WWE Announces Andrade's Release
WWE has released Andrade.
It was announced after tonight's WWE Fastlane pay-per-view that Andrade is no longer with the company. WWE noted that they have come to the terms on his released, and they wished him the best in his future endeavors, as seen below.
As noted earlier this month, Wrestling Inc. exclusively revealed that Andrade requested his WWE release while backstage at the March 8 edition of RAW. It was later reported that he looked "absolutely miserable" while at the taping. This was revealed after Andrade dropped the "WWE" from his Twitter handle and removed WWE from his bio.
Andrade broke his silence on the reports earlier this week, confirming that the rumors were true. He also noted in that post that he didn't know what the future holds, but he wanted his dreams to come true.
It had been reported that WWE was not planning on granting the release request, but it was made official after Fastlane tonight. Andrade tweeted during the pay-per-view that he had "good news" to come, using the "#Happy" hashtag in the post.
Andrade, who is engaged to be married to Charlotte Flair, last appeared on RAW at WWE Draft time in October 2020. He was taken out by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in his last appearance. He then took some time off to undergo a minor procedure after the Draft, and was never officially drafted to RAW or SmackDown. He was scheduled to be out of action for around a month, but never returned. There had been rumors of Andrade returning to WWE NXT or possibly being brought back to RAW with Charlotte, but nothing ever came of the chatter.
After successful runs in Mexico and New Japan Pro Wrestling, WWE signed Andrade to work NXT in November 2015. He made his in-ring debut at a January 2016 live event, and had a strong run on the brand until being called up to SmackDown in April 2018 as a part of the Superstar Shake-Up. He leaves the company as a one-time NXT Champion and a one-time WWE United States Champion. He last wrestled on the October 12 RAW Draft show, a loss to Angel Garza.
Stay tuned for more on Andrade's WWE departure and his post-WWE future. You can see WWE's release announcement below:
Andrade released
WWE has come to terms on the release of Andrade. We wish him all the best in all of his future endeavors.
WWE has come to terms on the release of Andrade. We wish him all the best in all of his future endeavors. https://t.co/h5HggeFPjv
— WWE (@WWE) March 22, 2021