I happened to watch this weeks Backstage Fallout where Renee Young asked Alberto Del Rio about Rob Van Dam and the World Heavyweight Championship. At the end, he smiled at Renee, winked at her and kissed the title before looking back at her as he walked off. All the while, she had a smile on her face, briefly closing her eyes before looking at Alberto again. So I got to thinking…

I may also end up rewriting this too because I'm still not 100% satisfied with it but we'll see.


There was something about Alberto Del Rio that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Was it the way he carried himself both inside and outside the ring? Was it the fact that he oozed arrogance and cockiness? Was it the fact that he knew he was damn good at what he was doing?

Maybe it was all three of those things.

Whenever he referred to her as a 'little girl' during any interviews she conducted, she couldn't help but look away and smile briefly before looking back at Alberto. Even when he was insulting his opponents or sometimes her, Renee managed to keep a straight face, knowing that it was simply part and parcel of her job to take any insults directed at her. Although she would admit this to herself, if it had been anyone other than Alberto perhaps, she wouldn't exactly be smiling. Hell, if anyone other than Alberto referred to her as a 'little girl' during interviews, she wouldn't exactly be happy.

She recalled the smile - the genuine smile - that graced his face as she asked about whether his attack on Rob Van Dam was simply a part of his plan leading into his title defence at Battleground. He then said something in Spanish that went completely over her head before referring to her as a 'little girl' again, making her look away briefly with a smile on her face before looking back at Alberto.

She kept her gaze on him as he continued to talk about Rob Van Dam, saying that he was going to know who his 'El Patron' was but when he moved the World Heavyweight Championship from his shoulder to hold it in front of Renee, she couldn't help but watch him do that, casting her gaze back to Alberto who smiled before winking at her and kissing the title. He then took his leave of her, not before he cast another glance her way.

Renee finished the segment by letting people know that they would keep everyone updated if there were any more attacks on Rob Van Dam in the days leading up to Battleground. Once it had ended, she found herself thankful that they were outside during the segment.

Very thankful.