Andrade Featured On AEW Collision Graphic, Logo Draws Comparisons To Monday Nitro
Andrade El Idolo has been absent from AEW since the fall of 2022. Being sent home following a backstage altercation with Sammy Guevara, recovering from an injury, and taking a honeymoon break with his new wife Charlotte Flair surely all played a part in his distance from the company in recent months. Andrade's future with AEW had been a question mark since then, with the former CMLL and WWE star spending most of his time posting cryptic tweets or recently revealing a bit of a weight gain.
As it turns out, Andrade will be sticking with AEW, evidently on Saturday nights. The luchador was among the talent announced earlier today for AEW's new Saturday show "Collision." He was also featured on the announcement poster, armed with the "WCW Monday Nitro"-inspired logo for the upcoming show.
As announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery 2023 Upfront presentation today, TNT will launch a second night of professional wrestling with a new 2-hour series, #AEWCollision, starting on Saturday, June 17th LIVE at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @tntdrama!
To read the full press release:... pic.twitter.com/roOipqNDD6
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 17, 2023
There are a number of questions surrounding Andrade's return, namely if he will remain associated with long-time friend and fellow La Faccion Ingobernables member Rush. In Andrade's absence, Rush has continued to build the stable — first started by the duo, and La Mascara, in CMLL – adding former Dark Order member Preston Vance to the mix in recent months.
As for the "Nitro" nod on the poster, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering Tony Khan's fondness for wrestling history. The former flagship show of WCW, "Monday Nitro" ran from September 1995 until March 2001, while acting as a key component of the legendary Monday Night Wars. For a stretch, "Nitro" defeated WWE's rival Monday night programming for 83 consecutive weeks.