Alberto Del Rio Defeated at WrestleMania: What's Next for the Smackdown Star?

According to WWE, historically speaking, 70 percent of the wrestlers who have won the Royal Rumble match have gone on to win the championship of their choosing at wrestling's biggest event of the year: WrestleMania.

Though after Edge defeated Alberto Del Rio at this year's event in Atlanta, that statistic may drop a point or two.

The match proved to be one that was not without interference, as Del Rio's NXT rookie Brodus Clay would get involved and give his mentor the opportunity to lock in his signature cross armbreaker submission hold. The World Heavyweight Champion would use his experience to find his way out of the deadly maneuver and counter into his own submission hold, an inverted Sharpshooter.

Edge's old tag team partner Christian would eliminate Brodus from the equation with a DDT outside the ring and allow Edge the perfect time to deliver the spear that would put Del Rio down for the three count.

The Mexican superstar seemed to be getting quite a significant push from WWE management, with the surprising Royal Rumble victory and building the character of Del Rio so to see him lose at WrestleMania proved to be a bit counterproductive.

One could argue that perhaps this feud may continue after 'Mania considering the damage Edge and Christian did to Clay and Del Rio, as well as the latter's Rolls Royce after the match concluded. If this feud were to continue, it would most likely be until the next pay-per-view event in order either continue to build up Del Rio as a rising heel character or even for him to gain the belt and become champion.

With the recent rumors of Rey Mysterio leaving the company, Smackdown is in need of another superstar worthy of competing for the championship, and it seems that Del Rio is the man the WWE is looking to place in that upper echelon of competitors.

With the way things have played out at 'Mania and over the months leading to the spectacle, one could argue that the most likely scenario is that Del Rio and Clay continue to feud with Edge and Christian. This could lead to a possible reunion of the great Canadian tag team on Smackdown and some interesting storyline twists that would keep the feud interesting for the weeks to come before the next pay-per-view event.

If the feud is to continue, the reasoning behind it would seem to allow further time to build both Clay and Del Rio along with providing an appropriate pay-per-view for the latter to win the title. Given all that Edge has given to WWE it would've seemed a bit cold to have him put over a relatively new superstar at the biggest event of the year. However, having Edge put over his rival at a smaller event would seem like a respectable and plausible move given the events after the match tonight at WrestleMania and all of the fallout that could come from those actions.