WWE SmackDown Grades: The Man Earns A Match With The Empress At The Rumble

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4. Andrade Cien Almas And Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio And Mustafa Ali

The Royal Rumble is under three weeks away in a night that always changes the course of the WWE and signals the start of the road to WrestleMania.  Last night saw a few of the Royal Rumble match participants competing in a rather marquee tag team match.

Andrade Cien Almas and Samoa Joe teamed up to battle Rey Mysterio and Mustafa Ali in a tag team match that looked like it was going to be a memorable battle.  It would live up to that billing, and then some, with compelling action from start to finish.  Not only was it compelling action, but this match also featured some of the most innovative and high-risk offense the WWE has seen in a while.

One way to sum that up would be the fact that Mysterio pulled off a Canadian Destroyer on Almas, a move that is completely rare to see in the WWE.  It was exciting from start to finish, but towards the end when Mysterio went for a 619 on Almas, El Idolo countered and would take Mysterio out in impressive fashion to get the win for his team.

This match was so good that it could have been considered an early match of the year candidate if it had gone on longer.  Everyone involved really impressed and built solid Royal Rumble momentum in the process, and one could make the argument that a participant in this match could have a great shot at winning the Royal Rumble match.

Even though it didn’t get quite as much time as it maybe could have, this was still one of the most exciting matches in a while.

Final Grade: A