Daniel Bryan Must Be Andrade Almas' 1st Rival After WWE Money in the Bank

It's sad to say that Daniel Bryan's match against Big Cass at WWE Money in the Bank 2018 is easily among the least anticipated outings on the card, if only because the feud has failed to excite fans.

You can't blame Bryan, who did his best to carry Cass to a competent contest at Backlash and fell short. Although he walked away as the definitive victor, the rivalry resumed in the weeks that followed, and neither man has stood to benefit from it.

Although Extreme Rules is right around the corner, there is no need for Bryan vs. Cass to continue coming out of June 17's show. Instead, Andrade "Cien" Almas would be a far better rival for Bryan en route to SummerSlam.

Credit: WWE.com

To be fair, Almas should have been slotted in the position Cass is in from the get-go. It has been apparent for years that officials were high on Cass' potential, but on his own, he has proved he is barely above average both on the mic and in the ring.

Almas, on the other hand, is the complete package and has everything the company would want out of a top-tier talent. That may not have been the case when he debuted two years ago at NXT TakeOver: The End, but he has evolved into an incredible competitor and has improved every aspect of his game.

All Almas needs is a proper program to kick off his stint on SmackDown Live with a bang, and Bryan would be the best possible choice considering what he is capable of and his track record of elevating up-and-comers.

To WWE's credit, it has yet to botch Almas in the same way it has done most wrestlers who are called up from NXT. It isn't uncommon for the promotion to strip the aspiring Superstars of everything that made them special in the first place, but thankfully, Almas has been the exception.

His first few matches on the main roster consisted of him hitting his signature spots and coming across like a total star before allowing Zelina Vega to do the talking for him. She has been a valuable asset to his act over the past year, and together, they are the perfect power couple.

Almas then shifted his sights to Sin Cara, with whom he has history dating back to their time in Mexico. Once that rivalry is wrapped up on the forthcoming edition of SmackDown, the former NXT champion can target Bryan and begin his ascent up the card.

An argument can be made that Bryan has been misused since his return to the ring at WrestleMania given there are other opponents he could be working with. Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and The Miz would all be excellent foils for Bryan, but those rivalries can be saved for later down the line.

Bryan vs. Almas is a feud that must happen as soon as this summer because of what it could do for Almas and his stock. Kevin Owens was instantly launched into superstardom upon his arrival in WWE when he laid out John Cena. Almas could experience similar success with Bryan.

There is no shortage of star power on SmackDown Live, and thus it wouldn't be difficult for Almas to be overshadowed at the midcard level, but as an adversary of WWE's resident "Yes!" man, he would constantly be in the spotlight on Tuesday nights and make a name for himself overnight.

Along with Vega as his mouthpiece, what got Almas over with the audience in NXT were his remarkable matches against the likes of Johnny Gargano, Drew McIntyre and Aleister Black. His ability between the ropes speaks for itself, not to mention that there are few athletes on SmackDown who are as exceptional of a wrestler as Bryan is.

Most importantly, beating Bryan (especially in clean fashion) would put Almas in a league of his own on the heel side of SmackDown. Combining that with the intense verbal battles Bryan and Vega could have, WWE would be foolish to not pair off these two in a program post-Money in the Bank.

At a time when Bryan could desperately use a storyline worth getting invested in, Almas might be the answer to his recent woes and should be considered his top priority once Big Cass is out of the equation.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.