Personal Information
Full Name | Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza |
Date of Birth | November 3, 1989 |
Nationality | Mexican |
Birth Place | Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico |
Height | 5 ft 9 in |
Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
Theme Song | Kill The Messenger |
Debut | October 3, 2003 |
Family | Charlotte Flair (Spouse) |
Andrade Videos
Andrade: A Brief Biography
Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza is a Mexican professional wrestler signed with AAA and AEW. He is best known for his work with WWE, NJPW, and AAA. He is currently engaged to Charlotte Flair.
Professional Wrestling Career
Early Years (2003-2007)
Oropeza began wrestler with his father and uncles. He made his official debut before reaching 14 and trained at a local lucha libre promotion. He went by Brillante Jr. to honor his father.
CMLL (2007-2015)
In 2007, he was signed by CMLL, where he began his training. After his training, he changed his name to La Sombra, which means The Shadow. He quickly rose to ranks and took part in tag and six-man tag matches. In 2007, he won the NWA World Welterweight Championship. In 2009, La Sombra became a triple champion with NWA World Welterweight Championship, Mexican National Trios Championship, and CMLL World Tag Team Championship around his waist and shoulders.
In 2010, Sombra feud with El Felino. After exchanging a few victories over each other, the feud accumulated at 2010 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. Sombra won the feud and unmasked Felino. Later in the year, he lost his triple championships.
In 2011, Sombra defeated Mephisto to win the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship. In 2012, Sombra defeated Tama Tonga to win the 2012 La Copa Junior Tournament. In 2013, Sombra defeated Volador Jr. to win the 2013 Reyes del Aire tournament. Sombra won several championships during his time in CMLL.
In June, Sombra defeated Volador Jr. with help from Rush and La Máscara to win the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship and turned heel. They were collectively known as Los Ingobernables. In 2015, Sombra won the 2015 Reyes del Aire tournament. During CMLL 82nd Anniversary Show, Sombra lost to Atlantis and was forced to unmask himself.
NJPW (2010-2015)
While he was working with CMLL, he was working for NJPW as well. Over the years, Sombra took part in several NJPW events, such as Best of the Super Juniors, Fantastica Mania, World Tag League, and Wrestle Kingdom. In 2013, he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in Mexico. In July, he lost the title back to Nakamura.
WWE
Early Years (2015-2017)
After finishing his feud with Máscara Dorada at Fantastic Mania, he signed with WWE. They sent him to the developmental brand and began his training. They renamed him Andrade Cien Almas and defeated Tye Dillinger at TakeOver The End. At NXT TakeOver Brooklyn II, he lost to Bobby Roode. At NXT TakeOver San Antonio, he lost to Roderick Strong.
NXT Champion (2017-2018)
Andrade changes his character after meeting Zelina Vega. He formed an alliance with Andrade and managed him. At TakeOver Brooklyn III, he defeated Johnny Gargano. After takeover, he began his feud with Drew McIntyre. At TakeOver War Games, he won the NXT Championship by defeating Drew McIntyre.
At TakeOver Philadelphia, he defeated Johnny Gargano, which turned out to be a five-star classic from Dave Meltzer. He entered the rumble but could not win. At TakeOver New Orleans, he lost the NXT Championship to Aleister Black. After his loss, he was called to the main roster.
Main Roster (2018-2021)
During Superstar Shake-Up, Andrade and Vega went to SmackDown. He had great television matches with AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and Rey Mysterio. At Royal Rumble, he was one of the final four participants but could not win. He took part in André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 and lost.
After Mania, he entered the Money in the Bank ladder match at the event and lost. He spent a few months on SmackDown chasing the Intercontinental Championship from Finn Balor and lost. At Draft, they drafted Andrade and Zelina to RAW.
At Madison Square Garden, he defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship. He teamed up with Angel Garze and faced The Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Championship and lost. After 150 days as United States Champion, he lost the title to Apollo Crews on RAW.
After losing the title, Andrade spent months teaming with Garza and eventually feuding with him. On RAW, the rivalry ended when Garza won. It was his last televised match and was released from the company in 2021.
AEW (2021-Present)
In 2021, he signed with AAA and AEW. At TripleMania XXIX, he lost to Kenny Omega. He changed his name in AEW to Andrade El Idolo and aligned himself with Vicki and Chavo Guerrero. He began his feud with Pac while he persuaded The Lucha Bros. He could not persuade the team but won his rivalry with Pac. On Dynatime, he lost to Cody Rhodes in a street fight.
Championships and Accomplishments
Championship | Number of Times |
CMLL Universal Championship | 1 |
CMLL World Tag Team Championship | 1 |
CMLL World Trios Championship | 1 |
Mexican National Trios Championship | 1 |
NWA World Welterweight Championship | 1 |
NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship | 1 |
NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship | 2 |
LLA Azteca Championship | 1 |
IWGP Intercontinental Championship | 1 |
NXT Championship | 1 |
WWE United States Championship | 1 |
FAQ's
Q. Who is Andrade engaged to?
Andrade is currently engaged to Charlotte Flair.