Ric Flair puts one AEW star in the top tier of today’s best wrestlers.
Fresh off of the premiere of “AEW Collision,” Flair was wow’ed by the bout between Buddy Matthews and his son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo. The fight was El Idolo’s first one of 2023 after being out with injury and Andrade didn’t miss a beat as he defeated Matthews. Flair already took to social media to praise the battle between the two, but “The Nature Boy” took the time on his “To Be The Man” podcast to further fan the fire of Andrade.
“What a match. Unbelievable. I text Tony they stole it. I don’t know what direction he’s going in next. And it’s just got to be positive for him. And he reiterated the fact that, you know, it’s hard to say top five because there’s so many but he is for sure. In the top 10 In terms of performers in our business without a doubt. I mean, if I watch that match back I say it’s in the top five. But man they killed it, Buddy Matthews did a hell of a job as well.”
Andrade El Idolo Re-Established His Identity In AEW
El Idolo sure made a strong case for Ric’s ranking as he and Matthews did tear the house down. Not only was the two’s athleticism on display, but they infused a story of both having to deal with lingering injuries and it certainly played off in the finish of the fight. Matthews played up that he couldn’t put pressure on his one leg and Andrade took advantage by locking in Flair’s figure four leg lock. However, Andrade wasn’t done paying homage as he paid tribute to his wife Charlotte by elevating the submission into the Figure Eight, giving him the submission win.
We may see more of Andrade going up against Matthews in the future as he was attacked by House Of Black after the match.
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