Andrade Sides With LWO On WWE SmackDown, Will Replace Dragon Lee At WrestleMania 40

Following weeks of what seemed like a budding alliance with Dominik Mysterio and The Judgment Day, Andrade refused to participate in a beatdown of Rey Mysterio and instead laid waste to both Dominik and Santos Escobar, siding with the LWO and setting up his role at WrestleMania 40, where he will replace Dragon Lee as Rey's tag team partner against Dominik and Escobar.

Moments prior to a match between Zelina Vega and Elektra Lopez on "WWE SmackDown," Lee was shown backstage having suffered some sort of attack, as Carlito was seen tending to his fallen friend. Vega and Rey made their way down the ring, visibly upset about the befallen Lee but putting their best foot forward as Vega prepared for her match with Lopez. Escobar came out with Lopez, and the two of them then brought out Dominik, who in turn had Andrade with him, seemingly as an ally. Thanks to outside shenanigans, Lopez was able to prevail in the match, but the real story came afterwards with Escobar's attack on Rey, when Andrade revealed that he was on the LWO's side all along.

In a backstage segment to follow, Zelina, Rey, and Andrade were told by a WWE official that Lee was ruled out for WrestleMania, prompting the LWO members to think aloud as to how Rey could continue against Dominik and Escobar. Andrade, who was conspicuously absent from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, swiftly proposed that he replace Lee in the match, and Rey graciously accepted, before Carlito showed up, heard of the substitution, and seemed to walk away approving of it all — though one has to wonder if there will be yet another shift of alliances come Night 1 of WrestleMania.