Why a Former US Champion Is Struggling in Every Major Company He Works for
Andrade surprised the AEW crowd in attendance when he made his shocking return to the company, attacking Kenny Omega during an episode of AEW Dynamite. His appearance was quite a surprise, considering he had just been released from WWE for a second time just weeks prior. Andrade becomes the first wrestler to make the jump from WWE to AEW, then back to WWE, and then back to AEW. Andrade will look to make a much larger impact in his second stint in AEW, but with his recent track record, many will wonder if El Idolo’s struggles are due to his own personal issues. His fans will hope for the best for him, but it’s time to admit that Andrade’s biggest enemy is himself.
When Andrade first signed with WWE, he had already made a name for himself all over the world, but was considered a newcomer when he joined NXT. After being paired with Zelina Vega, Andrade would find huge success, capturing the NXT Championship from Drew McIntyre and proving how talented and capable he was of standing alongside the wrestling greats. After dropping the NXT title to Aleister Black, Andrade and Vega were drafted to the SmackDown brand in 2018. Although Andrade would feature regularly on WWE television, he was unable to connect with the crowd and would slowly fall down the card. However, the one-time NXT Champion would find some success on the main roster when he captured the United States Championship during a live event at Madison Square Garden against Rey Mysterio.
Despite the success, the problems would begin for Andrade as he was suspended for 30 days due to a wellness violation. Andrade would still hold the US Title until he dropped it to Apollo Crews. A few months later, Vega would be released from the WWE, which led to the former US Champion disappearing from WWE television entirely. Andrade would ask for his release from WWE, but the company would decline on multiple occasions. Eventually, Andrade was granted his release from WWE in March of 2021.
Andrade’s introduction to AEW should have been much better than it actually was. Instead of appearing as a surprise competitor or attacking an established superstar, Andrade was introduced into the ring by Vickie Guerrero with no entrance music and low fanfare. From the beginning, it was obvious that Andrade had signed with AEW just to spite WWE for releasing him. He would have excellent matches during his time with the company, including an insane Street Fight against Cody Rhodes, where both men ended up going through a flaming table to finish the match. It was evident that Andrade had the talent, but the working relationship between him and AEW would begin to crumble.
Andrade first voiced his frustrations on social media, tweeting out how minimal the time he was getting on AEW television was. Then, Andrade would get into a backstage altercation with Sammy Guevara, which saw him be suspended for a brief period of time. Then, he would suffer a torn pectoral, which took him out of action for a couple of months. Andrade would return to television for the rest of the year, losing his final feud against Miro, until his contract expired at the end of 2023.
The 2024 Royal Rumble match saw the return of Andrade to WWE as he was welcomed back with open arms. What followed was an amazing feud with Carmelo Hayes in a best-of-seven series that went nowhere. Andrade would challenge for the United States Championship but would come up short. He would even end up winning the WWE Speed championship before dropping the belt to Dragon Lee. Andrade would never challenge for the championship again as WWE Speed was quietly canceled. Andrade was then paired with Rey Fénix for most of 2025 until he was suddenly released from the company in September. Although reasons remain unclear, sources claim it was due to creative frustrations and disciplinary issues, including multiple wellness violations. Andrade would return to AEW just weeks after his WWE release, but one has to wonder if his second time with the company will go better than the first time.
Andrade is an exceptional wrestler with many talents, but unfortunately, it seems as if he holds himself back whenever he is unhappy in a wrestling company. No superstar is perfect in any company, but when multiple issues prevent someone from reaching the top of the mountain, one has to wonder if it’s the wrestler who is really at fault. Andrade still has many years left in his wrestling career, and one would hope for the best for him going forward. However, if Andrade is not able to keep his personal issues away from the ring, then he will end up being unhappy no matter where he decides to wrestle.
