Solo Andrade! WWE Cuts Superstar's Name

One could have made the argument that Andrade 'Cien' Almas had the best ring name in all of WWE. [...]

By Jeremy Snodgrass

One could have made the argument that Andrade "Cien" Almas had the best ring name in all of WWE. But that's not his name anymore.

WWE didn't announce it, but via their website, the 29-year-old rookie will now be known as simply "Andrade." This isn't the first time Vince McMahon & Co. have decided to snip a piece of a Superstar's name, with Elias Sampson and Apollo Crews being recent examples.

andrade wwe

Why WWE would chop such a classic name in half is worthy of a question or two, but perhaps they think that a shorter name will be easier to remember for fans — it does make for a decent, three-syllable chant, too.

While we'll always pine for his full name, Andrade will work just fine. At this point, it may not matter what we call him, because Andrade may be the most compelling thing in WWE right now. It still may be a little early to ride his wave, but Andrade has been explosive in recent months. His highlight reel includes near divine SmackDown matches with AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and most recently, a pair of instant classics with Rey Mysterio.

With the added dimension of Zelina Vega, Andrade may have one of the brightest futures in the company. The heel duo reeks of a classic 1980's partnership, one that's destined to hold major WWE gold. Right now there are already rumors of Andrade having a significant WrestleMania 35 match — possibly a ladder match for the US Championship. Speculation aside, Andrade shouldn't have to worry about booking juicy opportunities because it looks like they'll be falling at his feet.

Andrade has enjoyed the privilege of being able to sneak up on the WWE Universe. Similar to Elias and Alexa Bliss, Andrade arrived to the main roster with little NXT fanfare. While he did enjoy a nice run as NXT Champion, Andrade never had the cult following of Sami Zayn, Bayley, and Finn Balor, who came on the scene with unreachable expectations.

But on SmackDown, Andrade gets to cultivate his status without the extra pressure of being a Raw Superstar. He'll undeniably join the Red Brand one day, but for now, we can enjoy him on SmackDown.

2019 could be a monster year for Andrade. We'll buy the rumors of a big 'Mania match while we're at it, too. And because reckless speculation is a strong suit of any good wrestling fan, we'll guess that Andrade is knocking on the WWE championship's door this time next year.

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