WWE Vengeance 2011: Why Last Man Standing Match Signals Win for Alberto Del Rio

No matter what, it seems like the WWE brass is unwilling to allow WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio to go over John Cena clean. So far, the only way Del Rio has been able to defeat Cena has been by locking outside a cell.

Luckily for Del Rio supporters, his Last Man Standing match against Cena at Vengeance certainly doesn't require a clean finish. And because of that I believe that Del Rio is the odds on favorite to retain on Sunday night.

When the team of Cena and Jim Ross beat Del Rio and Michael Cole for the right to choose the stipulation for the WWE Championship match at Vengeance, I fully expected Cena to go for an I Quit match.

Cena has an impeccable record in I Quit matches, since the creative team wouldn't dare make Cena tap out to anyone. It also would have made sense in the it would have been Cena's STF (however horrible it may look) against Del Rio's cross armbreaker. This would have allowed the WWE to tout Del Rio as the favorite whilst giving Cena the ridiculous win.

As soon as Cena chose a Last Man Standing match, however, it became very apparent that Del Rio would pick up the win at Vengeance. Cena can very easily lose a Last Man Standing match without being made to look bad since there are no disqualifications.

This opens the door for interference and weapon usage, which will allow Del Rio to win in some controversial fashion. The only question is exactly how Del Rio will screw over Cena in this particular match, and who will help him do it.

It is obvious that Ricardo Rodriguez will help Del Rio in some way, but Cena has made a habit of squashing him quite easily. With that said, I think this match would be the perfect opportunity to make Del Rio the crown jewel of a heel group led by John Laurinaitis.

I fully expect Laurinaitis and a returning Kevin Nash to aid The Miz and R-Truth in defeating Triple H and CM Punk on the same night; but I don't think that will be all.

Laurinaitis surely still must have some ill will toward Cena for punching him out way back at Money in the Bank, and while he hasn't proven it yet, Laurinaitis seems to show some amount of favoritism toward Del Rio.

If Laurinaitis helps Del Rio retain, then the Survivor Series main event will take shape in what I expect to be Laurinaitis' team against Triple H's team where the stipulation will state that the whomever's team loses will be fired from their position in the company.

I think Laurinaitis' team will consist of Del Rio, Miz, Truth, Nash and one other superstar, while Triple H's team will feature himself, Punk, Cena, a returning Rock and one other superstar. I think that it is very clear that everything is leading up to a power struggle between Laurinaitis and Triple H, and that will be the perfect way to settle it.

Even if Laurinaitis interfering doesn't come to fruition, Del Rio still has the advantage on Sunday. If the WWE honestly planned on making Cena win, then it would have been an I Quit match as stated earlier. Instead they chose a match with no disqualifications, though, and that favors the heel Del Rio.