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Another week, another bombshell reveal from AEW. Andrade El Idolo made his debut on AEW Dynamite tonight, aligning himself with Vickie Guerrero.
With both Mark Henry and Lio Rush appearing for the company at Double or Nothing, fans weren't expecting AEW to bring out another big name tonight. It goes to show, expect the unexpected.
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Andrade left WWE back in March after requesting his release from the company. Since then, he's set up a match with Kenny Omega for AAA in just a few months, but that's about all we've seen from him. Now, with Andrade officially being All Elite, the possibilities are endless.
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Now, considering the fact we're going to see Andrade face Kenny Omega at AAA TripleMania XXIX in August for the AAA Mega Championship, The Belt Collector will be omitted from this list. With that being said, let's kick off this list of 5 opponents for Andrade in AEW.
#5 AEW's Orange Cassidy
Okay, so this is billed around pretty much one moment. But let's explore this a little bit. Orange Cassidy has proven himself to be one of the most exciting wrestlers on AEW's roster. Without a doubt, the man is one of the most popular, and for good reason.
He's a unique personality pretty much based around a sense of calm and...trainquility. Tranquilo?
All jokes aside, these two could pull off a phenomenal feud. Not just because of their in-ring ability, either. They're both dripping in charisma, and can pull a lot of emotion out of a crowd without uttering a word. With Orange Cassidy coming off of Double or Nothing nearly walking away with the AEW World Championship, his stock has never been higher.
Let's capitalize on that and keep him in upper-tier feuds, and what better way to do that than to face off against Andrade El Idolo?
#4 AEW EVP Cody Rhodes
Alright, so the AEW fanbase may not be as high on Cody Rhodes as they used to be, but you can't really deny how special this match-up would be. Cody and Andrade both bring a lot of the same tools to the table.
Both men dress in high-class suits and slicked-back hair, and more importantly, both come from legendary wrestling families. Of course, Cody is the son of the late, great Dusty Rhodes, and brother of Dustin Rhodes. Cody just brought out the name of "The American Dream" for AEW Double or Nothing, and is proud to represent his family in that ring.
The man is also known for cutting a promo so heartwarming that it can make even the most hardened souls cry, so that's always something fun to add to a feud.
However, Andrade El Idolo has quite a legacy to represent himself. Being a third generation wrestler, his grandfather, José Andrade, wrestled under the name El Moro. His father, Jose Andrade Salas, was known as Brillante. That's not it, however, as Andrade El Idolo has five uncles who competed inside the ring, as well as his cousin Espanto Jr.
Cody's always been about strengthening his father's legacy and leaving a better one for his family to follow in. If they're willing to tell this story in AEW, Andrade would be one of the few opponents The American Nightmare's had that could understand his perspective.
#3 AEW's Penta El Zero M
One of AEW's oldest stables, Death Triangle, boasts three of the greatest professional wrestlers on the planet, and it would be hard not to put any of them on this list.
The reason behind Penta El Zero M is quite interesting, though.
We just spoke on Andrade El Idolo's legacy, and Penta El Zero M is tied to that somewhat. Penta's old ring name, Pentagon Jr., comes from Andrade's uncle Jesús Andrade Salas. While known primarily as Espanto Jr. (Penta's cousin also wrestles as Espanto Jr.), Salas was also the original Pentagon.
In 2012, AAA introduced the newest incarnations of Pentagon and its counterpart Octagon. When Samuray del Sol, formerly WWE's Kalisto, took on the name Octagon Jr., a certain young luchador named Dark Dragon would take on the moniker of Pentagon Jr.. Since then, the Penta we know today has carried the name through AAA, Lucha Underground, MLW, all the way to AEW.
It's a story that writes itself, honestly. Andrade could come in with a legitimate gripe that Penta El Zero M used his uncle's legacy to climb to the top of the wrestling world, while Penta would run down the actual history of the name, stating that he's the ninth Pentagon in the name's lineage.
With that, you could end up with a deep-seeded feud worthy of a main event slot on an AEW pay-per-view.
#2 AEW's PAC
Oh yeah, AEW's Death Triangle is gonna be a major part of this list. PAC and Andrade just barely missed each other while in WWE. PAC was responsible for the initial explosion of popularity of NXT, carrying the gold and dishing out a series of match of the year contenders. As he moved onto the main roster, Andrade showed up and took over the Black and Gold Brand.
Before we could get these two in the same ring in WWE, PAC was already gone from the company, and since leaving he's only gotten more aggressive.
The man formerly known as Neville just came off of an AEW Championship three-way match at Double or Nothing, which is considered by many fans as one of the best three-way dances in pro wrestling history.
What sets Pac apart from the rest of the herd is his intensity and that pure hatred that you feel from his eyes anytime he steps out on Dynamite. The man has a nasty mean streak, something that he shares with Andrade. We saw that characteristic emerge from him once Zelina Vega began managing him in NXT.
Thinking back to his time against Johnny Gargano during their spectacular feud for the NXT Championship, I can still picture Andrade driving his knees into the skull of Gargano while his head was resting against the steel ring post.
Both of PAC and Andrade are vicious, and it would lead to a pretty intense feud heading into what would be a spectacular match for AEW.
#1 AEW's Fenix
We're just cracking the surface of what Fenix can do in AEW. Considered by many to be the greatest wrestler in the world, even surpassing the AEW World Champion himself, Fenix is someone that leaves crowds with their jaws on the floor any time he's in the ring.
The fact of the matter is, whether Kenny Omega is in the conversation or not, Fenix vs Andrade El Idolo is the money match-up. Fenix has had stellar matches against the likes of Lance Archer, Kenny Omega, Orange Cassidy, both of the Young Bucks, not to mention the various contests he's had with his brother Penta El Zero M. He's a big match machine.
This would be a match between two of the greatest luchadors on the planet, and we'd get to see it on AEW. That seems like a no-brainer. Andrade is no slouch either. If you believed that you wouldn't be this far into the list.
The former NXT Champion put on various match of the year contenders against the likes of Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara (seriously, those matches are underrated) and more. Not to mention his time in NJPW where he battled Shinsuke Nakamura in an epic IWGP Intercontinental Championship bout back in 2013.
Andrade and Fenix are two of the greatest wrestlers in the world in the prime of their respective careers. If we're going to get any matches out of Andrade El Idolo's time in AEW, let's get this one done.
