Why Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas Will Have the Most Impact on the Main Roster

The Superstar Shakeup was a great chance to switch superstars around on Raw and SmackDown to introduce brand new stories. It was also a chance to bring up superstars from NXT.

One of those superstars was former NXT champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Almas won the NXT Championship back in November at NXT Takeover: War Games and held it until he lost it to Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: New Oreleans.

From there, he could have had a rematch against Black to continue their feud. However, it was announced towards the end of this week’s SmackDown Live that Almas would be making his main roster debut.

This is great for El Idolo, as he can showcase his talents against some of the best on the main roster. But could he have the most impact of all the NXT callups? If WWE plays their cards right, then yes, he will.

Credit: WWE.com

It’s first important to note that in the ring, Almas is no slacker. Even before his career resurgence with Zelina Vega, Almas knew how to put on a good match against the likes of Black and Roderick Strong. But it was that resurgence with Vega that really improved his overall work in the ring.

With the help of Vega, Almas now has the ability to use more heel tactics such as distractions or low blows. And because he’s a heel, it is all acceptable. After all, it is what led him to winning and defending his NXT Championship.

It is also important to note that Almas is one of the few WWE superstars to have a 5-star rated match by Dave Meltzer. He and Johnny Gargano had their amazing match at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia and is considered by some to already be a match of the year candidate. For some it takes years on the main roster to get a 5-star match under their belt. So it is even more impressive that Almas, as well as Gargano, were able to do so while still in developmental.

Credit: WWE.com

Almas also has the opportunity to have some amazing dream matches on SmackDown Live. Being on the same show as AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura certainly has to mean for something. Whether is be on SmackDown Live or on a Pay-Per-View, these dream matches are certainly going to be worth seeing.

But that then brings up the question of what will his role be on the main roster? If WWE plays their cards right, then Almas can be one of their next big stars. So how should they do that? Have him win Money In The Bank.

Money In The Bank is a great opportunity to make superstars, or break them if you’re Damien Sandow or Baron Corbin. But that won’t be Almas. With Vega at his side, Almas has the chance to become the next big opportunist in WWE. And with the Money In The Bank contract, that’s his ticket to become an opportunist.

https://twitter.com/Zelina_VegaWWE/status/986428286745088000

It doesn’t matter when or who he cashes in on either. All that matters is that he successfully cashes in. Because regardless how long it takes, Almas is going to one day be a WWE Champion.

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It is hard to tell if WWE has the next Eddie Guerrero or Alberto Del Rio in Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. But rather than that, they should instead have him be his own thing. Because there’s no doubt that Almas has plenty of talent. The only thing that matters is that WWE lets him use that talent to become the next big star.