WWE News: Backstage Reason Behind Decision To Split Up Alberto Del Rio & Paige At WWE Draft

It has been quite a whirlwind 10 months for WWE superstars Alberto Del Rio and Paige. Unfortunately, very little of their headlines have been generated from their work inside an actual wrestling ring. Del Rio returned to the company after a year and a half absence, and did so with a bang, defeating John Cena on his first night back to capture the United States Championship at Hell In A Cell.

However, much of what followed for Del Rio failed to continue the wave of momentum generated from that victory. Paige, meanwhile, participated in one major feud with Charlotte for the championship of the female division, but slid right back down the ladder after coming out on the losing end of the rivalry. Easily, the most memorable moment from their program was when Paige brought up Charlotte’s deceased brother during a segment on RAW, sparking tons of controversy and forcing the company to issue an online apology.

Needless to say, despite reaching the pinnacle of their respective divisions, neither Del Rio nor Paige have been given the opportunities necessary to make much of an impact in the ring in 2016. Del Rio feuded with Kalisto during the beginning of the year before aligning himself with the League of Nations. The stable fizzled out once the plug was pulled on a program with the Wyatt Family because of injury and the Mexican Aristocrat hasn’t found solid footing since.

So, the majority of the news surrounding Alberto Del Rio and Paige has stemmed from their real-life relationship, one they went public with back in May. This was after Paige’s feud with Charlotte had ended, but since Charlotte had also dated Del Rio in the past, there was plenty of talk that some real-life tension was brewing between the two women. Vince McMahon has been known to enjoy bringing that real tension to his scripted programming, but we never quite saw it materialize this summer.

A month after their private relationship became public knowledge, Paige and Del Rio again garnered headlines, and again it had nothing to do with their work in the ring. This time, the two were involved in an incident in Las Vegas following the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, but despite reports of Paige being arrested, nothing of note came as a result. However, there was a cloud of uncertainty cast over their heads.

Fast forward to the WWE Draft that took place two weeks ago on the first Tuesday night edition of Smackdown Live. There was an understanding backstage that all couples would be drafted to the same show, and for the most part, that played out. Lana stuck with Rusev on RAW. Maryse remained with The Miz on the blue brand as did Naomi and Jimmy Uso. It’s even expected that Nikki Bella will sign with Smackdown once she returns from injury, as that’s the show John Cena will appear on exclusively from now on.

However, Paige and Del Rio were not so fortunate. Paige went to RAW while Alberto got drafted to Smackdown. Cageside Seats is reporting that their split was a result of Paige’s social media activity. Her posts, primarily on Instagram about her and Del Rio, got her in trouble, and thus the punishment to separate her from her boyfriend.

The other rumors floating around have Paige eventually entering a major feud with Stephanie McMahon and Del Rio having an out in his contract that would allow him to leave as early as next month. While the clause in Del Rio’s contract is legitimate, the consensus is he will stay and there’s yet to be anything to substantiate such a program for Paige as of yet. Paige was also pulled from an upcoming live event tour and we’re awaiting word on the reason for that move as well.

[Image via Peru.com]