Andrade “Cien” Almas has been on a roll lately, and his big moment could happen Saturday night at NXT Takeover: WarGames.
Cien Almas’ climb up the NXT ladder has been a slow, but sure and steady rise in the past year. After a slew of wins plus successfully defeating Johnny Gargano twice this past summer, Almas earns his chance to battle for the biggest prize in NXT.
Almas is a sleeper talent, who has worked hard to get to this point. He has continued to improve in each feud and match he takes part in. And now, Almas will face Drew McIntyre Saturday night for the NXT Championship. Almas has had a successful summer thanks to pairing up with his business associate Zelina Vega. Vega has contributed much to his success, and that will continue as the pair gears up for NXT Takeover: WarGames. She’s the piece of the puzzle that he needed to get a boost on NXT. The potential is there and it could be fully realized this weekend.
Although at one point there were rumors that Almas would be transitioning to the main roster, perhaps his work at NXT isn’t quite done. Matter of fact, it could be getting started. Having Vega as his manager has done Almas’ character some good. Thanks to her sassy attitude and ability to gain the upper hand in matches, Vega will stop at nothing to make sure Almas leaves Houston as the new NXT Champion. As an outside factor, Vega gives Almas the advantage against McIntyre.
Again, Almas has worked hard as well. He has improved greatly in the ring which was recently shown during his match with Roderick Strong on the November 1st NXT show. In addition, Almas appears to have McIntyre’s number, meaning he has a distinct plus over the NXT Champion. But his real test will be in the ring with the seasoned veteran. While the odds are against McIntyre storyline wise, the same could be said for Almas in terms of doubters.
The big question is what would be next for both men after Takeover? While McIntyre has unfinished business with Roderick Strong and Undisputed Era (given Strong and McIntyre said that between themselves plus there is a chance Strong ends up joining forces with the stable), what would be on the agenda for Almas and Vega? It is hard to decipher what happens if Almas loses on Saturday. But if he were to win, then already he and McIntyre’s feud is extended.
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Almas has continued to surprise fans as he moves up the ranks in NXT. Winning the Championship would add to the astonishment of his slow burn of success. Vega’s involvement in his career adds to his growing accomplishments, in addition to being an excellent mouthpiece for the former Lucha Libre star.
Perhaps fans are seeing the start of something bigger for Almas. He’s evolved before fans’ eyes, and the biggest thing is that he’s just starting to realize his potential as a top star for the developmental brand. It would start with a shocking title change that fans would have doubted he could even be a holder of. Almas has that ability to prove everyone wrong; he already has been doing so. His challenge to McIntyre is proof of that.