5 AEW Opponents For Andrade El Idolo

AEW’s first-ever Friday Night Dynamite saw the meteoric rise of Jungle Boy and the surprising debut of one of wrestling’s hottest free agents, Andrade El Idolo. The former NXT Champion and one of the two wrestlers to bring WWE its first 5* rating from Wrestling News Observer since 2011, Andrade announced his arrival alongside Vickie Guerrero, seeking to take over AEW and become the biggest Hispanic star the wrestling world has ever seen.

Andrade is undoubtedly a huge get for All Elite Wrestling and he’ll likely fit like a glove amongst their roster. There’s a handful of dream matches awaiting ‘El Idolo’ as he embarks on his first post-WWE journey, with the AAA Mega Championship match against Kenny Omega already penned for TripleMania and plenty of budding stars looking to make a name for themselves in a competitive match against an established star.

Let’s take a look through the top 5 AEW opponents for Andrade El Idolo upon his in-ring debut on AEW Dynamite. Make sure you leave your own dream matches down in the comments below.

 

1. Rey Fenix

You could throw any luchador into the squared circle with Andrade and it would likely turn out to be an incredible match. AEW’s Rey Fenix lives up to his name as one of the most promising lucha stars across the world, with many expecting him to become a world champion sometime in his career. Fenix has had a bit of a rough ride so far, with injuries setting him back from taking the main event scene by storm, nevertheless, he and his brother maintain their momentum and continue to make magic in between the ropes whenever they’re able.

Fenix would be a fantastic first opponent for Andrade El Idolo, giving the fans a match to straight away remind everyone about just how great Andrade is. His hard-hitting lucha style meshes perfectly with the high-flying antics of Fenix, just take a look back at his series against Rey Mysterio on SmackDown Live if you need proof.

This could be a platform for either wrestler to step up into the main event scene, especially if Andrade manages to dethrone Omega for the AAA Championship at TripleMania. A huge debut match and win over Rey Fenix propels him back into the conversation of being one of the greatest of our time.

 

2. PAC

From one member of Death Triangle to another, ‘The Bastard’ PAC has just been knocked from the top of the singles rankings following Double or Nothing, leaving him open to a huge dream match between him and the debuting Andrade. A match between ‘El Idolo’ and PAC would be massive for both wrestlers, giving them an opportunity to shake off any lingering WWE stink and have a match that lives up to both men’s potentials.

If anything, a match between Andrade and PAC would be extremely similar to Andrade’s saga against Johnny Gargano, the performances that netted NXT their first 5* ratings. PAC being the smaller, yet powerful and hard-hitting athlete could easily bring the best out of Andrade and provide him with the perfect introduction to AEW.

Besides, PAC needs to start building back that momentum after the pandemic, and Andrade would ensure PAC is kept in the spotlight going forward.

 

3. Sammy Guevara

The Hero of the Inner Circle coming out of Stadium Stampede, Sammy Guevara has a bright future ahead of him in the coming weeks on AEW Dynamite. Guevara has never looked like more of a star after his big win over The Pinnacle, and with the feud between Jericho’s and MJF’s factions looking to carry on, Sammy could set his sights on an even bigger opponent.

With Andrade coming in seeking fame as the greatest Hispanic wrestler of all time, ‘The Spanish God’ would naturally take umbrage, forming the basis for their singles feud. Guevara and Andrade have a perfect mesh of wrestling styles that would make for an exciting and dramatic bout.

Andrade would easily fit the bill as an opponent to elevate Guevara to the next step in his career, even in defeat. Plus, Sammy is a great hand to show Andrade the ropes of the ‘indie style’ that AEW likes to follow. Please just give us this match, for everyone’s benefit.

 

4. Jungle Boy

The number one contender to Kenny Omega’s AEW Championship is riding a huge wave of momentum heading into his title match in two weeks time. Let’s be a little pessimistic here and say that Jungle Boy will likely walk away in defeat, even though he’s definitely a credible opponent to ‘The Cleaner’ and should find himself draped in gold sometime in his future. The reaction to his win in the Casino Battle Royal just goes to show how much of an avid following Jungle Boy has and that speaks to his potential as a major star in the business.

With that in mind, putting him against a mainstream attraction like Andrade would be huge for him at this stage in his career, just as he’s blossoming into the megastar he’s soon to become. Jungle Boy has already had some incredible matches during his time in AEW, namely against Darby Allin, MJF and SCU, but he’s yet to have that one defining performance that puts him in the conversation for future world champion. That could very well come from a match against Andrade El Idolo.

It’s yet to be confirmed whether Andrade will debut as a babyface or heel, but considering his alliance with Vickie Guerrero and general demeanour on Dynamite, I’d put my money on him being AEW’s latest pompous asshole. Putting him against the perennial underdog hero in Jungle Boy could go a long way in making him one of the top villains in the company, allowing him to challenge whoever the next babyface champion will be as 2021 unfolds.

 

5. Christian Cage

The legend whose moniker is to “Out Work Everyone” could very well be heading towards a pivotal match against Andrade. Both former WWE superstars with something to prove to the AEW audience may create a match of the year candidate if they were to collide on an episode of Dynamite. Christian Cage has managed to forge quite a resume already with his matches against Powerhouse Hobbs, Frankie Kazarian and his performance in the Casino Battle Royal, yet there hasn’t quite been the star-making match we expected just yet.

Andrade would be a perfect candidate to not only shake off the last of Christian’s ring rust, but also give himself the opportunity to compete on a such a high level. Despite winning the NXT title during his tenure, Andrade was never given that much of an opportunity of the main roster to mix it up with veterans and major stars, besides the brief United States title feuds with Finn Balor and Rey Mysterio. Andrade vs. Christian could easily main event a show at this point, with both men’s legacies speaking for themselves.

If AEW is the place for these former WWE guys to really show their stuff, then what better match to allow two of them to embrace that ideal and go all out in a huge singles exhibition.

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