Making A Case: Andrade Has To Shine When He Returns

It’s a shame to see wrestlers with so much potential never get to truly shine. When will we ever see Andrade shine as the top star – or will we ever?

It wasn’t that long ago but it seems such a long time ago when Andrade “Cien” Almas made his main roster debut in the 2018 Royal Rumble match. Only a night removed from a five-star classic match against Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, Andrade shocked the WWE Universe by arriving at number seven in the rumble match. After his rumble appearance, Andrade returned to NXT to finish out his reign as champion.

After WrestleMania, he was drafted to SmackDown as a part of the superstar shake-up. Unfortunately, Andrade never seemed to get the same momentum that he had found in NXT. He managed to win the United States Championship but it was clear that this wasn’t the same man that we had seen in NXT. There was something that wasn’t right with his main roster run. Later, Zelina was removed from his side.

After Zelina’s departure, the last bit of the Andrade “Cien” Almas from NXT was gone.  Despite initially being denied his request, he was released on March 21st, 2021. Fans and wrestling journalists alike instantly started to talk about how wasted he had been on the main roster and what a tremendous loss to the company overall when other plans could’ve been made.

In less than two months after his WWE release, he was already fighting Kenny Omega, who was on his multiple world champion run, for the AAA Mega Championship at Triplemania XXIX. In June, Andrade made his debut for All Elite Wrestling and received a loud ovation upon his arrival. In early 2022, Andrade’s future in the company looked hopeful as his former partner RUSH was signed and aligned with him. Fans were excited to see where RUSH and Andrade could go with a reunited La Facción Ingobernable in All Elite Wrestling.

Unfortunately, tensions would begin to form for Andrade, and many others, in AEW. He posted a cryptic #FreeElIdolo on Twitter in September amidst what seemed to be the start of his new chapter in AEW. Things became even more heated for Andrade, specifically between him and Sammy Guevara due to comments made online between the pair. Fresh off of the media frenzy that was the now infamous backstage brawl including CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks, AEW had a second brawl on their hands.

Andrade and Sammy Guevara got into a backstage fight that ended up with Andrade being sent home and AEW getting even more negative press interest. With his prolonged absence from the company, he was rumored to have been quietly suspended from AEW due to reportedly starting the altercation with Guevara. However, he would later explain his absence with a late November post declaring that he had undergone his first-ever surgery for a torn pectoral muscle that is deemed to have happened during the casino ladder match at All Out.

The time for Andrade to recover all but crushes the dreams of any fans who were hoping to see him return to the WWE in the Royal Rumble match. Despite the timing of his injury not matching an ideal rumble return, it would be believable if Andrade does make his return to the WWE. With his backstage tension with Guevara and his wife being a mainstay of the WWE for likely years to come, it would make sense for him to return if the right offer comes his way. With Triple H in control of WWE creative, he could potentially see a comeback on Cody Rhodes’s level.

However, with recent rumors and announcements of Vince McMahon’s return and his plan to potentially sell the company, it could be smart for Andrade to hold out his decision until he recovers. Whichever direction Andrade chooses to go once his recovery is complete, there is only one thing that he must do in the future: shine. He needs to shine as he did in the gold of NXT in whichever company he finds himself or remains in. Due to personal circumstances and unfortunate injuries, we have seen Andrade miss crucial ring time over the past few years.

At the young age of 33, he hopefully has years to go in his career and has all the potential to be turned into the face of any company he joins. He has ties to the top companies around the world and would potentially shine in a return to NJPW, AAA, or the WWE. The world is his for the taking and it would be incredible to see him back in the ring with the likes of former stablemate Tetsuya Naito or rivaling Zelina Vega and Santos Escobar on SmackDown.

Although, if Andrade decides to remain in AEW, let’s hope that he and Sammy can either bury the hatchet for the company or use it to make some money like Edge and Matt Hardy circa 2005. Andrade can’t afford to waste any more time while he is still young and healthy.