Ex-WWE Star Andrade Makes AEW Debut On Dynamite

The artist formerly known as WWE's Andrade debuted on Friday's AEW Dynamite.

by Jamie Kennedy
Andrade AEW
AEW

Ex-WWE star Andrade shockingly debuted on Friday's special episode of AEW Dynamite.

AEW's latest signing is now going by the name Andrade El Idolo (the 'El Idolo' part, it's worth mentioning, was his nickname on NXT and Raw). It also looks like Andrade will be aligned with loudmouth manager Vickie Guerrero going forwards, which seems smart; this could, admittedly, be a short-term plan or one-off.

Talking has never been El Idolo's strength, but he did promise to become the "new face" of All Elite Wrestling.

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Guerrero interrupted an interview with fellow new hire Mark Henry to announce that Andrade had signed on the dotted line with Tony Khan's operation. Fans inside Daily's Place gave the former United States Champ a booming reception, although it seems clear that he'll be presented as a heel.

WWE didn't trigger the usual 90-day non-compete clause when they released El Idolo this past March. He's set to face current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega for the AAA Mega Championship at Triplemania XXIX on 14 August.

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Now, fans can look forward to seeing that same match on AEW TV/pay-per-view in the future.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.