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An AEW star recently claimed that his character change was brought about by a former WWE Superstar.
The ex-WWE Superstar in question is Andrade El Idolo. Before joining Tony Khan's promotion, he was a notable name on the Stamford-based company's roster. His run in NXT brought him to the attention of mainstream audiences, after which he moved to the main roster in 2018. Soon afterward, he defeated Rey Mysterio to win his first United States Championship. Andrade was released from the company in 2021.
While Andrade joined AEW in 2021, it was much later that he formed the La Faccion Ingobernable. He apparently chose Preston Vance of the Dark Order to join his faction alongside his brother Rush. According to Preston's comments on AEW Unrestricted, it was Andrade who first pitched the idea for him to take off his mask and undergo a gimmick change.
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"I remember I was somewhere backstage and Andrade [El Idolo] pulled me aside and was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go to Tony. I want you with us. I think you’d look cool in a suit, take off the mask’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah. Let’s do it.’ I was doing the ‘10’ thing for, at that point, like three years so, I was pretty ready to change." [H/T: WrestleTalk]
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Preston Vance explained why the former WWE Superstar's suggestion was readily accepted
It appears that the Dark Order member did not hesitate to take off the mask and abandon his previous character.
On the same episode of AEW Unrestricted, Preston Vance explained his difficulties while performing with the mask.
"I never liked wearing the mask. I never wore it before AEW. It’s hard trying to connect with the people when you’re under a mask. There are pros and cons to it. A pro is that you never have to worry about facial expressions or anything but the con is I mean literally, it’s hard to show any enthusiasm. It’s all body language, body language and so I’m pretty glad I’m done with the mask," said Vance. [H/T: WrestleTalk]
While Andrade El Idolo is currently away from action, it remains to be seen what the former WWE Superstar has planned for with Preston Vance in the future.
Do you think Andrade's suggestion has helped Preston Vance? Sound off in the comments section below!
