The Problem With Andrade That No One Wants To Talk About

Andrade and Zelina Vega's success shouldn't have had a ceiling.

Vega arrived in November 2017, two years into an NXT run that had seen the former La Sombra veering dangerously close to becoming the first big-name black and gold bust. He had floundered in his fedora and suspenders, forced into an ill-fitting babyface act he was visibly uncomfortably in, floundering while Finn Balor and Samoa Joe soared and those signed after him (Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, et al.) lapped him on the racetrack.

This was an immediately transformative pairing, as Vega counteracted Andrade's biggest roadblock to long-term WWE success. For better or worse, the ability to cut lengthy English promos is a prerequisite for being pushed in Stamford and Orlando. Andrade attended language classes, improved, and embarked on a process that would take years to complete without Zelina. Together, the wrestler who helped bring five-star matches back to WWE for the first time in seven years and an elite talker with similar charisma and confidence should have climbed main roster mountains.

Should have.

In 2020, things fell apart. Andrade was United States Champion for 151 days but accomplished little of note in a lengthy reign by modern standards. A promising stable with Angel Garza lost credibility before it could build anyway, as they were immediately booked into losing positions. By October, Andrade had no belt, no stable, no manager, and no brand, having gone undrafted in WWE's latest roster reshuffle, while Vega went to SmackDown. One month later, Zelina was out of the company.

A can't-miss act had missed. As is often the case, it was neither Andrade nor Vega's fault...

CONT'd...