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MINNEAPOLIS — For years, the idea of Andrade separating from Zelina Vega has been all but inconceivable. After all, it was the ruthless business manager who jumpstarted the stalling Superstar during his time in NXT, turned him into a champion and helped guide him to one of the hottest starts in recent memory on Raw and SmackDown. Thanks to two straight losses to Humberto Carrillo, however, what was once inconceivable is starting to look a little bit like reality.
If there was any doubt that Andrade’s camp was looking at this as a must-win, the tense exchanges with Zelina during their entrance likely put that to rest. Likewise, Andrade’s relatively conservative game plan of hitting hard and waiting to capitalize on a mistake signified that he was simply trying not to lose.
Carrillo, meanwhile, was looking to make a statement. The young Superstar jarred Andrade into second gear with a kick that left a sizeable battle wound on the former NXT Champion’s cheek, and he almost pinned Andrade after Andrade nearly collided with Vega on the apron in an echo of the final moments of their Raw match.
Andrade stopped short of crashing into Vega for a second time and went high-risk to put the match away, but Carrillo was once again ready. Humberto sent Andrade soaring with a reverse hurricanrana off the top turnbuckle, followed up with a moonsault almost as gorgeous as the man himself and covered his foe for three.
Much like on Raw, Andrade didn’t make any bones about who he believed was responsible for the loss, shooing away Zelina and stumbling back up the ramp by himself. For all the success Andrade and Vega can claim, Carrillo seems to have his number in one key way: an understanding that if you want to get it done, sometimes you might need to do it yourself.