Alberto Del Rio Ditching Zeb Colter Frees Him Up to Reach Full Potential

The alliance with Zeb Colter was a narrative albatross weighing Alberto Del Rio down, one WWE wisely blew up with a single explosion. 

MexAmerica's abrupt death allows Del Rio to regrow his fangs, become a more compelling heel and shake off a disappointing 2015. Fans are set to see the United States champion thrive, no longer shackled by an ill-advised storyline.

Del Rio's return has been stunted from the get-go. Partnering him with Colter never made sense. 

When the manager rolled out onto the entrance ramp at Hell in a Cell and announced Del Rio would answer John Cena's challenge, it felt like WWE was just going for a shocking moment no one could see coming rather than a sustainable angle. Colter and Del Rio had long been enemies. Those two shaking hands was one of the night's most stunning images.

But that's where the excitement ended.

Colter would then come out each week and talk about a new nation he and Del Rio had formed—MexAmerica. It was never clear what the heels' plans were for building the fictional country. And at first, with all their talk of unity and diplomacy, the duo offered no reason to root against it.

Next came the repetitious finger-poking at "haters."

Del Rio looked uncomfortable throughout. He stood next to his flag-waving compatriot trying to look menacing. Every once in a while, he'd chime in himself, adding a line or two to the inane act. 

The combination flopped. This was Ricardo-Rodriguez-managing-Rob-Van-Dam bad.

There was no chemistry between the two. Beyond that, just where could this story have gone? What would prompt babyfaces to want to come after them, to war against a team trying to bridge two countries?

On Monday's Raw, WWE made it clear it agreed. It yanked out the plug.

After tripping on Colter's Rascal, Del Rio berated Colter in the back. He growled in his face, threatening to smash him with a steel chair. And with that, MexAmerica was disbanded. 

This was by no means a smooth transition out of the story, but a necessary one. As Daily DDT pointed out, WWE had clearly realized its mistake:

Del Rio has to be elated. That enraged exchange with Colter alone was miles better than any mic work he's done since returning this year. He was vicious, fearsome and cold-blooded, showing the most fire we've seen from him in a long while.

Donald Wood of Bleacher Report and Ring Rust Radio was among those to salute the immediate improvement:

It looks as if Del Rio will focus now on being a part of The League of Nations. Colter can now join up with Jack Swagger again. And in both cases, those situations are better fits.

Del Rio can now have a clearer, more engaging rhetoric. Gone will be the talk of MexAmerica closing its phantom borders, and in its place Del Rio can boast about his faction's dominance and/or America's ineptitude.

The foreigner heel dynamic is nothing new, but it's a tried-and-true narrative that can serve as a foundation for where Del Rio is headed next. 

Credit: WWE.com

Being a part of The League of Nations also likely means he will be asked to talk less. The group has a strong mic worker in King Barrett and a leader in Sheamus who has dominated the faction's promo time so far. That leaves Del Rio free to concentrate on laying out babyfaces with his allies at his side, to do more wrestling than ranting.

That alone is a big win for Del Rio. Incessant speeches are not his forte; kicking people in the head is.

Expect Del Rio's character to improve post-Colter. He has long been at his best when he's indignant and sadistic, a merciless predator tearing his claws against someone's flesh.

Fans saw that when he slapped Ray Gonzalez's son in an angle for WWC, throttled Cena following an arm wrestling contest or whipped Rodriguez.

That kind of moment didn't happen often enough during his time with Colter. The two allies were too busy trying explain their ridiculous angle. And it required lengthy discussions that got in the way of properly showcasing Del Rio.

With that now pushed aside, Del Rio can be a more traditional heel. He won't leave the audience as confused as he and Colter had.

Cutting ties with Colter swings open the door for the United States titleholder. As part of a high-profile faction and allowed to be a more fitting version of himself, expect him to flourish. That begins with a chair-centric beatdown of Swagger at TLC.

It's by no means a match WWE has built up well, but it's Del Rio's chance to showcase his penchant for cruelty. Leaving Swagger out cold by way of bending steel chairs across his back will kick start the next stage of Del Rio's run.

Just as he left MexAmerica in ruin, he needs to do the same to Swagger, rediscovering his destructive powers, erasing the memory of the past few months, one chair shot at a time.