Andrade Turned Down NXT Return Before Leaving WWE
The former NXT Champion turned down a Full Sail return prior to his WWE release.
Andrade has revealed he turned down the opportunity to return to NXT for a year prior to his WWE release.
Speaking on a media call hosted by Más Lucha yesterday, the former NXT Champion said that while he doesn't see being on WWE's black and gold brand as a downgrade, he wanted to be out of the company so he could "make some noise" (h/t Fightful for the transcription, Carlos Toro for the translation):-
“I never proposed going back to NXT. They proposed it to me. But when they noticed that I’m quitting, they asked me if I wanted to spend a year in NXT, then go back to the main roster and I told them that I wanted to make it on the main roster. I don’t think being in NXT is a lesser thing, but I would rather be out of the company than be in NXT because at least out there, I can make more noise. I don’t have anything against NXT or the wrestlers there, but I didn’t want to take a step back."
Andrade debuted as an NXT babyface in June 2016, but didn't hit his stride until Zelina Vega was introduced as his manager the following year. A transformational run followed, with Andrade capturing Drew McIntyre's NXT Championship at the first TakeOver: WarGames, defending it in WWE's first five-star match with Johnny Gargano two months later, before the former La Sombra was moved to the main roster in April 2018.
This was Andrade's second major media appearance since scoring his WWE release on 21 March, following on from the previous day's interview with Lucha Libre Online.
The 31-year-old revealed during the conference call that Triple H recommended the NXT run, with Andrade responding that he would have preferred an opportunity on Raw or SmackDown.