Last week, Andrade ripped Rey Mysterio’s mask clean off his face, an insult tantamount to spitting straight in the legendary luchador’s eye. But The Ultimate Underdog’s bid for retribution fell tragically short, as Andrade withstood a furious effort from the former World Heavyweight Champion to win the duo’s first singles bout on Raw.
It was, indeed, vintage Mysterio on display, as the masked marvel uncorked counter after counter, using his speed and ingenuity to quite literally run circles around the former NXT Champion. And even after Andrade began to counter with his strength, Mysterio’s heart helped keep him in the fight — the Grand Slam Champion kicked out of several big swings and even connected with a 619 down the stretch.
Andrade, however, had a single ace in the hole, which he deployed to devastating effect: He once again targeted Mysterio’s mask, attempting to tear it off his face as a last-ditch effort. After the ref pulled the two apart, Zelina Vega took advantage of the fracas to land a cheap shot on Mysterio, and Andrade followed up with the Hammerlock DDT to end a match that served as the continuation of one trend and the start of a new one: We’ve known for a while that Andrade is the type of Superstar who will commit whatever flagrant acts of disrespect he deems necessary. The difference is that he’s looking more and more like the type who’ll get away with it.