WWE Night of Champions 2011: Why Alberto Del Rio Must Retain Against John Cena

Since his WWE debut in August 2010, Alberto Del Rio has been tabbed as wrestling's next big thing. He was given an immediate push by defeating Rey Mysterio in his first match. He followed that up with plenty more accolades, such as winning the largest Royal Rumble in history, competing for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania and winning Money in the Bank.

Once Del Rio secured the Money in the Bank briefcase, it was just a matter of time before he would become WWE Champion. Del Rio didn't wait long to cash in his contract, as he preyed on a vulnerable CM Punk after his WWE Championship match at SummerSlam and won the belt.

Del Rio has since been involved in a feud with John Cena and will have to defend his title against him at Night of Champions on Sunday. While many feel that Cena will recapture the gold, as he always seems to do before too long, Del Rio absolutely needs to retain.

Here are three reasons why a Del Rio win at Night of Champions is the only way to go.

Del Rio Needs a Legitimate Reign

Since winning the title, Del Rio has gotten mixed reviews from wrestling fans. Some find him interesting, great on the mic and solid in the ring. Others find his gimmick to be boring and don't see any redeeming qualities in him.

While I feel like he is fairly over as a heel, one way to ensure that he remains over is to give him a proper title reign of six months or more. There have been many failed title runs in recent years that could have worked out better had the creative team allowed for a longer reign with credible victories.

Jack Swagger's World Heavyweight Championship run is a prime example of pushing a champion completely incorrectly. Swagger's time as champion wasn't unsuccessful because of his personal performance. He was impressive in the ring, and he gave plenty of entertaining promos during that time. Rather, it was because of creative's failure to give him any legitimate victories.

Del Rio needs to win on Sunday, and preferably win clean, although that isn't completely necessary. A win over Cena, in any capacity, could do wonders for Del Rio and the development of his character as a champion.

Cena Doesn't Need the Title

It's understandable why the WWE continues to put the WWE Championship on John Cena. He's the company's most popular superstar, biggest draw and biggest seller of merchandise. When he has the belt, it's in good hands in Vince McMahon's mind. The problem, though, is that it alienates many of WWE's male fans.

Cena continually overcomes the odds and wins regardless of how dire the situation looks. That may have worked in the 1980s and 1990s but, after the Attitude Era instilled a sense of realism into wrestling, fans just can't suspend disbelief any longer.

For Cena, the WWE Championship is little more than a prop. He doesn't need it to be over with the crowd, so there's no reason not to try to get new faces involved in the title picture. Cena either has the title or is chasing it at all times.

It would do the WWE good to have Cena lose at Night of Champions and put him in a program that has absolutely nothing to do with the title. Ultimately, I think he'll get involved in the Triple H/CM Punk angle in some way. There's no law that says Cena can't be in a high-profile feud unless the title is involved. The WWE needs to realize that.

RAW Lacks Credible Heels

The biggest reason why Del Rio needs to retain is because RAW completely lacks credible heels, as does the WWE as a whole. The only heel in the WWE right now who looks like a legitimate threat at all times is Mark Henry. I'm no Henry fan, but he has been built up correctly, has won matches cleanly and seems like he he can beat Randy Orton.

On RAW, however, everyone is at the mercy of Cena. The Miz had a long title run, but he had to cheat to win essentially every match he was in. There's nothing inherently wrong with a heel being a weasel, or cheating to win, since that is the hallmark of a heel, but they have to appear like they can win on their own.

To Del Rio's credit, he has scored clean wins over Rey Mysterio and John Morrison since becoming champion, but he has been made to look cowardly for ducking Cena time and time again. If Del Rio can beat Cena at Night of Champions, without outside interference from Ricardo Rodriguez or anybody else, he will be the company's top heel without question.

A loss to Cena would be devastating, though, and it would relegate Del Rio to being one of a stack of heels who were chewed up and spit out by Cena. It's about time that the WWE makes "Super" Cena look human. Hopefully Del Rio is his kryptonite.