Andrade has left WWE.
We were told that this would not have been a case of his contract simply expiring, as he had more than 18 months on his deal when he signed last year.
Fightful was told in August that Andrade was not on the company's internal injury list, when we asked about him not being booked for a certain match, we were told "if it was possible, he would be." We're told that the departure had been in the works, but as of now do not know the circumstances surrounding it. He has not been backstage at Smackdown of late, either.
Mark (@WrestleMobs) of
Bodyslam.net put it on our radar that he was moved to the alumni section and that he could be done with the company.
One WWE source indicated that the departure had been in the works for at least a week, and that this did affect immediate creative plans after Summerslam, which was his last appearance. A number of talent we spoke to had no idea what was going or that Andrade had left or was leaving the company.
Andrade departed AEW on less than ideal terms in December of 2023. AEW had wanted to retain Andrade, and offered him a long-term contract extension that they believed he had agreed to. However, shortly before his last match with Miro, AEW sources indicated that he informed them he wouldn't be signing the extension, which affected their creative plans moving forward. AEW sources we spoke to had no idea Andrade had departed WWE. We were told that "no bridge is truly burned in AEW," and as long as nothing heinous is tied to a departure, a return wouldn't be impossible.
