WWE: 14 Wrestlers Who Deserve a Shot at Alberto Del Rio's WWE Championship

He is one bad man. No, I am not trying to steal a line from Johnny B. Badd. I am trying to emphasize that finally the WWE has a real heel that everyone seems to hate.

And in some strange fashion, that is a pretty cool thing right now.

While TNA is stumbling and trying to find another direction, the WWE is starting to heat up again toward the end of the summer months. As the fall and holiday season approaches, the federation looks to be in great shape.

What Triple H and creative are doing right now is genius in that it is giving mid-level or upper tier superstars a chance to display their talents in the ring with the new WWE Champion, Albert Del Rio.

There is so much controversy right now with CM Punk and Kevin Nash et al, that Del Rio will face heavy competition in the next few weeks leading up to Night of Champions on Sept. 18.

These contenders deserve a look and a shot at Del Rio's title even if they are not headlining the PPV event.

Cody Rhodes

It used to be the winner of the Intercontinental Championship who was the first in line to challenge for the WWE Championship.

Boy, times have changed.

There has to be a way to make Rhodes pertinent to the happenings of the WWE, Smackdown, Raw, whatever way creative can.

Rhodes has really stepped his game up, showing he is really a talent that two years ago was thought of as a tag-a-long with Legacy.

Just challenge Del Rio without the mask.

Again, times have changed.

Triple H

I say this because you know down deep he wants the WWE Title for his own.

The COO said he would not get involved in the Punk/Nash feud physically, but there is that inkling that it might happen.

And if it does, then all bets are off. He wants to be a champion and beating Del Rio does that.

The Miz

He is still AWESOME!

The Miz is still title material and while he is working an angle with R-Truth about being disrespected, this makes sense that he could be paired in a match with Del Rio before Night of Champions.

Miz is charismatic enough to speak his mind, remain a heel, and still wins the fans' approval in a match with the champion.

Daniel Bryan

The two met last week on Smackdown.

But wouldn't it be cool if Bryan decided he wanted to cash in his MITB contract on Del Rio after Night of Champions,  and Del Rio was spent from fighting John Cena?

Could happen, but not likely.

I still cannot see him as a world champion, but he is a contender.

Dolph Ziggler

If the Vickie Guerrero angle plays out, we could see Ziggler take a face turn.

His recent issues with Guerrero and possibly Jack Swagger has led to this assumption.

Also, remember he is the United States Champion, which meant something in the NWA and WCW but means little in the WWE.

Jack Swagger

He is big, powerful, and a former world champion.

He could power his way to a title, but he allows too many things outside the ring to get in his way of success.

If he puts his mind on the task in front of him, he can win gold again.

Evan Bourne

He is now a world tag team champion, but Bourne is exciting to watch in singles matches.

I would love to see how the undersized Bourne would do in a high-speed match with Del Rio.

Maybe his quick feet and leaping through moves would be enough to outwit the champion.

Alex Riley

A-Ry is moving up the chart.

He may not be ready for prime-time yet, but a match with Del Rio could help that. In year's past, challengers made names for themselves as they lost matches or win non-title matches.

A-Ry is just that type of guy.

He has been in great matches with Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, and Jack Swagger lately; it looks like he is ready to take the next step.

Sheamus

Since it would appear that Mark Henry and Wade Barrett would be in line for a world title shot before him, why not move the big guy to Raw and see what he can do with Del Rio?

Personally, I would love to see the Irishman beat the crap out of Del Rio. But I am sure this is not on the radar of creative in the WWE.

R-Truth

What? The conspiracy theorist himself deserves to be in the title hunt.

No one has worked harder in the past three months to improve his game than Truth.

He was injured by Del Rio when he was a face and frankly, seeing him face someone other than John Morrison would be a nice change.

Mark Henry

The Big Man is causing all kinds of hurt in Smackdown. Let's see how he would do against a man half his size.

Henry is pretty agile for his size and his power is a plus.

Del Rio would be rocked by his strength and may not be able to get up from a blow that knocks him down.

While Henry appeared destined to face Randy Orton, it still would be an interesting match.

John Morrison

He actually had a great showing on Raw Monday night.

Morrison is still feeling the effects of the neck injury and his battles with R-Truth may keep him from totally healing, but you cannot deny his athleticism.

Morrison was inching toward main event status before he got hurt and looks to be getting back in the title hunt.

Only problem is there are plenty of people at the top right now.

John Cena

He won the match Monday night and looks to be in rare form. No one but Punk can compete with him.

But I question if the battles with Punk will take something away from him.

He is the face of the WWE, and he usually gets what he wants. Plus, he already said he would hurt Del Rio and take the title.

CM Punk

He deserves a rematch and a title match.

Punk is so great now on the mic and has really become a crowd favorite that his title reign is forthcoming. I think Cena wins at Night of Champions and then he and Punk pick up where things left off.

A battle with Kevin Nash or Triple H could be debilitating to his quest for the title.