10 Wrestlers Who Found That AEW Wasn't The Promised Land

3. Andrade El Idolo

CM Punk
AEW

As Andrade "Cien" Almas in NXT, the man formerly known as La Sombra in Mexico and Japan wowed audiences with his athleticism and heelish antics and had one of the best runs in the brand's history as a villainous NXT Champion.

Andrade's time on the WWE main roster was a very different story. Despite winning the United States Championship from Rey Mysterio, his accolades were few and far between and he was eventually given his release in 2021.

He turned up in AEW just a few months later, now calling himself Andrade El Idolo, but over the next 18 months or so he's just done... well, nothing.

El Idolo feuded with PAC, tried to buy Darby Allin from Sting, stole Matt Hardy's faction, brought RUSH into the company (who also hasn't really done much), and recently competed in the Casino Ladder match at All Out 2022, but he has had very little lasting impact on the company.

Much like Miro, he too is a big name with a lot of potential that has been swamped by the influx of more recognisable faces in AEW. Whilst he has all the talent, he lacks the name value of a Bryan Danielson or an Adam Cole, and his AEW career has suffered massively as a result.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.