wrestling / Columns

How Should AEW Book Andrade El Idolo?

June 9, 2021 | Posted by Shawn S. Lealos
AEW DYnamite Andrade El Idolo Image Credit: AEW/Twitter

Anyone who watched AEW Dynamite last Friday night knows my topic this week.

Andrade El Idolo is All Elite in AEW

When I was watching Double or Nothing, I expected a big surprise at the Casino Battle Royale. I would have loved to see Samoa Joe show up, but I knew he couldn’t because of the non-compete clause from WWE. We got Lio Rush, which was fine but still a bit of a letdown.

It shocked me when Vickie Guerrero came out and introduced Andrade El Idolo. It happened on a Friday night episode of Dynamite that AEW knew would get a low rating. Even more shocking was this was a complete surprise for the fans, most never seeing it coming. There wasn’t even a hint Andrade was showing up.

One of the best things about wrestling is the surprises. Sometimes, online wrestling fans know what is coming (Chris Jericho debuting in WWE) and in other cases, it is a complete shock (John Cena Royal Rumble return). However, there are rumors TNT doesn’t want surprises like this to happen on the show because they can’t bring in bigger viewing numbers if they can’t promote it. Andrade is nowhere near as big a name as Sting, but he was a WWE star heading into 2021 and is a huge signing for AEW.

For the people who make fun of AEW signing former WWE guys, this is a big deal. There is no difference between AEW bringing in Rusev and Andrade and WWE bringing in former TNA guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. Well, there is one difference. AJ was 39 and Joe was 36 when they left TNA for WWE. Miro just turned 36 and Andrade is only 31. Bringing in names like Andrade, Miro, and even before this when they brought in the late Brodie Lee, the company is bringing in wrestlers that WWE dropped the ball with. These men deserved a chance, and this is Andrade’s big chance.

There was one scary moment after his signing. Wrestling Inc. reported he wanted “creative control and veto power over losing.” The news also claimed he had a “limited amount” of creative control. PWInsider gave some conflicting information that made that a little less scary. They reported that “Andrade El Idolo does not have creative control in how he’s used in the company and Tony Khan has final say in his booking.” This is good news. Andrade needs AEW to protect him because he can be a massive star. He can’t come in like Lance Archer or Shawn Spears and lose his first big match.

The next thing to look at is Vickie Guerrero as his manager. She is an excellent choice to bring the heat for Andrade since AEW fans would have cheered him upon arrival based on his pedigree. Bringing in Zelina Vega could have resulted in cheers as well. AEW wants Andrade to be a heel. Vickie is there to ensure that is clear. She has always been a great heat magnet, as she proved with Edge and Dolph Ziggler in WWE.

On a side note, I love bringing in people like Vickie Guerrero, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts as managers. I hear complaints online all the time about signing “old guys” but this is tradition. Bobby Heenan, Mr. Fuji, Classy Freddie Blassie, and Johnny Valiant were all “old guys” that became brilliant managers in WWF in the ‘80s. Same thing with Paul Jones, Paul Ellering, and Gary Hart in the NWA. AEW signed some of the best minds in wrestling history to work as managers; this will only make their charges better. Vickie might not be a former wrestler, but she has proven her value in WWE.

So, what should happen with Andrade El Idolo in AEW? The company has been smart so far, bringing in new stars. People complained all the time about Miro’s booking when he arrived. However, if AEW pushed him straight to the TNT title when he showed up, people would have cried even harder. Yes, Miro’s Best Man gimmick was lame in the end, but he never stopped destroying people. When he won the TNT title, it meant even more because he didn’t have it handed to him upon arrival. However, AEW can’t do what they did with Lance Archer and keep him from winning anything important, and losing every time he got a title shot.

Every AEW champion is a heel. Miro holds the TNT title and Kenny Omega is the world champion. With Andrade a heel, he has no champion to chase. Miro could play a face in the feud because fans love cheering when he destroys people. However, Miro shouldn’t lose the title yet. If AEW keeps its booking style the same, Andrade will end up feuding with someone first with no title on the line.

I hope it isn’t Cody Rhodes because that is a death knell for anyone entering AEW. I would love to see Andrade enter a feud with Penta El Zero M. Andrade could win the feud and it wouldn’t hurt Penta. AEW could also send him into a feud against Jon Moxley, and a high-profile loss wouldn’t hurt Mox either. Whatever AEW chooses, it needs to be a feud against a top star and a major babyface (hopefully not Adam Page, who shouldn’t be losing any feuds right now). The only feud that makes sense outside of Penta or Mox is Orange Cassidy or Darby Allin, but AEW needs to tread carefully with Andrade.

There is one other worry I have.

When Andrade showed up in NXT, he started slow. However, once he won the NXT title, he showed how great he was and turned in some of NXT’s best matches in the promotion’s history. After arriving on Raw, Andrade did nothing impressive because of bad booking.

It is time for AEW to show how great this 31-year-old superstar is because Andrade El Idolo could be the biggest signing in AEW history.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Who do you want to see Andrade feud with first in AEW?

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