Tony Khan Comments On Status Of Andrade El Idolo
Andrade El Idolo made his return to AEW on the October 1st episode of AEW Dynamite. He had been released by WWE on September 13, reportedly due to wellness violations.
Andrade has not been back on AEW TV since his return. The Wrestling Observer reported WWE sent AEW a letter regarding Andrade and his non-compete clause. AEW reportedly believed that he didn’t have a non-compete.
Fighful reported, “Sources that we spoke with familiar with the situation said they didn’t believe it was AEW or Andrade’s fault. Rumors of the situation emerged internally last week, with the belief that WWE had just effectively told Andrade he was done, without any knowledge of a 90-day non compete. At that point, Andrade began taking additional bookings and signed with AEW. He had a team of representatives speak with Tony Khan, and Tony and Andrade saw each other for the first time the day of his return.”
On the AEW WrestleDream media call, Tony Khan was asked by Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alba about Andrade’s status.
“Well, I would echo sentiments I had said at AEW Worlds End 2023, when Andrade initially left a few years ago. And I would say that I have a ton of respect for Andre El Idolo. I think he’s an amazing wrestler, and 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, and I think Andrade is a great wrestler. And I’m excited to see what’s next for him. I would leave it at that.”
Asked if he was aware of a non-compete for Andrade, Khan replied, “Yeah, I would just echo the sentiments again when Andre had initially left in 2023. I have a ton of respect for him, and 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 him. 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.”
Fightful Select has more details on Andrade and his status.
