Source: The Xavierite
This Saturday, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will hold its first pay-per-view of the new year, and reports are hinting at the possible return of a former NXT Champion.
On Saturday, Jan. 27, the WWE’s annual ‘Royal Rumble’ pay-per-view event will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. This will be the 37th iteration of the event, which has become a January tradition that marks the start of the road to ‘WrestleMania.’
The match card features a huge ‘Fatal-4-Way’ between two former World Champions; AJ Styles and Randy Orton, the fan favorite LA Knight, and the ‘Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns, who will be defending his WWE Universal Championship. A Championship title match between Kevin Owens and United States Champion Logan Paul has also been announced for the show.
As usual, the card will feature the iconic ‘Royal Rumble match’ in which 30 WWE ‘Superstars’ compete in a battle royale and the only way to win is by throwing your opponents over the top rope and onto ringside. The last person left in the ring becomes the winner and earns a Championship match at this year’s ‘WrestleMania’ on Apr. 6-7.
As of this writing, some of the confirmed participants for the men’s match are:
- ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes
- CM Punk
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Bobby Lashley
- Drew McIntyre
However, for the seventh year in a row, the show will also include a women’s ‘Royal Rumble’ match. Some of the confirmed participants for the match are:
- Becky Lynch
- Nia Jax
- Bayley
- Bianca Belair
This leaves plenty of spots still vacant. Though most of the participants will likely come from the ‘RAW’ and ‘SmackDown’ rosters, it’s safe to assume there will be some surprises considering the history of the match.
The ‘Royal Rumble’ event has become known as a night of surprises, whether it be young talent from the developmental show, ‘NXT’ getting their first chance to compete under the bright lights of WWE’s main roster, or superstars from the past making a return to capitalize on nostalgia.
It has also become the perfect place for wrestlers to make their debut or long awaited return, often from injury or a hiatus from the company.
This looks to be the case for former WWE superstar, Andrade. According to a report from Fightful Select, Andrade recently came to an agreement with the WWE to make his return to the company.
Andrade is one of the most successful Latino wrestlers to step foot in the WWE in the last decade. He is a third-generation wrestler, as his father, grandfather, uncles and cousins were all luchadors as well. Before joining the company in Nov. of 2015, he competed in Mexico where he wrestled for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring-name “La Sombra.”
Upon joining the WWE, he was assigned to compete under the name ‘Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas’ for ‘NXT,’ where a majority of the company’s new signings are sent to adapt to the ‘WWE style’ of wrestling. The show is also known for creating the stars of the future of the WWE, as many former NXT champions have gone on to find success on ‘RAW’ and ‘SmackDown.’
During his stint in NXT, he held the NXT Championship title for 140 days before he received his call-up to the main roster. Interestingly enough, his first appearance on the main roster was at the 2018 ‘Royal Rumble’ match, just 24 hours after successfully defending his NXT championship against Johnny Gargano at ‘NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia.’
Though he managed to win the United States Championship title during his time on ‘RAW,’ the success he achieved in NXT did not seem to follow him to the main roster. Andrade’s last WWE appearance was on Oct. 12, 2020, where he was defeated by Angel Garza on ‘RAW.’ At his request, he was granted his release from the company on March 21, 2021.
Upon leaving, Andrade joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he made his debut on Jun. 4, 2021 as ‘Andrade El Idolo.’ However, his time with the company did not go as planned, as a majority of the time he was kept off of AEW’s weekly shows due to an injury and/or a lack of creative plans to put him in a storyline.
His biggest achievement in AEW came at the end of his stint, where he competed and reached the finals of the company’s first ‘Continental Classic’ tournament. His last match was on Dec. 30, 2023 at AEW’s ‘World’s End’ pay-per-view event where he was defeated by Miro in the finals of the tournament.
With the Rumble being this Sunday, we are in store for a night of unexpected returns, making it the perfect time for the Latino sensation to make his. Time will tell how well he fares in this stint with the company now being under new management.
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