The situation surrounding Andrade, AEW, and WWE has been one of the most confusing wrestling stories of the year, and it seems as if there are more twists and turns around the corner. Andrade was fired by WWE at the end of September for violating the company's wellness policy multiple times, leading to him appearing on the October 1 episode of "AEW Dynamite" and attacking Kenny Omega. However, WWE then claimed Andrade violated his non-compete clause that activated as he was fired for cause, meaning that he won't be able to work anywhere for a full year, while also not being paid during that time like most non-compete clauses.
One recent rumor that surfaced was that WWE were going to attempt to bring Andrade back to the company by using his non-compete clause against him, but according to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that story has been debunked. Meltzer was told by sources within WWE that the story wasn't true and that Andrade's name hasn't been brought up in creative meetings. With that said, Meltzer did note that if WWE higher-ups trying to keep things secret, it's not like they would tell him the truth anyway. Andrade is said to have signed a deal with AEW immediately after his WWE firing, making a potential shock return to WWE during his year away from the ring even more implausible.
Meltzer also mentioned that WWE has been known to keep major twists under wraps for significant amounts of time, as well as working everyone (including the locker room) into believing things that aren't true such as the "injury" Seth Rollins suffered in July 2025. However, Meltzer doesn't see Andrade potentially returning at the level of other surprises WWE have pulled off in recent years, such as CM Punk's return in 2023, John Cena's heel turn, and Brock Lesnar appearing at the end of SummerSlam 2025.
