WWE SmackDown Results And Grades: Finally Some Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas

Team Hell No and The New Day Segment

Daniel Bryan and Kane are talking strategy with The New Day ahead of their ten-man tag match against the Bludgeon Brothers and Sanity. Bryan reasons that because their opponents are big, they should chop them down by attacking their knees. However, Kane believes they need to set them on fire or summon Satan and drag them to hell. The two start arguing loudly, before Big E yells even louder, motivating the two of them to get on the same page.

Carmellsworth Segment

Carmella and James Ellsworth are celebrating what they did to Asuka, and Ellsworth claims that his stock is rising faster than WWE’s stock! He says that Paige gets an exception and is allowed to kiss him. She declines and says that if Ellsworth’s stock is so “high”, he should be suspended above the ring in a shark cage during Carmella’s SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Asuka at Extreme Rules.

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Sin Cara

Finally, at long last! We get Andrade “Cien” Almas’s first REAL match on the WWE main roster, and it will come against Sin Cara, whom he snubbed backstage last month. Zelina Vega has caused Almas to turn his back on the people he once knew, and Sin Cara is about to feel the wrath of one of WWE’s most heartless wrestlers.

Sin Cara started to build some momentum with a beautiful headscissors and a suicide dive, but Almas reached out to grab Zelina Vega and started to gain some momentum again. Almas showed off his arm submission on the ropes, and he kept working on Sin Cara’s left arm relentlessly. That’s the savage limb work that Almas likes to mix in with his athleticism and brutal strikes.

After the break, Sin Cara laid in some chops and hit some huge moves, including a moonsault off the middle rope while on the run. Yes, Sin Cara can GO. He hit another beautiful move (a headscissors from the back!) for a near-fall, taking Almas to the brink.

Almas hit a heavy strike to get back on top, and Vega screamed for him to finish his opponent. But Sin Cara countered the Hammerlock DDT into a roll-up that was a close call. Sin Cara shoved Almas out of the ring and hit him with another great headscissors. He ascended the top rope, but Almas got the knees up to counter.

Once again, Almas showed his brutal style by hitting Sin Cara with a double stomp on the apron, followed by double knees in the corner for the win.

Grade: A-, this match was short but VERY sweet. It’s a reminder of how brilliant Almas is, as well as how underrated Sin Cara is. Great stuff! I’m looking forward to Almas’s first title run in WWE.