WWE and Andrade have been at a crossroads for several weeks. The Stamford-based promotion had fired the former United States Champion for wellness policy violations and even imposed heavy sanctions on him. However, is the company now trying to get him back?
WWE had imposed a one-year non-compete clause on Andrade after he was terminated from the company. This caused an uproar since the duration for this clause typically lasts for 90 days. However, the TKO-owned company said that, as per their new policies, a one-year penalty will be levied on wrestlers who get fired.
In a sheer reversal of the penalizing nature of this sentence, the Stamford-based promotion could now be using the same non-compete clause to get him back. This is the word going around in wrestling promotions in and around Mexico, as confirmed by PWInsider.
🚨| Per PWInsider, There’s a belief within several wrestling circles in Mexico that WWE is trying to enforce Andrade’s one-year non-compete clause to BRING HIM BACK.
— EliteRockerz 𝕏 (@EliteClubS0B) October 23, 2025
This whole situation is crazy 😂 pic.twitter.com/ANPogZqwVz
So far, no official move has been made by WWE. Fans are speculating that the company may get the 35-year-old back in its roster and could use him in the 2026 Royal Rumble.
Why Is the Andrade and WWE Case So Complicated?
The Andrade case is extremely complicated because of one single focal point: the non-compete clause in his contract. As reported by PWInsider, the 35-year-old wasn’t bound by any non-compete clause because he was immediately fired owing to his violations.
Hence, WWE wasn’t going to pay him for another 90 days, which meant that the wrestler could freely join another promotion. This is why shortly after his exit from the Stamford-based promotion, Andrade was seen on AEW on October 1.
As per Fightful Select on Patreon, the former NXT Champion had signed a new contract with the Tony Khan-led company. However, this simplicity didn’t last long as the TKO-owned promotion tried to impose a one-year non-compete clause on the wrestler out of the blue.
PWInsider Elite’s Mike Johnson reported on the matter and also highlighted that the former United States Champion could take the matter to court. Not only is one year a very long duration, but WWE wasn’t even going to pay him for the course of the period.
The word making its way in lucha circles today is that Andrade could be kept out of ring for one year by WWE contractually due to breach of his WWE deal when he was terminated.
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 16, 2025
That would be subject to whether that stipulation of his WWE deal could be challenged successfully… pic.twitter.com/552Caw534d
This also threw a big wrench in AEW’s plans to give Andrade a big push after signing a new deal with him. The Tony Khan-led promotion had to scrap a lot of story material where the 35-year-old was inserted, including the October 19, 2025’s WrestleDream pay-per-view.
Can WWE Really Hold Andrade Back From Competing for a Year?
WWE is basically trying to put Andrade’s career on a standstill. Speaking on the matter, wrestling veteran David Otunga took to his YouTube channel and said that if the former US Champion decides to fight a legal battle, the court will rule in his favor.
They don’t want talent to take them to court and challenge this because a judge would likely rule this invalid. The fact that you’re preventing somebody from working to support themselves in their given field for an entire year and you’re not compensating them… I don’t know how they could enforce this. If he were to take this to court, I think a judge is very likely to rule in his favor and just throw out the entire clause in the contract. You can’t prevent somebody from earning a living for an entire year.
Thus, while WWE has been strong-arming Andrade and the pro wrestling environment unilaterally, it won’t have the upper hand if the judiciary gets involved. This could be the reason why the Stamford-based promotion suddenly wants him back after firing the star.
David Otunga believes a judge would rule in Andrade’s favor if he took WWE to court over his non-compete:
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 22, 2025
“Under this non-compete clause, technically, a talent could sign a contract, WWE could turn around the next day and fire them for no cause, and then say, ‘Hey, we’re not… pic.twitter.com/OprbwO0alf
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the former NXT Champion will take WWE to court? Or will he return to the company? Pour your thoughts in the comments.
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