10 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jul 24)

7. Almas Topples Rusev

Rusev Andrade Almas
WWE.com

It's nice to not have to complain about Andrade 'Cien' Almas' handling every week. SmackDown are finally presenting him the way he should've been from day one, with the former La Sombra sharing the ring with one of the show's most popular stars for the second consecutive week. He doesn't have a storyline yet, but this is effective, and he scored a big opportunistic victory last night.

After falling to WWE Champion AJ Styles seven days ago, Almas defeated 'The Phenomenal One's' last challenger. Rusev fell when an argument broke out between Zelina Vega and Lana. A bumbling Aiden English got involved, and was promptly ran into 'The Ravishing Russian' by Vega, distracting Rusev, who fell victim to the Hammerlock DDT and the 1-2-3.

The bout succeeded on two levels. The first was giving Almas a notable scalp after going toe-to-toe with the brand's finest last week, and the second was furthering the Rusev/English/Lana storyline. The action was strong, too, though not quite long enough to earn stronger praise, and the crowd were hooked throughout.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.