WWE Rumors: Andrade 'Cien' Almas in Line for Push After AJ Styles Match
July 25, 2018
WWE officials may be ready to give Andrade "Cien" Almas a starring role on SmackDown Live.
PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported Tuesday some inside the company were impressed with Almas during his match against AJ Styles on the July 17 edition of SmackDown Live.
"There was talk coming out of the show that he was in line for a big push," Johnson wrote.
At the least, Almas will have to wait until after SummerSlam to get a crack at the WWE Championship.
Samoa Joe became the No. 1 contender for Styles when he attacked the champion and signed a contract for a title match at SummerSlam on Aug. 19.
It's little surprise WWE officials would be high on Almas' potential.
When he first arrived in NXT in 2016, his talent was evident, but he struggled to elicit much of a reaction from a crowd. That changed when he aligned himself with Zelina Vega, who added the necessary charisma to his natural swagger in the ring.
SmackDown Live is also the perfect place to give Almas a title run. For better or worse, Jinder Mahal's WWE Championship reign is an example how the company has a little more freedom on SmackDown Live to experiment with newer stars on top.
With Vega by his side, Almas would be an ideal world champion in that he could draw heat from the WWE Universe while simultaneously delivering consistently strong matches.