wrestling knowledge habitually. His latest bit of invaluable advice is something WWE should post on the walls at the Performance Center.

On performing in the ring, he told Brian Fritz of The Buzzer, "It's not about pushing the envelope at 100 miles an hour. It's about establishing an identity and a character and having people believe in you whether they love you or they hate you, they despise you, they adore you, they feel your pain and buy into what you're doing."

That sums up the wrestler's goal beautifully. Too often, performers today are more focused on hitting that highlight move than making a real connection with the audience. Austin's words are a reminder of where the real focus should be.