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It seems that the self-proclaimed “real Latino man,” Andrade El Idolo, managed to set the wrestling world on fire recently with claims he made about WWE’s misuse of Mexican talent. The former WWE Superstar recently hopped on lucha libre legend Latin Lover’s “Luchando Por Tus Suenos” podcast, where they discussed Andrade’s path towards the star he is today. Since his return to All Elite Wrestling earlier this year, Andrade has been having quite possibly the best run of his career. Not only is he the current AEW National Champion, but he has found a gold mine with his “How you know?” catchphrase that has rapidly made him one of the most entertaining wrestlers in AEW. Despite becoming a fan favorite in AEW, Andrade was recently subject to some controversy stemming from some damning comments made about his former employer, WWE. Andrade El Idolo Calls Out WWE for Lack of Opportunities for Mexicans During the interview, Lover gave praise to Andrade, arguing that the version we are seeing of him today in AEW is the most authentic we’ve ever seen. He then asked whether Andrade was ever given direction on where his character was supposed to go during his time in WWE, which received a response that sparked a frenzy on social media. “When WWE wants to make you, they will make you; it’s that simple. Some wrestlers have been given a chance about 20 or 30 times, and they push them until they become stars. No matter how bad you are, when they want to make you a star, they will. I feel that I never got an opportunity. They never gave me a chance, but when it was my turn to be on television, I took advantage of it. Whether I won or lost, those 10, 15, 20 minutes, I took advantage of them, and I sold myself because I said, ‘The audience is watching me; I’m still relevant.’ I always thought that way, but they didn’t give me the opportunity. Yes, I won championships in WWE and all that. But I would see that there were people who were given opportunities and they kept getting them […] but for the Mexicans, very few were given opportunities.” Andrade went on to name talent such as Los Garza (Berto and Angel), as well as the now-released Santos Escobar, as talent who he believes haven’t been given the opportunities to shine in WWE. “Escobar never had the opportunity. Then you see wrestlers- maybe it’s going to sound bad, but like the Samoans. Not all of them. Roman Reigns, of course, earned it. He did well, but there are several of them that don’t have it, and they keep giving them chances. I’m there like, ‘They’ve been doing it for 20 years, and they still don’t have it,’ and we never had those opportunities.” This quote caused quite a stir, even managing to catch the attention of one of The Usos, who took to X to reply: “We draw. That’s the difference between them and us. Stop b****ing and do sum shi.” Though Andrade’s claims may have caused some controversy, it opened up a reasonable conversation about the hierarchy that exists in the WWE. You can certainly argue that the Samoan dynasty has put in the work to earn their place in WWE, but it’s hard to deny the fact that Latinos have not always been afforded the same opportunities. Track Record of Latinos in WWE When we look at WWE’s track record when it comes to creating Latino stars, there have certainly been a few success stories. The two most obvious are Rey Mysterio and the late, great Eddie Guerrero. Despite their lucha libre style and relatively small stature, Rey and Eddie became two of the most memorable wrestlers ever to step foot in the WWE. Looking into today’s landscape, the WWE has found its newest Latino sensation in Penta, who is currently slated to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship in Mexico City on September 14. However, for every success story, there’s double the amount of “what-ifs” when it comes to talent who once had the potential to be the next Latino star in WWE. Throughout the past two decades, many luchadores have come and gone, with their dreams of being the next success story never being realized. Without a doubt, the biggest “what if?” has to be the original Sin Cara. In 2011, the WWE signed the biggest star in lucha libre at the time, Mistico. Mistico had achieved everything he wanted to in CMLL, and decided to sign to WWE in hopes of becoming a star on a worldwide level. His signing was highly touted as one of the biggest in WWE’s history. Unfortunately, Mistico’s WWE career never lived up to its full potential. It was once believed that he could become WWE’s “next Rey Mysterio”. Instead, Mistico became one of many big signings that came and went. In 2014, WWE announced his release, and the Sin Cara character was passed on to the former Hunico. Mistico went on to return to CMLL, where he has rebuilt his stock and continues to be the biggest draw in lucha libre. Many will debate whether his failure to succeed in the company was due to his refusal to adapt to the WWE style of wrestling, or to learn the English language. For decades, the common argument among fans as to why most Mexican wrestlers don’t make it in WWE is because of the language barrier. Unlike Rey and Eddie, who both were bilingual due to their Mexican American upbringing, most Mexican luchadores struggle with not knowing much English. In a company like WWE, where promos and character work often matter more than in-ring work, it’s believed that not being able to speak English will derail your ability to connect with the audience. Andrade briefly touched on this idea, calling it a common misconception. Many have argued that Mistico and Andrade never made the top ranks in WWE due to their inability to speak the English language. However, Andrade shuts this myth down, stating that if that was the case, Angel Garza and Escobar would have different careers. “Escobar also never got the opportunity. Many have told me, ‘Well, you don’t speak English well; that’s why.’ I tell them, ‘Look at Escobar; he speaks English very well, so why didn’t he get the opportunity?’ That’s an excuse.” There is certainly a case to be made for both Angel and Escobar. As Andrade mentioned, not only can they both speak English very well, but they have the look, the skill, and charisma. Both were able to get incredibly over with the crowd during their respective NXT runs, as well as capturing the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Unfortunately, that success never translated into their runs on the main roster. Andrade then questioned why a guy like Brock Lesnar made a whole career out of having a manager like Paul Heyman to cut his promos, while he solely focused on bringing his presence. Why are Mexican wrestlers not given the same grace of having someone do the talking for them to make up for their language barrier? This begs the question: if the rationale is that not speaking English is the reason most Mexican wrestlers’ careers are derailed, how come those who do are still having the same struggles? Is the talent truly to blame, or is it on management for not figuring out ways to help talent succeed? The Last Word on The Future for Mexican Wrestlers in WWE Though their track record hasn’t been the best, it’s hard to deny that Latinos in WWE have seen improvements since the purchase of AAA. AAA has opened up more opportunities for luchadores, such as the recent tournament to determine the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The tournament has allowed for AAA talent including El Fiscal, Laredo Kid, El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr, and La Parka to showcase their talent on a larger stage, as well as underutilized WWE luchadores like Dragon Lee and Rey Fenix to get their biggest main roster opportunity yet. Whether this is truly an effort by WWE to make amends for their long list of underutilized Mexican wrestlers, or simply a way to tap into the Latino market as they look to promote the upcoming Raw in Mexico City and the two-night Triplemania, remains to be seen. One can only hope that this is a sign of positive changes to come for Mexican wrestlers in WWE.