Andrade Has Already Disappeared From AEW (& Nobody Will Say Why) (AEW News)

Uncertainty over Andrade El Idolo's AEW status.

by Andrew Pollard
AEW Dynamite Andrade El Idolo Don Callis
AEW

Having recently been released by WWE and made his shocking return to AEW, there once again appears to be uncertainty over the status of Andrade El Idolo.

El Idolo made his AEW return on the 1 October edition of Dynamite, attacking Kenny Omega and joining the Don Callis Family. However, the former WWE United States Champion has not made a single AEW appearance since then, including Don Callis' recent on-screen birthday celebration with his faction. On top of that, Andrade has also been pulled from an upcoming Muchas Luchas Atlanta match against LA Park on 26 October, where Mascarita Sagrada vs. Demus has been announced as a replacement bout.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed Andrade's lack of TV time, with Alvarez saying, "something happened, he disappeared", and Meltzer noting how he knows people who know what's really happening with El Idolo, "but they're keeping quiet".

Advertisement

So, once again, we have speculation and uncertainty over Andrade El Idolo.

El Idolo is somewhat of a history maker, being the only person to leave WWE for AEW, return to WWE, and then depart WWE and land back in AEW. As for that latest WWE exit, that was solely a WWE decision, with the company opting to release him while the talent still had 18 months remaining on his existing deal. Interestingly, WWE also didn't put any sort of non-compete in place, immediately making Andrade a free agent and giving him the freedom to head straight back to AEW rather than having to wait the usual 90 days.

Advertisement

In the weeks after his WWE release, reports surfaced to say the one-time La Sombra had "multiple wellness violations" during his second stint with the market leader.

Get 76% off and three months for free when you sign up to NordVPN here: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=704&aff_id=3013&source=WCWRE

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.