Andrade’s second tenure with WWE has reportedly come to an end.
The SmackDown Superstar had been suspiciously absent from television ever since he teamed with Rey Fenix in the critically acclaimed Six-Team TLC Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam. Then he was moved to the alumni section of WWE’s website this weekend.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select has confirmed, along with the folks over at BodySlam, that the former United States Champion has left the company, less than two years after he re-debuted in the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
“One WWE source indicated that the departure had been in the works for at least a week, and that this did affect immediate creative plans after Summerslam,” Ross Sapp said in his report. “A number of talent we spoke to had no idea what was going or that Andrade had left or was leaving the company.”
Andrade and Rey Fenix were originally the ones slated to face the Wyatt Sicks for the WWE Tag Team Championships at Clash in Paris, according to Ross Sapp. That spot ended up going to Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins.
Not a ton of information regarding Andrade’s departure has surfaced at this time, but it’s being said that this is an isolated incident and not part of any additional talent cuts.
The 35-year-old had more than 18 months left on his WWE contract. It’s not currently clear if he asked for his release or if the company made the decision to part ways.
Andrade / WWE.com
The team of Andrade and Rey Fenix had really caught fire heading into the ‘Biggest Party of the Summer.’ The duo was an unexpected, but excellent addition to an already stacked SmackDown Tag Team Division. Many here at The Takedown on SI expected the creative team to ride the hot hand and put the WWE Tag Team Championships on them at MetLife Stadium.
Rey Fenix had also been absent from WWE programming, but he returned on Friday’s episode of SmackDown in Norfolk, Virginia by answering Sami Zayn’s open challenge for the Men’s United States Championship.
Prior to teaming with Fenix, Andrade was fairly regular singles competitor on the Blue Brand. His most notable performances came during the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match and in his ‘Best of Seven’ series against Carmelo Hayes. Despite the quality of his in-ring work, however, he never really received a significant push.
Andrade departed AEW back in December of 2023, and did not leave on necessarily the best of terms. Company President Tony Khan had hoped to lock him up long-term, and believed he had a deal in place to retain him at one point.
Sean Ross Sapp has been told that the door could potentially still be open for Andrade to return to AEW at some point in the future.
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