Ric Flair corners Andrade, but Kenny Omega still wins AAA title match at Triplemania XXIX

Kenny Omega defending the AAA Megacampeonato against Andrade at Triplemania XXIX was a dream match, but it became even dreamier when Ric Flair was revealed as Andrade’s surprise cornerman. Despite Flair’s aid to Andrade, Omega still pulled out the win to remain king of AAA.

The Flair tease began during the broadcast when Konnan tried to talk strategy with Andrade. El Idolo brushed off Konnan, since he had someone better in mind. Andrade justified it as only business. Konnan promptly walked next door to Omega’s locker room to discuss a business proposition to ensure victory. Omega was keen on hearing the pitch.

When it came time for the title fight, Konnan backed Omega. Andrade made his entrance, then an iconic wrestling theme song played over the loudspeakers. Flair entered on the scene for an epic moment in lucha libre lore.

The bout itself lasted about 25 minutes. It was a medium pace of action letting the big moves breathe to work the crowd. The contest started with a lockup into the ropes. Omega released then delivered a sassy soft slap across Andrade’s face. On the second lockup, Andrade returned the favor. Omega hit the ropes running. He anticipated Andrade dropping down to the mat, so he stopped short to do the Flair strut stepping on Andrade’s back. Flair had a big grin at Omega’s antics.

The action was back and forth with neither man earning a true advantage. That changed when Omega shoved Andrade off the turnbuckles crashing down to the floor. Omega followed with a suplex onto the guardrail. Omega was in control wearing down El Idolo. Andrade threw a beer in Omega’s face, but that didn’t deter the God of Pro Wrestling from sticking to the task.

Back in the ring, Andrade rallied with a jawbreaker, an inverted facelock standing elbow drop, a Brillante Driver. The match progressed with nifty counters. Omega hit his first V-Trigger, but Andrade escaped the One Winged Angel with a headscissors takedown over the ropes. Andrade followed with a springboard corkscrew crossbody to the outside.

Omega held a double underhook position, however, Andrade reversed into top position on the mat. Referee Hijo del Tirantes refused to count. Omega kept the underhooks to transition for a piledriver. On the turnbuckles, Omega attempted a super snap dragon. Andrade was too slick and flipped out. The two men dueled with double clotheslines. Omega ducked the third to execute a snap dragon suplex. Andrade came right back with a German suplex.

Both men were on their knees exchanging hard slaps. Andrade unleashed his fury, but Omega stormed back with a V-Trigger. Omega charged for another V-Trigger. This time, Andrade unloaded a back elbow to Omega’s mush. Omega was woozy, but he still managed to roll through a roll-up to hit one more V-Trigger. Andrade was able to escape the One Winged Angel again. He put Omega down with a DDT followed by a double underhook DDT. 1, 2, Omega put his foot on the ropes for the break.

Andrade had momentum with two consecutive running double knees in the corner, so Konnan slid the title belt into the ring toward Omega. The champ rammed Andrade into Tirantes. Referee down!

Omega wound up with the title belt waiting to attack Andrade. Flair entered the ring to snatch away the foreign object. Flair and Andrade traded chops and punches to Omega.

Flair landed a hard right hand knocking Omega down to the mat. He did the same to Konnan. Flair and Andrade then applied figure-fours to Konnan and Omega.

Once the referee recovered, he cleared Flair and Konnan from the ring. That allowed Omega the opening to bash Andrade with the belt. One Winged Angel and a fast count earned the win. Omega is still holds the AAA Megacampeonato in his possession.

After losing the Impact World Championship to Christian Cage on AEW Rampage, at least Omega can find solace in remaining AAA’s top champion. Perhaps his belt collector days aren’t quite finished just yet. I thought it would be a foregone conclusion that Andrade would win, so this was an interesting twist of a result. The match was solid with good strategy and a mix of hard-hitting and flashy moves. I think it is worth seeking out if you are a fan of either wrestler. It won’t blow your mind, but it was certainly enjoyable to watch.

The real star was Flair. He lit the house on fire when becoming physically involved. It was a bit surreal seeing the legend appear unexpectedly on lucha libre’s biggest show of the year. Credit to AAA for bringing the bang with that surprise.

How much did you enjoy Ric Flair’s appearance at Triplemania XXIX? Would you like to see Flair follow Andrade to AEW? If you were able to watch the match, where does it rank among Omega’s recent bangers across AEW, Impact, and AAA?

Full results for Triplemania XXIX are available here.