Why WWE Has FAILED To Replace This Legend

Fumbling An Opportunity

Lest you think that WWE simply had bad luck in finding its next Rey Mysterio, you need to look no further than Andrade “Cien” Almas as an example of the company itself botching a tremendous talent.

Andrade took a while to find his footing in NXT, but a heel turn and pairing with Zelina Vega righted the ship, and when he was called up to the main roster in 2018, it seemed like he was destined to break through. But by the end of the year, he lost a series of singles and mixed tag matches to the likes of AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, John Cena and R-Truth. That’s all in the span of three months.

The future El Idolo lost a feud with Mysterio to open 2019, which is never a good sign if you’re supposed to eventually succeed him. Andrade would win a second mini-feud with Rey later that year, however.

The pandemic era would prove to be Andrade’s undoing in WWE, as he would be part of the most useless stable in recent memory: a Zelina-led group including himself, Angel Garza and Austin Theory. On paper, this faction should have been a force on Raw. Instead, they were 50/50 booked or jobbed out, depending on your view. They rarely won a match of consequence in 2020, and Andrade was cut loose before WrestleMania 37.

Cont’d (5 of 7)