Andrade explains real reason behind his AEW exit and WWE return
(Courtesy : WWE)
Andrade has now returned to AEW!
Andrade El Idolo has revealed that his decision to leave AEW in late 2023 and return to WWE in 2024 was largely driven by one personal reason: he wanted the opportunity to work with his then-wife, Charlotte Flair.
The former WWE star addressed the subject while answering fan questions on social media, offering a straightforward explanation for his decision to leave AEW and return to WWE.
When asked why he left AEW and joined WWE again, Andrade gave a brief but revealing response:
“I wanted to work with my ex-wife.”
Andrade also dismissed the suggestion that members of WWE’s Samoan wrestling contingent had held him back during his AEW run. Asked whether the Samoan wrestlers in AEW had been responsible for limiting his opportunities, he responded:
“No! They always treated me great.”
He was also asked about AEW’s approach to pushing Samoan wrestlers. Andrade was complimentary of the promotion, saying:
“AEW is the best wrestling company and respects all wrestling styles; the company is less than 10 years old and features wrestlers from all over the world, they give everyone a chance.”
Andrade wanted to become a WWE star rather than return to AAA
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Andrade expanded on his WWE experience during an interview with the Luchando Por Tus Sueños podcast, where he discussed the opportunities available to Mexican wrestlers and his decision to remain with WWE rather than become part of AAA.
According to Andrade, WWE wanted him to be involved with AAA after his return. However, that was not what he wanted when he agreed to re-sign with the company.
Translation via Fightful’s Luis Pulido, Andrade said:
“When WWE wants to push you, they will push you, it’s that simple. There are wrestler who have been given a chance WWE about 20 or 30 times and they still push them until they become stars. It doesn’t matter how bad you are because they want to make you a star. I feel that I never got to be given the opportunity, they never gave me a chance, but when it was my turn to be on television, I took advantage of it.”
“If I won or lost, those 10, 15, 20 minutes, I took advantage of them and I sold myself because I said: ‘The public is watching me, I still got it.’ I always thought that way.”
Andrade acknowledged that he had won championships in WWE but argued that some wrestlers were repeatedly given opportunities that he felt were not available to Mexican talent.
“Yes, I got championships in WWE and all that, but I saw that there were people who gave them a chance and kept giving them another chance. And I just said: ‘He was already with this one, let him loose a little bit’, because there are very few opportunities they give Mexicans.”
He specifically mentioned Humberto Garza and Santos Escobar as wrestlers he believes deserved greater opportunities.
Andrade questioned WWE’s treatment of Mexican and Samoan talent
Andrade said he was determined to return to WWE because he wanted to establish himself as a WWE star rather than return to Mexico’s wrestling scene.
“When I returned to WWE they tell me: ‘Hey, we’d love you to be in AAA’, but I told them that I sign with WWE, I didn’t want to return to AAA. I know that AAA is a big company, but it’s at the national level, at the Mexican level.”
He continued by stressing WWE’s global reach compared with AAA, particularly when it comes to international recognition.
“You want to be a WWE star, he doesn’t want to be a AAA star, here in Mexico they already know me. Now that they have already given them the Perros del Mal, and I hope they do very well, but it is a national level, if you go to Saudi Arabia, they don’t know what it is AAA, they have no idea. If you go to Scotland they don’t know AAA.”
Andrade also explained that he still wanted to see more opportunities for Mexican wrestlers in WWE.
“Now people ask me why I’m going back to CMLL, but I’m going to return a date or two, but I see Berto (And Garza), and they both have a good physique; they work well, they have charisma, they have everything to be superstars in WWE. Why don’t they give them the opportunity? Escobar (Santos Escobar) never had the opportunity.”
He then turned his attention to WWE’s Samoan wrestlers, making it clear that he was not criticizing the entire group.
“Then you see wrestlers, maybe it’s going to sound bad, but there are some jokes about the Samoans. Not everyone; Roman Reigns succeeded, he did well, but there are several that don’t got it and they are constantly pushed. I’m there like they’ve been doing it for 20 years and they still don’t have it, and we never had those opportunities.”
Andrade is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling and has already secured a major opportunity in the promotion. He won the Casino Gauntlet at AEW All In, earning a shot at the AEW World Championship.
Why did Andrade El Idolo leave AEW?
Andrade said his decision to leave AEW was driven by his desire to work with Charlotte Flair, whom he was married to at the time.
Did Andrade criticize AEW’s Samoan wrestlers?
No. Andrade specifically said they treated him well during his AEW run and praised AEW as a promotion that gives wrestlers from different styles and backgrounds opportunities.
Why did Andrade choose WWE over AAA?
Andrade said he wanted to become a WWE star and believed WWE offered greater global recognition than AAA, despite acknowledging AAA as a major Mexican wrestling promotion.
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