8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 6)

2. Old Vs. New

Rey Mysterio Andrade Almas
WWE.com

Concerns on Almas' position within the company aside, 'Cien's' singles clash with Rey Mysterio was a big success. It was a fun eight-minuter in which the former NXT Champion enjoyed plenty of offense, battering his opponent with the majority of his signature spots, before falling to Rey's own, eating the pinfall after a rana, 619, and the Drop of the Dime.

The match was laid out in order to present Almas as being on Mysterio's level. This shows that whatever road agent put it together is at least conscious that Andrade needs protection, but regardless of opponent, you can't have a guy lose every important match he's in without eventually typecasting him as a loser. That's a danger, so let's hope the habit ends soon.

It'd be great to see what these two could do on a bigger stage, with a bigger audience, at the heart of an important storyline. Perhaps we'll get to see that someday, but regardless, this first-time clash between old and new mostly delivered, and gave Rey a nice warm-up prior to Survivor Series.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.