AEW star Andrade El Idolo has provided more insight into his 2025 WWE departure.

Andrade departed WWE in September 2025 after spending approximately a month off television. He returned to AEW less than a month later as a member of the Don Callis Family.

However, his AEW return was interrupted by a contractual dispute with WWE, which kept him away from television for several months. The situation was eventually resolved, allowing Andrade to return to AEW programming in January 2026.

Andrade has since established himself as a major singles star in Tony Khan’s promotion, capturing the AEW National Championship on one occasion. At the time of this writing, he is the current No. 1 contender for the AEW World Championship.

Andrade Explains Why He Was Unhappy with WWE’s Creative Direction

Andrade discussed his second WWE exit during an appearance on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The former United States Champion explained that his personal circumstances also made his return to WWE uncomfortable following his divorce from Charlotte Flair.

“I had my divorce (from Charlotte Flair). I went back to WWE to work with my ex-wife, and now that I’m divorced, I felt a little weird. I wasn’t feeling at home or comfy. The story they gave, it wasn’t a good or specific story or direction,” Andrade said.

The former AEW National Champion also expressed frustration with the company’s plans to have him compete in AAA, despite his desire to establish himself against WWE’s top talent.

“Later, they wanted to send me to AAA. It’s a good opportunity. I moved here to work with WWE. I know AAA and respect AAA, but WWE is worldwide; AAA is just in Mexico. People in Mexico know me. I wanted people to know me around the world, like in Australia, Arabia, Europe, and other countries where WWE is.”

Andrade explained that he had already built his reputation in Mexico and wanted to take advantage of WWE’s international platform to reach audiences around the world.

“I made my name in Mexico; why go back to Mexico? I wanted to work in WWE with the top guys. I didn’t feel good. We were talking; I didn’t feel comfortable, and they gave me my release,” he said. [H/T Fightful]

During the same interview, Andrade also addressed WWE’s non-compete clauses, explaining that contracts could reportedly include restrictions lasting anywhere from three months to one year.