Unwarranted Hate? of Albert Del Rio

[BreakTheWalls]

In my still brief return to the IWC, I've noticed that Del Rio isn't very well-liked. I'm not really sure I understand why. I really enjoy his ring work. His mic work can be shaky at times, I admit, but for the most part he does decently in that department. I've seen a lot of people bash him because of his inability to get over, and poke fun at the fact that Rodriguez gets more of a reaction than him. Alright. I mean, I personally don't pay that close attention to crowd reactions, and if I do notice them then they certainly don't play a part in whether or not I like a certain talent. I understand that if a heel isn't getting reactions then they shouldn't be counted on to be able to get their face counterpart over, but I don't think we, the television audience, are able to hear the crowd reactions as well as we like to think we are. Anything that's not complete silence or the roof blowing off the place, I think, is probably tough to accurately decipher. Either way, I think Del Rio is deserving of the main event matches he gets. So, how does everyone here on WS feel about the Mexican Aristocrat?

 

[TKK]

My main reason for dislike was that he was pushed down our throats from the get-go. He was hyped up immensely and debuted as an upper mid carder. With that amount of pressure on you, it's extremely hard to make an impact or get over. He would come out week after week talking the same game which I never found interesting in the first place. Seriously, talking about your destiny in wrestling is extremely overused and once he started pulling out that card I lost interest. Most promos that he was involved were killed by his presence to be honest. Also, his gimmick was seriously lacking. You can't give someone a ring announcer and some flashy cars and expect him to flourish. He was a poor man's JBL and he didn't have the charisma to pull it off well. Those are some of the reasons why I did dislike him though now, I'm beginning to take a liking to him. He's seemed to have found his niche recently. I think that he's much more effective on the mic as a focused competitor than he is when he's searching for cheap heat. As an in ring technician, I never have had a bad thing to say about him. He picks a body part and works it for a finish which makes his matches much more believable. Then again, this is all just my opinion.

 

[John McHenry]

In my still brief return to the IWC, I've noticed that Del Rio isn't very well-liked. I'm not really sure I understand why. I really enjoy his ring work. His mic work can be shaky at times, I admit, but for the most part he does decently in that department. I've seen a lot of people bash him because of his inability to get over, and poke fun at the fact that Rodriguez gets more of a reaction than him. Alright. I mean, I personally don't pay that close attention to crowd reactions, and if I do notice them then they certainly don't play a part in whether or not I like a certain talent. I understand that if a heel isn't getting reactions then they shouldn't be counted on to be able to get their face counterpart over, but I don't think we, the television audience, are able to hear the crowd reactions as well as we like to think we are. Anything that's not complete silence or the roof blowing off the place, I think, is probably tough to accurately decipher. Either way, I think Del Rio is deserving of the main event matches he gets. So, how does everyone here on WS feel about the Mexican Aristocrat?

So were you trying to defend him by pointing out all of the flaws and reasons people don't like him?

 

[BreakTheWalls]

So were you trying to defend him by pointing out all of the flaws and reasons people don't like him?

Actually, I said I really enjoy his ring work, his promos are usually decent, and his reactions are probably not as poor as people think they are. That sounds like defending him to me. Were you trying to take a jab at my post by not reading it?

 

[John McHenry]

no but decent isn't good and apparently his reaction isn't as bad as people think? Then why would people think that. His ring work has also gotten worse as of late he's doing less moves.

Your assesment of him is meh at best and your a fan of his, so why would non fans of him be inclined to start taking notice?

 

[BreakTheWalls]

Well, I don't really care if they take notice or not. I'm not trying to change people's minds. This has much less to do with how big of a fan I am than it does with my confusion about why the IWC seems to hate him. Our beloved Dolph, Punk, and Bryan are getting plenty of airtime, so it's not like he's being crammed down our throats so much that those guys aren't getting the spotlight. Sure, I'll admit, I don't LOVE the guy, but I think hating him is a bit much. He's not a bad talent.

 

[PHX]

I'd say the lack of depth and how he can really not be all that interesting is why. It's not entirely his fault of course but despite being talented in the ring he has a solid heel character in theory but doesn't really do anything different with it which is why it's been hard for him to get over. I think he's okay but I don't exactly look forward to him at all for the reasons I gave. He just gets used in a very basic manor.

 

[We Are Legion]

I absolutely hate it when people say they don't like a wrestler anymore because he's "pushed down our throats". Especially when that's seemingly the ONLY reason they dislike the wrestler. Who would think that the guy contending for the WHC would possibly be getting his share of face time? Fucking seriously, find something more original to run a guy down for. It's like, they want to see the guy and think he's alright, but they just don't want to see THAT much of him. Um... I dunno if I'm just the only one keeping score with the Intercontinental and US Championship belts anymore, but there is no middle of the road anymore. SO... you either want someone to get pushed... or you don't. But seriously, the whole "pushed down our throats" thing is Blue.

ADR is easily one of the top 5 in terms of wrestling skill in the entire company. I would much rather see him, a legitimate superstar, getting that face time than Zack Ryder, Evan Bourne, or some of these other goof balls that most people whine about not seeing enough of. Always liked the guy.

 

[Deezy]

The time he debuted, people in the IWC were instantly saying give this guy the big push.

Mostly because I believe people on the net' don't think WWE listens to them, so they jump on the bandwagon of people they think don't have a chance, but, again. When WWE decides to give someone a push, it's time to pull out the pitchforks and say he doesn't deserve and they suck and always did.

Let's just say it......If WWE puts faith in somebody, the IWC don't like them. Solely for the fact that most of them, not saying everyone, but a big majority of them are just those people who like to go against the grain of whats considered popular.

Same shit for music, games, and movies. Everything is awesome until it gets overrated.

 

[TKK]

I absolutely hate it when people say they don't like a wrestler anymore because he's "pushed down our throats". Especially when that's seemingly the ONLY reason they dislike the wrestler. Who would think that the guy contending for the WHC would possibly be getting his share of face time? Fucking seriously, find something more original to run a guy down for. It's like, they want to see the guy and think he's alright, but they just don't want to see THAT much of him. Um... I dunno if I'm just the only one keeping score with the Intercontinental and US Championship belts anymore, but there is no middle of the road anymore. SO... you either want someone to get pushed... or you don't. But seriously, the whole "pushed down our throats" thing is Blue.

ADR is easily one of the top 5 in terms of wrestling skill in the entire company. I would much rather see him, a legitimate superstar, getting that face time than Zack Ryder, Evan Bourne, or some of these other goof balls that most people whine about not seeing enough of. Always liked the guy.

If you're directing that statement at me I have given many other reasons why I have disliked Del Rio in the past. I also think that pushing somebody down our throats is a legitimate reason to dislike a character. For example, Big Show. As of late, he's been given a dominant heel push which is fine. What's not fine is when he comes out and squashes the entire tag team division just to show that he is dominant. Him squashing the division really doesn't do much for him, but makes the tag team division look like shit. He has no reason to be out there, he isn't involved in the storyline at all, but dominates the division just to show people that he is dominant. This is when I started to strongly dislike his heel run. That is what I believe is pushing a character down our throat. I realise that all characters who are getting pushed need air time for their push to work, but it should be regulated. Del Rio was constantly butting in when he had no need to and it took away from the segments. He's obviously an amazing wrestler and they could have off of that, but instead they had him on the mic throwing out lame insults and glorifying himself which made really didn't help him too much. Antonio Cesaro really doesn't get that much time on SmackDown, but has still gotten his character over in a short space of time. You don't need Obviously, I can't prove anything because this is all opinion, but whatever.

 

[We Are Legion]

If you're directing that statement at me I have given many other reasons why I have disliked Del Rio in the past. I also think that pushing somebody down our throats is a legitimate reason to dislike a character. For example, Big Show. As of late, he's been given a dominant heel push which is fine. What's not fine is when he comes out and squashes the entire tag team division just to show that he is dominant. Him squashing the division really doesn't do much for him, but makes the tag team division look like shit. He has no reason to be out there, he isn't involved in the storyline at all, but dominates the division just to show people that he is dominant. This is when I started to strongly dislike his heel run. That is what I believe is pushing a character down our throat. I realise that all characters who are getting pushed need air time for their push to work, but it should be regulated. Del Rio was constantly butting in when he had no need to and it took away from the segments. He's obviously an amazing wrestler and they could have off of that, but instead they had him on the mic throwing out lame insults and glorifying himself which made really didn't help him too much. Antonio Cesaro really doesn't get that much time on SmackDown, but has still gotten his character over in a short space of time. You don't need Obviously, I can't prove anything because this is all opinion, but whatever.

Oh please, don't give me the Big Show spill because that guy wasn't doing a fucking thing for several years prior. I mean, NOTHING. The guy cried like a school girl at Wrestlemania just because he won a meaningless Intercontinental Championship from a guy half his size. God forbid WWE finally throws the big lug a bone for once and gives him a run like a guy of his physical size and seniority with the company rightfully should every once and a while. He didn't "squash the entire tag team division" either, so I don't even know how you came to that conclusion. He remember him having a run-in during a Kofi/Truth match once and established himself a monster to be reckoned with prior to a ppv match against John Cena. Pretty typical heat magnet for a heel. And if anyone's "squashing the tag team division", it's WWE for not pushing it at all and only really using it to give their minorities something to do. Same with Del Rio, they give him more face time because he is the guy on Smackdown that we're supposed to hate.

Of course, you can just use the typical "X-Pac heat" excuse that IWC loves to throw around for bogus reasons (and mostly when they don't even fully understand the meaning of the term) and claim you don't dislike him because of his kayfabe heat, but because you just don't like seeing him... when really Del Rio does get reactions from the crowd and does make for an extremely unlikable figure.

Also funny how you throw a guy like Cesaro's name out there when he hasn't been around very long either. Would you still be singing this whole "gets shoved down our throats" tune if Cesaro was getting this push and not Del Rio? Honestly, if your whole reason for disliking Del Rio was predicated on your personal dislike of Mexicans, that would at least be more understandable from my point of view. The whole "pushed down our throats" thing is just something I really hate reading. It's the laziest way to hate anyone.

 

[Dale]

I'm one who dislikes Del Rio and I remember explaining it somewhere not so long ago, possibly in WAL's blog. I don't dislike the guy to an extent like I do Cena for example and wish he was off of TV, but when I see him on my screen he just doesn't excite me and I generally find him rather dull.

One of the biggest problems is that he's basically a Mexican JBL and as such is always going to draw comparisons with him and will for the most part come out on the losing end because he can't hold a torch to JBL. Also, I just find nearly everything about him to be average at best, like his in ring work never excites me and his mic work is just forgettable. I'll give him credit though, he looks good in his suit, has a good tron, music and pyro, all the flashy cars and Ricardo as his ring announcer, but I just wish that the second he goes to open his mouth he could be replaced by someone else.

 

[TKK]

Oh please, don't give me the Big Show spill because that guy wasn't doing a fucking thing for several years prior. I mean, NOTHING. The guy cried like a school girl at Wrestlemania just because he won a meaningless Intercontinental Championship from a guy half his size. God forbid WWE finally throws the big lug a bone for once and gives him a run like a guy of his physical size and seniority with the company rightfully should every once and a while. He didn't "squash the entire tag team division" either, so I don't even know how you came to that conclusion. He remember him having a run-in during a Kofi/Truth match once and established himself a monster to be reckoned with prior to a ppv match against John Cena. Pretty typical heat magnet for a heel. And if anyone's "squashing the tag team division", it's WWE for not pushing it at all and only really using it to give their minorities something to do. Same with Del Rio, they give him more face time because he is the guy on Smackdown that we're supposed to hate.

Of course, you can just use the typical "X-Pac heat" excuse that IWC loves to throw around for bogus reasons (and mostly when they don't even fully understand the meaning of the term) and claim you don't dislike him because of his kayfabe heat, but because you just don't like seeing him... when really Del Rio does get reactions from the crowd and does make for an extremely unlikable figure.

Also funny how you throw a guy like Cesaro's name out there when he hasn't been around very long either. Would you still be singing this whole "gets shoved down our throats" tune if Cesaro was getting this push and not Del Rio? Honestly, if your whole reason for disliking Del Rio was predicated on your personal dislike of Mexicans, that would at least be more understandable from my point of view. The whole "pushed down our throats" thing is just something I really hate reading. It's the laziest way to hate anyone.

My mistake, he destroyed the tag team champions and Brodus Clay just to make him look like a credible opponent for Cena. The tag team champions don't mean much, but they're still champions. Using them as sacrificial lambs for the Big Show just to make Show look threatening is plain stupid. They're hurting a whole division in an attempt to add something small to another guy's momentum. He could have had finished Clay quickly and leave and it really wouldn't have made a difference. No one's opinions on his chances of beating Cena swayed because of that. He's being forced on us as a credible main event heel and doing much more than they need to or should to get him over. I would consider that him being forced down my throat. This Big Show side argument has little relevance to Del Rio anyway. (Yes, I realise that I brought him up in the first place)

I've given multiple reasons as to why I disliked him as a wrestler and race isn't one of them. My reason for disliking him wasn't that he was Mexican, it's that he got way more TV time than he should have and bored me to death. I don't see why he couldn't have just worked his way up instead of winning the Royal Rumble, Money In The Bank and the WWE title all within his first year instead of building him up gradually like he should have been. His acolades within 2011 show how desperate the WWE were to get him over as a main eventer. If Cesaro was put in the same main event position so quickly, then yes, I would have no problem in pointing it out and arguing that it is the wrong way for anyone to start in the WWE.

By the way, if you read my original post you would see that I'm starting to like Del Rio as of late. This is mostly because of the change in his character, he is self glorifying and more focused. I've enjoyed his work with Sheamus.

Anyways, I don't have much more to say on the matter. I have my opinion and you have yours.

 

[ThatGuyFromNukemHigh]

Kurt Angle had one of the most impressive rookie years, and could be argued that he was "shoved down our throats" when he was main eventing after 1 year in the buisiness. I never hear anyone complain when it was him.

Del Rio strikes me as an odd choice to potray that character when Ted Dibiase Jr. is on your roster, and thats my only issue with Del Rio. He hasnt done anything to make me actually hate him(outside of heel heat), he really hasnt impressed me all that much, and being a fan of Ricky Ricardo from his days in Puerto Rico, am glad that Del Rio is around so I can see Ricardo.

 

[TKK]

Kurt Angle had one of the most impressive rookie years, and could be argued that he was "shoved down our throats" when he was main eventing after 1 year in the buisiness. I never hear anyone complain when it was him.

This is very true, but then again, Kurt Angle was awesome during his rookie year so complaints would be few and far between. Though it was quick, there was a climbing process for Kurt Angle. Del Rio kinda just floated around the main event/upper mid card from the get-go until winning the Rumble. Angle went through all of the steps that made main eventers back in those days. He started as European champion, then Intercontinental and then, the King Of The Ring. He also had some name recognition from his Olympic win. It was a fast rise but, was still enough to make it so that his main event push didn't seem forced. He was also belittled quite a lot which made his rise seem more believable because he never really looked extremely strong. In his first main event match with The Undertaker he got his ass handed to him. Taker beat him from pillar to post. He wasn't taken seriously until he won his first WWE title.