Alberto Del Rio's Unfortunate Booking on Monday Night RAW

As we all know, Alberto Del Rio won a contract at WWE’s Money in the Bank pay per view on July 17th, guaranteeing him a shot at the WWE Championship. Considering the fact that nearly every man who has won that briefcase has been propelled up the ladder of the company thus far, it is safe to assume that the same will happen for Del Rio.

But, there has been somewhat of a speed bump along the way.

As I watched RAW this past Monday night, and saw that Del Rio would be facing WWE Champion CM Punk, I was immediately curious.

After all, Punk is headed for his big showdown with the other WWE Champion, John Cena, this Sunday at Summerslam. The chances of Alberto Del Rio cashing in the briefcase the week before the event are pretty slim, and so I for one was left wondering why.

Why was Del Rio booked against the WWE Champion, a title that he has earned the right to challenge for whenever he wants, with a guy who is red hot right now and cannot drop a pin the week before a pay per view?

Perhaps a better question is what does this say about Del Rio’s place as a character?

Historically speaking, the Money in the Bank contract has been reserved for talent that otherwise would not get a Championship opportunity.

Del Rio, while often viewed as a guy with huge potential, the proverbial star in the making, was not successful against Edge at Wrestlemania 27 and has floundered a bit since then. So, Money in the Bank was the next logical step to put him back in the WWE Title picture. With that win, Del Rio was on his way back to relevance on the program.

So, once again, why did he work Punk on RAW in a non title match?

Yes, we are talking about a program that is written, from match to match and spot to spot, everything is predetermined, and goes mostly according to how it is planned.

But, this is not about what we know to be true, this is about the characters and the world that they inhabit.

In Del Rio’s little corner of the company, he has every reason to stay away from the WWE Champion until he is ready to cash in his title contract. By facing Punk and not winning the match, Del Rio has shown his cards.

Now, CM Punk knows exactly what Del Rio brings to a match. He would know how to counter Del Rio’s offense, and more importantly, he knows how to beat him.

But, back to the reality of the business for a moment. When the opportunity arises for Del Rio to finally hand his briefcase to a referee and attempt to win the WWE Championship, how will fans be able to take him seriously?

The element of surprise is the only factor working in Del Rio’s favor, and seemingly the only thing that even gives him a fighting chance at becoming WWE Champion. Without that briefcase, Alberto Del Rio evidently does not have a prayer of winning.

Yes, CM Punk is on a roll, he has never looked better, and he is definitely going into what promises to be an epic contest on Sunday night. He has no business losing to anyone for any reason right now.

But by having the man who is, for all intents and purposes, the number one contender for the WWE Championship, square off against the man holding belt, and lose, his status is in serious question.

One last issue in this mind numbing bit of booking.

Will Summerslam be the night that Alberto Del Rio makes that anticipated charge to the ring after the match between Punk and John Cena is over?

Will all of the incredible heat between the two WWE Champions come to a grinding halt as one of them does the job to Del Rio?

If so, then this will be one writer left once again scratching his head. Because for me, I have no faith that WWE creative knows exactly what to do with Del Rio or how to handle his future match for the championship. He is not a threat to either Punk or Cena, and by virtue of that his potential to be champion, at least right now, is almost nonexistent.