There must be something about the old famed Madison Square Gardens that suggests championships should change hands. On Thursday, December 26th at Madison Square Gardens in New York City a new WWE United States Champion was crowned. During a matchup with WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio, Andrade defeated the future WWE Hall of Famer with his pattened hammerlock DDT finisher to capture the US Championship. The championship marks Andrade’s first one as part of either the WWE Smackdown or Raw rosters. It is also monumental as it comes after a longstanding rivalry between himself and fellow Mexican wrestling star Rey Mysterio Jr.
Each and every superstar has the opportunity to make HISTORY every night they perform….@TheGarden ain’t a bad place to do it. Congratulations to the NEW #USChampion, @AndradeCienWWE. #WWEMSG #WeAreNXT https://t.co/cRq4yiKs4U
— Triple H (@TripleH) December 27, 2019
While the win is Andrade’s first as part of the either Raw or Smackdown. He previously held the NXT Championship when he defeated Drew McIntyre for the championship. This is the first time since July 2017 when AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens in Madison Square Gardens for the same United States Championship. At the time the championship was represented on the Smackdown Live brand.
Madison’s Mindset:
Fans of the former La Sombra have to be ecstatic about the win. As much as many may be sad to see Mysterio lose the championship they couldn’t be happier for Andrade. At 30 years of age, Andrade has been honing his craft since the age of 14. His win isn’t just a championship for him, but for his family. His sixteen-year journey has culminated in a win against another Mexican legend. As La Sombra, Andrade was a founding member and helped to elevate others in the faction. As the son of Brillante, Andrade even carried on his father’s legacy originally competing as Brillante Jr.
This championship win marks the first time a former member of the noted Los Ingobernables has captured a championship in the WWE. While the former Mark Jindrak (know competing under the moniker Marco Corleone held a former WCW World Tag Team Championship it was still under the World Championship Wrestling banner. Many may be disappointed that the matchup wasn’t televised, but that hasn’t stopped the WWE for already publicizing his win.
