10 Most Improved Wrestlers Of 2017
7. Andrade "Cien" Almas
Even six months ago, the idea of Andrade "Cien" Almas standing as NXT Champion would have been completely ridiculous, but here we are. The former La Sombra reached the development mountaintop by defeating Drew McIntyre in a great TakeOver: WarGames bout, cementing his status as the brand's figurehead two years after first signing with WWE.
Almas endured a rough transition to mainstream American wrestling. His initial babyface run was a complete flop, and while things improved after a late-2016 heel turn, he still struggled for momentum.
Acquiring Zelina Vega as manager was the turning point. She appeared on the scene this July, and Andrade's fortunes improved immeasurably, starting with a TakeOver win over Johnny Gargano. Suddenly, his lack of spoken English wasn't a problem anymore. Almas had Vega to cover for his shortcomings, thus placing the emphasis on his sublime in-ring skills and swaggering heelish charisma, both of which have gone through the roof in 2017.
While a degree of Almas' success can be attributed to Vega, we can't undersell the NXT Champion's personal improvements. He finally looks comfortable inside a WWE ring, and delivered the best match of his run so far against McIntyre, signifying his status as a future main roster star.