Was Andrade El Idolo Worse Off In AEW? It's Complicated

Back in 2021, Andrade El Idolo was the first of many big names that made the jump from WWE to AEW that year, kicking off a Summer that saw Malakai Black, CM Punk, Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson all show up in AEW. A little more than two years later, he was gone, heading back to WWE in time to debut for the 2024 Royal Rumble. For most fans, the move was seen as an upgrade, as Andrade's AEW tenure left a lot to be desired. After all, he spent his first few months in AEW aligned with Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., spent the rest of his tenure stuck in the mid to upper midcard, and missed a large chunk of TV time due to injury/a backstage altercation with Sammy Guevara. In between, he had several notable performances, but never quite seemed to find a direction. Those factors alone would suggest that Andrade was far worse off in AEW than he had been in WWE...except that it's far more complicated than that.

In fact, complicated seems like the perfect way to describe Andrade's career in the United States overall. For the first eight years of his career in Mexico, where he wrestled for CMLL as La Sombra, Andrade knew nothing but success; he was a consistent main eventer, held numerous titles, made appearances in New Japan Pro Wrestling, unmasked several notable lucha libre stars, and even formed the biggest stable in Mexico, Los Ingobernables, alongside long-time friends Rush and La Mascara. That success was expected to follow Andrade to the United States; it didn't do so in AEW, but it didn't during his first WWE run either, save for the period he was NXT Champion in late 2017/early 2018. Besides that, Andrade spent most of his WWE run seemingly without a direction, having great matches here and there, all while seemingly being frustrated with his situation, before asking for his release in early 2021. Sound familiar?

In truth, Andrade's first WWE run, and his AEW run, are remarkably similar in how they played out, minus the fact that Andrade didn't have any backstage altercations in WWE. Both runs had disappointing starts (never forget Andrade's brief time wearing suspenders during his 'NXT' debut). Both featured him having spectacular performances against the likes of Johnny Gargano, Rey Mysterio, Buddy Matthews, and Bryan Danielson. And both ultimately saw him never reach past a certain level, leading to a frustrated Andrade seeking to better his fortunes some place else. It is here that the idea of Andrade being worse off in AEW becomes complicated. Could his run have been better? Arguably, yes. The problem is the same thing could be said about his first run with WWE, painting a picture of Andrade as a wrestler who, while talented, seems to be slotted at a certain level, no matter where he's working.

That's a prophecy that may be playing out right now in his second WWE run. Since returning to WWE in 2024, Andrade has found himself in pretty much the same spot he was in with AEW and when he left WWE in 2021; his performances remain well regarded, and he largely found himself in the midcard with little direction, aside from a small push he and new partner Rey Fenix received during the summer. And even that partnership has cooled, with the duo now having gone a month since appearing on television. It all brings it back to the conclusion that Andrade may just be destined for what AEW and WWE have given him over the years. Hence why it's complicated to argue whether he was worse off in AEW, or WWE for that matter. In the end, the Andrade we've seen may just be the one he'll always be in the US, for better, or for worse.