This week’s WWE Superstars featured a match pitting a pair of one-time A-listers: Alberto Del Rio and R-Truth. The question: which has fallen further?
At first glance, it seems open and shut: R-Truth, who jobs regularly, even as part of a 2-on-1 handicap when he’s one of the two (dropping a decision to Rusev as part of the big Bulgarian’s push).
But I’d argue that Del Rio has taken the deeper fall, if only because he was at the tippy-top of the WWE ladder for quite a while, as a face and as a heel. Truth had his push, but he was never main event, while Del Rio was at the main-event level, selling tickets and drawing good ratings at that.
His status as a top Mexican wrestler seemed to preordain a long run at the top of WWE for Del Rio, as the company focused its efforts on building a new demographic into its fan base.
And then … it was over, the push, the idea of Del Rio, a talented MMA shoot fighter and solid technical pro wrestler, being one of the go-to guys.
In a company suffering from a dearth of top talents, the fall from grace for Del Rio is that much more vexing.
– Column by Chris Graham