During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Andrade El Idolo and Ric Flair commented on the AAA TripleMania XXIX event, Charlotte Flair asking for time off from WWE so she could attend, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
Andrade on Charlotte Flair asking off from WWE to join him at AAA TripleMania: “Ashley knew how important this was to me, so she asked for the weekend off two and a half months ago. She told me she was so nervous watching my match and tearing up, so it meant a lot that she could be there. With Ashley, we have the best of both worlds. She teaches me. I teach her. She teaches me how to take time on my entrance, how to stand in the ring, the little things that people notice when they look at you. I help her with moves, submissions, adding wrinkles to her move-set. She was the person I went to when I asked what I should do about my future. She knew I was unhappy, and I knew she was going to be sad if I left [WWE], because our life is on the road together. But she knows this is my dream, and she supported my decision without hesitation. Watching me with my new gear, seeing me train so hard the last two months, she said she was so proud of me. She says my dreams inspire her. She said she can see a change in me and my happiness. That’s all that matters.”
Ric Flair on what he thought of Andrade’s match with Kenny Omega: “I’ve gotten to walk my daughter to the ring, and she is the best female wrestler in the world, and now I was able to walk to the ring with Andrade, who is one of the top 10 guys in the business, period. And that match was incredible. I’m so proud of both Andrade and Kenny. They are both hell on wheels. They can really go.”
Andrade and what it meant for him to have Ric with him at ringside: “Mr. Flair came to Mexico, which I still can’t believe. When he hugged me during our entrance, that was real. A bond for the love of what we do professionally that is in our blood. The bond of family. No one has had more experience than Mr. Flair. To have his support, his credibility, wanting to come with me to my home country, that was overwhelming. I am beyond grateful. His support and belief in me means more than I can put into words. Being in the ring with one of the greatest of all time, putting on one of the most famous submission holds, that’s something I could have never dreamed. I grew up a poor luchador from Northern Mexico. Now I am exchanging chops with a legend. That whole time, I could feel his energy. And seeing all his passion for this business, how much he means to this business, and watching all the stars at the show want to take a picture with him, it was amazing.”
