WWE NXT TakeOver: San Antonio Review: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode

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Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Roderick Strong

Result: Roderick Strong defeats Andrade “Cien” Almas via pinfall.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Almas spent a majority of the first part of this match going after Strong’s left arm. He locked it up a few times, including putting on the Fujiwara Armbar. However, Strong broke out with a comeback and got decent fan support from the crowd with “Roddy” chants. His backbreaker arsenal would also be broken out on multiple occasions.

Cien went back to the arm locks near the end of the match, but Strong barely got back to the ropes. Subtle “This is awesome” chants began, which is a little surprising because the crowd reaction had been somewhat muted for this match.

Strong pulling out the win isn’t too surprising given he has more upside on WWE NXT than Almas. He’s still only 3-4 months into his stay and has a long way to go, but having matches like this at TakeOver will help. The crowd seemed in and out of what he was doing, however, trying to get chants going in favor of the babyface. They didn’t pop too much for his win, but if he can get some more momentum after this, maybe crowds will be behind the former ROH star as we get to the WrestleMania Weekend TakeOver.

As for Almas, this is his second straight TakeOver loss. His seven months in NXT have been a disappointment, as he’s never found his stride since being hyped up in June. There had been potential there for Cien’s run without a mask, but it’s not connecting.