With Andrade El Idolo himself, All Elite Wrestling, and even some WWE officials under the impression that Andrade had no strings attached to his recent WWE firing, the 35-year-old marked his AEW return earlier this month by attacking Kenny Omega and aligning with the Don Callis Family on "AEW Dynamite." Almost immediately, however, Andrade then disappeared from AEW television, with new reports indicating that WWE enforced a non-compete clause due to "breach" of his previous WWE contract.
On the AEW WrestleDream media call, AEW President Tony Khan largely skirted around these reports, though he did express hope for Andrade's future. "I would echo sentiments I had said at AEW Worlds End 2023, when Andrade initially left a few years ago. I would say that I have a ton of respect for Andrade El Idolo. I think he's an amazing wrestler. I think that when he left in 2023, it was on a very high note. Just to reiterate everything I said at his departure a few years ago, I still feel that way. I think Andrade is a great wrestler, and I'm excited to see what's next for him. I would leave it at that."
When asked if he was previously aware of Andrade's WWE exit being paired with a non-compete clause, Khan suggested that he was limited in how he could respond. Still, he reiterated his pleasure in working with Andrade in his original AEW stint, which spanned from 2021 until 2023.
"I have a ton of respect for him," Khan said. "I'm saying as much as I can say about it, but I appreciate you asking. I am excited to see what's next for Andrade. Again, this is somebody that I think is just an incredible wrestler. I really enjoyed working with him in the past, and I'm excited to see what's next for him."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit AEW with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
