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Watch AEW wrestler Andrade El Idolo make his way to the ring for his debut match while dressed as the DC Comics villain Black Mask.
On the most recent episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, third-generation luchador Andrade El Idolo — formerly known as Andrade “Cien” Almas in WWE — made his in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling. El Idolo marked the occasion by showing up for the match in attire inspired by the classic DC Comics villain Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask.
Following his release from WWE on March 21, Andrade El Idolo (real name Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza) made his AEW debut on the June 4 episode of Dynamite, at which point he allied himself with fellow WWE alum Vickie Guerrero — wife of the late, great Eddie Guerrero. This week, El Idolo made his in-ring debut on the July 7 episode of Dynamite, defeating Matt Sydal — who himself previously wrestled for WWE under the name Evan Bourne — in a singles match.
Prior to the match, however, El Idolo made his way to the ring sporting his Black Mask-inspired outfit, complete with the comic book character’s trademark, well, black mask, as well as a white pinstripe suit. The Mexican-born wrestler also paid tribute to his heritage with the outfit, as the mask featured a Día de Muertos-esque calavera design. El Idolo quickly shed the mask and the top part of the suit, though the white pinstripe pants remained part of his ring gear.
Created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake, Roman Sionis/Black Mask first appeared in 1985’s Batman #386. Black Mask made his live-action cinematic debut early last year as the main antagonist of the DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), in which he was played by Ewan McGregor. The villain has also appeared in live-action television projects. A modified version of the character named Richard Sionis, aka The Mask, appeared on Fox’s Gotham, played by Todd Stashwick. More recently, a more faithful Roman Sionis/Black Mask has appeared on The CW’s Batwoman, played by by Peter Outerbridge.
Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza made his professional wrestling debut in 2003. He would go on to wrestle under the name La Sombra for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) from 2007 to 2015 and for New Japan Pro-Wrestling from 2010 to 2015. In 2015, Oropeza signed a developmental contract with WWE, debuting on the NXT brand in 2016 under the name Manny Andrade — which was changed to Andrade “Cien” Almas shortly thereafter. He won the NXT Championship in late 2017, holding it for 140 days.
Andrade “Cien” Almas was called up to WWE’s main roster in 2018, with his name being shortened to simply Andrade in early 2019. As a member of the main roster, Andrade became a one-time WWE United States Champion. In March of this year, Andrade requested his release from WWE, which was ultimately granted after initially being denied. The newly-christened Andrade El Idolo is currently signed to both AEW and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA).
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