We have a rumor to pass your way in regards to the original plans for Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas on Smackdown Live. As you have probably noticed, he hasn’t been used much on Smackdown Live since being called up.
According to the Wrestling Standard (formerly known as PWStream), the original plans were for Almas to have a quick feud with Sin Cara. Afterward, he was planned to move over to the United States Title picture.
Almas was apparently going to feud with Jeff Hardy, where Almas would have eventually become United States Champion. Vince McMahon is apparently a big fan of the idea of having a foreign heel as U.S Champion.
So why didn’t it happen?
The rumor suggests that WWE decided to give the role to Shinsuke Nakamura instead. WWE had plans to give Nakamura a short run with the WWE Title but eventually scrapped the idea. As a result, Nakamura was moved to the U.S Title picture where he is expected to become the new Champion. Almas has been pushed to the sidelines for the moment.
Make sure to always take rumors with a grain of salt. Would you have preferred Almas vs Hardy or Nakamura vs Hardy?
On a related note, here are several of the biggest rumors floating around about Wrestlemania 35.