Following Andrade El Idolo’s return to AEW earlier this month, his sudden disappearance from television has been a topic of speculation. A new report suggests his absence may be due to a non-compete clause with WWE. On the October 16 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that the belief is WWE intervened.
“What I’ve been hearing was WWE sent a letter. AEW obviously believed that there was no non-compete,” Meltzer said. “There were people who talked to people in WWE who also believed there was no non-compete. But WWE apparently… that’s the story. They said that he can’t do (anything in AEW) for 90 days.”
This information aligns with a previous report from Fightful Select, which noted that sources close to Andrade said he was in “good spirits” but did not explain his absence. The report also mentioned that the situation was not seen as “AEW or Andrade’s specific fault.”
The assumption was that Andrade was free of any restrictions due to the circumstances of his WWE release. However, this new development indicates WWE believes he is still within the standard 90-day non-compete window for main roster talent. Andrade’s future in AEW appears to be on a temporary hold, not because of creative decisions or injury, but due to a potential legal complication with his former employer. AEW has not commented on the matter publicly.