A major AEW name looks set to jump ship back to WWE.
On the 30th of December last year, we reported that Andrade el Idolo was expected by many within AEW to be finishing up with the company at Worlds End, with some believing him to be WWE-bound.
It now appears that that is indeed the case, as Fightful Select are now reporting that Andrade has finished up with AEW and has an agreement with WWE. Additionally, the report revealed that Andrade’s AEW deal was initially only a two-year contract. However, injury time led to his stay being extended, although Andrade was said to have been open about his future plans.
“We’re told that Andrade’s original deal was only for two years, but there was injury time added that extended it that ended up with him being signed through the end of the year. AEW talent said that Andrade was often very open about his contract status, and that his deal would be up in or at the end of 2023. Numerous talent also said that he’d mentioned that he’d planned to stay with AEW, and was considering another but by the end of his run had told wrestlers he was headed back to WWE. Several in AEW actually expected him to show up on WWE programming the week after he left AEW.”
-Fightful Select
Publicly, AEW President Tony Khan left the door open for Andrade’s return, but the report notes that several that worked near Andrade said it was a frustrating process, and that he’d informed the company of his decision days before the event.
Fightful Select’s report also added that Charlotte Flair, multi-time WWE Women’s Champion and el Idolo’s spouse, had been pushing for his return to the company whilst Andrade had actually pushed for Ric Flair to be signed by AEW.
WWE sources are yet to officially comment on Andrade reportedly returning to the company, however it was stated that others immediately admitted that that was his likely destination.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of Andrade as soon as we hear more.