Several more details have surfaced regarding the story that broke earlier today regarding Andrade being released from WWE.
Andrade has officially parted ways with WWE, though this was not a simple case of his contract expiring. According to reports, Andrade had more than 18 months on his deal when he signed last year. His exit is said to be an isolated departure and is not connected to any wave of talent cuts.
While his absence had raised questions in recent weeks, it was noted back in August that Andrade was not listed internally as injured. He also had not been backstage at recent SmackDown tapings despite being assigned to the brand. This week, his WWE.com profile was quietly moved to the alumni section, further confirming the situation developing behind-the-scenes.
One WWE source indicated that the decision had been in the works for at least a week and did alter some short-term creative plans. Andrade last wrestled at WWE SummerSlam on August 2 and/or August 3, and at one stage, he and Rey Fenix were origially penciled in to face The Wyatt Sicks a few weeks later at WWE Clash in Paris on August 31. Obviously the creative team went in a different direction upon realizing that Andrade wasn’t an option.
Notably, a number of talents in the company were unaware that Andrade had even left until the news surfaced online.
Andrade left AEW under reportedly unpleasant circumstances in December 2023 before returning to WWE. At that time, AEW had believed they reached a long-term extension with Andrade, only for him to inform the promotion shortly before his final match with Miro that he would not be re-signing. That choice forced AEW to adjust their creative going forward at the time.
Interestingly, several AEW sources told us they were unaware Andrade had exited WWE. One noted that “no bridge is truly burned in AEW,” and a return would not be ruled out as long as nothing egregious factored into his departure. Despite the reported circumstances surrounding his AEW exit, AEW President Tony Khan praised Andrade during the AEW Worlds End post-show media scrum, stating the two sides parted on good terms.
We will keep you posted here at WrestlingHeadlines.com as updates regarding the status of Andrade continue to surface.
(H/T: Fightful Select)
