Former Men's Speed Champion, Ex-AEW Star Andrade Has Reportedly Left WWE
WWE star Andrade has reportedly left the promotion. Andrade was moved to the Alumni section of WWE's roster page Saturday, and Fightful Select has confirmed his departure.
Fightful said Andrade had 18 months left on his current deal but that "the departure had been in the works for at least a week," per a WWE source. Fightful couldn't confirm any details, but noted that Andrade hasn't been backstage at "WWE SmackDown" recently. Fightful also spoke to talent who said they had no idea he was leaving.
Andrade ends his second WWE run almost 18 months after he returned to the company in January 2024 during the men's Royal Rumble match, shortly after leaving WWE competitor AEW. His last match came at WWE SummerSlam, when he and recent tag team partner Rey Fenix came up short in a Six-Pack TLC match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Fightful's report indicated Andrade's pending departure affected creative plans after SummerSlam — he and Fenix were supposedly meant to take on The Wyatt Sicks at WWE Clash in Paris. When Fightful asked WWE sources back in August about Andrade not being booked for the match, they were told "if it was possible, he would be" but that he was not on the company's internal injury list. Fenix wrestled a men's United States Championship match against Sami Zayn on Friday's "SmackDown."
While his first run saw him become both NXT Champion and WWE United States Champion, the only gold Andrade managed to acquire during his second stint with the company ended up being a 161-day reign as men's WWE Speed Champion; he also finalized a divorce from current WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair. Regarding a possible return to AEW, Fightful notes that he previously left on "less than ideal terms," but that AEW sources claimed "no bridge is truly burned in AEW," leaving the door open for a return depending on the circumstances of his departure.