In fact, the current NXT Champion confirmed recently that he was very close to leaving WWE at one point, and the man who persuaded him to stay was, in fact, Alberto Del Rio.

In case you didn’t know…

Almas is currently embroiled in a rivalry with Aleister Black which is one of NXT’s biggest talking points right now. The NXT Champion even made his main roster debut with an impressive stint in the Royal Rumble Match.

His previous feud - which saw Johnny Gargano effectively lose his job - grabbed the headlines when WWE called their battle at NXT TakeOver earlier this year the greatest match in NXT TakeOver history with Dave Meltzer giving it WWE’s first five-star rating since 2011.

NXT Champion Almas would later challenge Gargano to one more match, title vs career, in a match where Almas effectively ended Gargano’s NXT career.

The heart of the matter

Well, this one goes back to last September when Alberto Del Rio, now known as Alberto El Patron, was interviewed by Mas Lucha in Mexico on a number of topics, including current NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas wanting to possibly leave WWE at the time.

The former WWE Champion claimed that gave some advice to Almas to help him stay with WWE. Here’s what El Patron said, last September:

Del Rio went on to say that learning English and being in top physical shape were incredibly important if Almas wanted to succeed there.

Much like Del Rio, Almas, too, wore a mask before reaching WWE, but has since performed without the mask since arriving in WWE. Almas does, however, still wear his sometimes for entrances and, like Del Rio, has a manager who is very good at speaking.

Del Rio reiterated that this is the advice his mentor gave him.

One think Alberto Del Rio was known for on his most recent spell with WWE was his incredible physique, and he noted that was one think Andrade had to work on.

Well, today in an interview with Milenio, Andrade confirmed Del Rio’s story.about staying with WWE. (Note: Translated from Spanish, from Wrestling Inc)

What’s next?

Well, things have gone pretty well for Almas recently and, after defeating Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship, he’s now performing on a whole other level.

WrestleMania weekend sees Andrade Cien Almas defend his NXT Championship against Aleister Black at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.

Author’s take

Well, I’m personally a huge fan of Andrade Cien Almas, so it’s crazy to think that he was very close to quitting WWE at one point. I’m just glad things have all turned around for Almas now and I can’t wait to see him go up against Aleister Black next month!

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