Ever since Rey Mysterio left the WWE, Vince McMahon has been trying to replace him with everyone from Sin Cara to Kalisto. But his ‘replacement’ so to speak is currently tearing it up down in NXT and has the talent to even surpass anything Mr. 619 ever did. That person is current NXT Champion, Andrade “Cien” Almas. Alongside Zelina Vega, Almas has been the hottest wrestler in all of WWE not named Aleister Black over the past few months, and after a 5-star match with Johnny Gargano and an appearance in the Royal Rumble, it’s clear that WWE have big plans in store for him.
In WWE’s reported plans to replace Rey Mysterio, it’s clear that they were looking for someone in a mask (likely due to marketing/merchandise reasons, which is completely understandable). But Almas is a good-looking guy and is marketable enough the way he is. During his entrance to that 5-star match with Gargano at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia, he paid homage to the lucha libre wrestling community, as well as his past as La Sombra in CMLL by wearing a mask, and that could very well become a tradition for marketing purposes. Either way, with his past in CMLL and traditions rooted in Lucha Libre, the mask/marketing possibilities will always be there, and that will go a long way in convincing Vince McMahon that Almas is a top star.
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Secondly, he has the perfect mouth piece, Zelina Vega, who is fantastic in her role. Although it doesn’t hurt to have them up against the two most likeable people in WWE (Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae), they are great at creating genuine heat. After seeing how The Miz and Maryse and other power couples have been booked in recent times, this is definitely a promising sign. If they’re allowed to be every bit as arrogant and devastating as they are in NXT, this could be the next great duo in WWE.
The third and final point in why Almas could be the next great Latin star in WWE is the simplest and most obvious of the lot: his in ring ability. Almas can do it all in the ring, he’s incredibly smooth, can work many different styles, and most importantly works well with wrestlers of any size. With the increased importance on storytelling and pure in-ring skills compared to the past, he’s the perfect guy for WWE going forward. If the WWE get his booking and marketing right, we could be looking at not only the next Latin star in WWE, but the next mega-star. Being 28 years old with 15 years experience in the business certainly helps his cause. No matter which way you look at it, Almas is going to be a big star in the WWE, and if booked right, he could be a WWE Champion before 2020. With all the evidence we’ve been given so far, there’s genuinely no ceiling on just how good the former La Sombra can be.
So there you go guys, what do you think? Is Almas going to be a huge Latin star in WWE? Is he going to outdo Rey Mysterio’s accomplishments? Are they going to mess him up the same way they did Sin Cara and Kalisto? We don’t think so, as he should be a huge star, but let us know all your thoughts in the comments below.