Andrade El Idolo Reveals AEW’s Initial Idea For Big Forbidden Door Match
Lost in the drama surrounding Jeff Hardy's DUI arrest and Vince McMahon stepping down as WWE CEO last week was the plight of Andrade El Idolo. The AEW star revealed early in the week that he, along with fellow luchadores Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix, would not be part of AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, despite Andrade initially being booked for the event.
On Twitter, Andrade would sarcastically thank lucha libre promotions AAA and CMLL regarding why he would be left off the show. His tweet would subsequently lead to a back and forth between Andrade and AAA higher up Konnan on Twitter, where Andrade ultimately deleted several tweets regarding his pay with AAA.
On Friday, Andrade sat down with AAA color commentator and Lucha Libre Online's Hugo Savinovich to discuss the situation. During the interview, Andrade confirmed he was originally scheduled for Forbidden Door and revealed to a stunned Savinovich what the plans for him were.
"My problem is not with AEW, because they had an idea for me to face Will Ospreay," Andrade revealed. "The idea was to face him for the IWGP United States Championship."
Andrade further went on to claim that the build for the match would've started with him going to work a match in New Japan, though he did not give an exact date. He was then later informed he couldn't compete on the show because Mexican wrestlers who competed for AAA would not be allowed due to New Japan's partnership with CMLL.
As noted previously, AAA and CMLL have been at odds since AAA's formation in 1992, which sprung from former CMLL wrestler turned booker Antonio Pena leaving to jumpstart AAA, while taking several top stars with him. Andrade had previously worked for CMLL as La Sombra from 2007 to 2015 but has since worked dates for AAA since joining AEW in 2021.
With Andrade now no longer able to compete at Forbidden Door, AEW instead turned to Orange Cassidy, who has recently returned from injury, as Ospreay's opponent. The two will collide for Ospreay's IWGP US Title at the event, with Ospreay favored to win the match according to recent odds.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Lucha Libre Online and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription