Andrade El Idolo is one of the latest AEW signings. WWE's inability to use him effectively played a major role in opening the door for his exit. While Andrade signed a contract with WWE back in 2015, he didn't achieve the level of success he had hoped.
The Mexican made a name for himself working outside of WWE and due to lack of opportunities ended up leaving the company earlier this year. Andrade now works for All Elite Wrestling and seems to be happy there. He'll soon have new fans who will want to know many things about him.
10 He Is Among The Tallest Wrestlers In AEW
At 5'9", Andrade is about average in terms of height for a pro wrestler. He isn't too short like Darby Allin, but is also not gigantic like Luchasaurus. Interestingly, he's among the tallest wrestlers in AEW and only a handful of people are taller than him, but it's mostly a difference of a couple of inches.
Andrade's height allows him to work comfortably with wrestlers of any size. He's had good matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio, Humberto Carrillo and Jeff Hardy.
9 He Is Engaged To Charlotte Flair
Andrade and Charlotte Flair are one of the most beloved couples in wrestling. Even though both wrestlers currently work for rival promotions and don't really get to see each other much, the distance isn't having a negative impact on their relationship.
El Idolo and The Queen are a perfect couple for each other. They started dating back in 2019 and ended up getting engaged soon after. Now, people around the world are just waiting for them to officially tie the knot.
8 He Is Quite Young
Andrade has gained a ton of experience in the wrestling world over the years. He's worked for promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), WWE, Triple-A, and now AEW.
At 31, he's still very young compared to a lot of his peers. AEW does seem to have huge plans for Andrade and there is no doubt that in a few years, he will end up becoming one of their most important superstars.
7 He Debuted As A Teenager
At the age when most teenagers are trying to deal with middle school, Andrade was training to become a wrestler. He made his wrestling debut at 13; a month before his fourteenth birthday.
His ring name was Brillante Jr. at that time that referenced his father, Jose Andrade Salas, who was known as Brillante. Since then, Andrade has been wrestling continuously and has 18 years of experience already. He is the perfect combination of youthful energy and decades of experience, making him a truly special wrestler.
6 He Is A Third-Generation Superstar
Andrade was born into a wrestling family and has been passionate about this job since his childhood. His father and grandfather were also wrestlers and were known as Brillante and El Moro respectively.
But that's not where the lineage stops; several of Andrade's cousins and even his uncles are into the wrestling business. But unlike Andrade, they mostly work in Mexico. If Andrade manages to make a big impression in AEW, fans will probably pay more attention to this amazing wrestling family that has flown under the radar.
5 He Almost Quit WWE In 2016
Earlier this year, Andrade left WWE due to a lack of opportunities within the company despite having all the talent in the world. But this wasn't the first time he felt he was being mistreated by the company.
Back in 2016, he revealed that the criticism in WWE was too much for him to handle and due to a lack of any opportunities, Andrade considered quitting the company and even returned to his home in Mexico. But then, Alberto Del Rio talked to him and advised him to not give up and keep fighting.
4 He Didn't Like His Original WWE Name
Most fans don't like it when WWE messes with the names of their wrestlers. The company is notorious for shortening the names of wrestlers. WWE wrestlers such as Riddle, Shotzi and Rusev (just to name a few) used to have longer names but the company shortened it to one word only.
Andrade was one of the stars who lost a part of his name. But unlike many others, he actually liked this change since Andrade was his last name and didn't like the "Cien Almas" part.
3 He Used To Wear A Mask
At one point, Andrade used to wrestle with a mask on his face. But when he started talks with WWE, Andrade made up his mind to unmask.
In September 2015, Andrade put his mask on the line in a wrestling match. He lost the match and dropped his mask. Two months later, he joined WWE and has been wrestling without a mask ever since. It will be interesting to see if Andrade goes back to it now that he is out of Vince McMahon's company.
2 He Is The Only Mexican Wrestler To Win The IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Before joining WWE, Andrade had a 5-year stint in NJPW. In 2013, Andrade faced Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in Mexico and ended up beating him for the gold. It was a major upset, and this victory made him the only Mexican to ever win the title.
At that time, Andrade was known as La Sombra. His reign didn't last for a long time and he ended up losing the title back to Shinsuke Nakamura in Japan, ending his reign at 50 days.
1 He Wrestled In A 5 Star Match
Andrade is one of the best wrestlers in the world and that's why fans will always love him. He's proved himself on many occasions and despite not being super successful on the main roster, Andrade had a good stint in NXT.
In 2018, Andrade successfully retained his NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia. The match was wonderful and it received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer; the first one in NXT history. It was a rating the bout truly deserved.