WWE Survivor Series Results: What's Next for Del Rio After His Loss to Punk?

In what was one of the biggest victories of the night, CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series to reclaim the WWE Championship.  

Most fans expected it to happen either at Survivor Series or at TLC, WWE's next pay-per-view, but I don't think that there was any doubt from anyone that Pynk would eventually take back the title.

Lately, Alberto Del Rio has gotten stale, even more than normal for him.  He has been getting little fan reaction, his matches have become the time for bathroom breaks, and he just isn't as hated as he was six to eight months ago.

So what's next for Del Rio?  Where does he go from here, now that WWE has taken their top title away from him?

I think that it's going to be a rather quick move, and Alberto Del Rio will be forced out of the WWE title picture within three months at the latest.

Honestly, I think it could be quite a while before Alberto Del Rio makes his way back into the WWE Title picture again.  As a champion, especially toward the end of his reign, he just wasn't effective.  

Sure, they'll have him get his rematch at TLC and maybe even Royal Rumble (as the World and WWE Title matches there are sometimes really weak), but after that there will be no need for him to be going for the WWE Title.

Sure, Elimination Chamber is the pay-per-view after Royal Rumble, and Del Rio will probably be featured in that match, but I don't expect him to be considered a real threat, especially since I think he will be steadily sliding by that point.

Instead, I think we could be getting the rise of Dolph Ziggler, who could walk out of Elimination Chamber as the top competitor for Punk's WWE Title at WrestleMania.

So where does that leave Del Rio for WrestleMania?  With him out of the title picture for good by TLC at the earliest and Elimination Chamber at the latest, who (if anyone) does he face at WrestleMania?

It's a shame that the Money in the Bank match still isn't held at WrestleMania, as it would be a perfect place to hide Del Rio for the night.  

Instead, WWE is going to have to find a legitimate person for him to feud with.  Someone else who can help carry the feud and get a big enough response from the fans so that Del Rio is hated by association.

Do I know who that superstar will be?  No, not at all.

I would say that it could be Rey Mysterio, as long as he is healed and returned from his injury in time, but even that is something we've seen before, and it might not continue to get the same response from the fans.  

Eventually, I think Del Rio will be challenging for the United States Championship, but that will likely take place after WrestleMania, and a returning Rey Mysterio would be a good stepping stone, albeit a downward one, from the main event to the mid-card.  

Whatever the case, it will be a long time before Alberto Del Rio takes back the WWE Championship.  

Maybe it was his destiny to win it, but it wasn't his destiny to hold onto it for very long.