Backstage Blame Revealed for the Andrade AEW Contract Mix-Up

Andrade El Idolo’s return to AEW earlier this month had fans hyped when he aligned with the Don Callis Family, but the excitement didn’t last long. Almost immediately, Andrade vanished from television—and now the blame game has started. Reports suggest it wasn’t just WWE’s non-compete clause that derailed things, but a major oversight from AEW’s own legal team.

Initially, it was reported that WWE enforced a surprise 90-day non-compete clause after Andrade’s AEW appearance, forcing AEW to scramble with last-minute creative changes. Sources indicated that while there’s no heat on Andrade, the situation directly altered booking for AEW Dynamite and WrestleDream.

“AEW sources say this absence did affect immediate creative plans for AEW Dynamite and WrestleDream… however, there appears to be no bad blood towards Andrade, and the working plan is still for him to compete in AEW when the situation is cleared up.”

But things have since escalated. It was then later reported that Andrade could actually be sidelined for up to one year due to a contractual issue tied to his WWE termination, leaving him in legal limbo unless he challenges the clause in court.

Now, Fightful Select has dropped another update, revealing who’s being blamed internally for the fiasco.

“There were plans for Andrade on AEW WrestleDream that were changed. It was implied to us that there were Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi plans as well, and even a potential Golden Lovers vs. Don Callis Family match of some sort. Many of the sources in AEW and the agent world that we’re speaking to are pointing a lot of blame specifically at AEW legal for not checking on the Andrade situation ahead of time.”

The revelation makes it clear that Andrade’s absence isn’t just about WWE enforcing old clauses—it’s also about AEW failing to protect themselves. What could have been a blockbuster storyline involving Omega, Ibushi, and Andrade has now been shelved because of the oversight.

At this point, Andrade’s future in AEW is still hanging in the balance. AEW insists they’ll use him once the situation is cleared up, but the botched handling behind the scenes has already cooled off much of the momentum from his big return.

Do you think AEW legal dropped the ball on Andrade’s situation, or is WWE still the one pulling the strings here? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.